Sunday, September 13, 2015

Sunday Street Team Never Never

Never Never
ISBN:  978-1633920392
September 22, 2015
Amazon Link 
 Synopsis (Goodreads):

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.

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

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

All the Rage Review

All the Rage
ISBN: 9781250021915
April 14, 2015
Amazon Link
 *Received an ARC from the Publisher in exchange for a review*

Romy Grey; hated by most, loved by few. Romy lives in a world where a teenage girl has no voice or opinion in any matter, men rule the town, adults don't listen to children for the better, and the authorities of the town are extremely one-sided for their benefit only. Romy tries to put last night together and find out what really happens to save her life and voice the truth; her truth.


All The Rage by Courtney Summers is a moving novel about a teenage girl who is  trying to share her voice in the world. The characters are very complex and you create such real genuine emotions to them. The main character Romy is such a strong girl for all she has, and is going through in her life. Romy's experience with rape is so brutal and heartbreaking, and shows readers what it's like for victims long after the incident, how it haunts them the rest of their lives. A few of the things I loved about this book is how strong Romy is, she really inspired me. Another thing is also the relationships Romy develops thought the book (especially the her relationship with Leon). All the Rage is very moving,  I felt upset, sad, and angry at times. A very powerful novel that will stay with you for a very long time, I definitely recommend this book to all young adults out there so that more people will be more aware of the issues covered in this book and hopefully in the near future we can prevent some of the issues from happening.

Published by EM