Book Blurb:
In the Neverland, people don't grow up. Because they're dead.
Remy Cutler dies, and somehow escapes certain death. She returns to the land of the living with nothing but a ripped gown and a fear of heights.
Two years later, she plans to escape her arranged marriage by stowing away onto a ship in hopes to leave her home with no one none knowing. However, she is found out, and the sailors aren't happy. Before any damage can be done, she is yanked from her predicament back to The Neverland, a place where death resides - the very place she escaped from years ago. Souls are ferried by her savior. To her, he's known as Nick, but to The Neverland, he's the slippery Nicholas Grey.
The more time Remy spends with Nick and his crew, however, the more she realizes he's shockingly misunderstood. Pirates aren't all bad the way gentleman aren't all good. One such gentleman goes by the name of Peter, and he has nothing but power on his mind and revenge against Grey in his heart. And then there are those that are completely indiscernible, like James Hook, a Viking and ruler of The Other World, whose sole ambition is attaining more souls to rule over, no matter what the cost.
This dark retelling of Peter Pan infuses familiar characters created by J. M. Barrie with new characters and Greek mythology. It is the first in a trilogy.
My Review:
3.5 Out Of 5 Stars
Remy does not appreciate the fact that she will wed a very eligible wealthy bachelor who happens to be 20 years older than her and she feels no love for. On the night before her wedding, she runs away and hides on a ship. When the is found, the crew is unhappy and is willing to get vengeance...but that never happens because she is swept away to the Underworld by Captain Nick Grey, the ferryman to the dead. Nick has been watching Remy for the last two years, ever since she escaped his clutches during a near death experience. Remy has no idea what kind of situation she has gotten herself into.
So this is like Neverland in the respect that nobody grows up. And that is because everyone is dead. You can't grow older when you are dead, now can you? What an interesting concept the author took for this book. I love the world she created, with the Underworld, and a creator, two regions for souls to go, a Ferryman to carry them to their final destination, secret deals and plots, pirates, a Navy of sorts, prostitution, murder and mayhem, potential rape... This was such a good mix of historical scenarios with the filth and unrest of the Pirate world, with a mythological flare towards the ferrying of souls, and the fairy-tale of Peter Pan.
Remy was a very immature character, at least at the beginning. I did not really care for her and her attitudes for the first 2/3 of the story. She was the epitome of spoiled little rich girl, not wanting to get her hands (or clothes) dirty and expecting things to happen just as she saw fit. She went out of her way to not listen to the "rules", even though they were for her well-being. I am not sure if the author did it on purpose, but I was not really a fan of her and at times found her reactions and ideas to be so over the top it was as if the reader was suppose to find her funny in her demands. Well, I found her to be a little painful at times. But I am glad to say that she does grow up, or at least becomes better at fitting into the world she finds herself.
Can I just mention that the love interest also spends a night with three prostitutes one night? That caught me off guard because that is not what a love interest/hero does in most situations. But surprisingly, the author uses an interesting approach of good and evil not being clear cut. Nick, the hero, loves himself some prostitutes, is on every wanted list imaginable, yet firmly believes in fairness and his duty to his people and the souls. Pan, the man given the task of upholding the law, spends him time being the worst person ever destroying lives for fun and only caring about what he deserves from others. It is even mentioned in the story that Heaven and Hell do not exist, there there is a little bit of both existing in each final destination. I liked concept and the blurred lines the author developed.
The more I sit here thinking about the book as I write this review, the more I realize that I did enjoy the book. I was going to give it a 3, but due to the thinking that the author inspired and the new concepts I fell more like this was a 3.5 or 4 star read. I was not in love with Remy, but she served her purpose and showed a lot of growth throughout, and I can appreciate her for it. I am in love with the world that the author created though, and Peter Pan as the villain who in his own way makes sure that the souls never "grow up" by stopping their chance at an afterlife. Adele was a character that I did not expect to like yet I did, and Hook is the most intriguing character period and I kinda sorta heart him. I an very interested to see where the story goes next with the way this book ended.
I received this title in return for my honest review.
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