For as long as she can remember, Gwendolyn Allister has never had a place to call home—all because her mother believes that monsters are hunting them. Now these delusions have brought them to London, far from the life Gwen had finally started to build for herself. The only saving grace is her best friend, Olivia, who’s coming with them for the summer.
But when Gwen and Olivia are kidnapped by shadowy creatures and taken to a world of flesh-eating sea hags and dangerous Fey, Gwen realizes her mom might have been sane all along.
The world Gwen finds herself in is called Neverland, yet it’s nothing like the stories. Here, good and evil lose their meaning and memories slip like water through her fingers. As Gwen struggles to remember where she came from and find a way home, she must choose between trusting the charming fairy-tale hero who says all the right things and the roguish young pirate who promises to keep her safe.
With time running out and her enemies closing in, Gwen is forced to face the truths she’s been hiding from all along. But will she be able to save Neverland without losing herself?
Publication Date: February 2, 2016
But when Gwen and Olivia are kidnapped by shadowy creatures and taken to a world of flesh-eating sea hags and dangerous Fey, Gwen realizes her mom might have been sane all along.
The world Gwen finds herself in is called Neverland, yet it’s nothing like the stories. Here, good and evil lose their meaning and memories slip like water through her fingers. As Gwen struggles to remember where she came from and find a way home, she must choose between trusting the charming fairy-tale hero who says all the right things and the roguish young pirate who promises to keep her safe.
With time running out and her enemies closing in, Gwen is forced to face the truths she’s been hiding from all along. But will she be able to save Neverland without losing herself?
Publication Date: February 2, 2016
I’ve had such great luck lately with finding utterly
fantastic YA novels. Unhooked was amazing and although this is a standalone, I
would love to see the author spin it off into more books in the same world.
This was one book I definitely didn’t want to end!
Gwendolyn was a terrific narrator for the fantasy tale:
she’s stubborn, logical, and brave. She risks life and limb to travel through
the dangerous Neverland to retrieve her best friend Olivia. Things become even
more perilous for her when she’s taken aboard pirate Rowan’s ship. Rowan was
such a swoon-worthy pirate. He definitely reminded me of the version of Captain
Hook from the TV show “Once Upon a Time.” The romance was very gradual and
sweet and I loved how Gwen and Rowan brought out different sides of each
other’s personalities.
Although Gwendolyn has a hard time deciding who is good and
who is evil on Neverland, the author’s version of Peter Pan had my skin
crawling from the very first minute he’s introduced. The shadowy creatures that
roam the island also upped the creep factor in the novel.
There was plenty of action in Unhooked without any parts
when I grew bored or wanted to skim pages. From the very start, the novel kept
me on the edge of my seat. The climax was so exciting and I really had no idea
who would survive the final showdown. I was happy with the conclusion and how
the author decided to wrap everything up. Highly recommend to fans of
retellings or those looking for a fun, romantic YA fantasy.
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!
