Endless Neverland: The Truth of a Storyteller

by Florencia Silva Rivera

“All children, except one, grow up” this is how Peter Pan’s story starts. We all know how the story is but:
What if he isn’t the hero what we know? What if Wendy would stay in Neverland with Peter? What if Tinkerbell, suddenly left? What if Captain Hook were not an evil old man? What if Nibs, Tootles, Slightly, Curly and the Twins weren’t the first lost children? What if Peter is more a “king” than a hero? What if this king is far from righteous and kind? What if the fling boy show us his darkest side?

When Wendy Darling met Peter Pan, she couldn’t help to fall for the famous flying boy. Many readers of this modern fairy tale have imagined they both ending up together.
In this story this actually happens, but no in the way Wendy (or us) wanted it. After being taken hostage, Neverland has become a nightmare for the storyteller. Alone, with her brothers growing up without her, acting as a mother for the lost children while forced to be Peter’s girlfriend, incapable to fly due to her state of mind and stuck in a place controlled by the guy who ruined her life. This is the true story of Wendy Moira Angela Darling. The tell of how we find hope in the most unexpected places and people.

Born on September 26th, 2001 in Santiago, Chile. Florencia Silva always had a great passion for the arts and literature, acting and writing from quite a young age. She became notable for her storytelling clips on the platform Tik Tok, reaching millions of viewers with her re-imaginations of the magical Neverland, where she’s changing the course of the famous flying boy’s story. She currently lives with her family in Santiago, where she’s studying drama at the Catholic University of Chile.

Genres: Retellings

381 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2022

About the author

Born on September 26th, 2001 in Santiago, Chile. Florencia Silva always had a great passion for the arts and literature, acting and writing from quite a young age. She became notable for her storytelling clips on the platform Tik Tok, reaching millions of viewers with her re-imaginations of the magical Neverland, where she’s changing the course of the famous flying boy’s story. She currently lives with her family in Santiago, where she’s studying drama at the Catholic University of Chile.

Reviews

[Kyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will begin this by stating that I am a huge fan of the tiktok series and so I had that in my mind the entire time while reading this book. Yet while I knew the main story, there is a level of detail and depth in this book that the acted series never got into, making it something special for both those who did and did not, watch the series.

I gave this book 5 stars for the feel and the storytelling, more so than the writing. The narrator has a clear and unique voice, establishing a personal and friendly relationship with the audience. She also has a casual style, making it feel as though someone you know is verbally telling you a story, as opposed to the firm, arms-distance relationship of the traditional narrator. While there are a few grammatical errors (especially with tense) and redundancies (and repetitive word choices) it is important to note that the author wrote this book in her second language, which is an impressive feat. Keeping that in mind, it adds to the narrator's charm.

Storywise, it is gripping and anxiety-inducing in the best way possible. The book follows Wendy through her struggles and depicts her life in Neverland, giving you information and building the world that will be explored in later books, as this is merely the introductory book to the Endless Neverland Saga. It serves it's purpose well and never attempts to hide what it is. I cannot wait to see the rest of the story unfold through words, and to see what changes come next. I feel so lucky that I watched the series before it was hidden, as it helped calm me down when I got to concerned for the characters. (I will also take the opportunity to plug Tale Jumpers, follow the author on tiktok @flo_silriv for her other amazing stories)

The fact that this book is an adaptation of a tiktok storyline (a very long and very gripping one, might I add), sets it apart from other works I've read, especially seeing as it was a story that I cherished so deeply. I absolutely adored every reference the book made to an audio that was used in the series, and I was overjoyed every time I recognised a dialogue line that had been written for the series and incorporated into the novel. These subtle nods fueled my excitement, enjoyment and investment of the book, tenfold.

I recommend this book to all lovers of the story Peter Pan, admirers of retellings, lovers of storytelling and, of course, fans of the Endless Neverland videos.

And, seeing as I can now no longer rewatch my favourite parts for a serotonin boost, I will eagerly anticipate the next instalment of the series.

[Juliet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lightheaded adventure that takes a serious inspiration from the original text, and therefore is not a fan-fiction but the use of the character in the same way a Sherlockian would write about Conan Doyle's work. It portrays an alternative ending to the known story, in which Peter kidnaps Wendy and forces her to act while her family grows old and eventually vanished from earth. Hence, the conflict of the story follows not Wendy's impression of Neverland, but her disparate attempts to scape from the island and her relationships and alliances.

I'm giving it 5 stars not because is a perfect book (I'll talk about the potential problems in a moment), but because it is a book that perfectly fits its objective: to entertain the reader while taking them on an adventure; to show sly characters and funny interactions, while also being brave enough to touch upon conflicts and even serious topics. A must-read for those who like teen and young adult fantasy.

Things that the author could improve in her next books: more character depth would be appreciated, as well as less plot holes in some situations. Some other critics have said that the story should show and not tell. I believe this is true but it makes sense in the style.

*Disclaimer*

This review must be taken with the following precaution: I know the author and I reviewed this book while it was being edited. Nevertheless, I feel compelled to write my own impressions on the text as I believe potential readers will get a lot from exploring this piece.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arlo, mi pupicielo hermoso

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I’m a sucker for Neverland retellings, so obviously I enjoyed. My only problem was that it was a little hard to get through. And it also was more of a tell-not-show book, which was the reason it was sort of hard to get through. But, being an OG fan of the Tik Tok series, I obviously pushed through and loved every second of it!!

[Ailin Galante · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quiero aclarar que me encantó, y que son 3.5 estrellas, no 3, lo que para mi es una puntuación BUENA. Quería darle más, porque apoyo mucho a la autora, la sigo por su contenido en tiktok, y estuve esperando mucho para adquirir el libro.

Los personajes principales son muy buenos, Peter se va al top de mis personajes más odiados, estuve todo el libro diciendo QUE PENDEJO DE MIERDA LO ODIO. Amé la relación de Wendy y James 💙

La narración puede ser caótica a veces, tomando varios puntos de vista sin previo aviso, aunque me gusta que tome el estilo de la obra original, Peter Pan. Hay cosas que no están del todo bien escritas, hay partes que se nota que fueron mal traducidas en la versión en español, como el uso del verbo "pretender" como sinónimo de "fingir". Los personajes secundarios son queribles, y las dinámicas de grupo están muy bien logradas, pero no llegué a distinguirlos bien y se me hizo un lío.

Siento que los "errores" igual son perdonables, ya que es el primer libro de la autora. Como el clásico contar en lugar de mostrar. Pero igual se nota que fue escrito con mucho amor y lo disfruté muchísimo, y lo recomiendo un montón. Estoy segura que los próximos libros de la saga me van a gustar más todavía 💙✨

[Moriah · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those of you who come from Flo Rivera’s TikTok, I enjoyed this book version of her first series “Endless Neverland” than the TikTok version. In book form, the story and events of all the characters was a lot easier to follow along and comprehend than the TikTok series.

If you don’t hate Peter after reading this book, you’re truly a psychopath. Flo did an amazing job of rewriting the fantastical flying child into a narcissistic, demeaning, manipulative teenager.
The only problem I had with this book was the numerous grammar/spelling/fluency/comprehension errors. There were many points in the book where I couldn’t understand what the author (Flo herself) was trying to say at that point in the story.

I’m very excited to read the rest of the series in book form and reread how Wendy fights back against Peter after the ending of this first book. I’m looking forward to meeting the other characters only briefly mentioned in this book that become crucial to this story.

[Lo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the most beautiful retelling of Peter Pan I've ever come across. From the inclusion of all the crew members backstories and personalities and especially James' story is so heartbreaking yet hopeful. Wendy herself is so well written and you really emphasise with her. The prologue itself is one of the most startling ways to have opened this book and it lends itself to the emotional core of the book.
The stars being characters too is also fascinating and having them be one of the recurring small concerns and conflicts throughout is amazing.

[Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this from the series on TikTok and loved it!

[Am A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.