From “talented wordsmith” (Publishers Weekly) Lisa Maxwell comes a lush, atmospheric fantasy novel filled with twists and turns about a girl who is kidnapped and brought to an island inhabited by fairies, a roguish ship captain, and bloodthirsty beasts.
For as long as she can remember, Gwendolyn Allister has never had a place to call home. Her mother believes they are being hunted by brutal monsters, and those delusions have brought them to London, far from the life Gwen had finally started to build for herself. Gwen’s only saving grace is that her best friend, Olivia, is with her for the summer.
But shortly after their arrival, the girls are kidnapped by shadowy creatures and dragged into a world of flesh-eating sea hags and dangerous Fey. And Gwen begins to realize that maybe her mother isn’t so crazy after all…
Gwen discovers that this new world she inhabits is called Neverland, but it’s nothing like the Neverland you’ve heard about in stories. Here, good and evil lose their meaning and memories slip like water through your fingers. As Gwen struggles to remember where she came from and tries to find a way home, she must choose between trusting the charming fairy-tale hero who says all the right things and the captivating pirate who promises to keep her safe.
Caught in the ultimate battle between good and evil, with time running out and her enemies closing in, Gwen is forced to finally face the truths she’s been hiding from all along. But can she save Neverland without losing herself?
I love how you get the feel of actually being snatched away to Neverland in this book. And the sense of losing your memories and trying so hard to keep hold of them. A lot of Peter Pan retellings skip the feeling of being whisked away to a strange and sometimes scary magical land. And I can't think of any that actually mention, much less deal with, how you slowly forget your memories of home and family.
I also loved how you aren't really sure if Hook or Pan is the bad guy, not until you are close to half-way through the book. So many retellings make Hook the good guy right off the bat, and Pan totally evil. (And why is this exactly?? I want to read a retelling where Peter is absolutely the good guy for once!)
You don't really read about the Sluagh very often in books, so that was another reason to love this one. The fact that these dark fae appeared in the book, and were mostly true to the lore. The capriciousness of the fae was very well done in this book. They aren't sweetness and light, though they can be if they're trying to get something from you.
I do wish we found out more about Gwen's father. Like where he went, if he's still alive, that kind of thing. But overall, I really liked this book. If you like retellings, especially Peter Pan ones, you need to read this book.
