The Neverland Wars by Audrey Greathouse

Published By: Clean Teen Publishing on May 9 2016
Format Read: Kindle Edition ARC (302 pages)
Genre: Young Adult/ Retellings/ Fantasy
Series: Standalone
Source: Author Request
Rating: THREE STARS

~Amazon~

Magic can do a lot—give you flight, show you mermaids, help you taste the stars, and… solve the budget crisis? That's what the grown-ups will do with it if they ever make it to Neverland to steal its magic and bring their children home.

However, Gwen doesn't know this. She's just a sixteen-year-old girl with a place on the debate team and a powerful crush on Jay, the soon-to-be homecoming king. She doesn't know her little sister could actually run away with Peter Pan, or that she might have to chase after her to bring her home safe. Gwen will find out though—and when she does, she'll discover she's in the middle of a looming war between Neverland and reality.

She'll be out of place as a teenager in Neverland, but she won't be the only one. Peter Pan's constant treks back to the mainland have slowly aged him into adolescence as well. Soon, Gwen will have to decide whether she's going to join impish, playful Peter in his fight for eternal youth… or if she's going to scramble back to reality in time for the homecoming dance.

REVIEW:

This book was packed with imaginative and whimsical moments in Neverland. However I was surprised that most of the book takes place there. Gwen is a protagonist that we can all relate too. She  wants to hold on to her childhood for as long as possible. Although she is 16 in the book, I did find the way she was described, read as much younger. The writing was really good, and  what I liked most about the book. The book has a great premise, but I think some of the story was lost in the execution. While Gwen is in Neverland, I was less engaged at  times because it was unclear how the plot would develop.

"In Neverland, everything that occurred appeared to be a quantum supposition of fantasy and reality, and simply believing in an event seemed to change its outcome."

The world building did not fully explain how magic worked in reality and in Neverland. The magic involved in both worlds was glossed over as it focused on how Gwen experienced it. This was a character driven fantasy. The stories described, sometimes served little purpose to advance the book, although they were good. I wanted to learn more about Peter Pan and who else was involved with the Neverland War. However the war itself was not a major plot point, so there was limited action where the two worlds interacted.

"Age did not- it could not have any real effect against the nature of a human life."  

The author did a great job of capturing the fantastical elements of Neverland, which made it fun to re-imagine. The action that was included didn't mesh with the rest of the book, and was too sparse. The ending set up a possible sequel, but left too many questions unanswered. There is also no indication that this will be a series, so the loose ends were disappointing.  Overall I did enjoy some elements of this book, but was let down by others. I would suggest this for tween readers, who can relate to the struggles of growing up and are fans of Peter Pan.

I received this e-book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Audrey Greathouse is a Seattle-based author of science-fiction and fantasy. Raised in the suburbs, she became a writer after being introduced to NaNoWriMo during her sophmore year of high school. Since then, she has drafted more than a dozen books, 100 sonnets, and 800 other poems, and a handful of short stories and one-act plays.

After dropping out of her university and beginning training as a circus performer on the aerial silks, she returned to school to study at Southern New Hampshire University College of Online and Continuing Education to earn her B.A. in English Language and Literature, with a minor in Computer Information Technologies.

Audrey Greathouse is a die-hard punk cabaret fan, and pianist of fourteen years. She's usually somewhere along the west coast, and she is always writing.