Book Review: The Neverland Wars
Well, everyone, someday, I will be caught up on my book reviewing, and I will write posts about other things. I actually am accumulating a fairly good list of opinion posts to write, so I have some substance brewing. But today, I give another book review.
Full disclaimer on this one: the author is a friend of mine. I like to say good friend, but since I haven't actually physically been in her presence since I graduated from high school, I don't know what the rules are on this. But I was the president of the Inglemoor High School Writing Club in my senior year when she was a sophomore. Actually, I was the prime minister, because we were writers and weird and so we insisted that we operated on a parliamentary system with the faculty adviser as our queen. I edited the literary magazine, Saga (we were the Vikings). Two years later, she did those things, and I always knew that she was a far more talented writer and editor than I was, and I knew that she had professional author in her. I was right. She now is a writer...as in she actually pays the bills through creative writing.
So, take that into account when I review. But, I feel like I have a fairly good ability to say what I think, even when I know the writer. I can't not be honest about books, really.
I legitimately loved this book. I generally struggle with description-heavy books, because I'm extremely auditory. I don't picture anything in my head. I can't even picture in my mind the face of my parents--I can hear their voices when I want, but I can't picture their faces. I think it's most accurate to say that I don't have a mind's eye. I have a mind's ear. Well, folks, this book made me, the mind's-eye-less-wonder, picture things. The descriptions were that exquisite.
I love a good character-driven story. This story is nothing but character-driven.
The writing style mimics Barrie's if you can believe it (until the modern teen party, but that's probably on purpose, and how different and jarring the style is marks a talent in of itself), and Greathouse has managed to capture the essence of childhood as only someone who is a child at heart could. The lost children are neither underestimated nor overestimated. They are purely children. Basically, I'm pretty sure she has spent a lot of her life around children.
The theme was strong, the descriptions gorgeous and the characters so relatable. If I had to give a criticism, I could only say that the plot is somewhat unclear on where it is going, but I'm assuming that will unfold more in sequels, and that I haven't quite grasped the character of Jay, but he really didn't feature much in this installment, and I can see him getting fleshed out later. I loved this so much.
Parental guidance content disclosure: towards the end of the book, the main character, Gwen, goes to a teen party. And it's like what teen parties are like including: swearing, alcohol, French kissing, etc. There are f-bombs.
Here is a fair five stars.
Full disclaimer on this one: the author is a friend of mine. I like to say good friend, but since I haven't actually physically been in her presence since I graduated from high school, I don't know what the rules are on this. But I was the president of the Inglemoor High School Writing Club in my senior year when she was a sophomore. Actually, I was the prime minister, because we were writers and weird and so we insisted that we operated on a parliamentary system with the faculty adviser as our queen. I edited the literary magazine, Saga (we were the Vikings). Two years later, she did those things, and I always knew that she was a far more talented writer and editor than I was, and I knew that she had professional author in her. I was right. She now is a writer...as in she actually pays the bills through creative writing.
So, take that into account when I review. But, I feel like I have a fairly good ability to say what I think, even when I know the writer. I can't not be honest about books, really.
I legitimately loved this book. I generally struggle with description-heavy books, because I'm extremely auditory. I don't picture anything in my head. I can't even picture in my mind the face of my parents--I can hear their voices when I want, but I can't picture their faces. I think it's most accurate to say that I don't have a mind's eye. I have a mind's ear. Well, folks, this book made me, the mind's-eye-less-wonder, picture things. The descriptions were that exquisite.
I love a good character-driven story. This story is nothing but character-driven.
The writing style mimics Barrie's if you can believe it (until the modern teen party, but that's probably on purpose, and how different and jarring the style is marks a talent in of itself), and Greathouse has managed to capture the essence of childhood as only someone who is a child at heart could. The lost children are neither underestimated nor overestimated. They are purely children. Basically, I'm pretty sure she has spent a lot of her life around children.
The theme was strong, the descriptions gorgeous and the characters so relatable. If I had to give a criticism, I could only say that the plot is somewhat unclear on where it is going, but I'm assuming that will unfold more in sequels, and that I haven't quite grasped the character of Jay, but he really didn't feature much in this installment, and I can see him getting fleshed out later. I loved this so much.
Parental guidance content disclosure: towards the end of the book, the main character, Gwen, goes to a teen party. And it's like what teen parties are like including: swearing, alcohol, French kissing, etc. There are f-bombs.
Here is a fair five stars.
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