tweetybugshouse
Written on Jun 12, 2016
- ISBN10 1634221710
- ISBN13 9781634221719
- Publish Date 6 June 2016
- Publish Status Transferred
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Clean Teen Publishing
- Format Paperback
- Pages 302
- Language English
Reviews
layawaydragon
Written on May 15, 2016
3.5 Stars and would've been a solid 4 if not for the weak magical world building.
The Good:
+LOVED this version of Peter Pan, it makes sense he grows up traveling here and his characterization is perfect
+Enjoyed the Neverland adventures and learning more about it
+Liked how it brought up racism in the original tale with the “Redskins” and attempted to disconnect it from American Indians
+Love triangle worked for me
The Bad & The Other:
-The magical worldbuilding is weak and not sufficiently advanced, though I enjoyed the nod
-Gwen rubbed me wrong with not liking anything & no hobbies, etc. in the beginning
First I have to say, I'm not that big a fan of Peter Pan. I've never dreamed of fleeing to Neverland or meeting him.
While I loved the Disney movie as a kid, the first time I was watching a play version with my father and saw it didn't matter if I clapped when Tinkerbell died really killed it for me.
Sounds odd that I sought this book out, huh? Well, not really. I wanted a modern re-telling hoping I could fall in love with it again before reality was exposed.
And I found it.
The Neverland Wars is a fantastically written whimsical tale of Gwen struggling between her childish impulses and teen yearnings. Being a kid that loved Fantasy and Sci-fi books (and every other kind of book) growing up I understood that part of her that didn't fit in.
Gwen pushed it a bit hard with not liking pop music or anything else without giving alternatives. Like even though I hated most of the girl and boy bands growing up (the 90s man…Spice Girls!!), I had music; I just went in a drastically different direction. Looking back now I was probably compensating and trying to be "edgy".
Why doesn't Gwen like musical or movie versions of fairy tales or try out for theater or writing? She could volunteer with kids somewhere like story time. Give me SOMETHING to work with please. Instead of endearing, this attitude is off-putting. Not enough but I wasn’t feeling her much in the beginning with this going on.
As the adventure unfolded, Gwen really grew on me. I was with her every step after that bump. Her decisions made sense and then…
THAT ENDING. OMFG. That’s just not fair! Such a right hook and the screen fades to black as a cliffhanger.
Peter Pan: It makes sense that his traveling her would age him. I like how he handles being a childish 14 and makes Neverland work. He’s complicated and elusive. He is both attracted and repulsed with his dual nature. Reminds me a lot of Seih from N.K. Jemisin’s Inheritance trilogy.
The Love Triangle: Yes, there is a love triangle. Yes, Gwen used the word without so much as a date between them or acknowledgement. Yes, the boys are polar opposites. Yet, it worked. And it didn’t overshadow the other aspects and felt natural.
Worldbuilding: The hardest part I had wrapping my brain around was that technology was magic, until humans caught up. It preys on ignorance, praying you don't know how cellphones and such work. Which is rather pathetic and sad when you think about it.
Science geeks or even just the science literate, be prepared to be disappointed. I'd say the same for economics but I don't think anyone really understand that ;)) jk
Economics Link Dump:
1, 2, 3,4
I really, really wish the tech was more advanced to avoid this whole problem. Like having Star Trek replicators and ending scarcity. That's a cause I could get behind using magic for (with the information I know rn) and would meet the "sufficiently advanced" part of the quote.
Cellphones just don't cut it and haven't for a while. 2G cellphones have been around since the 90s and while that may feel like just yesterday, we're talking 20+ years. Should’ve shot for the impossible replicators rather than the improbable humans can’t figure out cellphones.
As it is, it’s simply hand-waved away with Gwen’s head is spinning and her ignorance showing. Her father doesn’t come off well in this scene because he advocates for this ridiculous bit of worldbuilding. It felt wrong preying and counting on her ignorance. I don’t know how else to describe it.
The War: I do understand that this was the first book and had to set everything up so it could grow. Of course it makes sense that in Neverland the war wouldn't be the direct focus, more of an excuse for adventures and that Peter would keep his plans close to the chest. However, I can’t stop wishing there was more.
Especially the magic. It’s the whole point of the war. I NEED to know how this magic works. Are my guesses correct? Can we bring back Santa Claus? Can the poor kids get the fucking presents instead of the rich assholes ruining everything?? Throw us a bone! Of course, I'm not in such a civilized country with social safety nets. OH GODS, Is the USA using magic to bomb places?!? Please tell me America is ignorant on this. PLEASE.
Of course, I found it so damn enjoyable and enchanting I'm not really mad, just frustratingly impatient. While I obviously have ideas on what's happening next from foreshadowing and the genre but the end game? I'm not sure. What would the consequences be if Neverland won or lost? Could they actually come to a compromise? This is where knowing how the magic would both help and hurt.
The sequel will go on my TBR as soon as it’s announced.
Note: Often when reviewing at night, I listen to music. Typically, it’s just my usual jams but for this one it was Melanie Martinez’s Cry Baby. I thought the dark childish themes/sounds would be perfect.
cornerfolds
Written on May 1, 2016
You may already know, if you've read a few of my reviews, that I tend to adore retellings. Two of my favorite stories to see retold are Beauty and the Beast and Peter Pan. I feel like it's really hard to go wrong with either of these, so when I saw The Neverland Wars, I immediately added it to my TBR. How could I say no when I was presented with the opportunity to review an advance copy?
The Neverland Wars is a totally unique take on the Peter Pan story. The book has a modern day setting, but in this universe magic is real - and the adults know it. This comes as quite a shock to Gwen, who is honestly just concerned about getting to go to homecoming. Her sister disappears and it seems that everyone but her knows exactly what has happened. When she gets the chance to go after her sister, and just happens to get a fast pass to Neverland with Pan himself in the process, she takes it... to save her sister (or at least that's how she justifies it). Gwen learns that there's a war between Neverland and the Adults and she doesn't know which side she belongs on.
I really enjoyed Gwen as a character for the most part. Some retellings that I've read have struggled to convince me that the story is actually about Wendy (Gwen, in this case) growing up. This one made that point very clear from the beginning and I felt like I could easily sympathize with her unease over whether to remain a child or become like the adults surrounding her. I really liked going along with Gwen on her journey through Neverland and what was essentially finding herself.
Peter was also a character I generally enjoyed, although not quite as much as I would have liked. Some Peter Pan stories make it obvious whether Peter is a villain or a hero, but I felt like this one left it a little more ambiguous, which I liked. That's about where my feelings about him end, though. I do wish I had been able to get to know him a bit better, but honestly the omniscient narration made it a little difficult to really connect with any one character fully.
Audrey Greathouse's Neverland was definitely unique. There are classic Pan elements throughout the world building, of course, but there are little changes here and there to show that this is not exactly the same as the Neverland you've grown up with. For example, the second star to the right bit? Not quite. And there aren't any pirates in this Neverland, which was quite disappointing to me as a huge fan of Captain Hook. The mermaids were also quite a bit different. Some of these elements were really interesting, while some were a bit confusing and sometimes a little unnecessary.
What I really enjoyed, though, was the writing style! It felt incredibly whimsical and definitely like it would fit into a classic fairytale - Peter Pan, for instance. Still, good characters, whimsical writing, and unique setting couldn't completely save this from the rather odd storyline of the war itself. I never quite understood why there would need to be a war over magic, or why it was in limited supply, and perhaps a bit more background could have made it seem more plausible.
Overall The Neverland Wars was just an okay read for me. I feel like this story had a lot of potential but ultimately was not fleshed out enough to make it a great retelling. I'm sure it doesn't help that there have been so many Pan retellings released in the last couple years so this one had a lot to live up to. I would still recommend this to Peter Pan lovers because it definitely will transport you to Neverland for a few hundred pages!