Neverland Evermore - Sarah J. Pepper

I love new takes (especially twisted ones ;-) on traditional fantasy and fairy tales.  Neverland Evermore fits the bill (both a new take AND twisted).

In Sarah J. Pepper's take on the Peter Pan story, Neverland is actually a place of evil and Peter Pan, a kind of devil.  Tinkerbell (known as Miss Bell) escapes (or is banished) from this dreadful place and finds comfort in the arms of "her captain".

There is implied sex in this book, although nothing graphic.  Honestly, I was relieved, as picturing Tinkerbell and Captain Hook together is a little like thinking of a chihuahua with a Great Dane.  How do you work out the logistics of something like that?  Fortunately, Neverland Evermore's Miss Bell is simply a very petite magical woman, not a tiny firefly-like creature.

The story alternates between past and present, between the perspectives of Miss Bell and Captain Hook.  Wendy, Michael and John all have their roles also, but don't expect the polite English children from the original story!!

I enjoyed all the twists and turns in the story.  Wondering what character or part of the story would be turned on its ear is part of the fun of reading this book.

I highly recommend Neverland Evermore for teenage or adult fans of fantasy and fairytales, who don't mind the irreverent treatment.  This book is NOT FOR CHILDREN!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of review. All opinions are 100% my own.

 

 

My Initial Reaction... 
Death of a Mad Hatter surprised me! I'm not a big Wonderland fan, but I was told that I just HAD to read it and I'm really glad I did. The characters were fantastic and Wonderland had just enough to entertain without overwhelming those of us who aren't die hard Wonderland fans. 

The Characters... 
I can't express how much I loved Alice Mae, sometimes called Al so that she would be a girl with a boy's name. See there's this prophecy and part of it had to be fulfilled by a girl with a boy's name and ta-da, Alice Mae gets renamed. She's a really great character - very multifaceted. When I first met her I thought, "man, this girl's nuts" but I quickly grew to like her quirky personality. Quirky's the word too - see that cover? That's Alice Mae - you see some weirdness and some fierceness all bundled up in that picture and it totally nails her. The story is told only half from her point of view, but I loved getting to see how she got into her current situation and the marvelous way that she's so conflicted and confused about things. And with that prophecy you totally understand why... I'd be messed up too. 

The other half is told from the point of view of Ryley - the boy with a girl's name. And yep, that's significant too. And yes, because of a prophecy. Prophecies play a big part in Death of the Mad Hatter, but in a marvelous, you want to figure out what's going to happen way, not in a man that prophecy is annoying way (you've read those books too, right? not just me?). Anyway, Ryley was an okay character. He was well-written, but seriously got on my nerves. He's so all over the place with his feelings and the way he acted toward several of the girls - including Alice Mae - really annoyed me because it was just WRONG. Sometimes the reasons worked for me, but most the time it made him just not very likeable (for me). And yet, I found myself totally swept away with his and Alice Mae's relationship - I WANTED them together, I liked them as a couple and I liked him better when he wasn't fighting his feelings for her. 

The Story... 
I think for any fairy tale retelling you're looking for the ways that the author took the original story and made it their own. In a fairy tale retelling I expect: 
1. References to the original the make me go, "Oh! I recognize that!" and maybe get a little giddy
2. Details that a die-hard fan of the original will appreciate, but won't bog down someone who just vaguely knows the story
3. Inventive reinterpretation through a totally original story and characters

Let me start with #3 - because with a retelling it seems that's the hardest to achieve. Death of the Mad Hatter totally did that for me. With the exception of some really key, gotta have 'em elements, this was totally original. You did not go into this story knowing what to expect. I didn't know what to expect ever quite frankly - I was always guessing. 

#2 - I honestly can't say for sure on this one because I'm not a die hard fan, and yet I feel like some elements were familiar and yet I didn't have a clue what they referred to. So I'm guessing those are the elements a die-hard would get giddy over. But I can say, I was never ever bogged down. I never felt like not knowing Wonderland really well was a handicap, because this world worked on it's own without any necessary love for or knowledge of Wonderland. 

#1 - It totally had the Mad Hatter (duh!), Red Queen, Playing Cards, White Rabbit, etc. It was all there and yet they were fresh and new. 

Concluding Sentiments... 
So yeah - I loved this retelling and definitely recommend it. I also have to say - without spoiling - that I loved this ending. It was a really good fit for Wonderland. And I'll leave it at that!

I was really surprised at how much I really enjoyed this book, it was funny, quirky and completely nuts.

Alice Mae was just such a fun character, and I loved her differences and how she just shrugged things of while trying to live in two worlds. She was also a frustrating character and I can totally understand Ryley wanting to strangle her at times, but then that's what added to her mystery and who she really was and finally became.

Ryley was likable but typical male a little dense. He took for ever to get things and when he finally did wake up I was like stupid boy.

The world created was well thought out and even though not much time was spent in wonderland it's self I still enjoyed it. I do believe it could have been a darker book especially with the Joker being a sadistic creature.
I likes the touch about the candys and why they were needed.

I just loved this book so much. A modern updated alice in wonderland.

Title: Death of the Mad Hatter
Author:  Sarah J. Pepper
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 5 Stars

Goodreads:

The Jack prophesied: If the king loses his head, then the Queen with a Bleeding Heart would rule the Red Court until Time ceased to move forward. When a second carried on for infinity, every creature in Wonderland would tip their Hat to the misfit girl with a Boy’s name (or was it a boy with a Girl’s name?) who’d end the Reign of Terror. However, it all hinged on the One-Eyed Hare being able to convince an uninspirable Heir that the impossible was indeed possible—like stopping time—and that Love was worth a Beheading.

Heads would Roll…
Hearts would Break…
In the end, would it matter who Reigned?