The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig

The Girl From Everywhere #1
I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting from The Girl from Everywhere, but it was so different and so much more than what I anticipated. Instead of an adventure story, I read about a girl lost and adrift in the world, finding her place and her purpose. Nix’s history is complicated, her relationships are complicated, everything about her is so complicated that it leaves her paralyzed; unable to really dedicate herself to a particular goal, ideal, or future. And in the beginning of the novel this bothered me, I felt like the story was adrift without a purpose. But slowly Nix starts to come into her own. She learns so much about herself, about what she really wants and needs, and about what it means to be a Navigator. She starts out angry and discouraged, and gains empathy, acceptance, and hope.

Not everyone will like this book. Its greatness lies much more in the character development and transformation than the actual story. While there is action and adventure, it is not really what drives the story. There is also far less “traveling” than I would have liked, based on the premise. But in the end, I loved it all the same. If the plot could have moved me as much as the character focus did, this would have made it to the top of my list.