ARC Review : Never Never by Brianna Shrum

Title : Never Never
Author : Brianna Shrum
Genre : YA fantasy
Release Date : September 22nd, 2015
Publisher : Spencer Hill Press

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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

*I receive an ARC via Netgalley in exchange of honest review. Thank you Spencer Hill Press!

Since I was a child, I'm a fan of Peter Pan. Admit it, the idea of never grow up and stay in Neverland sounds intriguing, right? Even though I never read the original book, I've watched the movie countless time until now. That's why, you could imagine my disappointment when this book did not reach my expectations.

Never Never started off great, with James meet Peter in Kensington Garden until he went with Peter to Neverland. Things went downhill from the second part of the book (aka the part when James became Captain James Hook). There are some things that confuse me and I didn't like :

1. James suddenly became the captain without explanation. He just like, running for his life--because Peter wants to kill him--to the ship and the crews were like "you're our captain!". It just confused me.

2. The romance between James Hook and Tiger Lily. I feel like the romance is too excessive. There's a lot "I will run away with you because I love you" thingy, complete with dramas and jealousy (that did not exist in this book, btw. We were told that Peter Pan wants Tiger Lily too, but there's no actual scene. But again, I never read the original book, so I'm not very sure). I really did not expect that, with the setting in Neverland and all.

3. There's no actual plot. The story is just drug on and on without a purpose. Usually, in every fantasy book, there's always that one purpose (e.g. : Harry wants to kill Voldemort, etc.), but this book didn't have it. It's basically just telling us about every fight that Hook had with Peter.

4. The writing style. The story actually has a potential to be great, if only the writing is more showing than telling. It's a big turn-off for me and it made me bored and want to DNF it.

In conclusion, Never Never is not like what I'd expected. The only thing that keeps me from giving it 1 star is the ending (or more like, the last page). I like how it end and how Brianna write the ending.