Review: The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig

Sixteen-year-old Nix has been to many places and times, real and mythological, as part of the crew of her father's ship. This time, they are seeking to return to Hawaii in 1868, the time before her mother died. Nix is worried that if they get there and prevent her mother's death that it will affect her very existence. She is torn between helping her father and self-preservation.

Her father, Slate, comes across the necessary hand drawn map at a Christie's auction. When they use it to plot their course, it delivers them to the right place, but the wrong year. Slate is contacted by a group of men who would like to exchange the real map he needs for a task. It's up to Nix to help her father figure out how to do it with the help of the crew, especially her best friend and possible love interest Kashmir.

As the plot progresses, Heilig introduces a second possible love interest and a sort of love triangle develops. Nix seemingly has to decide which boy she is more interested in and whether she wants to stay land-bound or go back to traveling with her father.

It's an interesting book. I liked the history of Hawaii that was thrown into the mix. It was accurate and is explained in an afterword. I wasn't crazy about the introduction of a love triangle of sorts, but it works. It's a little slow towards the middle, but the action picks up especially towards the end. Slate makes for a good tortured captain. He leads a small, but diverse crew. And Kashmir gets some good lines. This is aimed at the YA audience, but I still enjoyed it and I am long past being a young adult.

Overall, this is a good book. I gave it 4 stars out of 5.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.