The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig

“It was the kind of August day that hinted at monsoons, and the year was 1774, though not for very much longer.”

Nix is a sixteen-year-old girl who time-travels with her father aboard a pirate ship named The Temptation.  Using old maps they are able to travel to anyplace and anywhere in time, however, they can only visit a specific time and place once.  Nix’s father only has one destination in mind, one that has eluded him for years and has turned into an obsession.  He is on an ongoing search for an old map that will take him to 1868 Honolulu, a time when Nix’s mother was still alive, before Nix was born.  But what would that mean for Nix, going to a time before she was born?  When a map is discovered that could successfully take them to Honolulu in 1868, Nix is conflicted about whether she should help to obtain it and soon finds herself in a life-changing adventure.

There is something very captivating about this book, whether it be the concept, the characters, the title, or the lovely cover.  Most likely it is all of these things coming together that really drew me towards reading the story, which as it turned out I really enjoyed.  Nix works well as the heroine of the novel and I liked experiencing the book though her perspective.  Particularly interesting is her complicated relationship with her father, and the fun relationship/interactions she has with her best friend/love interest Kashmir.  There are backstories that are given to most of the characters, however I do wish there was a little more character development as I didn’t fully connect to them, and found myself not really invested in the story as much as I would have liked.  Having said that, I did end up enjoying it overall, especially the historical aspects and the weaving of myths and legends throughout.

*ARC provided by NetGalley.  Publication date: March 3, 2016.