Hook & Crown

By: Nicole Knapp

Narrated by: Anne Marie Lewis

Length: 7 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

You've heard of Neverland and its inhabitants...fairies, pirates, mermaids, and a boy who didn't want to grow up. But you can't always believe the stories.

Elena Hart arrives in London, bound for a new boarding school operated by her estranged uncle. A fresh start is exactly what she needs. But when strange things begin happening, things she can't explain, she begins to wonder if she has lost her mind.

Until the night a strange girl appears in her room claiming to be a fairy from Neverland come to take her to the fantasy world at the request of its ruler. Skeptical, Elena refuses. But the following night, a young man with strange green eyes appears, and though she tries to resist his charms, something about him draws her in, and Elena is whisked away from the world she knows, to a world she always thought was make believe.

But when she arrives in Neverland, it is nothing like the stories, and Elena realizes that she must figure out for herself who the true heroes and villains are.

©2019 Machovia Productions Inc (P)2019 Machovia Productions Inc

Some unexpected turns...

I wanted to enjoy this far more than I did. The concept was awesome, but the character and plot development needs work.

Also there were 2 stories merged into one. The 1st half of the book should have been one book altogether and the scenes should have been played out longer so that I had a chance to feel what the main character felt.

The story was quick and easy and kept me going so I still gave it 3 stars.

Peter Pan isn't the good guy!

I enjoyed this re-telling of Peter Pan and Captain Hook. This follows a teenage girl who doesn't have much to look forward to in life. Without her parents, she travels to extended family for a place to stay. A few things happen, and she ends up in Neverland. Well, it isn't like the stories. The real Neverland, Captain Hook isn't the bad guy, and Peter Pan, well, he isn't called Peter Pan, but he abducts girls for a different reason. Despite how charming he is, the girl begins to see through his facade with the help of Hook. The problem? She begins to fall for him.
Well, first let me just say, the narration of the Audio Book was fantastic. Anne Marie Lewis does a fantastic job with it! I've heard her before, and she's really talented.
The bad about the book? A little bit of a love triangle, and a bit too much instalove. It needed to be drawn out, with the characters really getting to know each other before the romance element slipped in.
Other than that, a fantastic read and fun adventure. I'll be keeping an eye out for more to come!

3.5/5 Hook and Crown by Nicole Knapp

Summary:
A sequel/ rewriting of Neverland. Elena moves to London to go to boarding school where her great-uncle is headmaster. Soon thereafter, she gets swept off to Neverland.

Additional Comments:
- the story has a fan fiction-y feel to it since it’s set in a classic tale’s setting.
- 3/5 characters-the boy-Aidan-seems perfect but something’s off. Elena seems to have nothing but boy troubles. For a strong, supposedly independent woman (17), she just comes across as emotionally needy. The pirate-Will-my favorite character-falls for her hard and fast.
- descriptions are amusing. I can’t tell u how many times their pretty eyes and strong, muscular chests were described.
- certain Very short scenes are told from multiple perspectives, which gets very annoying.
- the story has a few neat twists on the Peter Pan story.
- the cover is beautiful and the title fits.

Conclusion:
If you enjoy the usual YA tropes and classic tale rewrites, you should check this out.
*I received a free copy of the audiobook. I have freely chosen to review it. All thoughts are my own.

Interesting Story…

Overall, I really enjoyed the plot line of this take-off of the Peter Pan story. I will say, though, that sadly I totally disliked the main character, Elena. She is a sniveling, fickle, oh woe is me, I’ve been wronged type character that I wanted to shake and tell to quit being selfish and dump the everything is all about me attitude. As far as the plot is concerned, yes, there is definitely evil afoot in Neverland… Peter Pan, AKA Aiden, is not the sweet little boy who doesn’t grow up. Captain Hook, AKA Will, is not evil and old. I was left with a lot of frustrating unanswered questions by the end of the story. And getting back to mentioning the ending, it seems that there must be another book in the works… I totally enjoyed listening to the narrator, as she did a wonderful job with her narration and bringing this story to life. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Good plot

It’s a good plot, but far too short and the lead acts like an immature child. She so desperate that in this very short story she has affections for multiple boys it seems to be the only thing the author builds on. The characters are not relatable and whiny. I wanted to love this book but found myself hating Elaina because the only internal strife she experienced was that of being dumped or lied to by a boy.