Everland

Everland is by debut author Wendy Spinale.

London has been destroyed in a blitz of bombs and disease.  The only ones who have survived are children, among them Gwen Darling and her siblings, Joann and Mikey.  They spend their nights scavenging and their days avoiding the ruthless Marauders-- the German army led by Captain Hanz Otto Oswald Kretschmer.

Unsure if the virus has spread past England's borders but desperate to leave, Captain Hook hunts for a cure, which he thinks can be found in one of the survivors.  He and his Marauders stalk the streets snatching children for experimentation.  None ever returns.  Until the day they grab Joanna.  As Gwen sets out to save her, she meets a daredevil boy named Pete.  Pete offers the assistance of his gang of Lost Boys and the fierce sharpshooter Bella, who have all been living in a city hidden underground.  But in a place where help has a steep price and every promise is bound by blood, it will cost Gwen.  And are she, Pete, the Lost Boys, and Bella enough to outsmart Captain Hook? 

The Breakdown:
1. Spinale combines some of my favorite genres in the re-imagined Peter Pan story with steampunk and a little dystopian. It turns out really well.  She plays so well off the story of Peter Pan, with easily recognizable elements and characters from the original story, but still makes it her own, and unique. I absolutely loved the interpretation of pixie dust and Tinkerbell.

2.  One of my favorite things about this book is how Spinale alternatives perspectives between Gwen and Hook.  I loved that I got a more in depth look of the antagonist in this way. It really allowed me to get to know the villain, and honestly feel a little sorry for him, especially when I learned about his childhood and his mother, and why he is so desperate for the cure.

3.  Probably my least favorite thing about this book was the romance between Gwen and Pete.  It felt a little rushed, and I wasn't quite feeling their connection. I do however think, if this is the start of a series, that it could be fleshed out more, and I could grow to like it.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read