If you were craving more pirates, more time traveling conundrums, and more heart wrenching, be assured that Heilig’s sequel, The Ship Beyond Time, will give you all three and a little more.
Summary
Nix is finally at the helm of a time-traveling ship. Being the master of her own fates was exactly what she wanted, until she finds out that while she may be directing the ship, she has a fate that is written in the stars: she will love the one she loves – just like her father. Faced with this tragic twist of fate, Nix is determined not to lose Kashmir, her best friend, crewmate, and maybe more. Like father like daughter, Nix endeavors to sail to a mythical utopia that could have the key to changing history. But a utopia is a mere figment of illusion, and their time on the island reveals constantly shifting memories and even more confusion. Will Nix be able to avert her destiny or will it catch up to her after all?
Review
‘I thought you didn’t believe in fate’. ‘No one does, until it catches up with them’. (286)
What swept me out to sea in this book, was Heilig’s exploration of themes. I know in my last review I didn’t talk as much about them, but I am even more glad I waited. If I thought there were themes before, they come back even stronger than before here. But before I talk about what captured my heart, I want to mention a few other things I loved about the book. Heilig takes us on a wonderful journey of epic proportions, integrating both history and mythology in a way that makes both come alive. There were even more stories, once the book had finished. Heilig treats us to a look at the history behind the references in the book.
The Characters
‘Whenever you try to change something, you sacrifice something else.’ ‘Every choice has a cost, Miss Song. The real question is whether or not one is willing to pay it’. ‘No, Blake. The real question is whether it’s worth the price’. (276)
I ship Nix and Kashmir so much that the blurb of this book made my heart work on over time. Their tender and turbulent relationship gets even more attention this time around and we are even treated to a few chapters of Kashmir’s point of view. But what I loved about The Ship Beyond Time was how much deeper Heilig takes us into the themes of the first book: love and loss as well as the idea, or hope, to change our history. While that could sound predictable, Heilig raises the stakes and makes us fight for our lives and our love.
Themes
‘I would risk anything for you’. ‘Anything but loss’ (294).
Even more so, we can see the parallels to our own decisions. Ultimately, do we let fear and the promise of loss discourage us from opening our hearts? Or do we use it as a warning and embrace every moment anew? There were so many swoon worthy quotes about love I had a hard time picking one. I think the idea of changing our past or our history is an alluring idea to most of us, appealing to us on the worst of days in the depths of our despair. But the genuine question that Nix is faced with, is do we? If myths are malleable, influenced by belief, how about history?
‘The loving’s more important than the living’ (101)
The Ship Beyond Time had many other fan favorite moments, aside from its thorough exploration of themes, like it’s constant appeal to map lovers, or it’s twisty and surprising plot, or even it’s characters that compel and move you. I am very pleased with the ending of this duology, even if I still have lingering questions. What else will I occupy my time with until the next Heilig book?
You can pick up The Ship Beyond Time from Amazon(US), your local indie, and add it to Goodreads.
Discussion
Any pirate recommendations for me?
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Make sure to check out my review of the first one, The Girl from Everywhere.