Everland
Characters:
Pete-
Honestly, I was disappointed. He was really sweet at points, but he was pretty brusque most of the time. He was rude to almost everyone, except when he was hitting on Gwen. At points he’d have a dramatic mood swing that seemed way too over the top for the situation. You’ll see what I mean when you get to the scene where Bella pulls Gwen’s hair. Overall, he did lots of things that were similar to Peter Pan, but he was a lot more angsty, which I’m not a fan of.
Gwen-
Gwen was pretty stereotypical female YA lead character. Only she could save her siblings and the world. She wasn’t bad by any means, there just wasn’t anything particularly unique about her other than she was an immune. She’s a devoted sister and protector, but I felt it wasn’t quite as strong of a bond as in The Fifth Wave for example.
Hook-
What a Momma’s boy.His points of view I could have completely cut out or revamped entirely. Almost every single chapter told from his point of view was about how his life sucked and how his mother didn’t love him. I would’ve rather had a POV from the Professor or even Smeeth. His character in general I found challenging to connect with.
Bella-
I love Bella! Tinkerbell is my favorite chartracter in Peter Pan so I may be a bit biased, but she was just so cute. She’s devoted to Pete and the Lost Boys and see’s Gwen as infringing. She is brave to the point of idiocy, but she’s only 12 so it felt realistic. Her wings and her fairy dust were cleverly explained. The steampunk aspect with her wings made her even more adorable. I would have loved seeing more of her. She develops more than any of the other characters.
Doc-
While he was mainly a side character, I just have to note, I don’t know if I believe he was in Doctor’s residency at age 12… Like going to the university young happens, but that just seemed a bit far fetched. I liked the idea of him and Lily though.
Plot:
The plot was very YA but I actually really enjoyed it. If you’ve read Peter Pan or seen the movie, you will obviously see most of the plot from the beginning. There is one plot twist not in the original book or movie that was pretty easy to see coming. However, this book felt a lot more like it was directed to kids who are trying to transition into YA. There the plot would fit in well. It would need more to compete with most other popular YA though.
Love:
Ah Peter Pan and Wendy. There’s no love triangle, thank goodness. Pete just wasn’t super attractive to me. There are points when he comes across as sexist and kind of a jerk. But at other times he’s sweet and attractive. His tattoo sounded cool though. Like that a lot. The love developed a bit too quickly, like in most YA, but not fast enough to bug me. The pacing in the book isn’t bad, it’s just when you realize the whole book takes place in less than a week that it gets weird.
Overall:
It’s a good book. It just felt young. So I would recommend it to younger kids who are interested in the YA genre but aren’t quite ready for it. I feel like it would be a great transition novel for them. It’s a quick read with a fun premise. If that sounds like something you’re interested in, check it out!