Review: Everland by Wendy Spinale

Everland
By Wendy Spinale
My Rating: 4 Stars
Date Read: June 2016
Publication Date: May 10, 2016
Hardcover, 312 pages

 

 

 

 

Summary From Goodreads:

 
London has been destroyed in a blitz of bombs and disease. The only ones who have survived are children, among them Gwen Darling and her siblings, Joanna and Mikey. They spend their nights scavenging and their days avoiding the ruthless Marauders -- the German army led by Captain Hanz Otto Oswald Kretschmer.

Unsure if the virus has spread past England's borders but desperate to leave, Captain Hook hunts for a cure, which he thinks can be found in one of the survivors. He and his Marauders stalk the streets snatching children for experimentation. None ever return. Until the day they grab Joanna. As Gwen sets out to save her, she meets a daredevil boy named Pete. Pete offers the assistance of his gang of Lost Boys and the fierce sharpshooter Bella, who have all been living in a city hidden underground. But in a place where help has a steep price and every promise is bound by blood, it will cost Gwen. And are she, Pete, the Lost Boys, and Bella enough to outsmart Captain Hook?

 My Review:

 

It seems to me that there has been an influx of Peter Pan retellings as of late. And I can't help but wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that Once Upon A Time has made it so popular with the whole #CaptainSwan thing. I don't know. Some of the retold versions are superb (like Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell) and others are just kind of... meh. I personally like it when they don't stick straight to the original... I love when things are shaken up, and have been twisted and things happen that I don't expect. Read on to find out where this book falls on my loved It/Meh list.

This one actually ranked pretty high on my "like list" It had twists and turns, and it was a little darker, and more violent than the original Peter Pan Story. It was set in a Dystopian world, and it had bits of Steampunk thrown in as well {which I was surprised that I liked, because usually steampunk is just not my cup of tea} It's the Peter Pan we all know and love, but with so many different things thrown in there as well.

There were Cogs and Doc, who, at first, I was comparing to the dwarves from Snow White... And while that still holds true, now I realize that they were more like the fairies from the Tinkerbell movies. I liked that Bella {Tinkerbell} Was this sassy little 12 {maybe... I don't remember her age now} year old, but she had a heart of gold, and only wanted to be seen as an equal to all the other Lost Boys.

I didn't really *get* why they needed the "Pixie Dust" other than the  fact that they were just using it to make the story more similar to Peter Pan... It was kind of weird, and if they'd left it out, I would have been okay with it...but oh well.

I had a love-hate relationship with Gwen. I liked her, and the fact that she was so fiercely protective of her brother and sister, and even Bella and the Lost Kids... But at sometimes she came off as a little bit whiny... which I suppose is normal for a 15 (16? I don't remember... I'm so terrible) year old who has the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Usually I'm a bit skeptical of Peter Pan... I mean, he's okay and all in the original... But in most retellings he's kind of.. I don't know, sketchy? Like he has a hidden agenda or something. But I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with him in this version. He's not just this goofy, care free kid. He's got all of the lost kids counting on him to keep them safe.

Then we have Captain Hanz Otto Oswald Kretschmer (Captain Hook for those of you who didn't know) I'm rather fond Captain Hook (or at least the one that has been made so popular by Once Upon A Time... Ah, that dashing, rapscallion scoundrel with his guy-liner and sassy attitude.. oh my, I can't even *SWOON* *INSERT HEART EYES HERE* 

What? Oh, yeah, I'm getting distracted again, sorry... As I was saying. I have a fondness for the good ol' Captain now, and whenever there's a story, I hope that he gets to be the good guy and at least get a chance at a happily ever after. Well, that's not really what he gets here, but we also get to see more than just the surface. He's not just a bad guy. He's got his reasons for doing what he does.

This is the first book in a trilogy I believe... I'm not sure how their going to intertwine the stories, but I'm curious. When it ended, it was pretty much tied up the way it should have been, so maybe it's going to be a different fairy tale with new and old characters... I don't know, I guess I'll have to wait and find out.

Review: Nobody's Lady by Amy McNulty

Nobody's Lady

By Amy McNulty
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Date Read: June 2016
Publication Date: April 12, 2016
Paperback, 300 pages

Summary From Goodreads

For the first time in a thousand years, the men in Noll’s village possess the freedom to love whom they will. In order to give each man the chance to fully explore his feelings, the lord of the village decrees all marriages null and void until both spouses declare their love for one another and their desire to wed again. What many women think will be a simple matter becomes a source of village-wide tension as most men decide to leave their families and responsibilities behind.

Rejected by the lord and ashamed of her part in the village’s history, Noll withdraws from her family and lives life as an independent woodcarver. This changes when her sister accuses her of hiding her former husband Jurij from her—and when Jurij eventually does ask to move in. Determined not to make the same mistakes, Noll decides to support her male friends through their new emotional experiences, but she’s soon caught up in a darker plot than she ever dared imagine possible from the men she thought she knew so well. And the lord for whom she still has feelings may be hiding the most frightening truth of them all.

My Review

*BOOM* That was my brain exploding, okay? I didn't review the first book, because I couldn't get my thoughts to make any kind of sense, so we'll see if I can do any better here.

This book was sooo confusing at times, and I had a hard time keeping track of what was going on. And it was kind of weird too... But I still really liked it. Makes perfect sense, right?

I got sucked into Noll's world once again, and I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out what in the heck was going on. There were lots of twists and turns. It was kind of crazy all the things that were going on, and sometimes it was hard to keep track, which is why I didn't give this book a higher rating even though I really liked it... That and the fact that I found some of the characters a little annoying and in need of an attitude adjustment.

The ending of the book killed me just a little, and also left me a little confused... So now I can't wait to get the next book to see how everything is going to work itself out.