Neverland

The Realms Series #2

by Emory R. Frie

Never Forget. Never Grow Up. In Neverland, it's difficult if not impossible to do both. Dreams come true. Time is irregular. But to remain frozen in mind, memories must fade. For Wendy Darling, she never grew up. That doesn't mean she never grew old. When Wendy returns to Neverland, her friends in tow, it becomes apparent that the Island has other plans before she can return to the Lost Boys. But things have changed since she's been gone, things that should've never been possible. And in hunting for a mysterious power threatening the realms, Wendy and her friends find that some things are not as they seem. Are they ready for what comes next?

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

260 pages, Paperback

Published February 5, 2017

About the author

Emory R. Frie is the award-winning author of debut novel, Heart of a Lion, and the Realms Series. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing and Business at Berry College where she has also produced written works for the stage. Raised in Oregon, Emory now lives in North Carolina, trying to make a difference and still tell stories.

Reviews

[LaNona · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars! I literally cannot pick a favorite between this book and book 1 now!

We were introduced to so many new characters, and dived in with old ones- you think you know the fairytales? Guess again.

This book exceeded past my expectations and I absolutely love it!! <3 (The whole series exceeds my expectations!) And I can't wait to get my hands on book 3!!

[Sarah Grace Grzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise, but not executed very well in my opinion. Also there was a decent number of typos and such that bugged me. Some parts were clever, and cute, and others just meh. Not really my thing, but my sisters did love it, so it's worth checking out. :)

[Victoria Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

OOOOH! O_O

I was so excited when this came out because I had read book 1 in the series. This one was even better in my opinion! I loved all of the Neverland treasures that this book held! The story was great and had some fun twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I finished this book in record time and I couldn't put it down!

Characters:
I love Jack! He wasn't even a main character, but his little moments of sarcasm make me excited for the next instant he will pop up in the book. Him and Red together especially are a treat! Wendy and Pan! *hugs characters* And the Lost Boys and Tinker Bell! I JUST LOVED THEM ALL! Emory R. Frie does an amazing job with characterization and her banter is always so awesome. I want my own Tinkerbell to be perfectly honest with you.

Story:
The story was great as I stated above, with lots of action, but a balance on the emotional side. I loved Wendy's and Pan's stories. I won't give details because I try not to give any spoilers away, but I loved their emotional journey. Kai's story was the most confusing, and I have to say, I hope it gets wrapped up later, but there was something really off about his side of the story in this one. She never finished it, or even mentioned it as the book closed, which was really strange. Kai was asked to help the "ghosts" and said he would, but after leaving where they resided, they were never mentioned again. Not even in passing. That was my one main beef with this story.
Another thing that I liked was that Red's wolf problem was unable to work on the island. I thought that aspect was really strange in the first book, so I am really happy that it was almost non-existent in this one.

Content:
There is a definite amount of action, though I liked this one because it wasn't as gruesome as the first book in the series. Battles, hand-to-hand combat, and a beating or two occur throughout the story. Wendy and Pan kiss, but it is not described in detail and I thought it was sweet and innocent.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and look forward to sharing it with my younger sisters!

[Morgan (youarethelibrarian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Wonderland. It was fast-paced and introduced a lot of characters whom I now love and want to know more about. Neverland, being the second in the series, was a must-read, but it fell flat for me. Don't get me wrong, I am still invested in this series and will anxiously await the next installment, but this second book felt like a build-up for something that never came. The reason the five characters (Alice, Red, Kai, Jack, and Wendy) ended up in Neverland in the first place was because they were looking for information on who this mysterious master is that wants them. But they learned next to nothing throughout this whole book. They were actually separated for more than half of the book, and each individual storyline was not near as exciting as if they had been together, I think. This book produced even more loose ends, not tying up anything from the previous book, and introduced more subplot for Kai, which I suppose we'll have to wait for his book before learning anything else about that. Once again, the plot was so divided between the five characters that I felt as if I didn't get to know any of them really well. I want to know more about them! Each of them! I thought this book would give more of an insight into Wendy, but while it gave some, it wasn't a lot due to the aforementioned splitting up of the party and the time spent on their individual predicaments.

Needless to say, maybe it would have been better to read this book when I had the next one, The Enchanted Forest, in hand. I'd love to know when it will be coming out!

[Becky Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great sequel to the first! The author's skills have grown. The story was engaging and fun and her character development was fun to watch!

[Katherine Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Realms Series, and it was just as enjoyable as the first. This time taking place in Neverland, it centers around the same five characters as before—Alice, Wendy, Red, Jack, and Kai—while naturally focusing a little more on Wendy, given that this is her realm. Other characters and references to fairy tales also make guest appearances, making the story even more fun for those familiar with a wide range of folklore and fairy tales.

Those who appreciate Peter Pan will enjoy the retelling of Neverland, with added depth and backstory given to some of the classic characters (Hook, for example, or perhaps Tiger Lily). However, this land was not quite as developed as Wonderland was in the first book; the plot focused more on action rather than on the unique challenges of the land (yes, those challenges appear frequently, but they are less defining than the challenges in Wonderland).

This book sets up the rest of the series nicely; it includes details that point ahead even as far as the final book, keeping the reader’s attention. There are still numerous grammatical errors, though Frie clearly developed in her writing abilities between the first and the second books. On the whole, I did not want to put the book down, and the final chapter of this book sent me scrambling to purchase the next.

Once again, I highly recommend this book—it is clean, has a good story, fascinating characters, and leads well into the rest of the series.

[Eowynselixure_book Love · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this story the five friends travel on to Neverland to try and solve the mystery of who the Red Queen's master is.

It was masterfully done, Neverland felt very real and the characters felt really personable. The characters were given back stories and motivations that were new and exciting and seemed to flesh out J. M Barrie's original story.

In this story however Pan is a responsible and emotional teenager rather than the fickle, absent minded boy from the original story. This felt wrong until I realised that these characters stories are where the fairytale's were supposed to have sprung from.

Though it started off well by developing the world and the story I'm afraid towards the end the old flaws I found in the first story crept up again. The action at the end of the tale was brought about by a few hasty scenes that didn't make a lot of sense and again a lot of the events seemed to remain in the authors head. This left the reader quite confused as to what was happening and I noted quite a few grammatical errors.

However the action at the end was quite well written and believable and the story was wrapped up far better than Wonderland.

I just love the idea behind these books, visiting and exploring these worlds is so much fun. I believe we have an accomplished writer here but I do think the editing process wasn't rigorous enough.

But I am going to continue because I just love what the author is doing here.