Synopsis: James Hook is a child who only wants to grow up.
When he meets Peter Pan, a boy who loves to pretend and is intent on never becoming a man, James decides he could try being a child—at least briefly. James joins Peter Pan on a holiday to Neverland, a place of adventure created by children’s dreams, but Neverland is not for the faint of heart. Soon James finds himself longing for home, determined that he is destined to be a man. But Peter refuses to take him back, leaving James trapped in a world just beyond the one he loves. A world where children are to never grow up.
But grow up he does.
And thus begins the epic adventure of a Lost Boy and a Pirate.
This story isn’t about Peter Pan; it’s about the boy whose life he stole. It’s about a man in a world that hates men. It’s about the feared Captain James Hook and his passionate quest to kill the Pan, an impossible feat in a magical land where everyone loves Peter Pan.
Release Date: September 22, 2015
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Synopsis: James Hook is a child who only wants to grow up.
When he meets Peter Pan, a boy who loves to pretend and is intent on never becoming a man, James decides he could try being a child—at least briefly. James joins Peter Pan on a holiday to Neverland, a place of adventure created by children’s dreams, but Neverland is not for the faint of heart. Soon James finds himself longing for home, determined that he is destined to be a man. But Peter refuses to take him back, leaving James trapped in a world just beyond the one he loves. A world where children are to never grow up.
But grow up he does.
And thus begins the epic adventure of a Lost Boy and a Pirate.
This story isn’t about Peter Pan; it’s about the boy whose life he stole. It’s about a man in a world that hates men. It’s about the feared Captain James Hook and his passionate quest to kill the Pan, an impossible feat in a magical land where everyone loves Peter Pan.
Except one.
Top Ten Villains According to Brianna!
I am OBSESSED with villains, so I HAD to pick Top Ten Villains, clearly. We’ll say top 10 besides Captain Hook, because…well…obviously…In no particular order…*drumroll*
TOP TEN VILLAINS
1) The Darkling—Grisha Series (Forever and ever and ever)
2) The Jackal—Red Rising
3) Loki—Marvel
4) Bellatrix LeStrange—Harry Potter (Because for REAL)
5) Irial—Wicked Lovely Series
6) Lucille Bluth—Arrested Development (You could also make a strong case for Mallory Archer)
Brianna Shrum lives in Colorado with her high-school-sweetheart-turned-
husband, two boys, and two big, floppy hound dogs. She thinks chai tea is proof of magic in the world, and loves all things kissy, magical, and strange. She'd totally love to connect with you. You can find her saying ridiculous things on Twitter @briannashrum
Synopsis (GR):
James Hook is a child who only wants to grow up.
When he meets Peter Pan, a boy who loves to pretend and is intent on never becoming a man, James decides he could try being a child—at least briefly. James joins Peter Pan on a holiday to Neverland, a place of adventure created by children’s dreams, but Neverland is not for the faint of heart. Soon James finds himself longing for home, determined that he is destined to be a man. But Peter refuses to take him back, leaving James trapped in a world just beyond the one he loves. A world where children are to never grow up.
But grow up he does.
And thus begins the epic adventure of a Lost Boy and a Pirate.
This story isn’t about Peter Pan; it’s about the boy whose life he stole. It’s about a man in a world that hates men. It’s about the feared Captain James Hook and his passionate quest to kill the Pan, an impossible feat in a magical land where everyone loves Peter Pan.
Except one.
Interview Questions:
1. What made you want to write a retelling about Captain James Hook?
I’ve always had a real soft spot for the villains in stories. *coughs in the general direction of Loki, The Darkling, Scar* And really, who doesn’t love pirates? ;) So I got to thinking about him and wondering what on earth a sophisticated, powerful man like that was doing in a world full of children he hates? What possibly could have happened to make his life turn out this way? And BOOM. Never Never was born.
2. What kind of research went into developing this book and the world behind Never Never?
I read Barrie’s Peter Pan...a LOT. I also re-watched some of my favorite Peter Pan retellings (oh no! and excuse to watch HOOK over and over again!). Beyond that, it was a whole lot of sitting there, staring off into space, trying to come up with as many bizarre dream-like things as I could that would fit into the dream world of Neverland.
3. What message do you want your readers to know about Never Never?
I’d like people to know that it’s about magic and pirates and adventure, yes. But above all, Never Never is about childhood. About what happens to a person when it’s stolen, what happens when you stay there forever, what happens to magic and dreams when you’re small, and when that childhood is gone.
4. If you could live in Neverland, what would you want to be?
A pirate, for SURE. I could plunder and pillage chill on the ocean AWAY from Peter Pan, and occasionally try to steal James from Tiger Lily. ;) (Though if that wasn’t an option, I’d totally settle for his first mate, Starkey.)
5. What was most challenging or most fun about writing Never Never?
The most challenging thing was staying *very* close to the original story when the book moves from origins story to a direct retelling. Painting James as the protagonist when he’s doing all these pretty objectively dastardly things was...tough, particularly because I didn’t want to skip past any of the nastiness J.M. Barries has him do in the original. I wanted it to be the ACTUAL Pan story, with all the events Barrie gave us, just from a different angle. Tricksy.
6. How long did you take you to write this book?
It took me about 8 weeks to draft. (Good old NaNoWriMo giving me a kick in the pants.)
7. What does your writing process look like?
A lot of it looks like this: *sits at computer, stares* I dream up characters and a situation for a while, let them kind of run about in my head, and then I’ll draft a chapter to get a voice. Then I do a rough chapter-by-chapter outline and go back and draft! (Drafting is my FAVORITE. Death to revising.)
8. Are there any songs that inspired this book, or you, while writing it?
I actually have a terrible time listening to music while writing (though when I was revising, I lived off the 2003 Peter Pan soundtrack). The two songs I think sum up the book, though, and that I’ve listened to a lot, are “Brightly Wound” by Eisley, and “Bad Blood” by Bastille.
9. When did you want to become an author?
I fantasized about it when I was tiny, writing poetry with my grandpa in 2nd grade. But I never saw it as attainable. I thought it was a total you-must-know-someone impossible career, until I decided to go for it (and learned that I was quite mistaken) after I saw The Hunger Games in theaters for the first time, and left inspired to write a book. (Thanks, Suzanne Collins!)
10. What is your next project?
I’m co-writing a dark, villainous fantasy with my brother right now, actually! It was originally VERY loosely inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, but it’s moved pretty far away from that now. Now it’s just villain-y. And magicky. :)
~Thank you Brianna for stopping by my blog! Sarah~
About the Author:
Brianna Shrum lives in Colorado with her high-school-sweetheart turned husband and her two little boys. She's been writing since she could scrawl letters, and has worked with teens since she graduated out of teenager-hood, either in the writing classes she taught, or working with the youth group. Brianna digs all things YA, all things geeky, superhero-y, gamery, magical, and strange.
Her debut YA, Never Never, releases in September of this year. Her second YA, How to Make Out, releases in Fall 2016. She'd totally love to connect with you, so come say hi on her website or Twitter!
Goodreads Summary: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...
A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.
My Thoughts - 5 Stars
I was given a copy of Six of Crows by my wonderful friend Sara @thehidingspot. Thanks Sara!
I never originally planned on reading this book. However, I was given this arc by a friend and I actually got excited about it!
I only "liked" Leigh's Grisha Trilogy. Hands down her writing is amazing but the story-line fell a bit flat for me. So I wasn't necessarily going to seek out this new series set in the same world.
BUT...it was amazing!
Why?
Great characters and character development.
An exciting story that was unpredictable to the very end.
Humor
Intense Moments
Unique Romances
The Story:
The story is set in the same world as The Grisha Trilogy but takes place in the city of Ketterdam on the island of Kerch. Ketterdam is a very gritty city that definitely has the "bad part of town." This part is where our main characters are living.
Kaz is part of the Dregs gang and is given a proposition that would bring in a ton of cash! And Kaz is always motivated by money...and also a personal vendetta that is revealed throughout the book. He recruits five other member to help him in the biggest heist of his life.
The story CONTINUALLY kept me guessing. I would think one thing was going to happen...and then NOPE, something completely different! I love books that aren't predictable!
The Characters:
To be honest, the characters probably are the best part of this book. The story-line is fairly straightforward, but each of the main characters, Kaz, Nina, Inej, Jesper, Matthias, and Wylan all are unique in their special abilities but also in personality.
Nina and Jesper are hilarious and wish they were my best friends.
Kaz and Matthias are the hotties who are also slightly (or more than slightly) terrifying at times.
Leigh does a great job weaving in backstories of all these characters that draws you in as the book progresses.
Romance:
This book has romance but in a wonderfully unique way. It's hard to put in words without spoiling but I would say that love is a battle in this book. It's not all gushy, it's a fight. I loved that.
Overall:
Six of Crows originally was a 4.5 star rating for me, but as I've reflected over the week after reading, I've grown to love each character more and ended up changing it to 5 stars. I think Leigh's writing is masterful in execution and character development. The book leaves you longing for book 2 which is always a great way to end any book.
Book Trailer!
I had made a book trailer for this book, so take a look!
