The breathtaking sequel to the acclaimed The Girl from Everywhere. “Fresh and exciting . . . truly the perfect playground for adventure.”—NPR.org“Thrilling.”—School Library Journal (starred review)Nix has spent her whole life journeying to places both real and imagined aboard her time-traveling father’s ship. And now it’s finally time for her to take the helm. Her future lies bright before … ship. And now it’s finally time for her to take the helm. Her future lies bright before her—until she learns that she is destined to lose the one she loves.
Desperate to change her fate, Nix sails her crew to a mythical utopia to meet another Navigator who promises to teach her how to manipulate time. But everything in this utopia is constantly changing, and nothing is what it seems. Not even her relationship with Kash: best friend, thief, charmer extraordinaire.
Heidi Heilig weaves fantasy, history, and romance together to tackle questions of free will, fate, and what it means to love another person. At the center of this adventure are extraordinary, complicated, and multicultural characters who leap off the page, and an intricate, recognizable world that has no bounds.
This sequel—and conclusion—to The Girl from Everywhere includes five black-and-white maps of historical and mythical locations. Fans of Leigh Bardugo, Sabaa Tahir, and Outlander will be swept away.
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This sequel to The Girl from Everywhere really lived up to the expectations I had after finishing the first book. Perhaps there was a little more wonky physics than I wanted, and a touch too much of the romance, but overall, it was just as much fun getting lost in Nix’s world as it was the first time. There’s plenty of action and high stakes, and some fun mythology thrown in, which was a nice change from the history-heavy plot of book one. I’d definitely recommend picking this one up if you liked the first!
” our lives are before us, not behind.”
” that depends on where you’re standing on the timeline.”
*****
Don’t you just love it when the sequel is as good as the original??
I applied to NetGalley for an ARC of this one – I LOVED the first in the series, and couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. Both because I was dying to see where Nix, Slate, Kash and the others wound up, but also because I didn’t want to lose the details of it before delving back into Heilig’s exceptional world(s), since it’s much easier for me to read one new book than to have to reread an old before turning to the new… I was denied – not sure why – and crushed because I’d have to wait. But merciful heavens, was it worth the wait!
The journey once again takes us into a delicious blend of mythical and mundane waters – although, really, is there anything mundane about reality when it’s managed so deftly? Heilig does a fantastic job at making even the ordinary (New York City, current date) seem exceptional. She is a dab hand at world-building, painting descriptions that are detailed enough to bring you right into the locale of the moment (much like the Captain’s vaunted maps) without wasting a single paragraph with extraneous information. And if she’s that good at geography, imagine how good she is at drama…
Nix is once again trapped between the possible and the necessary. She tap dances among land mines in this world and others, trying to find her way to a life well lived, and well deserved. Along the way she finds (and loses) love, finds (and loses) faith and friendship, finds (and loses) maps, and finds (and loses) her way. But somehow she always manages to find her way back – to love, geography, and her own place in the world(s). “Personal growth” sounds like such a cliche, but there really is a seismic shift in her perspective throughout the two books – a shift that ties together handily, if not altogether tidily, by the end of this book.
The Ship Beyond Time is billed as a sequel, which you don’t usually see if a book is intended as the middle of a series. But there’s clearly an opening for more adventures. How could there not be – there will, after all, always be more maps… The story started in The Girl From Everywhere has come full circle in many ways, as has the character of Nix herself. If the series ended here, it would end satisfactorily. But I really hope it doesn’t!
The Girl From Everywhere tells the story of a young woman finding her place in her family of crew and deciding what she wants, while the Ship Beyond Time is the story of how she fights for that future. The first book Nix could be annoying and frustrating, but she’s a 16 year old girl then, getting attention from two boys, and we would all be that annoying. But the second book has her standing up for herself and for her love and all of us who didn’t like her in book one can surely get behind her now!
Bonus: more excellent Kashmir time, if you don’t love him, get out of my life.
I’m in awe of good stories, whether the writing is simple and to the point or witty and complex. The Ship Beyond Time falls into the second category. Heidi Heilig crafts a tale with wit, emotion, and beautiful prose that had me constantly copying phrases to marvel at later. It’s been a long while since I read the first book, The Girl from Everywhere, and I’d forgotten a lot of the plot. But the sequel contains the same characters and the same Navigation method (time/space travel), so I forged merrily ahead without feeling I was missing out.
Nix, the heroine, is as fearless as they come, plus loyal, bright, resourceful, and filled with incredible bits of knowledge that come in handy on their expeditions. The supporting cast is wonderful too. The story begins with some deadly conflict and furious page turning to find out how it resolves. And the tension never lets up.
History, mythology, geography, and amazing creativity take you on a wild adventure into the beyond. Get ready to sail to a mythical island, storm a castle, and maybe meet a sea creature or two. You’ll also find heartbreak, heartache, and such sweet love that’s not just romantic.
Heidi Heilig writes a captivating story that I adored. If you liked The Ten Thousand Doors of January you’ll love The Ship Beyond Time.
It’s not quite as good as the first book, and it spent more time talking about the central romance than it did making it seem worth it. It also ended in a way that makes me think there should be a third book?