neverland | Ad Librum Aeternam

Genre: Science-fiction, YA, adventure

Pages: 300

ASIN: B07ZCCRC9R

Format: eBook (Kindle)

Publication date: December 17th, 2019

Publisher: Bleeding Ink Publishing

Type: Novel (Series – The Neverland Transmissions)

I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. No compensation has been given and I write this book review willingly. A big thanks to dear J.M. Sullivan and Bleeding Ink Publishing!

Introduction:

So, I’ve been waiting for Lost Boy since I reviewed Second Star, and let me tell you it satisfied me! Of course, I had to try and review the new book. Fortunately, Miss Sullivan did obtain me an ARC. (I’m immensely grateful!)

I mean, the Second Star story kept popping up in my mind throughout the years and I wondered what would happen next. I read a lot of books and for one to get stuck in my head like this means it’s excellent.

But what about the sequel?

Let’s find out, shall we?!

The Blurb:

Wendy swore she would return . . .

But Peter isn’t willing to wait. After marooning himself on Neverland to ensure his crew’s return home, Peter is determined to find a way off the ageless planet and back to the Jolly Roger and Wendy’s arms. Looking to the future, he presses on, until someone from his past reveals the dark secrets hidden in Neverland’s depths.

Meanwhile, traveling across distant galaxies, Wendy’s ship is failing. With systems malfunctions increasing and supplies running low, Wendy and her crew must find a way to keep the antiquated vessel afloat. But creaks and groans on an aging vessel aren’t the Captain’s only concern–there are whispers onboard, quiet voices skittering through the shadows that warn of something much more sinister.

The Positive Sides:

Let me start with the biggest and best news: there are no inconsistencies in the story this time around! The author really improved on this point. Kudos to her!

I liked the introduction by Aidan Boyce in his log at the beginning of the book. It’s interesting, and it does fill us in on the details and what’s going on with the crew since we last saw them. Speaking of Aidan, his introduction is foreboding—I like it greatly! Okay, okay, I won’t lie: I love it! It’s a bit unsettling too with his acting strange and the darkness he mentions at the end. Creepy. Which only intensifies throughout the book—very intriguing. The fact that the important details of the first book are seamlessly and believably inserted in the sequel is hugely appreciated and even pleasant to read. I felt no weight as I read through them. Seriously good writing skills here!

What about the writing itself? Well, the reading is smooth and flows. Plus, there is a lot of jokes and funny moments, which is so nice. I laughed out loud a good three times, so it’s always welcome! So the verdict? Her writing is lovely! The words are diversified and well-chosen, but the writing isn’t heavy. Like I mentioned above, it flows smoothly as we read. And the editing is super well done! Another great point.

Moreover, I really enjoyed the friendships in Lost Boy, notably with Wendy and her pilot, Dawes. They’re funny and adorable. Two awesome female friends! Peter’s friendship with Tinc and Seven (respectively a nanobot and a cute fox-like animal) is sweet, and Wendy’s friendship with Johns and Michaels is, as always, beautiful and caring. Funny, too.

As for the, ahum, “trouble” with Aidan… Well, I love their angsty love triangle (insert Wendy and Peter here). It’s amusing to read and sad at the same time. Poor Aidan, hahaha.

I think that the secondary characters having romances too is sweet. I’m glad the author made this choice and that not only Wendy and her love triangle exists. It makes it more realistic.

And… YES!! There is still Peter’s point of view. I was SO waiting for him. He is charming, funny, and lovely as always. Just like I love him. Oh, and he’s a red head, did you know? Psssst, I love red heads! Ahum, yes, so…

Moving on. Peter’s plan is thrilling and fits so well with his skills (you’ll see when you read it). The plot is interesting and intriguing, and I did enjoy the Stjarnins’ presence and collaboration with Peter. Also, I’ll admit I was as surprised as Peter with the Stjarnins’ secrets. Cool!!

All in all, this series is definitely my favourite retelling!!! And I read a lot of those. If that’s not convincing you to read Lost Boy (or Second Star, if you haven’t), I don’t know what will.

The Negative Sides:

The good news is I couldn’t find many of them. Heck, there was only one I noticed! What is it?

Well, the plot hints are too big and obvious. We can see right away what is happening on the ship and Boyce, and that’s a bit saddening. I’m not sure it was intentional or not. As one who figures out the twists quite easily, this one was given on a golden plate, unfortunately.

But the plot was still good and intriguing, don’t worry. It’s just it was obvious.

In Conclusion:

I loved, loved, loved Lost Boy by J.M. Sullivan! Meeting with the crew and Peter Pan again made my heart pulse with energy, curl up in bed with my Kobo and squeal like a total fangirl (which I am). It was wonderful! Now I’m waiting for the third book! GIVE IT TO ME!

So, what’s the rating? Due to the plot being too obvious, I’m taking away a .5, but I give Lost Boy a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, which proves how excellent it is. I’m telling you, read the sequel, it does not disappoint and you get to know all the characters much better. They become your friends, believe it or not.

If you want to learn more about the author, you can visit her (gorgeous) Web site, you can also follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Amazon author page, Facebook, Goodreads and LibraryThing. Love podcasts? Listen to hers. You can visit her publisher, Bleeding Ink Publishing. You can also add Lost Boy to your bookshelves on Goodreads.

Second Star: A Book Review

Amazon.ca

Genre: Fiction, Young adult, Science-fiction, Retellings, Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 352

ISBN: 9781948583008

ASIN: B07DH1PJS3

Format: eBook, Paperback

Publication date: March 5th, 2019

Publisher: Bleeding Ink Publishing

Type: Fiction, Novel (Series), Retellings

*A big thanks to Bleeding Ink Publishing, NetGalley and J.M. Sullivan for granting me this much-loved ARC in exchange for an honest review. I received no compensation and reviewed it willingly.*

Second star to the right. Such a beautiful phrase in Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie and a brilliant idea for a retelling novel, Second Star by J.M. Sullivan. The title itself is what grabbed my attention, the gorgeous cover held it for a while, and the blurb had me requesting it on NetGalley. Here’s a hint to my review: I loved it!

Positive Sides:

I rarely do this, but I'll start right away with the writing itself because it's note-worthy! Not only is it good and pretty, but it's also action-oriented and all showing, very little telling. I really like her writing! The names of the companions as acronyms for the robots and parts are excellent! Wow!! This made me grin and giggle so much. It's a nice spin on them. Moreover, the author makes creative genius and touchy feelsy uses and explanations of real quotes like "the second star to the right". She uses the quotes brilliantly and they're so faithful to the characters. It made my heart squeeze with so many feels!

As for the action of the story, the book jumps right into the action and lasts a long while which is highly entertaining. Because when action starts, it's action upon action and it's always the worst-case scenario that happens! In my opinion, this is the best reading experience, and it's thrilling. The action scenes had me engrossed and captivated, with my heart beating faster in real life. I have to give kudos to the author for they're fun, well-written, and there is no confusion about what's happening or who's doing what. At some point in the book, things got slow, but I swear the thrill picked back up on the next page or so. It was expertly woven.

That's all very good, but what about the story itself? Well, I thought the setting was genius! It's so different and creative in a retelling, yet so many hints and equivalences are there like Tink and more. In a space academy? Then off onto a spaceship? And landing on the Neverland planet? That's genius right there. Neverland is both stunning and foreign, and I love how everything is beautiful yet tinged or made slightly different. The fact that it's an alien planet has been taken into consideration – neat! Also, I love how there is coding and technical and engineering stuff that appear prominently; that makes it realistic for the future. This might be a silly remark, but it overjoyed me that Peter is a redhead! Often in retellings he is blonde or brown… but I prefer red heads, so it made me squeal as I could imagine him even more easily. Thanks, Miss Sullivan!

As for Wendy, I like that she's at school and one for the elite at that! Plus, the fact she has no brothers and that Johns and Michaels are her besties is a cool way to to reinvent the wheel! Her relationships with her "soul brothers" is so friendly, cute, and platonic (amazing!). In addition, I looooove how Wendy is in charge! She's different, and this makes her complimentary to Peter. And there's this special treat of how Wendy always has to look proper even in most dire situations. This trait reminds me of her mother role to the boys in the original and the era she's from where everyone of status looked dapper. What about Peter? He and Tinc are immensely likable! They're mine, okay? MINE!

And… the villains! Yes, villains are AWESOME. Dangerous, too! I'm so glad the author put in the original good form argument and attitude from Hooke. I'm also quite impressed by the twist and use of Peter's shadow; very surprising and innovative. Can I add that the showdown at the end is marvelous? WOW! Furthermore, I love how science is used in this book as well as the new concepts for devices, ships, and so on. Last, I swear the author made the Mermaids' Lagoon as important as in the original (if not even more), which made me so happy.

On a side note, may I talk about the thimble? YES, she included the thimble! Oh, my emotions! I cried and all the feels and I ship it!

You may now proceed to the negative sides, thank you.

Negative Sides:

Besides its many good points, this book has two main issues, in my opinion: cheesy romance and inconsistencies. In my book, romance is not very important in books, but this one was way too cheesy to believe in. I mean, Wendy and Peter just got to know each other for a week or two. I barely buy it, which makes me go rather "bleh" and rolling my eyes or sighing while reading. So, I'm warning you: this might get on your nerves like it did with mine. If only more time had passed, that would have been more understandable. While I know love at first sight might happen for a few people (does it even exist, though?), this was brimming full with insta-love.

The other issue is how regular are the inconsistencies. I noted two of them, glaring ones, but there are a few more. For example, in the beginning, the power is out and in the previous paragraph it is said that the ship Jolly Roger is pitch black, so then how come Peter can see cook’s face and his men like in daylight? The only source of light is Tinc, and it’s not said whether or not she is near him for this scene. Also, much later in the book, there's a scene where the gun isn't working anymore, but two chapters later it does with no explanations how. This is so confusing! I had to reread several times the passages, yet I couldn't make any sense of it, so I figured these were inconsistencies. It's annoying, but mostly because the book is so good overall that you want to understand.

In Conclusion:

So, I got this ARC months ago but only got to write this review this week due to health issues, BUT what I'm about to say still stands strong: Second Star is one of the few best retellings I've ever read and the best book I've read in 2018, clearly. Heck, it's the end of 2019 and I'm still thinking about it a lot, remembering all those charming characters, engrossing action and enticing world. Thanks to all of this, I give Second Star by J. M. Sullivan a rating of 4.5 out of 5. I didn't take a point for the cheesiness of the romance (which is still cute), but I took a .5 for the (unfortunate) inconsistencies. All the rest is amazing! I'm eager to read the sequel!

If you want to learn more about the author, you can visit her Web site, you can also follow her on Twitter and Goodreads. You can visit her publisher, Bleeding Ink Publishing. You can also add Second Star to your bookshelves on Goodreads and LibraryThing.