Neverworld: The Other Side of the Map

by E. Racine

Sixteen-year-old Samantha Beckett and her friend, Charley Neilson, are walking home from school when they find themselves being chased by two strange looking boys in a white van. Racing through backyards and under hedges, they finally shake their pursuers, only to run into Captain Bartholomew Jones, a man who claims he was sent to deliver Samantha to her mother, the woman who abandoned Samantha at birth. Obsessed with the idea of finding her mother, Samantha agrees to go along with Jones, so long as Charley can accompany them. Trudging through the woods near her home, Jones leads them into a ring of mushrooms and thrusts a silver spoon into the ground. When the bright lights fade, Samantha finds herself in a land unlike any she has ever known, a harsh world of swordfights and sailing ships, a world without electricity or running water and filled with people who seem intent on killing her. To find her mother and discover the reason for her abandonment, she and Charley will have to escape kidnappers, race typhoons and battle monsters. As they both soon learn, only the quick and the strong survive long on the other side of the map, in a place called Neverworld.

Genres: Fairies

344 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 9, 2013

Reviews

[Beware the Bookwyrm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot (5 Stars): I’ll admit, based on the cover and the title, I thought this was going to be a Peter Pan retelling. I was so wrong! The only thing related to Peter Pan was the pirates. LOL! And none of them were Captain Hook. I really enjoyed this story. The main plot wasn’t super original, but it had VERY original twists and turns. It was a fun read. A girl searches for her long-lost mother and finds herself taken through a magic doorway where a war is trying to be prevented between mythical creatures. Sound a little familiar? Probably. Was it still original? YES! I loved Samantha and Charley on their journey.

Characters (4 Stars): The characters were funny and most were well developed. I had trouble connecting with quite a few of them though. This was very plot-driven. Some characters had me questioning why they were even in the story. There were so many of them that made such short entrances that I often was confused with who they were. I had to think about it for a while when they were mentioned by other characters. The main characters were awesome though. My favorite was Daphne, the nymph.

Writing (3 Stars): This one’s a little hard. The author is obviously a very good writer. Racine had comic relief at just the right moments. It was great! Unfortunately, there were quite a few misspellings and wrong words used. Like, see instead of sea. Or Jimmy’s name would be listed two paragraphs later as Jimmie. There were very few typos where I really had to stop and figure out what was being said. I figured it out pretty easily. It was just a bit of a distraction. The typos seemed to increase the farther into the book you get. It probably could have gone through one more round of proofreading. That said, they weren’t overwhelmingly common. It was probably slightly more than average for a self-published book.

Overall: I really enjoyed this book! If there was a sequel, I would definitely read it. It was fun, the plot moved at a wonderful pace, and the characters made me laugh. I give this book 4 stars.

Mom’s Note: This book is very clean. There’s no cussing, no sex scenes. There was a quick kiss, but that was all. There are topics of child abuse and bullying.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another swash buckling adventure on the sea. This had a little different twist. A young girl and her neighbor friend are taken and told that they are going to meet her mother...whom she's never met. She had been left as a baby and raised by a kind family. They end up being taken to "the other side of the map" to a place called Neverworld and of course, everything is totally different than in the world they are used to. They're taught to fence and use bows and arrows and various other feats of daring do. The rest is a rollicking adventure with lots of secrets coming to life and a cliff hanger ending. I think that young people, especially about 12, 13 or 14 would really love this. It was a fun read.

[nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait for the next book!!!

Such a great story!!! I Enjoyed the way it was told and all of the characters were very well devloped

[Douglas S Capps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back-forward

It was such a pleasure to let my mind wander as I read. A must read for every man that ever dreamed of pir

[J.M. Brink · Rating 5 out of 5]

E. Racine did a fabulous job in this novel.

I'll start with the bad, just to get it out of the way. The book could, as all book could (I swear there are typo gremlins that will make sure that no matter how many times you edit, there will STILL be mistakes) use another proofread pass. That's it. There're as few as 2 or 3, as many as 5 typo grade mistakes or small missing or extra words per chapter. Big deal, no?

The story. You start with a mysterious, otherworldly stranger dropping a baby off on the doorstep of Child Services in modern America. The little babe grows up to be an outcast teen girl. Then the fun starts.

I love the very creative Neverworld, a world where fairy tales live … in a manner of speaking. Truly an imaginative twist on an old standard.

The characters are wonderful. Sam and Charlie are endearing enough to make you want them to succeed and to be all right. Captain Jones is the quintessential good-hearted and good-natured buccaneer, Tom is the great swordsman you're promised he is …

Is it light hearted? Yes. Is it a "serious work of fiction", I shouldn't think so. Is it perfect for a younger reader -- maybe 8-10 years old? Absolutely. Is it perfect for the young at heart of any age? You bet. This story reads well, and is not so terrifying it couldn't be read to a small child for a bedtime story, or by an older child to themselves, or by an adult looking for a good bit of damned good fun; but it's exciting. You'll devour it before you know as the narrative, the characters, and their misadventures suck you in and don't let go.

My greatest disappointment? The sequels haven't been published yet. I'll be standing in line to get them when they are.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book got a little confusing in places but it all ties together in the end. I truly enjoyed this story and the characters were very interesting. It is quite the tale of adventure for an orphan and her friend. Some typos that were a bit distracting. Overall a good read.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read

Fun and exciting a great read fast paced I was surprised it sounded good but thought oh its typical it was not its fresh and fun