The stunning conclusion to the Passenger duology, Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken follows an epic journey of love and triumph that spans the globe and the centuries.
All Etta Spencer wanted was to make her violin debut when she was thrust into a treacherous world where the struggle for power could alter history. After losing the one thing that would have allowed her to protect the Timeline, and the one person worth fighting for, Etta awakens alone in an unknown place and time, exposed to the threat of the two groups who would rather see her dead than succeed. When help arrives, it comes from the last person Etta ever expected—Julian Ironwood, the Grand Master’s heir who has long been presumed dead, and whose dangerous alliance with a man from Etta’s past could put them both at risk.
Meanwhile, Nicholas and Sophia are racing through time in order to locate Etta and the missing astrolabe with Ironwood travelers hot on their trail. They cross paths with a mercenary-for-hire, a cheeky girl named Li Min who quickly develops a flirtation with Sophia. But as the three of them attempt to evade their pursuers, Nicholas soon realizes that one of his companions may have ulterior motives.
As Etta and Nicholas fight to make their way back to one another, from Imperial Russia to the Vatican catacombs, time is rapidly shifting and changing into something unrecognizable… and might just run out on both of them.
The action in Wayfarer picks up immediately, and truly doesn’t ever slow down. (And if, like me, you need a refresher on what happened in Passenger this is a very tidy recap!) Bracken builds upon everything she established in Passenger and gives us so much more to love.
Though Nicholas and Etta are heart-breakingly separated for much of Wayfarer, their journeys back to each other makes for a compelling and fantastic story. We see these characters, so deeply in love and aching to be reunited, fighting to choose between what they desire and what they know is the right thing to do. Along the way, they team up with characters new and old, and these pairings are as delightful as they are unlikely.
I would be especially remiss if I didn’t mention just how delightful and wonderful Julian is, and how much I wish we could have more stories with him. He’s a scoundrel and a charmer, but he has heart and gusto and I just adored him.
But then, so too did I take much delight in the repartee and unlikely bond formed between Sophia and Nicholas on their journey, and the hard-fought friendship they form throughout their time together.
Wayfarer is a fast-paced, lush journey through time and place — giving readers a glimpse of far off places and long ago times, both real and imagined. Bracken outdoes herself with alternative timelines and unexpected world events. Her knack for imagining the “what ifs” of history is superb, and is in fine form throughout all of Wayfarer’s worlds.
Rich with adventure, romance, and history, Wayfarer is in stores now.
Novel Novice 
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