Book Review: The Neverland Wars

9,5/10 for The Neverland Wars by Audrey Greathouse
Magic can do a lot—give you flight, show you mermaids, help you taste the stars, and… solve the budget crisis? That's what the grown-ups will do with it if they ever make it to Neverland to steal its magic and bring their children home. 
However, Gwen doesn't know this. She's just a sixteen-year-old girl with a place on the debate team and a powerful crush on Jay, the soon-to-be homecoming king. She doesn't know her little sister could actually run away with Peter Pan, or that she might have to chase after her to bring her home safe. Gwen will find out though—and when she does, she'll discover she's in the middle of a looming war between Neverland and reality. 
She'll be out of place as a teenager in Neverland, but she won't be the only one. Peter Pan's constant treks back to the mainland have slowly aged him into adolescence as well. Soon, Gwen will have to decide whether she's going to join impish, playful Peter in his fight for eternal youth… or if she's going to scramble back to reality in time for the homecoming dance. Source: Goodreads

I received a review copy through netgalley.

I adored this book. It was everything I hoped it to be and more.
So once I was halfway and couldn't believe finding out everything that I still needed to find in the second half, you can imagine how I felt to find this was in fact the first book in a trilogy.
(Okay, admittedly, I felt excited and frustrated. This means more Neverland but also a longer wait! And we all know I hate waiting).

This book is a little twist on the beloved fairy tale Peter Pan.
When Gwen's little sister is taken away by a stranger Gwen's family is distressed. Yet, trying to place this new development in her teenage life shows to be a struggle. When her sister Rose appears by her side with a strange boy known from her fairy tales Gwen rolls into an adventure bigger than her imagination.
A story filled with the magical creatures we all love from fairies to mermaids. Only this time Neverland and earth are in a war for magic.

This book is mainly Gwen's experience in Neverland and her encounter with the magical world. I missed the concept of 'war' a little. I'm assuming this will be more present in the following stories. All in all Audrey Greathouse has succeeded in making me question the reality around me and believe in the reality of magic around us again. And I think if a book gets you that far then it's doing a good job.

I wish this(these) book(s) came translated into Dutch as I'd love to read this with my kids at work.

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