Shari Arnold

Neverland/Shari Arnold While I did enjoy this book, it lost me midway and I struggled to get through it. I think it was well written and there were no obvious flaws; however, it just didn't envelop me, and I perpetually put off reading it for other books.
 
The parallels to Peter Pan became a little too stifling. Livy, Wendy. Meyer, Peter. Hale, Hook. This made the story almost too predictable at points, and while this definitely was nothing like Peter Pan and felt much older, I felt the similarities could have been more subtle.
 
The strongest aspect of this book was Livy's character and how she was dealing with the pain of having recently had her younger sister die. Her interactions with other characters felt extremely real, especially those with her best friend, and the actions she takes to try and save children similar to her sister are sweet and realistic.
 
Meyer was more intriguing as a character before he met Livy, when he was a mysterious person who kept showing up. For some reason, once they met and she was perpetually expecting him, he was a lot less surprising. I feel like I almost would have preferred the book if there hadn't been a romantic aspect to it (something one will rarely hear me say) because I enjoyed his Peter-ness and his aloofness.
 
There were some very magical scenes with a dreamy feel--Meyer takes Livy to play games with his friends and seeing her release her stress for once is magical. I especially enjoyed seeing him flying and Livy's reactions.
 
People with a longer attention span might really enjoy this, but if I hadn't received a copy of this in exchange for a review, I honestly would have left it forgotten.
 
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)

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With Neverland as the title, it is not a surprise this is a Peter Pan retelling. Livy lost her younger sister a couple of months ago and is struggling to give it a place. When she starts to meet several mysterious people, will she find peace?

I really don't know with this book. It was an easy and quick read, but I never felt invested in the story. While Livy does incredible good things for the children at the hospital, she never came to life and basically remained as much of a fantasy as Neverland. Because of that, I could put down the book easily, and had I not been reading it now for a challenge, it might have taken me awhile.

I quite liked the idea though, and parts were very interesting, but they didn't make up the bigger part of the book. The jury's still out on this one.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!… (altro)

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

There is something about Peter Pan that is whimsical and magical while still having depth and feelings of melancholy. Neverland captures that essence in this unique retelling.

Having recently lost her younger sister, Livy is dealing with wading through the tragic aftermath when she meets Meyer. He is captivating, charming, enthralling, and of course, adventurous. You can truly see the shadows of Peter Pan in his character. As Livy begins her adventures with Meyer, she also acquires a new tutor, James, who seems to prod more into Livy's emotional state and how she is handling the loss of her sister than he does her studies.

I really think it is best to go into this book without more knowledge than that, since even though it is based off of Peter Pan the new spin (and setting) adds so many nuances, you'll want to discover them as Livy is. I enjoyed that while based off of Peter Pan the story doesn't simply follow that plot, but rather, creates a whole new world, a new meaning, and a new reason for Neverland.

To be honest, I barely glimpsed at the synopsis before requesting a copy from Netgalley. Peter Pan is probably my favorite classic/fairy tale story and I jumped at the chance to read a retelling of it. When I finally did read the summary, I was glad to see it gives little detail about how the story really plays out. I loved not knowing exactly what was going to happen. I was left to decipher the meaning behind so many cryptic words and mysterious happenings (just as Livy had to). This made for a simultaneously exciting and heartbreaking read.
… (altro)