London is in ruins, blitzed by German bombs and riddled with deadly disease. The Horologia virus never spares anyone for long.
Gwen has managed to survive but supplies are running out and it’s becoming harder to hide herself and her younger siblings, Joanna and Mikey, from the enemy soldiers, known as Marauders, who are occupying the city.
Captain Hanz Otto Oswald Kretschmer–Hook–leads the Marauders and scours the city for a cure to the Horologia virus. The Marauders abduct children for experiments but none have returned.
When Joanna is taken, Gwen is desperate to get her back. Ill-prepared for a rescue mission on her own, Gwen is soon taken in by Pete, a reckless boy who leads a gang of Lost Boys hidden in London’s underground tunnels. With help from Pete and his sidekick Bella, Gwen hopes she can save her sister before time runs out in Everland (2016) by Wendy Spinale.
Everland is Spinale’s debut novel and the start of a new series.
If you haven’t guessed yet, Everland is a steampunk retelling of Peter Pan. Spinale blends a gritty, wartorn London with steam-powered technology in this action-packed tale. Limited world building helps explain the bare bones of the story including the motives behind Germany’s invasion and Hook’s role in it. However less immediate details are absent making this novel feel strangely timeless and lacking a sense of place despite Spinale’s detailed descriptions.
This novel is narrated by Gwen with chapters from Hook interspersed throughout. Gwen’s narration is sharp and brisk as she struggles to keep herself and her siblings safe. Hook’s narration is strikingly similar though darker in tone.
Although Gwen is around sixteen, she reads much younger. The novel itself is peppered with predictable plot twists and heavy handed foreshadowing although fast-paced action helps to distract from these issues.
Readers approaching this novel as a retelling will enjoy seeing the ways Spinale reinvents familiar events and characters from the original text including clever steampunk elements. Unfortunately, in staying so close to the source material, this novel often misses opportunities to push a familiar story into truly new directions. Everland will appeal most to readers with a strong fondness for the original Peter Pan as well as steampunk fans.
Possible Pairings: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly, Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, Winterspell by Claire Legrand, Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell, Airborn by Kenneth Oppel, Never, Never by Brianna Shrum, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
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