The Neverland Wars Review

Title: The Neverland Wars

Author: Audrey Greathouse

Magic can do a lot—give you flight, show you mermaids, help you taste the stars, and… solve the budget crisis? That's what the grown-ups will do with it if they ever make it to Neverland to steal its magic and bring their children home.

However, Gwen doesn't know this. She's just a sixteen-year-old girl with a place on the debate team and a powerful crush on Jay, the soon-to-be homecoming king. She doesn't know her little sister could actually run away with Peter Pan, or that she might have to chase after her to bring her home safe. Gwen will find out though—and when she does, she'll discover she's in the middle of a looming war between Neverland and reality.

She'll be out of place as a teenager in Neverland, but she won't be the only one. Peter Pan's constant treks back to the mainland have slowly aged him into adolescence as well. Soon, Gwen will have to decide whether she's going to join impish, playful Peter in his fight for eternal youth… or if she's going to scramble back to reality in time for the homecoming dance.

When Gwen was young she would have many different adventures from her backyard. But she is now sixteen and her only adventure is getting through high school in one piece. That all changes when her little sister goes missing one night and Gwen gets drug to Neverland to make sure she stays safe. In a world that Gwen always thought was fictional, with a boy that is a little off kilter and strange, she has to find a way to get her sister and her home. That is before she discovers that Neverland might be in trouble and she knows the enemy all too well.

I do love re-tellings and this wasn’t any different. This book was funny all throughout. All the Lost Boys were great, very well rounded characters. My favorite characters had to be the mermaids, though. The story also had nice structure and seemed to flow nicely. It was a great twist to Peter Pan. I liked that it wasn’t exactly a re-telling. It was more like a continuation off of what already happened. Which made it unlike any other re-telling.

Though I did like Peter’s character, I thought it was a little too grown up for someone that should still have an eight-year old mind set. I know that between our world and Neverland he had grown, but his childishness shouldn’t have left him. Also, I found her little sister to fall into the background. I would have liked to see a little more bonding between them.