2.5 stars

The Ship Beyond Time was not a strong conclusion. I nearly DNFed this book multiple times. In fact, it took a steadfast focus to stop myself from skimming through to the end. I was not engaged in the story in the slightest. The plot was messy. It felt completely rushed and disjointed. Maybe I am just not intelligent enough to puzzle it together from the half-strung theories Nix seemed to understand in an instant? Whatever my excuse may be, I still found it incredibly difficult to wrap my head around this particular time travel lore. I was constantly trying to figure out what the characters were trying to achieve. Just when I thought I knew what they were trying to accomplish, they would make a sudden realisation and just… change all their plans. It left me flailing in confusion and anger more times than I could keep track of. It did not help that I was not on board with a few of the plot threads. For example, I found the memory aspect of the story a little half-hearted. Kashmir’s reaction was reasonable (honestly, I felt so bad for him this entire book, but I’ll get to that in a minute) but everyone kind of just jumped on board with Nix’s ramblings. I was also just confused about the Ker-Ys myth. I could never remember the details of the original myth, let alone where it had diverged.

The characters were also a mess. Nix is just not a character I connect to on any personal level. I do not think she is poorly written by any sense but she kinda felt like another Etta and… I don’t know. She is just not particularly memorable to me and I found her fits of anger unfounded and irritating. Kashmir’s POV should have been amazing since he was such an outstanding character in the first book. His sass and humour shine through and provide a lot of needed relief from the intensity of the plot. I really enjoyed his internal monologue as well, as he struggled to come to terms with his identity and past. What bugged me about his chapters were how whiny he got about the romantic situation. Just like Nicholas in Wayfarer, I felt Heilig did not do his voice justice by wasting t on petty drama. I will say that as a character, I did still adore him. I wanted to jump into the pages and give him a hug. He was having such a hard time wrapping his mind around his origins and Nix just did not understand.

The other secondary characters were just… not themselves. Bee and Rotgut were mysteriously absent for the majority of the story and Slate just lost his spark. I really wanted to see how his relationship with Nix would evolve after the events of the first book but he barely made his presence known. He was not given the chance for character development. I also have to say that I was entirely disappointed with how Blake’s character was portrayed. As much as everyone else seems to despise him, Blake wormed his way into my heart. He was so loyal, genuinely kind to Nix and he adapted so well to the timeline differences. He was naturally curious and passionate about Hawaii and justice. I know he made some awful choices but the intent behind those decisions was pretty sound in my opinion. He was the only character that seriously considered the wider impact of their time travelling, rather than how it served them personally. I really liked that about him. I did think that introducing:

Lin, Nix’s mother, was a waste of time. She had no personality and played such an unimportant role in the story. It was such a letdown.

.

The romance did nothing for me. For one, we still have the remnants of a love triangle for the majority of the story. I hate to think how many times I have written this sentence: it was unnecessary. Why are authors still writing their characters into these sorts of unrealistic, drama-prone situations? I like Kashmir. I like Blake. I somewhat thought Nix was okay. I did not particularly care about any of them together and was so done with the situation.

Heilig does have an amazing writing style, though, and the premise of a time-travelling pirate-ish crew still excites me. I think The Ship Beyond Time could have been a truly solid book if the world-building and character development had been stronger. Heilig can definitely write the bare bones of a good story and I look forward to seeing her develop her skills in her future stories.

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.