The Neptune Promise

The Neptune Project #3

by Polly Holyoke

Genetically engineered to live in the sea, Nere Hanson and her friends face daunting new challenges as they race to find a solution to climate change. Nere must begin training for a dangerous new mission: diving deep into the black, cold Twilight Zone to salvage a research ship that sank in mysterious circumstances the day Dai Kuron’s mother died. This salvage mission becomes even more perilous when the Sea Rangers spot shredders and a silver sub lurking outside of Safety Harbor. Nere and her team may have to face Whitey, Wasp and Ran Kuron once again, but whose side is Dai Kuron really on?

Nere and her dolphins must also make a difficult journey south to find Cam Cruz, her best friend from childhood, and ask for his help. But Cam is a different person now, hardened by his time spent in a Western Collective prison camp. He’s even become a member of the most ruthless smuggling gang in the Southern Sector.

Can Nere and her Neptune companions make new allies and navigate an ocean of threats including the Marine Guard, cutthroat smugglers and relentless rebels on the prowl? In this action-packed conclusion to The Neptune Trilogy, Nere must decide whom to trust and whom to love.

Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Romance, Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Chapter Books

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 28, 2017

About the author

Polly Holyoke is the author of adventurous fiction for kids. SKYRIDERS, her new series about brave young couriers on their talking flying horses, along with its sequel THE SKY KING, are available now from Viking Children's Books. SKYRIDERS was named one of Bank Street's Best Children's Books of 2024. Her books published by Disney/Hyperion include THE NEPTUNE CHALLENGE (2015) and THE NEPTUNE PROJECT (2013). They have been named to state reading lists in TX, MD, FL, HI and OH. THE NEPTUNE PROJECT won Florida's Sunshine State Young Reader's Award. The last book in the Neptune Trilogy, THE NEPTUNE PROMISE, is available on Amazon and BN.

A former teacher, Polly loves doing school visits and conducting writing workshops.

She currently lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Learn more at www.pollyholyoke.com.

Reviews

[noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying conclusion to the series, I think. I'm very glad that the author took the gamble of self-publishing the final book, as I am one of many who couldn't bear to see the characters' stories unfinished. As it is self-published, there were minor typos and font inconsistencies, as well as using the ":" to enclose dialogue from characters who aren't telepathic. This is really only a minor concern, as the plot was strong enough to keep me interested. I read it in an afternoon.

Many of the writing style quirks that bothered me in the first two books continued in this final one, such as the incessant use of "'Kay" and the occasional awkward dialogue. Themes are often heavy-handed, but Ms. Holyoke manages to develop her characters well despite that. She fleshes out Nere's complicated romance(s) and wraps them up nicely. My ship sank, sadly, but I'll deal with it.

She's created a believable world with characters I absolutely love, and she brings Cam back for an (too short) appearance near the end. I would definitely read the Bria/Robry spinoff Ms. Holyoke has mentioned, but I think that this world and story has reached a good end and this would be a nice place to leave it.

A TV adaption would be welcome, Disney XD, hint hint.

[Lia · Rating 3 out of 5]

read the neptune project when I was in 4th or 5th grade. currently a senior in hs. it was nostalgic to finish this series, definitely very wholesome. i see more flaws in the plot and characters now (specifically how one-dimensional both areas got sometimes), but i am reading from the perspective of a 17 y.o.; for a middle-school read, it stands amazingly against the test of time.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

i've seen very few people who have read this series, and that makes me kind of sad because Dai is my child and more people need to know about him xD

[Maymay · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok this was also very good

i rly love dai and nere and how their relationship was truly a slow burn and had the complexities of a real relationship - there was no instant love or any tropey cliches, they were both well written, dynamic characters who wanted to save the world first and fall in love second. priorities we love to see it

the only thing is that there were so many background characters introduced this book that i wish i got to know more. like james omfg. i Need to know more about his power bc i know that shit comes with a lot of pain and trauma and omg it would be such a good book.

-1 star bc i don’t like how Kuron had a massive personality change in like two paragraphs after literally like torturing children for twenty years but you know what it’s ok i’m willing to over look it

[Nova Syzygy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not that great, really. I'm not sure what to say. Most of the science is right, but some other parts? Uhh, no. Also, there really didn't need to be a love square. As if the triangle wasn't enough. Some parts of the plot were glaringly obvious, and I didn't exactly like that.
Polly Holyoke self-published this book, and, it seems, without an editor, because there were so many grammatical mistakes in this book! Also, the cover really bugs me. Especially the back. But hey, i don't even know how to use Photoshop, so...A for effort?
Mmmkay, that's it. Goodbye.

[Teddy Barker · Rating 2 out of 5]

What was that rushed ending? Great start, clearly had a plan, then sprinted through the last 100 pages of development, glossing over plot twists and big reveals in the final ten pages with no consequences whatsoever. Literally write characters off because she didn’t know what to do with them. One thing that made the Neptune Project(one of my absolute favorite childhood books and top recommendations for young readers) so good was the realistic element of death; Holyoke lost that in her final novel. Very disappointed that two strong novels has such a weak end but glad to have finally completed the series, it wasn’t all bad, just the end. Also angry about The Nere-Dai-Tobin love triangle, but that’s for another day. I hope, with a little more editing and pacing, she publishes Robry and Bria’s story in the future.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had not read the other two books of the trilogy (The Neptune Promise by Polly Holyoke) but I was able to read this one without reading the first two because the characters were well described and the storyline was well written. I thought that the younger reader would be enraptured by the action seen by the characters and the engaging storyline. I can see movies or a mini series in the future for this trilogy. I liked the message of saving our planet given to the readers. Well done Polly!

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending of this trilogy is a bit rushed and maybe a little too tidy. I’m fine with happy endings but there was no real suspense or tension. And the ultimate ending was pretty easy for the characters to accomplish.

[fei! · Rating 4 out of 5]

so happy to finally have a conclusion to the neptune trilogy. been with this book since middle school, and i don’t regret sticking around for the end.

i’m ngl, i rated this book higher for nostalgia sake (i’m so horribly attached to these neptune kids, so thank you ms holyoke for such a lovable cast), but the writing could’ve been better. given that this is self published, i won’t complain too much lol.

overall, it did read pretty sloppy. stylistically, there were some mistakes that made it confusing to differentiate between telepathic vs verbal speech, but context helped a lot.

i’m a little disappointed that characters like tobin and robry played a smaller part in this book, but it’s good to see them anyway. i was super excited to see my boy cam again. it’s so satisfying how the author connected all of the pieces of the puzzle when it comes to the different groups and people.

however… i wish there could’ve been more when it came to the kuron kids… they deserved a redemption, and they had SO MUCH potential, only to fall flat until the very end.

and kuron himself… what the FUCK man. i mean good on you bro. i’m happy? IM HAPPY FOR YOU? I GUESS??? you’re giving gabrielle agreste ngl.

oh but nere and dai. they were cute (KICKS FEET AND GIGGLES) HHEHEHDSHEGEHEHEVEE

overall, you slayed polly holyoke.

[Katy McGillivray · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book The Neptune Promise by Polly Holyoke, was very intertwining as well as educational .The book is about a future society that is trying to get global warming to stop. Global warming has taken over the world in the future, and Nere Hanson, along with the rest or her friends is trying to save the world. The Neptune Promise is fall of facts, but also very interesting. Over all, the book was very thrilling, and i never wanted to put it down.

I liked that in this book it talks about our future generations and about how they might suffer if we keep doing what we are doing to the world. The book talked about global warming and how people were starting to live in the oceans because they were safer. I know that this is fictional, but if we were to try to reverse the effects of global warming this book would be very informational. Over all, I liked that the whole book wasn’t fiction.

I think that middle schoolers would enjoy this book this most. But, I also think that really anyone could find the book interesting.

[Laney Nielson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers will be thrilled with this high stakes, action-packed conclusion to the Neptune Project. Nere Hanson and her supporting cast of characters (both human and dolphin) risk their lives for a chance to reverse climate change. The action scenes are compelling and the underwater world Holyoke has created is truly immersive. The relationship between Nere and her love interest, Dai is complicated by his genetic make up and his guilt over his mother's death. This adds another layer of tension to the story and leads to an emotionally satisfying conclusion.

Middle grade and young adult readers who have yet to discover the Neptune Project, should begin with book one, continue on with The Neptune Challenge and conclude with the Neptune Promise. A mixture of sci-fi and dystopian, The Neptune Trilogy is highly entertaining. And with climate change at its center it is also a thought-provoking and important tale.

[rach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gotta say I just really loved this series. Read the whole trilogy in a weekend.

The plot was easy to follow and although people seem to critique it for being obvious, it is a middle grade YA book so I don’t think there’s anything wrong with an easy to follow read. It was still entertaining, exciting and fun! It was pretty obvious who the leak to Kuron if you paid attention to any character dynamics in the previous installment. And it did make me a bit sad that Nere and Dai’s relationship was left ambiguous at the end. I mean it’s obvious where it will go. But man would I kill for some closure. Gimme a kiss 😩!!!

Anyways, I’m sad to be finished with this series. It’s one of my favorite dystopian series now.

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 4 out of 5]

To finally utilize the C-Plankton Dai's late mother created, Nere and her friends will need to scour the ship she sunk in, even with a possible mole amongst them - but with Kuron and his mutants close at hand, and Dai unsure of where he belongs, it may take another dangerous journey to heal their planet. Holyoke brings her exciting submarine adventure to a satisfying close, an addictive balance of likable dynamics and cheesy drama for an all-round lovable conclusion, if a tad rushed in its final act. Every secret and fear could be the final straw for Dai, and Nere isn't sure she can lose him again...

[Tara Symkoviak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really LOVED this book! It finishes off the entire book series, and it tells where Cam was and who Nere likes now between Cam and Dai! This book series is one of my FAVORITES because it was SO interesting and good! I would suggest this book to anyone! I loved this book, and the whole entire series with it! I would recommend this book to anyone ages 8 and older because I think that they would get story line and would like to read it too. I would also recommend reading this book series in order and start from the first book to get what's happening in the book.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notable Content: "Mucking," "mucker," and "feffing" used like the f-word a couple of times each and "shells" used like the h-word once.

The e-book edition of this book has some functionality issues. The primary issue is that the kindle edition doesn't have the font that designates telepathic communication, just the colons, making it harder to tell when dialogue begins and ends and such. And I was excited for the series climax—arguably the most important part of the series—but it fell flat.

[Meredith Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic ending to my favourite series. While I'm sad that I've finished the trilogy at last, I had the best time reading these books, and they will forever be a part of me. I fell in love with these characters and this world the moment I picked up the first book years ago, and I can't imagine my life without them! I've read The Neptune Project six times, and I'm sure that I will read it, and The Neptune Challenge + The Neptune Promise many more times over the years. I stretched out reading this book for as long as I could, but I just had to finish it, it was so amazing.

[Katie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this series of books, wish there were more. I did find this last book a bit unsatisfying because all throughout these books there was so much push and pull between Nere and Dai, so much teasing of their relationship and at the very end, we barely got anything. It felt like we got more between Cam and Nere in this last book almost, made me sad to end it just cause I needed way more cause it had been so built up. I mostly really enjoyed how romance took a backseat in these books as I'm not super into romance but I did want more at the end to wrap it up.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been waiting for this conclusion for a long time! I was super excited that my library finally got it and that I was able to pick it up immediately. However, while I enjoyed it I didn't find it as interesting as the rest of the series. I absolutely loved The Neptune Challenge and I re-read it immediately after reading it the first time. Unfortunately that wasn't the case for the third book. It was still good, just probably not one I'd re-read.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the details and the book. I feel like the story isn't over yet. I am not too happy with the ending. When I read the author's note it said that she was taking a break but then will write more on the story. I hope it all has an ending that I could live with. I still have so many questions without any answers. I hope the books will come out soon since this was published in 2017 there is a possibility that the next book is in the making. I need to know what happens next.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Neptune Project Trilogy. I throughly enjoyed this book and read it in under a day. The author did an amazing job wrapping up the trilogy and touches on the values of appreciating what you have. Some characters get to see others from the past again as well. This again touches on the importance of preventing/stopping global warming and the harmful effects global warming could have on the earth. Overall, it was definitely worth the read.

[Ashleyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Middle Grade Distopian/Sci-Fi!

I have read all of the series multiple times and can't wait to re-read this one!
Thanks for a great series! I wish more authors were brave enough to write about what could possibly happen to the planet if we as humans don't stop hurting it and each other.

[xoxo — Dark & Depraved · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a good reason I gave this wonderful book only four when it definitely deserves at least a five. The ending is a romantic cliff hanger and a life or death cliff hanger. This would be fine except for the authors note at the end saying it’s the last book. Otherwise if it had a different ending or another bookcoming out I would have given a five for sure.

[Nickel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was amazing but in my opinion this book was not as good as challenge and the ending wasn't absolutely perfect but this book had amazing characters and everybody fell into place. It was truly phenomenal. When I heard about this book, I was very excited to read it because I LOVED the whole series to it. Thank you, Polly Holyoke for this amazing series.

[Rebecca Kraisser · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10

I’ve read this series so many times. I never get bored of it. It’s a little low on the reading level but it’s an amazing book and it addresses the problems of global warming but in a sci fi setting.

[Karly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting, the characters are developed wonderfully and the plot is ok. Super creative but the literature isn't great. I would totally recommend it though, it really brings awareness to climate change.

[Gita Conte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommendations and review

Nail bitting exciting book in which I hope continues into a longer series eventually. I would recommend this book to fantasy lovers and to people who like exciting books.

[Sydney Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book and I think it wrapped up the story pretty well overall. I do wish that she created more books to go more into this world. I think this is definitely a unique series that is not done a lot.

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ending to the series. Was a bit predictable though...would’ve liked to see what happened with Nere and Dai. Happy Reading :)

[Sadi Antonmattei-Goitia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Neptune promise

It was a very realistic and well written. I loved it and I can’t wait to read more of these books!!!

[˚: * ♡ Eloise ⋆｡˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

:)