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Nevermor #1
Nevermor
LONDON, 1873 - In the foggy city, polluted by coal smoke from the factories along the river, 15-year-old Wren is clinging to a small thread of hope: the shimmering silver dream of a better life.
Wren and her brothers, Henry and Max, are orphans. They wish to be adopted, but no one wants to take in all three of them. Wren won’t be separated from her family, but no matter how hard she fights to keep them together, she fears she will lose them nonetheless.
She wants more for both of them - for herself. She wants an escape.
Prompted by a world she sees in a dream, Wren begins to tell her brothers stories of a place where they can be carefree forever - a place called Nevermor. It is an island at the edge of the universe, where all dreams go. There is a boy who guards it, and he is known only as the Rifter. Wren believes that this place truly exists and desires her own life there, where she can keep her family together without anyone tearing them apart.
Wren gets more than she bargained for when she is kidnapped by the arrogant and volatile Rifter and taken to Nevermor against her will. It is not completely unwelcome, however. The land is beautiful and there is freedom. The Rifter and his pack of wild boys accept her, and she feels that her brothers will be happy in this place too.
Wren falls in love with Nevermor - and with the Rifter - and yet the more she learns of the conflict between the Rifter and a wicked man called the Scourge, the more she comes to realize that Nevermor is not a place for children.
Nevermor is a dark fantasy based on the legend of Peter Pan.
Wren and her brothers, Henry and Max, are orphans. They wish to be adopted, but no one wants to take in all three of them. Wren won’t be separated from her family, but no matter how hard she fights to keep them together, she fears she will lose them nonetheless.
She wants more for both of them - for herself. She wants an escape.
Prompted by a world she sees in a dream, Wren begins to tell her brothers stories of a place where they can be carefree forever - a place called Nevermor. It is an island at the edge of the universe, where all dreams go. There is a boy who guards it, and he is known only as the Rifter. Wren believes that this place truly exists and desires her own life there, where she can keep her family together without anyone tearing them apart.
Wren gets more than she bargained for when she is kidnapped by the arrogant and volatile Rifter and taken to Nevermor against her will. It is not completely unwelcome, however. The land is beautiful and there is freedom. The Rifter and his pack of wild boys accept her, and she feels that her brothers will be happy in this place too.
Wren falls in love with Nevermor - and with the Rifter - and yet the more she learns of the conflict between the Rifter and a wicked man called the Scourge, the more she comes to realize that Nevermor is not a place for children.
Nevermor is a dark fantasy based on the legend of Peter Pan.
372 pages, Paperback
First published February 12, 2013
14 people are currently reading
1721 people want to read
About the author
Lani Lenore
21 books143 followersLani Lenore is a writer of gothic horror and dark fantasy. In addition to rewriting well-known fairy tales with a twist, she also writes original stories in a style she calls ‘dark fairy tale’, which uses fantasy elements to build horror stories. Most of her tales, though horrific at times, have a subplot of romance. She loves to keep readers on the edge of their seat and immerse them in worlds of beauty and terror.
Lani currently lives in Tennessee with her husband, two dogs, and four cats.
Lani currently lives in Tennessee with her husband, two dogs, and four cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
January 30, 2022
"What are they?" She asked.
"Those are the dreams," he said. "They wind up here after they drift in from the sea. Sometimes I look at them and let them stay. They become part of the world."
Nevermor is an island made of dreams. But not all of the dreams that wash up onto shore are lovely.
I'm seriously in love with this series. I've read it many times, and it keeps getting better and better each time. Is it a perfect book? No. But I find no fault with it (even the cover that I'm not exactly a fan of) that overrides the fact that it's one of my favorite books ever. It's certainly my favorite Peter Pan retelling I've ever come across— dark, bloody, dreamy and magical.
Nevermor doesn't begin with a bang. It begins like a dream, and you slip into the story before you've realized it. It begins as a story about an orphan girl named Wren and her two brothers, and their desperate need to escape from their dismal future that looms ever closer each day— one of being separated from each other, trapped in loneliness and misery for the rest of their lives. But when Wren unknowingly calls to The Rifter, the guardian of Nevermor, in her dreams, she she latches onto the thought of being in paradise with her family forever.
The Rifter— so named for his ability to travel across the rifts between worlds— and his Wolf Pack (Lenore's version of The Lost Boys) defend Nevermor, the place where dreams go, by killing the nightmares. And to Wren, it truly seems like a place out of a perfect dream. But she soon discovers Nevermor is far more dangerous than she ever imagined.
Soon after Wren arrives, The Scourge returns to Nevermor. The deadly pirate captain and Rifter's nemesis, he and Rifter are eternally locked in a battle that neither can win. But Wren wonders, how did The Scourge and his pirates get to the island, if no one can get there unless Rifter brings them?
Wren can't get her answers from Rifter. She is given a long list of rules to remember: don't ask Rifter a question he might not remember the answer to. Don't mention the others. Don't talk about your past. Keep the Rifter happy. And above all.... don't tell Rifter what happened the last time he fought The Scourge.
I love this book for many reasons. But on my most recent re-read, I think my favorite thing is the characterization. Each character feels so distinct, so life-like.
Rifter is deeply flawed and arrogant; his refusal to grow up or to be weighted by memories of past tragedies cost him his ability to truly understand emotion and love. His is my favorite portrayal of Peter Pan in a retelling, because Lenore doesn't gloss over his flaws. But *minor spoiler alert* over the series, Rifter's character arc is seriously compelling.
Wren is soft, inquisitive, and naive, wanting so deeply for peace and paradise but discovering that there is no such thing as a life without troubles. She isn't the typical Strong Female Character™ in that she's not physically strong, not feisty or sassy. But she has a quiet strength to her, a refusal to compromise her self-respect that grows throughout the book and series as she learns difficult lessons.
Each of Rifter's boys are distinct and vital characters, from charming Finn to surly Nix, from wise Sly to sweet Toss. Whisper is a great twist on Tinker-Bell. And the villain— the Scourge— is the best twist on Captain Hook I've read.
This series needs to be famous, ASAP. Ignore the cover that makes it look like a Middle Grade book. Way too many people are missing out on a wonderful thing.
"Those are the dreams," he said. "They wind up here after they drift in from the sea. Sometimes I look at them and let them stay. They become part of the world."
Nevermor is an island made of dreams. But not all of the dreams that wash up onto shore are lovely.
I'm seriously in love with this series. I've read it many times, and it keeps getting better and better each time. Is it a perfect book? No. But I find no fault with it (even the cover that I'm not exactly a fan of) that overrides the fact that it's one of my favorite books ever. It's certainly my favorite Peter Pan retelling I've ever come across— dark, bloody, dreamy and magical.
Nevermor doesn't begin with a bang. It begins like a dream, and you slip into the story before you've realized it. It begins as a story about an orphan girl named Wren and her two brothers, and their desperate need to escape from their dismal future that looms ever closer each day— one of being separated from each other, trapped in loneliness and misery for the rest of their lives. But when Wren unknowingly calls to The Rifter, the guardian of Nevermor, in her dreams, she she latches onto the thought of being in paradise with her family forever.
The Rifter— so named for his ability to travel across the rifts between worlds— and his Wolf Pack (Lenore's version of The Lost Boys) defend Nevermor, the place where dreams go, by killing the nightmares. And to Wren, it truly seems like a place out of a perfect dream. But she soon discovers Nevermor is far more dangerous than she ever imagined.
Soon after Wren arrives, The Scourge returns to Nevermor. The deadly pirate captain and Rifter's nemesis, he and Rifter are eternally locked in a battle that neither can win. But Wren wonders, how did The Scourge and his pirates get to the island, if no one can get there unless Rifter brings them?
Wren can't get her answers from Rifter. She is given a long list of rules to remember: don't ask Rifter a question he might not remember the answer to. Don't mention the others. Don't talk about your past. Keep the Rifter happy. And above all.... don't tell Rifter what happened the last time he fought The Scourge.
I love this book for many reasons. But on my most recent re-read, I think my favorite thing is the characterization. Each character feels so distinct, so life-like.
Rifter is deeply flawed and arrogant; his refusal to grow up or to be weighted by memories of past tragedies cost him his ability to truly understand emotion and love. His is my favorite portrayal of Peter Pan in a retelling, because Lenore doesn't gloss over his flaws. But *minor spoiler alert* over the series, Rifter's character arc is seriously compelling.
Wren is soft, inquisitive, and naive, wanting so deeply for peace and paradise but discovering that there is no such thing as a life without troubles. She isn't the typical Strong Female Character™ in that she's not physically strong, not feisty or sassy. But she has a quiet strength to her, a refusal to compromise her self-respect that grows throughout the book and series as she learns difficult lessons.
Each of Rifter's boys are distinct and vital characters, from charming Finn to surly Nix, from wise Sly to sweet Toss. Whisper is a great twist on Tinker-Bell. And the villain— the Scourge— is the best twist on Captain Hook I've read.
This series needs to be famous, ASAP. Ignore the cover that makes it look like a Middle Grade book. Way too many people are missing out on a wonderful thing.
September 12, 2016
Not so much of a review, I suppose, but a long time ago, I learned that I should always vote for myself or else risk embarrassment, so here it is.
First I need to say thank you to all those who have shown interest in this book (and if you're reading this, that means you!) I'm an indie writer, and I'm not afraid to say it, but that doesn't lessen me. It gives me faith in myself to look at this book and see what I can accomplish when I set myself to it.
Even as the author, every time I read Nevermor - which has been quite a few times - I fall in love with it all over again. It stands as a testament to what I am capable of on my own and what I can push myself to achieve. So thank you for giving me your attention, and I hope you'll give me the chance to impress you.
First I need to say thank you to all those who have shown interest in this book (and if you're reading this, that means you!) I'm an indie writer, and I'm not afraid to say it, but that doesn't lessen me. It gives me faith in myself to look at this book and see what I can accomplish when I set myself to it.
Even as the author, every time I read Nevermor - which has been quite a few times - I fall in love with it all over again. It stands as a testament to what I am capable of on my own and what I can push myself to achieve. So thank you for giving me your attention, and I hope you'll give me the chance to impress you.
August 23, 2014
Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
This is not the first book I've read by author Lani Lenore, therefore when I was contacted by the author to know if I was interested in reading Neverland's first two books I was more than happy to comply!*Big Cheshire cat smile*
Having read, in the past, Roses and Black Glass _book over which I will continue to harass The Book Depository until they have it for sale! _ I was well aware of the author's writing style, and knowing I was in for a treat, the only thing left for me would be to find time to read it.
Well, I finally read it, and the hard part is going to be to find the proper words to review it!
More or less so, everyone knows something about Peter Pan's story and his band of boys.
Well, this was pretty much what I would have said had anyone asked me what I knew about it: Of course I know about Peter Pan, Wendy, Tinker Bell... Hook, you know! I think I saw the Disney movie!
shut up, Susana...
Nevermor is So much more...
The Setting:
Rich, complex and extremely well developed, from London's nineteenth century environment to Nevermor's well crafted world, there wasn't a lose end in any part of it. I liked that the author kept it as realistic as possible when it came to talk about the conditions the orphan children lived in in that time frame.
No sugar-coating it.
The realistic way in which Wren envisioned her _far from auspicious _ future, while at the same time doing everything she could to keep herself living with her brothers, was heartbreakingly well done. A young girl at the edge of womanhood clinging desperately to a child's dream.
The characters:
This is what I talk about when I mention character development! We start by getting the story of a girl who wanted to have a better life, and who dreamt to escape the miserable life she lead with her brothers, and through the pages we see Wren growing up. The way she starts questioning her decisions, and even the way she never lies to herself, when it comes to admitting things she would rather not admit.
She doesn't let herself be deluded by living in another dream.
The Rifter, such a rich character filled with contradictions, this is not someone easy to love.
The boy that never wants to grow up, is much more than a careless boy that only wants to have fun.
He created a dream world and he has been living in it, for longer than he can remember.
He lures dreamers into his world, but not all of them stay in Nevermor... and Nevermor is also a place of ongoing nightmares.
Wren and Rifter may be the main characters, alongside Rifter's great enemy, The Scourge. But each of the other characters are perfectly created, getting their own spotlight.
It never feels as if they're there only to fill the pages au the contrary.
The plot:
Oh, yes, it is good!
But _ and I have to mention this _ I can't help feeling that this would have been better if the story had been written _in certain parts _ in a more concise manner. As it is I, at times felt, myself wandering a little.
This is basically the only complaint I have... but I am one of those people who finds Lord of The Rings ~ I know! The Blasphemy!~ boring as hell, so take my opinion with a grain of salt... or is it a pint of sugar?
...
If you like adventure books with strong characters, an engaging plot, and a great descriptive narrative, then this book is for you.
Also if you don't know what you like, you can start with this one, because you'll definitely like it... or according to Jane Austen's wise and immortal words:
“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”
The ending:
Of course I'm not going to say how it ends, I am not that idiot!
I'll just say, that it kept me frenetically changing the pages *I mean clicking the mouse!* to see what was going to happen!
So yes, I am most definitely honestly recommending this book, as I can't wait to start reading this book's sequel Forsaken Dreamscape, and from what I read in its synopsis, this is my reaction:
Oh, My God!
Four years?
Four....?
Four! o_O
So stay tuned (lol) because I will be reviewing it in the next couple of days... I just have to tackle one or two arcs in between because... Expiration Date!!*shudders*
March 19, 2017
5/5 Stars!!!
In my recent newfound obsession with Peter Pan retellings, Nevermor is my favourite so far.
What originally started in the fanfiction world (which holds a special place in my heart) as a Pan retelling Lani Lenore went one step further and separated from that. And begin a tale of her own more so based on the fairytale and self published this brilliant book.
And I love that.
Everything I've been looking for in a dark Pan type story, I've found here. And I *almost* feel as if I can die in peace now and I haven't even finished the triology!
I thoroughly enjoyed the layered characters, the world building & the perfect balance of suspense, action & romance makes for a brilliant plot with a new twist on an old tale.
One that makes you forget Peter Pan at all and feel you're reading something entirely new.
In my recent newfound obsession with Peter Pan retellings, Nevermor is my favourite so far.
What originally started in the fanfiction world (which holds a special place in my heart) as a Pan retelling Lani Lenore went one step further and separated from that. And begin a tale of her own more so based on the fairytale and self published this brilliant book.
And I love that.
Everything I've been looking for in a dark Pan type story, I've found here. And I *almost* feel as if I can die in peace now and I haven't even finished the triology!
I thoroughly enjoyed the layered characters, the world building & the perfect balance of suspense, action & romance makes for a brilliant plot with a new twist on an old tale.
One that makes you forget Peter Pan at all and feel you're reading something entirely new.
March 1, 2014
Welp. I think I’ve found a new favorite series!
Let me begin by saying that I’ve LOVED the story of Peter Pan for as long as I can remember. I have no idea why, but I do. That said, I have enjoyed many adaptations over the years - mostly in the form of film: Disney’s version, the 2003 version with Jeremy Sumpter, Hook, that steampunk Scifi version, etc. When I came across the Nevermor book series via Goodreads, I KNEW I had to read it. I bought it on my Kindle immediately and dropped all the other books I was reading in favor of this one. I was not disappointed. This is hands down THE BEST Peter Pan adaptation that I’ve come across.
This is a darker adaptation of the Peter Pan story. However, the names and situations are not the same. The story begins with a 15 year old girl named Wren. She and her two brothers, Henry and Max, have been abandoned by their parents and are now forced to live at a home for children until they are adopted. Wren desperately wants to keep her family together and is hoping that by some miracle that a family will take all three of them in. Unfortunately, no one seems to be interested in her or her sullen 12 year old brother, Henry. After having a few vivid dreams that centered around chasing a little ball of light, Wren wakes up on a beach and meets a teenage boy known as “the Rifter”. Everything else you can read in the blurb above, so I’ll jump right into my thoughts.
I was practically giddy while reading Nevermor! What I enjoyed most about this series was that it keeps all the things that I loved about the original story, but revamped them and made them more interesting! There’s quite a bit of violence, cursing, lovable characters, despicable characters, and even some degree of sex thrown in…this ain’t Disney’s Peter Pan that is for damn sure.
I also really enjoyed the little romance(s) that played out it this book! I was fangirling a little at times, not gonna lie. I liked how Lenore was able to keep the spirit of J.M. Barry’s novel, while still making it her own and catering to a more mature audience.
This series is a perfect example as to why it’s important to take a chance on less well-known books rather than just sticking with the popular/trendy novels that are out there. I might have never found out that the Nevermor series even existed if it wasn’t for my Goodreads account! I plan on bringing this book up whenever possible so others will read this series. If you are a fan of darker fairy tales retellings/adaptations or love the story of Peter Pan as much as I do, then you NEED to get on this. Best one I’ve read yet.
5 stars. Loved it. I can’t wait to start on the sequel!
August 8, 2019
The best Peter Pan out there
I've read my share of fairy tale retellings (who hasn't, these days?) and Nevermor is undoubtedly the cream of the crop.
What is a good retelling?
1. It follows the original themes
2. It adds more depth to the mostly much shorter original
3. The characters are fleshed out, and the actions that seemed far fetched and incomprehensible in the original tale now make more sense.
In short, a good retelling always encompasses the original. It takes the complete original without nit picking and nice washing and then adds to this bare skeleton the nerves muscle, skin and hair and eyes. In the perfect retelling, the original never once disappears, it is merely overshadowed by the overlaying narrative that shows what the original could have been.
Finally, the perfect retelling is appealing. Not just to the modern audience but to the reader in general. There has to be something about the story and it's themes that wasn't fully explored in the original but is brought to its climax here.
Nevermor does that. Rifter is Peter Pan once reduced to his essence and then expanded into the fuller theme that is Peter. What does that mean, being an eternal boy? Never losing the childish focus, the juvenile optimism and aggression? Who is this boy, where does he come from, and how can he stay the way he is? These are the questions that Lani Lenore asks and attempts to answer in this first book of the trilogy.
But Peter never quite stood on his own. His barely fleshed out side kicks, the Lost Boys, are given personality, drive and interactions in this retelling. Finally, we try and get to understand, at least a little bit, what this wondrous world is for those who do not die but cannot fly. Those boys that are less than Peter, but simultaneously more human.
Wren (Wendy) is the real anchor to this story. Drawn to what Peter idealizes as well as repulsed by the reality of his life, she is the real-world observer and moral compass of this story. At the same time, she never once becomes too mature for her role. She is just Wren, a girl too young to fully reject Nevermor, but too old to blindly accept it. This dichotomy is the main conflict in the Rifter series and will likely remain until book 3.
I was extremely thrilled to read a book so fascinating - and I hope that more people will find their way to Nevermor.
I've read my share of fairy tale retellings (who hasn't, these days?) and Nevermor is undoubtedly the cream of the crop.
What is a good retelling?
1. It follows the original themes
2. It adds more depth to the mostly much shorter original
3. The characters are fleshed out, and the actions that seemed far fetched and incomprehensible in the original tale now make more sense.
In short, a good retelling always encompasses the original. It takes the complete original without nit picking and nice washing and then adds to this bare skeleton the nerves muscle, skin and hair and eyes. In the perfect retelling, the original never once disappears, it is merely overshadowed by the overlaying narrative that shows what the original could have been.
Finally, the perfect retelling is appealing. Not just to the modern audience but to the reader in general. There has to be something about the story and it's themes that wasn't fully explored in the original but is brought to its climax here.
Nevermor does that. Rifter is Peter Pan once reduced to his essence and then expanded into the fuller theme that is Peter. What does that mean, being an eternal boy? Never losing the childish focus, the juvenile optimism and aggression? Who is this boy, where does he come from, and how can he stay the way he is? These are the questions that Lani Lenore asks and attempts to answer in this first book of the trilogy.
But Peter never quite stood on his own. His barely fleshed out side kicks, the Lost Boys, are given personality, drive and interactions in this retelling. Finally, we try and get to understand, at least a little bit, what this wondrous world is for those who do not die but cannot fly. Those boys that are less than Peter, but simultaneously more human.
Wren (Wendy) is the real anchor to this story. Drawn to what Peter idealizes as well as repulsed by the reality of his life, she is the real-world observer and moral compass of this story. At the same time, she never once becomes too mature for her role. She is just Wren, a girl too young to fully reject Nevermor, but too old to blindly accept it. This dichotomy is the main conflict in the Rifter series and will likely remain until book 3.
I was extremely thrilled to read a book so fascinating - and I hope that more people will find their way to Nevermor.
November 18, 2014
Where to begin?
I've been searching for a good old Peter Pan story for ages, and I couldn't come across anyone that I actually liked. This one, though, is an entirely different thing. It's fast-paced, vivid, intriguing and it draws you in right from the dark.
I especially love how Lani Lenore sprinkled the dark element over this story. I love the cpncept of the whole plot. Simply beautiful. Also, I love the way how she brought the characters from flatness to 3D towards the end, each finding his/her own purpose and understanding themselves along the way. A lot of other stories DO achieve this, but seldom with such a strong imagery within it. Also, the plot wasn't immediately piled upon me; it gradually spun and grew and the more the story progressed, the more I started enjoying the originality of it. Towards the end, even, everything was perfect. Finely tied up the loose ends, except for a few ones artfully left behind to create a cliffy.
Rifter . Hmm. He does have an attitude perfect for a Peter Pan, but at times, I think that his character lacked a little depth. Similarly, his thoughts did become a bit monotonous sometimes.
Wren . Wreeeeeeeen. Well, she certainly is an epitome of a fifteen year old. For some reason, her character didn't amaze me that much. Sure, she has her own inner strength and she does give off vibes of a child who had to grow up early, but I think she became a bit impatient. She could've been a bit more understanding towards Rifter---but I guess that was a pit she had to get herself out of. And she did at the end.
Wanna know my favorite character in this whole story? Sly. :D That guy is seriously cool. All those theories about Nevermor actually got me thinking, like, wow. Pretty heavy psychology stuff, in fact. Also, how did all the lost children get stuck in Rifter's dream world in the first place? How did he have the power to call them? Couldn't all these children create their own happy place to go instead of Nevermor? Then there's also a matter of corporeal and incorporeal forms. What if this was all in Rifter's head? A happy place he created for himself to escape from himself?
The questions are endless. All I know is, I'm hooked, and I want the second installment to this trilogy.
I've been searching for a good old Peter Pan story for ages, and I couldn't come across anyone that I actually liked. This one, though, is an entirely different thing. It's fast-paced, vivid, intriguing and it draws you in right from the dark.
I especially love how Lani Lenore sprinkled the dark element over this story. I love the cpncept of the whole plot. Simply beautiful. Also, I love the way how she brought the characters from flatness to 3D towards the end, each finding his/her own purpose and understanding themselves along the way. A lot of other stories DO achieve this, but seldom with such a strong imagery within it. Also, the plot wasn't immediately piled upon me; it gradually spun and grew and the more the story progressed, the more I started enjoying the originality of it. Towards the end, even, everything was perfect. Finely tied up the loose ends, except for a few ones artfully left behind to create a cliffy.
Rifter . Hmm. He does have an attitude perfect for a Peter Pan, but at times, I think that his character lacked a little depth. Similarly, his thoughts did become a bit monotonous sometimes.
Wren . Wreeeeeeeen. Well, she certainly is an epitome of a fifteen year old. For some reason, her character didn't amaze me that much. Sure, she has her own inner strength and she does give off vibes of a child who had to grow up early, but I think she became a bit impatient. She could've been a bit more understanding towards Rifter---but I guess that was a pit she had to get herself out of. And she did at the end.
Wanna know my favorite character in this whole story? Sly. :D That guy is seriously cool. All those theories about Nevermor actually got me thinking, like, wow. Pretty heavy psychology stuff, in fact. Also, how did all the lost children get stuck in Rifter's dream world in the first place? How did he have the power to call them? Couldn't all these children create their own happy place to go instead of Nevermor? Then there's also a matter of corporeal and incorporeal forms. What if this was all in Rifter's head? A happy place he created for himself to escape from himself?
The questions are endless. All I know is, I'm hooked, and I want the second installment to this trilogy.
May 3, 2013
This was an amazing, well writen teen version of the peter pan stories. It wasn't all happy, and that made it good.
July 22, 2013
Literally one of my favorite books of all time..
November 30, 2017
The TL:DR short review is, as always, at the bottom of this long post of nitpicks and opinions.
Spoilers ahead!
In my quest to find as many Peter Pan reimaginings as I could, I stumbled on this series.
Initially, I was sceptical. Changing the names of well-known characters to make the characters seem like your own was, in my mind, a little bit of a cop-out, if I'm being truly honest. But I bought this book, and its sequel - Forsaken Dreamscape - from Amazon, and they promptly arrived. I didn't, however, start reading Nevermor immediately. That's a strange feeling for me. I'm the sort that has to always have a book on the go. If I'm not reading, I'm sleeping or at work. As soon as one book goes down, another takes its place. But with this one, I had a strange sort of feeling about it. I don't know why, but I just looked at it and felt that it wouldn't be such an engaging book for me.
Was I judging a book by its cover? Yes. Was I proved wrong when I did start reading it? Mostly.
I went into reading this book almost completely blind, as I enjoy doing with books. I knew it was based on Peter and Wendy, and I knew it was romance. That was all I needed to know to begin, and so, a day or two after the book arrived, I started reading it. I skipped over the author's introduction. I don't usually read them. Occasionally I'll go back and read them after I've finished the book.
The language was a good mix of simple and complex. The lexicon wasn't so difficult that it was a hard read, and it wasn't so simple it was a boring read. I like that; the way Lenore strings words together is engaging and easy to follow without being boring.
The language she uses, however, I found less engaging. Her dialogue is slightly disjointed; trying to make the characters sound old fashioned, but succeeding in only making the dialogue sound stiff and unnatural. This isn't a slight on Lenore. Many many authors do this. It comes with writing without studying people, and the way they speak. Listening to how people speak and being able to translate it to paper well is a skill that sadly few authors have.
Another issue with Lenore's writing I have is the war between the setting of the story and the style the narration is written in. The biggest example of this I found was on page 100. Rifter's 'yo mamma' joke. There's a long history of yo mamma jokes (the first was written e3500BC, if you could believe - but it wasn't until Monty Python pushed the joke in 1975 that it even started to take off in popularity) but the wording of this particular joke was definitely more in line with contemporary humour. With the wording it had, that joke wouldn't have been understood by our narrator at the time - Wren, an uneducated orphan girl from 1873.
A quick fix to this and the other small jokes and sayings that wouldn't be understood by people from 1873 was poorly written in, in the form of Sly of the 'Wolf Pack' mentioning that the boys all could possibly come from different times because Rifter isn't bound by linear time and can traverse the universe at will. I certainly wouldn't have minded this being used if it was used more consistently, and not just mentioned and forgotten. If the difference in their culture and language was more pronounced, I would have certainly accepted these slips of contemporary language in a historical setting much more readily.
The lack of explanation and exploration for things was common in this book, I found. Many theories and ideas were thrown around by Sly, but none of them were explored in any detail. They just seemed like space-fillers. This did upset me. So many theories were given out that I expected a big reveal of the true reason for Rifter and Nevermor existing and being bound to him. What I got was Scourge mentioning Riter's past in their last battle, giving no explanations, but a rushed reason for Rifter searching out Nevermor. It was very disappointing but there are two more books in the series, and I do plan to read them, so I have hope that more explanation is given in one of those books.
The brief history of characters is a reoccurrence in this book. Rifter is supposed to mysterious and no one is supposed to know about him, so I understand why his history is so briefly brushed over. The other characters, though, could have their time.
None of Wren's history is divulged. Her current situation is explored briefly at the beginning of the book. She's an orphan, with two brothers, who works in a factory. That's all the history that's given. There's no mention of a past that's shaped her. No complexity to her character. People are shaped by their experiences, and do things because of those experiences. To mention these, to let a reader know little memories that make people do the things they do, endears a character to them. We didn't have this with Wren.
With any of the characters. Henry and Max weren't explored at all. Considering that Wren was all about needing her brother's with her in the beginning, as soon as they were brought to Nevermor, they were almost completely forgotten about. No thought went into their characters. Henry was more developed while in London than he ever was in Nevermor, and that's regressive. A character is supposed to grow through a story, develop and become more than what they were. Henry became more and more of a background character the more I read. It was severely disappointing.
Something similar happened with the Wolf Pack. They were introduced as characters, given their two-dimensional roles in the story through Wren's narration, then not explored at all. Their history wasn't touched upon, and in a spurt of lazy writing, that was explained away with 'we're on Nevermor, so we forgot our old lives.' That is a tragedy. The previously mentioned theory about the boys possibly being from different times set all of them up for what could have been incredibly interesting backstories and explorations of character, and that was just sat on. I want to know more about the boys. I want to know what makes Nix to bitter, and whether Sly was educated in any way as a child, and how Finn grew up to be so sweet. What made these boys them? That's a question that isn't answered.
Another character nitpick I had was Calico. She was set up, like all the others to have an incredible story, and to be an incredibly interesting character. But in the end, she was just used to make Wren jealous, and to bring our two star-crossed lovers together. It was frustrating for sure. The only relatable and interesting women in the book beside our main character Wren, and she's treated as a simple plot device to further the romance between Wren and Rifter, and not as a character that demands respect.
Something that I thought Lenore did well, for the most part, was the romance. I loved how she caught the whimsical infatuation Wren had with Rifter in the beginning and the way Wren's thoughts developed from infatuation into love. This romance didn't miss out important small bonding moments that many authors feel aren't needed in lieu of big relationship-defining events one after the other. It was incredibly satisfying to see Wren grow into loving Rifter. It was also incredible to see Wren say no; to decide that she wasn't ready for intimacy. I see too many romances where there are no snags, and intimacy comes naturally and immediately with no resistance, and that is not how relationships and people work. That moment was perhaps the most real of the book, and it is definitely my favourite scene. There are a few things I didn't like about the romance, like using Calico as a device to further it, but it was overall good and quite natural; something that's difficult to put across in writing. You have my admiration for being able to achieve such a good written romance, Lani Lenore.
I also enjoyed the imaginative additions Lenore added to the story. The Nightmares was something I didn't expect, going into the book, but the more I read about them, the more I enjoyed them. It's such an incredibly creative idea, and I loved it. I loved the idea that Scourge was a Nightmare, as well. It's an interesting concept to make the villain of the story a main character's fear itself, and Lenore did it quite well. I hope the Nightmares have just as much, if not more presence in the next books.
After reading the book, I went back and read the introduction, as I mentioned earlier that I sometimes did. Finding out that the idea for this book - or rather, the sequel Forsaken Dreamscape, was originally written as a Peter Pan fanfiction, put the book in a whole new perspective. Many small nitpicks I had were given an explanation. Writing a fanfic and writing an original novel are very different processes, and often things get lost in the processes. I could forgive many things after finding that out.
It also made me happy. As someone that started with writing fanfics, and hope to publish my own novels in the future, it always makes me happy to see other fanfic writers publishing their own books. Knowing this gave me a much bigger appreciation for Lani Lenore.
TL:DR time!
I'm giving this book three stars because I feel it really could have explored and explained a lot more than it managed to.
While some things in the book disappointed me - mostly the lack of exploration of the characters - this book was pretty easy to read, and the romance in it was written incredibly well, and quite realistically. It's definitely worth a read if you enjoy darker and imaginative rewritings of Peter Pan.
Now I'm off to start the sequel, and I'm hoping that most of my worries and grumbles with this book are fixed in the next.
Spoilers ahead!
In my quest to find as many Peter Pan reimaginings as I could, I stumbled on this series.
Initially, I was sceptical. Changing the names of well-known characters to make the characters seem like your own was, in my mind, a little bit of a cop-out, if I'm being truly honest. But I bought this book, and its sequel - Forsaken Dreamscape - from Amazon, and they promptly arrived. I didn't, however, start reading Nevermor immediately. That's a strange feeling for me. I'm the sort that has to always have a book on the go. If I'm not reading, I'm sleeping or at work. As soon as one book goes down, another takes its place. But with this one, I had a strange sort of feeling about it. I don't know why, but I just looked at it and felt that it wouldn't be such an engaging book for me.
Was I judging a book by its cover? Yes. Was I proved wrong when I did start reading it? Mostly.
I went into reading this book almost completely blind, as I enjoy doing with books. I knew it was based on Peter and Wendy, and I knew it was romance. That was all I needed to know to begin, and so, a day or two after the book arrived, I started reading it. I skipped over the author's introduction. I don't usually read them. Occasionally I'll go back and read them after I've finished the book.
The language was a good mix of simple and complex. The lexicon wasn't so difficult that it was a hard read, and it wasn't so simple it was a boring read. I like that; the way Lenore strings words together is engaging and easy to follow without being boring.
The language she uses, however, I found less engaging. Her dialogue is slightly disjointed; trying to make the characters sound old fashioned, but succeeding in only making the dialogue sound stiff and unnatural. This isn't a slight on Lenore. Many many authors do this. It comes with writing without studying people, and the way they speak. Listening to how people speak and being able to translate it to paper well is a skill that sadly few authors have.
Another issue with Lenore's writing I have is the war between the setting of the story and the style the narration is written in. The biggest example of this I found was on page 100. Rifter's 'yo mamma' joke. There's a long history of yo mamma jokes (the first was written e3500BC, if you could believe - but it wasn't until Monty Python pushed the joke in 1975 that it even started to take off in popularity) but the wording of this particular joke was definitely more in line with contemporary humour. With the wording it had, that joke wouldn't have been understood by our narrator at the time - Wren, an uneducated orphan girl from 1873.
A quick fix to this and the other small jokes and sayings that wouldn't be understood by people from 1873 was poorly written in, in the form of Sly of the 'Wolf Pack' mentioning that the boys all could possibly come from different times because Rifter isn't bound by linear time and can traverse the universe at will. I certainly wouldn't have minded this being used if it was used more consistently, and not just mentioned and forgotten. If the difference in their culture and language was more pronounced, I would have certainly accepted these slips of contemporary language in a historical setting much more readily.
The lack of explanation and exploration for things was common in this book, I found. Many theories and ideas were thrown around by Sly, but none of them were explored in any detail. They just seemed like space-fillers. This did upset me. So many theories were given out that I expected a big reveal of the true reason for Rifter and Nevermor existing and being bound to him. What I got was Scourge mentioning Riter's past in their last battle, giving no explanations, but a rushed reason for Rifter searching out Nevermor. It was very disappointing but there are two more books in the series, and I do plan to read them, so I have hope that more explanation is given in one of those books.
The brief history of characters is a reoccurrence in this book. Rifter is supposed to mysterious and no one is supposed to know about him, so I understand why his history is so briefly brushed over. The other characters, though, could have their time.
None of Wren's history is divulged. Her current situation is explored briefly at the beginning of the book. She's an orphan, with two brothers, who works in a factory. That's all the history that's given. There's no mention of a past that's shaped her. No complexity to her character. People are shaped by their experiences, and do things because of those experiences. To mention these, to let a reader know little memories that make people do the things they do, endears a character to them. We didn't have this with Wren.
With any of the characters. Henry and Max weren't explored at all. Considering that Wren was all about needing her brother's with her in the beginning, as soon as they were brought to Nevermor, they were almost completely forgotten about. No thought went into their characters. Henry was more developed while in London than he ever was in Nevermor, and that's regressive. A character is supposed to grow through a story, develop and become more than what they were. Henry became more and more of a background character the more I read. It was severely disappointing.
Something similar happened with the Wolf Pack. They were introduced as characters, given their two-dimensional roles in the story through Wren's narration, then not explored at all. Their history wasn't touched upon, and in a spurt of lazy writing, that was explained away with 'we're on Nevermor, so we forgot our old lives.' That is a tragedy. The previously mentioned theory about the boys possibly being from different times set all of them up for what could have been incredibly interesting backstories and explorations of character, and that was just sat on. I want to know more about the boys. I want to know what makes Nix to bitter, and whether Sly was educated in any way as a child, and how Finn grew up to be so sweet. What made these boys them? That's a question that isn't answered.
Another character nitpick I had was Calico. She was set up, like all the others to have an incredible story, and to be an incredibly interesting character. But in the end, she was just used to make Wren jealous, and to bring our two star-crossed lovers together. It was frustrating for sure. The only relatable and interesting women in the book beside our main character Wren, and she's treated as a simple plot device to further the romance between Wren and Rifter, and not as a character that demands respect.
Something that I thought Lenore did well, for the most part, was the romance. I loved how she caught the whimsical infatuation Wren had with Rifter in the beginning and the way Wren's thoughts developed from infatuation into love. This romance didn't miss out important small bonding moments that many authors feel aren't needed in lieu of big relationship-defining events one after the other. It was incredibly satisfying to see Wren grow into loving Rifter. It was also incredible to see Wren say no; to decide that she wasn't ready for intimacy. I see too many romances where there are no snags, and intimacy comes naturally and immediately with no resistance, and that is not how relationships and people work. That moment was perhaps the most real of the book, and it is definitely my favourite scene. There are a few things I didn't like about the romance, like using Calico as a device to further it, but it was overall good and quite natural; something that's difficult to put across in writing. You have my admiration for being able to achieve such a good written romance, Lani Lenore.
I also enjoyed the imaginative additions Lenore added to the story. The Nightmares was something I didn't expect, going into the book, but the more I read about them, the more I enjoyed them. It's such an incredibly creative idea, and I loved it. I loved the idea that Scourge was a Nightmare, as well. It's an interesting concept to make the villain of the story a main character's fear itself, and Lenore did it quite well. I hope the Nightmares have just as much, if not more presence in the next books.
After reading the book, I went back and read the introduction, as I mentioned earlier that I sometimes did. Finding out that the idea for this book - or rather, the sequel Forsaken Dreamscape, was originally written as a Peter Pan fanfiction, put the book in a whole new perspective. Many small nitpicks I had were given an explanation. Writing a fanfic and writing an original novel are very different processes, and often things get lost in the processes. I could forgive many things after finding that out.
It also made me happy. As someone that started with writing fanfics, and hope to publish my own novels in the future, it always makes me happy to see other fanfic writers publishing their own books. Knowing this gave me a much bigger appreciation for Lani Lenore.
TL:DR time!
I'm giving this book three stars because I feel it really could have explored and explained a lot more than it managed to.
While some things in the book disappointed me - mostly the lack of exploration of the characters - this book was pretty easy to read, and the romance in it was written incredibly well, and quite realistically. It's definitely worth a read if you enjoy darker and imaginative rewritings of Peter Pan.
Now I'm off to start the sequel, and I'm hoping that most of my worries and grumbles with this book are fixed in the next.
December 7, 2014
So…. This is my first review. I’m not really good at putting my thoughts in words, yet this time I felt like I needed to write this because: 1) I absolutely loved this book and 2)I feel that it deserves more recognition.
I came across this book while searching for a good retelling of Peter Pan. For several reasons it was one of my favorite stories when I was a kid and it stayed with me till now… so I’m constantly searching for related books, movies etc. Yet I have been disappointed by many of them…not from this one though.
This book is definitely fantasy, it could be also described as paranormal romance, but most of all it’s a dark and twisted fairytale.
Blurb: Wren (a.k.a. Wendy) has had a hard life. She is an orphan and she had to take care of her two younger brothers. At some point when she ‘s under a lot of pressure she starts believing in another world, called Nevermor(Neverland), where the Rifter (Peter Pan) lives. She manages to find her way there and she starts to fall in love with the place and with the Rifter, but everything is not as she expected and a war between the Rifter and the Scourge(Hook) is brewing.
At some point of the blurb I’ve parenthesized the names used in the original fairytale. Yet that was just to help you(yes I’m talking to you, who have taken the time to read this). I feel the need to say this cause Lani Lenore’s characters aren’t just caricatures of the original ones. Yes, she definitely was inspired by the fairytale but she managed to make this story her own. Wren… well she ‘s not what most people I discuss books with would call badass, but she’s strong in her own way. She was saved by others many times and she didn’t learn to fight (physically). I know that this may seem as a minus but it’s not. It was a pretty realistic reaction considering that she’s an untrained girl from London 1873 and she has learned that certain things are expected of her as a lady. Yet she supports her brothers with everything she’s got. As for the Rifter, he ‘s not your typical bad boy, but he’s not a saint either. He is in an in-between of a child and a man and he lets his emotions get the best of him, so much that he has to hide from them ( I won’t say more). I also loved all the other characters… her brothers (especially Henry), the wolf pack(the lost boys) and especially Nix who is so precious and I love him and I need to give him a hug even though he would turn it down, Calico, Whisper and even the Scourge, who was an amazing villain but I can’t give away more about him without spoiling you. Overall what I loved about the way that the writer handled the characters is that they were not perfect. I don’t like perfect characters, I like interesting, I like controversial, I like characters that I want to punch as hard as it gets and the next moment I want to hug them. I want characters that are human, with all the good and the bad and that’s exactly what this book gave me.
The romance between the Rifter and Wren was amazing. Yes, it was kind of insta-love but it took some time for it to develop in its full force. It wasn’t just swoony flirting and make-outs. It had that too, but they actually got to really know eachother and they faced very important and real problems in their relationship.
As for the world Lani Lenore made…it has many Neverland elements but it’s a world of her own. I won’t say how and why but she managed to make it her own and introduce it beautifully. It’s a world of danger and beauty, of nightmares and dreams, and the way it connected to her story was unique and well-planned.
I won’t say much about the plot, but all you need to know is that everything that was said, everything that was done, all the things that the writer built, contributed to the story and had an impact. They weren’t just fillers and that’s one of the many strengths I found in her story-telling.
Bottom-line…This is a story about the family you 're bound to by blood and the one you choose. It ‘s about love, about dreams, about fears and nightmares, about innocence, about growing up, about the harshness of the world and loss…but also about the things that are worth fighting for, that are worth remembering, cherishing…and even dying for.
Read this.
I finished it yesterday and now I’ll start marathoning Forsaken Dreamscape(the second book) that seems to be taking an even darker turn :) Have a nice day!
I came across this book while searching for a good retelling of Peter Pan. For several reasons it was one of my favorite stories when I was a kid and it stayed with me till now… so I’m constantly searching for related books, movies etc. Yet I have been disappointed by many of them…not from this one though.
This book is definitely fantasy, it could be also described as paranormal romance, but most of all it’s a dark and twisted fairytale.
Blurb: Wren (a.k.a. Wendy) has had a hard life. She is an orphan and she had to take care of her two younger brothers. At some point when she ‘s under a lot of pressure she starts believing in another world, called Nevermor(Neverland), where the Rifter (Peter Pan) lives. She manages to find her way there and she starts to fall in love with the place and with the Rifter, but everything is not as she expected and a war between the Rifter and the Scourge(Hook) is brewing.
At some point of the blurb I’ve parenthesized the names used in the original fairytale. Yet that was just to help you(yes I’m talking to you, who have taken the time to read this). I feel the need to say this cause Lani Lenore’s characters aren’t just caricatures of the original ones. Yes, she definitely was inspired by the fairytale but she managed to make this story her own. Wren… well she ‘s not what most people I discuss books with would call badass, but she’s strong in her own way. She was saved by others many times and she didn’t learn to fight (physically). I know that this may seem as a minus but it’s not. It was a pretty realistic reaction considering that she’s an untrained girl from London 1873 and she has learned that certain things are expected of her as a lady. Yet she supports her brothers with everything she’s got. As for the Rifter, he ‘s not your typical bad boy, but he’s not a saint either. He is in an in-between of a child and a man and he lets his emotions get the best of him, so much that he has to hide from them ( I won’t say more). I also loved all the other characters… her brothers (especially Henry), the wolf pack(the lost boys) and especially Nix who is so precious and I love him and I need to give him a hug even though he would turn it down, Calico, Whisper and even the Scourge, who was an amazing villain but I can’t give away more about him without spoiling you. Overall what I loved about the way that the writer handled the characters is that they were not perfect. I don’t like perfect characters, I like interesting, I like controversial, I like characters that I want to punch as hard as it gets and the next moment I want to hug them. I want characters that are human, with all the good and the bad and that’s exactly what this book gave me.
The romance between the Rifter and Wren was amazing. Yes, it was kind of insta-love but it took some time for it to develop in its full force. It wasn’t just swoony flirting and make-outs. It had that too, but they actually got to really know eachother and they faced very important and real problems in their relationship.
As for the world Lani Lenore made…it has many Neverland elements but it’s a world of her own. I won’t say how and why but she managed to make it her own and introduce it beautifully. It’s a world of danger and beauty, of nightmares and dreams, and the way it connected to her story was unique and well-planned.
I won’t say much about the plot, but all you need to know is that everything that was said, everything that was done, all the things that the writer built, contributed to the story and had an impact. They weren’t just fillers and that’s one of the many strengths I found in her story-telling.
Bottom-line…This is a story about the family you 're bound to by blood and the one you choose. It ‘s about love, about dreams, about fears and nightmares, about innocence, about growing up, about the harshness of the world and loss…but also about the things that are worth fighting for, that are worth remembering, cherishing…and even dying for.
Read this.
I finished it yesterday and now I’ll start marathoning Forsaken Dreamscape(the second book) that seems to be taking an even darker turn :) Have a nice day!
July 22, 2015
The first 15% was pretty good, and the last 15% was kind of interesting, but the whole 70% (70%!!!) in between was... well, I did not like it. If I hadn't been using this book to cover the title letter "N" in a reading challenge, I would not have finished it.
The first 15% take place in London in 1873. Lovely young Wren ("Wendy" stand-in) is in an orphanage with her two younger brothers, wishing they could all find a better life together. Characterizations are nicely established, as is the griminess of their poor city lives. The last 15% reveals some interesting, if heavily foreshadowed and ultimately underdeveloped, twists on the relationship between the Rifter ("Peter Pan" stand-in) and the Scourge ("Captain Hook" stand-in). Those were the best parts.
As for the rest? Among other things...
- Excessively wordy writing to the point of tedium. It put me to sleep 5 nights running.
- Upsettingly retrograde and mildly offensive gender representations and definitions that were not undermined in any real way.
- Some hinky racial stuff with the "tribals", which does nothing to improve the hinky racial stuff with the "Indians" that makes the original Peter Pan source material problematic.
- Extra POV's that do not add anything to the story and in fact sometimes detract from it (this is predominantly Wren's tale, after all).
- Anachronistic and/or geographically inaccurate idioms -- the idea that each of the "Lost Boys" might have come from different times is vaguely touched upon, and therefore partly explains why some would use modern expressions, but certainly not why Wren's 1873 London-teen POV sections include lines like "didn't faze her" and "blew her away".
Most of all, the heavy emphasis on romance in this book -- the romance between Wren and the Rifter -- never really works, because even apart from the generally bad gender roles, there is really not much about Rifter (name is sometimes Rifter and sometimes "the Rifter" because the book can't decide) for Wren to like, other than his sexy bad boy physical appearance, and the fact that he took her away from her old life. For some people that's enough: we call them "women who make very bad relationship choices". The book vaguely tries to make the point that Wren realizes this, and decides to end things, and this makes her Grow Up, but it's all far to wishy-washy in far too many ways to have any real impact on the goings-on.
The only thing this book really has going for it is the basic idea: take Peter Pan, add extra darkness, and have Wendy and Peter be hot and old enough to potentially bone each other. Although I did not know anything about this book's publication history when I purchased it, I learned in the author's introduction that it began it's life as fan fiction. To elaborate, the author wrote a fan fiction "sequel" to Peter Pan and then decided to work backwards and rewrite her own version of Peter Pan to function as Book 1 and voila, that's how we got Nevermor. Now none of this dictates whether a book is good or bad -- I am in fandom myself, albeit not in Peter Pan fandom, have written fic and have read more than my share -- but what largely differentiates good fic from bad, apart from the quality of the writing, is the author's ability to translate their own headcanon in such a way that other people can buy into it. I think the author of Nevermor does show promise as a writer, but this specific book fails in that translation, and my only explanation for its overwhelmingly positive reviews is the built-in audience coming from readers of the earlier fan works.
The first 15% take place in London in 1873. Lovely young Wren ("Wendy" stand-in) is in an orphanage with her two younger brothers, wishing they could all find a better life together. Characterizations are nicely established, as is the griminess of their poor city lives. The last 15% reveals some interesting, if heavily foreshadowed and ultimately underdeveloped, twists on the relationship between the Rifter ("Peter Pan" stand-in) and the Scourge ("Captain Hook" stand-in). Those were the best parts.
As for the rest? Among other things...
- Excessively wordy writing to the point of tedium. It put me to sleep 5 nights running.
- Upsettingly retrograde and mildly offensive gender representations and definitions that were not undermined in any real way.
- Some hinky racial stuff with the "tribals", which does nothing to improve the hinky racial stuff with the "Indians" that makes the original Peter Pan source material problematic.
- Extra POV's that do not add anything to the story and in fact sometimes detract from it (this is predominantly Wren's tale, after all).
- Anachronistic and/or geographically inaccurate idioms -- the idea that each of the "Lost Boys" might have come from different times is vaguely touched upon, and therefore partly explains why some would use modern expressions, but certainly not why Wren's 1873 London-teen POV sections include lines like "didn't faze her" and "blew her away".
Most of all, the heavy emphasis on romance in this book -- the romance between Wren and the Rifter -- never really works, because even apart from the generally bad gender roles, there is really not much about Rifter (name is sometimes Rifter and sometimes "the Rifter" because the book can't decide) for Wren to like, other than his sexy bad boy physical appearance, and the fact that he took her away from her old life. For some people that's enough: we call them "women who make very bad relationship choices". The book vaguely tries to make the point that Wren realizes this, and decides to end things, and this makes her Grow Up, but it's all far to wishy-washy in far too many ways to have any real impact on the goings-on.
The only thing this book really has going for it is the basic idea: take Peter Pan, add extra darkness, and have Wendy and Peter be hot and old enough to potentially bone each other. Although I did not know anything about this book's publication history when I purchased it, I learned in the author's introduction that it began it's life as fan fiction. To elaborate, the author wrote a fan fiction "sequel" to Peter Pan and then decided to work backwards and rewrite her own version of Peter Pan to function as Book 1 and voila, that's how we got Nevermor. Now none of this dictates whether a book is good or bad -- I am in fandom myself, albeit not in Peter Pan fandom, have written fic and have read more than my share -- but what largely differentiates good fic from bad, apart from the quality of the writing, is the author's ability to translate their own headcanon in such a way that other people can buy into it. I think the author of Nevermor does show promise as a writer, but this specific book fails in that translation, and my only explanation for its overwhelmingly positive reviews is the built-in audience coming from readers of the earlier fan works.
September 16, 2014
~ An unforgettable adventure overflowing with heart-pounding swordfights, dreams that you can almost touch yourself, and the pulsing spirit of a young girl whose love of a certain flying boy will never die. ~
I have always cherished the story of 'Peter Pan,' and to be honest, I was horrified at the idea of a darker twist on the story, but yet, a new plot and characters that follow as well. And I am now admitting that I couldn't have been more wrong in my feelings.
I first discovered Lani Lenore on Wattpad. I was searching for a fan-fiction sequel to the classic fairytale of Peter Pan and instead I find this. (And what a lovely surprise it was!)
It isn't often I find an author that can spin a tale so well that it makes me read it over and over again. It is truly a classic. I'd like to compare it to the work of the Grimm Brothers but this book is so much more than that. No other book SINCE Peter Pan has sent me spiraling into it's captivating storyline as 'Nevermor' has. It is breathtakingly amazing.
I am not going to waste time explaining what the story is about when the description is right above, but I will say one more thing, or possibly two or three...
I have only known these characters in the book for a short time, but they are so well developed and vivid and so filled with emotion, that I am positive they will stay with me for a lifetime.
I believe Mrs. Lenore has blessed us dreamers with a gift of her own and I am definitely recommending this book to all of my friends. (Mrs. Lenore, if you are reading this, and you have ever for a moment doubted yourself or wondered if this was worth it or if this story was good enough, I PROMISE you it was. You have given me new dreams and hopes... as well as a few nightmares as well.)
I don't think this was a very good review on my part though the last thing I have to say is that EVERYONE should by this book!! This author is extremely talented and if you've ever craved an adventure that kept you on pins and needles and made you sigh at the lovely romantic parts and made you breath the salty tears of a hero you would die for, then READ THIS BOOK! (I don't think that made very much sense but there it is!:))
KEEP WRITING LANI!!!
I have always cherished the story of 'Peter Pan,' and to be honest, I was horrified at the idea of a darker twist on the story, but yet, a new plot and characters that follow as well. And I am now admitting that I couldn't have been more wrong in my feelings.
I first discovered Lani Lenore on Wattpad. I was searching for a fan-fiction sequel to the classic fairytale of Peter Pan and instead I find this. (And what a lovely surprise it was!)
It isn't often I find an author that can spin a tale so well that it makes me read it over and over again. It is truly a classic. I'd like to compare it to the work of the Grimm Brothers but this book is so much more than that. No other book SINCE Peter Pan has sent me spiraling into it's captivating storyline as 'Nevermor' has. It is breathtakingly amazing.
I am not going to waste time explaining what the story is about when the description is right above, but I will say one more thing, or possibly two or three...
I have only known these characters in the book for a short time, but they are so well developed and vivid and so filled with emotion, that I am positive they will stay with me for a lifetime.
I believe Mrs. Lenore has blessed us dreamers with a gift of her own and I am definitely recommending this book to all of my friends. (Mrs. Lenore, if you are reading this, and you have ever for a moment doubted yourself or wondered if this was worth it or if this story was good enough, I PROMISE you it was. You have given me new dreams and hopes... as well as a few nightmares as well.)
I don't think this was a very good review on my part though the last thing I have to say is that EVERYONE should by this book!! This author is extremely talented and if you've ever craved an adventure that kept you on pins and needles and made you sigh at the lovely romantic parts and made you breath the salty tears of a hero you would die for, then READ THIS BOOK! (I don't think that made very much sense but there it is!:))
KEEP WRITING LANI!!!
July 30, 2013
"Somewhere out there, beyond the sea of dreams, there is an island. It is the place where dreams go."
A girl, a boy, a beautiful island and a ragtag group of boys, adventrue, danger, friendship, love. In Nevermor, dreams can become reality. But, remember, nightmares are dreams too.
Lani Lenore did a beautiful job of deconstructing the timeless tale of Peter Pan, weaving in her own unique threads of imagination and creating a delightful tale that captured my attention and flowed from the page as if written with the talent of a much more seasoned author. My only complaint is that this is the first book in a trilogy. I can live with that, though. We are in for a treat.
A girl, a boy, a beautiful island and a ragtag group of boys, adventrue, danger, friendship, love. In Nevermor, dreams can become reality. But, remember, nightmares are dreams too.
Lani Lenore did a beautiful job of deconstructing the timeless tale of Peter Pan, weaving in her own unique threads of imagination and creating a delightful tale that captured my attention and flowed from the page as if written with the talent of a much more seasoned author. My only complaint is that this is the first book in a trilogy. I can live with that, though. We are in for a treat.
February 14, 2017
REREAD IN DECEMBER 2015 FOR SHADOW SUN.
5 stars. Again. I love the world, I love the writing, I love every character. Wren is a little cutie (even if I want to shake her sometimes xD) and Rifter is perfection with perfect flaws. I'm so in love with him and the Wolf Pack.
This book is the beginning of a masterpiece trilogy.
5 stars. Again. I love the world, I love the writing, I love every character. Wren is a little cutie (even if I want to shake her sometimes xD) and Rifter is perfection with perfect flaws. I'm so in love with him and the Wolf Pack.
This book is the beginning of a masterpiece trilogy.
October 24, 2017
nevermor is exactly the peter pan retelling ive always dreamt of. believe me, ive read A LOT, but this one is by far one of my favorites. each character is so wonderfully crafted and still so true to what barrie originally wrote. im absolutely in love with this universe and i cant wait to read the rest of the series, which looks even more promising
January 30, 2022
I... uh...
Words fail me with this one. It started slow, but soon I was engulfed in another world. It wasn’t what I expected, but I found it was many things I wanted without realizing. I can’t wait to journey on ❤️
Words fail me with this one. It started slow, but soon I was engulfed in another world. It wasn’t what I expected, but I found it was many things I wanted without realizing. I can’t wait to journey on ❤️
June 10, 2013
Freaking Awesome!
June 13, 2020
This was the first Peter Pan-esque retelling I’ve read and I was not disappointed. The story telling itself is great. If you’ve been on a journey to find great fairytale retellings or just a great Peter Pan retelling out of countless books and not know where to start,
Start here.
Lenore definitely has a way with words and setting, especially when characters interacted emotionally, I could basically see them talking. I loved that this all started from a Peter Pan fanfiction and birthed itself into something darker, grittier, and much more adult when it comes to facing your own fears about life and the transition from childhood into adulthood. I couldn’t put the book down. After several times of mumbling one more chapter, I realized I was more than half way through the book.
Wren- One tiny thing I found myself constantly sighing about was Wren’s constant damsel in distress troupe. After the third time, I just wanted her to snap at something and fight for herself. I reasoned with myself that as a 15 year old English girl in the late 1800s, she probably would be a bit defenseless in the world of Nevermor. So I tried to overlook it. Yet, as I finished the book, I was slightly disappointed not to have seen her go absolutely feral. I hope this come up more in the books to come. After most of the characters coming to her rescue, I would like to see it flipped or for her to save herself. I certainly loved her character, a sight chatterbox with good intentions and love for her brothers. The world has yet to completely break her and I admire her for that.
Romance- I loved it and ate it up. It wasn’t slow burn, but is peaked at me persistently whenever the chapters where in Wren’s POV. (and of course with Rifter) And honestly? I swooned with her. Rifter is dreamy through her eyes and that in itself showed me how well Lenore could convey that through her characters. I even felt the love interest from the other female characters interesting and realistic for the setting. I needed a Peter Pan retelling where the Peter character and the Wendy character have some sort of connection, where the love is honest and true, though bit confusion. Realistic. I would have to hold off here until I finish the rest of the series to see if this lives up my hopeless-romantic heart. One that desires to see centuries old love, separated by so many versions, finally be together at the end.
Hope this is it.
Start here.
Lenore definitely has a way with words and setting, especially when characters interacted emotionally, I could basically see them talking. I loved that this all started from a Peter Pan fanfiction and birthed itself into something darker, grittier, and much more adult when it comes to facing your own fears about life and the transition from childhood into adulthood. I couldn’t put the book down. After several times of mumbling one more chapter, I realized I was more than half way through the book.
Wren- One tiny thing I found myself constantly sighing about was Wren’s constant damsel in distress troupe. After the third time, I just wanted her to snap at something and fight for herself. I reasoned with myself that as a 15 year old English girl in the late 1800s, she probably would be a bit defenseless in the world of Nevermor. So I tried to overlook it. Yet, as I finished the book, I was slightly disappointed not to have seen her go absolutely feral. I hope this come up more in the books to come. After most of the characters coming to her rescue, I would like to see it flipped or for her to save herself. I certainly loved her character, a sight chatterbox with good intentions and love for her brothers. The world has yet to completely break her and I admire her for that.
Romance- I loved it and ate it up. It wasn’t slow burn, but is peaked at me persistently whenever the chapters where in Wren’s POV. (and of course with Rifter) And honestly? I swooned with her. Rifter is dreamy through her eyes and that in itself showed me how well Lenore could convey that through her characters. I even felt the love interest from the other female characters interesting and realistic for the setting. I needed a Peter Pan retelling where the Peter character and the Wendy character have some sort of connection, where the love is honest and true, though bit confusion. Realistic. I would have to hold off here until I finish the rest of the series to see if this lives up my hopeless-romantic heart. One that desires to see centuries old love, separated by so many versions, finally be together at the end.
Hope this is it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2018
Mini Review: This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. I read Lani Lenore's works back in 2012 and enjoyed them on wattpad, but kind of stopped when she published. I picked this book after rediscovering Lani and am so glad I did so. Not only the author has inspired me to pursue indie publishing, but her blog had been an excellent source for indie authors!
Anyways, that aside, let me gush over this book. Its a dark Peter Pan retelling and Lani delivered what she promised. The writing is flawless and colorful, the world she crafted with her words was alive and refreshing. The characters were fleshed out well, and they behaved according to their ages. Wren was cautious but silly fifteen year old, Rifter was an arrogant yet powerful protagonist with a 'strong body and a weak mind'. The wolf pack were an interesting bunch too and the Scrouge was as evil as a fairy tale villain could get. At times, the book felt a little longer than needed, but the writing was captivating enough to keep me going.
All in all, it was a ''perfect'' dark fantasy, the author created a world parallel to Neverland and managed to keep me hooked until the last page. Enjoyed every bit of it! Now off to the sequel...
Anyways, that aside, let me gush over this book. Its a dark Peter Pan retelling and Lani delivered what she promised. The writing is flawless and colorful, the world she crafted with her words was alive and refreshing. The characters were fleshed out well, and they behaved according to their ages. Wren was cautious but silly fifteen year old, Rifter was an arrogant yet powerful protagonist with a 'strong body and a weak mind'. The wolf pack were an interesting bunch too and the Scrouge was as evil as a fairy tale villain could get. At times, the book felt a little longer than needed, but the writing was captivating enough to keep me going.
All in all, it was a ''perfect'' dark fantasy, the author created a world parallel to Neverland and managed to keep me hooked until the last page. Enjoyed every bit of it! Now off to the sequel...
March 23, 2019
Years ago I read the American McGee's Alice fanfic Behind Sanity, by Lani Lenore. It was so good it ruined all other fanfics for me. No exaggeration; I stopped browsing FF.net after finding it. So I was excited when I looked her up years later and saw she became a published author.
I had never been interested in the Peter Pan story, but I really enjoyed Nevermor. It was the same writing style I had enjoyed when I was younger, which I unfortunately do not have the words to describe. I can discuss plot, however. I enjoyed the characters, most of the Lost Boys have the impulse control of childhood but the wisdom of decades with Rifter and the dangers of Nevermor, an interesting combination. The details of how Nevermor exists and the relationship between Scourge and Rifter are, without getting into spoilers, very creative.
If I may nitpick, Wren's infatuation with Rifter felt like it was hitting all the bad romance tropes, but it almost worked, since she is a young teen with a very limited understanding of love. Same with her outdated views on gender roles. It got better by the end, but there were several pages in the middle that I knew I would be groaning at if the style weren't so engaging.
I had never been interested in the Peter Pan story, but I really enjoyed Nevermor. It was the same writing style I had enjoyed when I was younger, which I unfortunately do not have the words to describe. I can discuss plot, however. I enjoyed the characters, most of the Lost Boys have the impulse control of childhood but the wisdom of decades with Rifter and the dangers of Nevermor, an interesting combination. The details of how Nevermor exists and the relationship between Scourge and Rifter are, without getting into spoilers, very creative.
If I may nitpick, Wren's infatuation with Rifter felt like it was hitting all the bad romance tropes, but it almost worked, since she is a young teen with a very limited understanding of love. Same with her outdated views on gender roles. It got better by the end, but there were several pages in the middle that I knew I would be groaning at if the style weren't so engaging.
March 11, 2021
I'd say this is one of the best Peter Pan retellings I've had the pleasure of reading. It emphasizes the darker nature of Neverland/mor yet doesn't get rid of the childlike dreamland state that the island exists in, and the characters are emotionally complex in ways that still make sense to their original characters.
Reading this, I wonder if the author also read Peter Pan in Scarlet, because I actually see a lot of themes similar to that book, as well as the original. If so, I'm thoroughly impressed. Regardless of if that's the case or not, I really loved the darker undertones that the author fleshed out here. They're there in the original book, of course, but they get brought to the surface and expounded on here in an expert way.
I almost wish this was a "direct" retelling, where the names weren't changed, but at the same time I grew used to it as the book went along, and maybe it helped me see the characters within the context of the storyline in Nevermor rather than their original roots.
Reading this, I wonder if the author also read Peter Pan in Scarlet, because I actually see a lot of themes similar to that book, as well as the original. If so, I'm thoroughly impressed. Regardless of if that's the case or not, I really loved the darker undertones that the author fleshed out here. They're there in the original book, of course, but they get brought to the surface and expounded on here in an expert way.
I almost wish this was a "direct" retelling, where the names weren't changed, but at the same time I grew used to it as the book went along, and maybe it helped me see the characters within the context of the storyline in Nevermor rather than their original roots.
March 2, 2018
Rift with Thoughts of flying
The tale was tantalizing with the connection between Rifter and Wren. It wasn't fluffy like some stories, which is good. The switching between POV' was sometimes confusing though. In some spots it was unclear because you thought it was Rifter's POV and than another character starts talking from their POV within the same section. Foul language abounds as does violence. Surely, a memorable retelling at any rate.
The tale was tantalizing with the connection between Rifter and Wren. It wasn't fluffy like some stories, which is good. The switching between POV' was sometimes confusing though. In some spots it was unclear because you thought it was Rifter's POV and than another character starts talking from their POV within the same section. Foul language abounds as does violence. Surely, a memorable retelling at any rate.
June 12, 2021
I remember reading the first version on Fanfiction and I'm so happy I found it again. I love the way the author brings in darker themes to Peter Pan's world. Really great retelling that's become one of my favorite trilogies based on Peter Pan and Neverland.
April 3, 2020
I struggled through the first half, but it did eventually suck me in. I'm really glad I kept at it, by the time I finished I didn't want to put it down, and now can't wait to start the second book.
November 16, 2022
Let’s just say I would have write it the same! I love it❤️
September 22, 2024
I absolutely love these books! I’ve been following the story since it was on wattpad. I recommend to everyone I can. I will buy multiple copies if I can!
February 3, 2018
Loved the different take on Peter Pan and Captain Hook. The more grungy feel of this entire fairy tale made me want to keep reading. I will say I not a terribly big fan of the main character Wren, I’m more about girls/women who can either fend for themselves or at least make steps towards being able to protect themselves. Wren is definitely a damsel in distress throughout this whole book and it gets a bit tiring after a little. You just want to shout at her to grow up and not JUST depend on the boys to save you.
June 17, 2018
Incredible Peter Pan retelling that has me devouring the entire book in a day.
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