Review Detail

Sixteen-year-old Nix is more traveled than most. For years, she has sailed with her father, a Navigator who can travel through time. Nix has seen both history and myth in action, and someday, she hopes to Navigate on her own. When a deal for a map puts everyone at risk, Nix will have to chart surprisingly familiar waters to find the answers she desperately needs.

What I Loved:

Though Nix’s story takes readers through a variety of times and places, Hawaii is a center point of the book, particularly the time of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Heilig gives lush descriptions of the land and the people, both native and foreign, who inhabit the islands. The explanations of history and the fictional elements in the author’s note is especially helpful for readers who want to know more.

Nix and her father’s relationship is a fascinating and complex element. Nix is determined and fierce, and she faces many difficult decisions when it comes to her father who is often distant with thoughts of Nix’s dead mother. Heilig skillfully shows Nix’s battle of her own wills as she struggles to understand her father and find her own place in the world.

What Left Me Wanting More:

The premise of a time-traveling Navigation skill is exciting and intriguing, but some may have a difficult time understanding the logistics of it, as only a little is fully explained. However, those who are as caught in the myth as well as the plot may enjoy the added mystery. With the confusion behind the Navigation and certain building blocks of the plot, I personally had a difficult time connecting to the story and being invested in the characters. However, the puzzle behind Nix’s family history and Hawaii kept me reading, as well as the beautiful writing.

Final Verdict:

Though I had difficulty connecting with the story, the lush descriptions and almost lyrical writing are sure to keep readers turning the pages for more to discover just where Nix’s journey will take her.