 |
| ISBN: 978-1633920392 September 22, 2015 Amazon Link |
James Hook is a child who only wants to grow up.
When he meets Peter Pan, a boy who loves to pretend and is intent on never becoming a man, James decides he could try being a child—at least briefly. James joins Peter Pan on a holiday to Neverland, a place of adventure created by children’s dreams, but Neverland is not for the faint of heart. Soon James finds himself longing for home, determined that he is destined to be a man. But Peter refuses to take him back, leaving James trapped in a world just beyond the one he loves. A world where children are to never grow up.
But grow up he does.
And thus begins the epic adventure of a Lost Boy and a Pirate.
This story isn’t about Peter Pan; it’s about the boy whose life he stole. It’s about a man in a world that hates men. It’s about the feared Captain James Hook and his passionate quest to kill the Pan, an impossible feat in a magical land where everyone loves Peter Pan.
Except one.
Review:
Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland are two of my most favorite types of retelling. I was super stoked to be asked to participate in the Sunday Street Team for Never Never. Overall, I wasn't too impressed but I did enjoy the story and twist on Neverland. The author did an amazing job explaining how Never Neverland came to be and I found it quite interesting.
From the very beginning, Peter sets rules the Lost Boys have to follow. One rule in particular I am confused about is height. No one is allowed surpass Peter in height and a few years later Hook is taller which infuriates Peter. I dont understand how one could grow in Never Neverland. Maybe I missed this reasoning because the rest of the book made sense.
Never Never was extremely descriptive and explained everything in depth. I found this to be both a flaw and positive take to the story. At times, I was overloaded with description and reasoning to the point I became bored stiff, it wasnt until after I finished the book I understood why there was so much description. The last 40% of the book really picked up the pace and I was finished in no time. I did struggle in the middle though ad had to pick it up three different times to make my way through.
Peter Pan has brutal mentality in Never Never. I normally don't see this type of behavior from Peter in other retelling however, Anna Katmore's Neverland is similiar. I was never a fan of Hook from the get-go so I wanted to see if this book would win me over with Hook. To be honest, I couldn't stand both Peter and Hook. For someone who wanted to grow up fast, Hook definitely went about it the wrong way. Both boys were very stubborn, I would have liked to see more of the Lost Boys come in to a comical play to offset the hair pulling tension between Peter and Hook.
From the very beginning, Peter sets rules the Lost Boys have to follow. One rule in particular I am confused about is height. No one is allowed surpass Peter in height and a few years later Hook is taller which infuriates Peter. I dont understand how one could grow in Never Neverland. Maybe I missed this reasoning because the rest of the book made sense.
Never Never was extremely descriptive and explained everything in depth. I found this to be both a flaw and positive take to the story. At times, I was overloaded with description and reasoning to the point I became bored stiff, it wasnt until after I finished the book I understood why there was so much description. The last 40% of the book really picked up the pace and I was finished in no time. I did struggle in the middle though ad had to pick it up three different times to make my way through.
Peter Pan has brutal mentality in Never Never. I normally don't see this type of behavior from Peter in other retelling however, Anna Katmore's Neverland is similiar. I was never a fan of Hook from the get-go so I wanted to see if this book would win me over with Hook. To be honest, I couldn't stand both Peter and Hook. For someone who wanted to grow up fast, Hook definitely went about it the wrong way. Both boys were very stubborn, I would have liked to see more of the Lost Boys come in to a comical play to offset the hair pulling tension between Peter and Hook.
I would recommend Never Never to fans of retelling and fantasy.
About the Author:
Brianna Shrum lives in Colorado with her high-school-sweetheart turned husband and her two little boys. She's been writing since she could scrawl letters, and has worked with teens since she graduated out of teenager-hood, either in the writing classes she taught, or working with the youth group. Brianna digs all things YA, all things geeky, superhero-y, gamery, magical, and strange.
Her debut YA, Never Never, releases in September of this year. Her second YA, How to Make Out, releases in Fall 2016. She'd totally love to connect with you, so come say hi on her website or Twitter!
Visit her Website at briannashrum.com
Follow her on Twitter @briannashrum
Published by M
