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A review by tiredcath
God of Neverland by Gama Ray Martinez
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
Underwhelming but not terrible.
The cover and premise really had me excited for this. As someone who grew up with Peter Pan and loved it, I was excited to see what an adult Neverland would be like. Michael being the focus instead of Wendy is an incredibly smart and gripping idea. Unfortunately, this wasn't for me. The world-building is very fast and clunky. You're given information very quickly and as if this is well known knowledge. Same with same character introductions. No one is as fleshed out as I wanted. Michael himself is very dry. I was disappointed with Wendy's introduction, as I felt she's so essential to Peter Pan I wanted her to have almost a grand entrance, instead she felt underwhelming. Everything in a sense felt entirely too casual. There's no anticipation or need to tense up.
There's a lot of great ideas. Peter being a God of another man is brilliant. I really liked the addition. Neverland's prosperity being tied to Peter is another great add, however, the plot really loves to remind you of it over and over and over again. Like I said, so many good ideas but nothing felt development. I didn't feel the danger or the severity of this plot. And because of that, you're not gripped by the story, there's no want to read. I kept putting it down and forgetting about it.
As to not be too harsh, I'll repeat the ideas are excellent but it wasn't for me. I don't think the writing itself was bad, fairly descriptive, and quick. I didn't mind the pacing but it did start off too quickly for my likely.
Definitely didn't feel "adult" but more as YA- which isn't a negative, just an observation.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
The cover and premise really had me excited for this. As someone who grew up with Peter Pan and loved it, I was excited to see what an adult Neverland would be like. Michael being the focus instead of Wendy is an incredibly smart and gripping idea. Unfortunately, this wasn't for me. The world-building is very fast and clunky. You're given information very quickly and as if this is well known knowledge. Same with same character introductions. No one is as fleshed out as I wanted. Michael himself is very dry. I was disappointed with Wendy's introduction, as I felt she's so essential to Peter Pan I wanted her to have almost a grand entrance, instead she felt underwhelming. Everything in a sense felt entirely too casual. There's no anticipation or need to tense up.
There's a lot of great ideas. Peter being a God of another man is brilliant. I really liked the addition. Neverland's prosperity being tied to Peter is another great add, however, the plot really loves to remind you of it over and over and over again. Like I said, so many good ideas but nothing felt development. I didn't feel the danger or the severity of this plot. And because of that, you're not gripped by the story, there's no want to read. I kept putting it down and forgetting about it.
As to not be too harsh, I'll repeat the ideas are excellent but it wasn't for me. I don't think the writing itself was bad, fairly descriptive, and quick. I didn't mind the pacing but it did start off too quickly for my likely.
Definitely didn't feel "adult" but more as YA- which isn't a negative, just an observation.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.