ARC Review: Never Never | Peter Pan the Killer

Never Never by Brianna Shrum
Published by Spencer Hill Press
Format Reviewed: eARC
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2015
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 368
Reviewed by: Stephanie
My Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
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James Hook is a child who only wants to grow up.

When he meets Peter Pan, a boy who loves to pretend and is intent on never becoming a man, James decides he could try being a child—at least briefly. James joins Peter Pan on a holiday to Neverland, a place of adventure created by children’s dreams, but Neverland is not for the faint of heart. Soon James finds himself longing for home, determined that he is destined to be a man. But Peter refuses to take him back, leaving James trapped in a world just beyond the one he loves. A world where children are to never grow up.

But grow up he does.

And thus begins the epic adventure of a Lost Boy and a Pirate.

This story isn’t about Peter Pan; it’s about the boy whose life he stole. It’s about a man in a world that hates men. It’s about the feared Captain James Hook and his passionate quest to kill the Pan, an impossible feat in a magical land where everyone loves Peter Pan.

Except one.

I received this ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given, offered, or taken to alter the opinion forth with.

 
Don't let the cover or even the mention of Peter Pan fool you, this is a tale of a villain. Never Never is split into three parts. When the novel begins, James Hook is a boy dreaming of adventure and adulthood. Pan eventually convinces him to come to Neverland and from there, Hook quickly looses his innocence.

Pan is very much a child yet not all at once. He is wicked and cruel. But he doesn't necessarily understand or care to comprehend the consequences of his action. He is the perfect example of a spoiled child who is used to getting everything he wants without any resistance. Resistance is met with rage and cruelty. A violent tantrum. Turning Peter Pan into a wicked creature, seems to be quite popular right now and Shrum takes full advantage of it by making him even more wicked than I've seen before.

 "Don't say that word, James Hook. We don't speak of mothers here." There was raw pain and venom in his eyes when he said this, and James was taken aback. 

Part two consists of James becoming a man. He isn't supposed to grow in Neverland but, however impossible it may seem, Hook does. This leads us to question: when do we actually grow up? Is it just the physical appearance and disbelief in magical things as suggested by Pan? Or is it as one of the Lost Boys said, experience? Perhaps, it's a combination of both. Forced to leave Pan and the Lost Boys, Hook begins his journey as a pirate and takes his place aboard a pirate ship. Now that he's finally left Pan, he attempts his escape from Neverland, desperate to see his family again.

And James once again looked on with tightly wound muscles and wide eyes as they once again approached the dreadful shores of Neverland. James was overcome with a black rage, and his muscles began to quiver.

At this point, he's left most of his childish tendencies behind, but still retains a few as well as his good heart. I particularly enjoyed Hook's character. He's constantly conflicted because Neverland challenges the principles of right and wrong. It's a dream land, so do people really die? Pan is a boy but he's clearly been alive long enough to have obtained wicked habits that children clearly don't have. The same is even seen in one of the Lost Boys. Hook hates Pan, but can't bring himself to kill the boy no matter how close he gets.

Here is where Hook begins to fall in love and quite the love story it is. I didn't expect it at all. When the novel begins with 12 year old James Hook, I expected a rather innocent novel. Pan challenged this belief; the love story completely obliterated it. Hook desperately loves Tiger Lily, a girl imagined by Pan himself. She exists in Neverland because of Peter Pan. I'm sure you can all imagine the implications behind that detail.

As part two closes, Hook has lost everything he's ever cared about. He has witnessed part of the life Pan stole from him in London, and the life he imagined for himself in Neverland is painfully ripped away. All because of Pan. Hook has given up all hope of happiness and leaving Neverland, trapped because of a boy called Pan.

The deepest circle of Hell is kept for Brutus, Judas, and Peter Pan.

Part three is the villain at his finest - if you will. Although, at this point both Captain Hook and Peter Pan are equal parts villain. Hook manages to retain a few shreds of honor but he's obsessed with killing Pan. It is the one and only important thing left to the pirate now. Captain Hook has become exactly what Neverland planned for him. Where this may have tortured Hook before, he has come to a grim acceptance of the fact.

Honestly, I came to be has annoyed with Pan as Hook was. Even in light of both characters' villainy, I was constantly betting on Hook's obsession to kill Pan. I disliked Pan nearly as much as Hook did and wished the boy would die, if only so I didn't have to read about his arrogant smile or cackle one more time.

Never Never had my entire body tensed for a good part of the novel. Whether it was because they were traipsing through the woods or because Hook was making a terrible decision, I couldn't peel my eyes away from the making of a villain. If you ever asked how Captain Hook came to be, this is an excellent answer. After all, villains are made aren't they? It's a decision they make but they also tend to experience traumatizing things. Never Never is the account of a young boy who became a villain.

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