Second Star is the first installment to J. M. Sullivan’s Neverland Transmissions series.

The first chapter began with an excerpt from the Captain’s journal followed by Peter’s POV, where he struggled with something on their ship. The book (sort of) reminded me of Peter Pan with a mix of the movie Interstellar.

Although it took me quite a long time to finish the book, I don’t have any negative comments to say about it. The book exceeded my expectations and it was refreshing to read something like this.

I like how the book focuses on the entire purpose of the mission. The plot is somewhat similar to the above-mentioned movies but Sullivan put a twist on the story which makes it distinctive from the others. The writing style is easy to understand. Sullivan thoroughly exemplifies the personality and essence of each character specifically the main character, Wendy, who is such a strong and lovable woman! It is indeed a retelling of a well-known fairytale, Peter Pan. Nevertheless, it’s an action-packed and pleasant story.

The ending is not really a cliffhanger but it makes me wonder what will happen in the next book! I suggest you give the book a try if you like space adventures, mermaids, pirates, or retellings.

I received a free copy from Bleeding Ink Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Peter Pan. Maybe it's because my parents accidentally named my brother and I after the titular characters (Peter and Wendy). Therefore, I try to keep up with retellings of Peter Pan to see how authors put a new twist on the classic tale.

J.M. Sullivan's Second Star moved in the direction of science fiction, offering the Londonierre Brigade as the connection that ties all events together. Peter, a member of the Londonierre Brigade and a mechanic on Hooke's ship, gets stranded on a strange planet after learning of Hooke's true plan. Wendy, a recent enlistment in the Londonierre Brigade, captains a ship to a planet, aptly named Neverland, on a mission to rescue Hooke and his crew.

During the first half of the novel, I was unenthused by the sections told from Peter's point of view. In many ways, Sullivan deviated very little from J.M. Barrie's original story. There were, of course, the technological enhancements that made it slightly different, but the story arc, and even many of the lines uttered by the characters, were frustratingly the same.

However, Wendy emerged as a much more fleshed out character in this novel. I was very interested in her path and how she was turned into a young woman that was not to be trifled with. Throughout the story, she finds growth and love in unexpected places, though I was frustrated that in the end she did become a bit moony-eyed and abandoned some of the better characteristics that made her unique.

As the first in a series, the cliff-hanger was satisfying and actually seemed more apropos to the TV series Lost. Though Sullivan was playing on the idea of Peter Pan's shadow, she offers something much more sinister in its place.

This novel is dubbed as a YA novel, but I would place it on the younger side of that spectrum because the writing was more simplistic at points. However, as a YA, there are certain tropes that rear their head here. Instant love is the most obvious, but a love triangle does pop up near the conclusion in a very unexpected moment. I can almost forgive the instant love, but the love triangle seemed unnecessary.

I enjoyed this novel and will be tuning in for the next installment.

Huge thank you to Bleeding Ink Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book!

It’s taken me a long time to get to this review because I’m still not really sure how I feel about this book, hence the middle-of-the-road three star rating.

The fact that it was a Peter Pan retelling was automatically a plus, I LOVED that Wendy was more badass than she was in the original, Tink being a bot was just so much fun, the multiple points of view from Wendy and Peter were really handy to be able to give more insight into the story, and the first two thirds of the book was really very interesting and I managed to get through that part very quickly because of that.

Full (spoiler-y) review here: http://wmsreads.tumblr.com/post/183421875272/

A re-telling and gripping adventure of Peter Pan in a futuristic world. “Second Star” by J.M. Sullivan is the first book in the “Neverland Transmission” YA series.

The story begins with Peter Pan - a trusty mechanic on the Jolly Roger space ship, manned by Captain James Hooke - sabotaging the ship. The ship is pulled into an unknown planet’s atmosphere and crashes upon the sandy breach. Furiously Captain Hooke chasing him down claiming mutiny for both sabotaging the ship and killing a crew member. Peter barely escapes the ship with a group of Lost Boys, into the surrounding forest.

Approximately a 100 years later. Wendy Darling, hard worker and top student at the Londonierre Brigade, is finally promoted to Captain. Her first mission is a rescue of the thought to be dead soldier and his crew of the Jolly Roger. Their guide is a strange transmission received from Captain Hooke himself. He speaks of the crash on the unknown planet which has many unusual phenomenons. The main being two stars above the planet and a strange immortality in which he believes they have been marooned on the planet for 10 years. Hooke thus names the planet Neverland.

Wendy and her team set out towards a vague location based on Captain Hooke’s transmission. They find Neverland but their ship is too damaged to finish the mission. Than Wendy and Peter meet, an instant connection.

Not all is right in Neverland, there are darker things afoot. Will they fix the ship in time to escape the ever growing darkness?

The story beautifully captured the original, weaving familiar sayings and tweaking the characters to suit a new and thrilling adventure. I preferred having both Peter and Wendy’s PoV to tell the story. I adored the budding romance between the two main characters. And I look forward the next book in the series.

** I received a copy of Second Star by J.M. Sullivan via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#SecondStar #NetGalley

Plot (4 Stars): I love fairy tale retellings and this one was definitely not a disappointment. It reminded me a bit of The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer in the way that it combines a fairy tale with science fiction. I loved it. I loved the story. It was just so fun to read. Unfortunately, there were a few irritating things about it that seemed very unrealistic. Wendy Darling becomes the captain of a ship while she's an older teen. She had only been to the Academy and never served on a ship as far as the readers know. Also, her entire crew (there are only 6 of them) are made up of more teens. They are the rescue mission for Hooke and his crew.

Characters (3 Stars): The main characters were great, for the most part. I really enjoyed them. I think Johns and Michaels were my favorite. I think Boyce should have been in it more because of the tension and emotions going on in him. I also think we needed more on the Lost Boys. There was so little about them that I couldn't even keep straight of who was who except for Tootles. Also, the love interest thing was a bit annoying. I mean, yeah, they think the other one is hot and it's repeated A LOT in the book so the reader definitely knows. Poor Wendy blushes, well, I don't know how many times. Many, many times though - pretty much any time the poor girl sees Peter.

Writing (4 Stars): The writing is good. I can tell the author is good. However, there were a lot of errors. Small words are often left out and more so toward the end of the book. Besides that, the writing was great.

Overall, I give this book 3.5 stars!

I really like this book. I like the Peter pan story and the way it told. Over all a good read. It's a different but similar way of telling a peter pan story. My favorite is tink. Thank you for letting my read this book.

What I love about this Peter Pan retelling is how unique and captivating the story is. The original characters are there, but in fragments of who they were portrayed as in the Disney movie. And I loved that, because the author took a classic story and weaved it into something old and new. The author kept the characters but gave them new back stories and compelling attributes.

In this reimagining of Peter Pan, Pan is stuck in a place that quickly becomes called Neverland, with a wrecked spaceship and a Captain that’s out for his blood. And then there’s Wendy, a newly-appointed Captain of the ship dubbed Faith & Trust sent to rescue Captain Hooke and his crew from Neverland. She, and everyone else at the Academy, thought Captain Hook and his crew died many years ago, but when Wendy intercepts a transmission call, her and the Academy staff are in for an awakening. She sets out to rescue the crew, only for her ship to crash land on Neverland. Now she will have to work with Peter Pan to find Captain Hooke, find out the truth, and escape Neverland and go back home to London or risk being trapped in Neverland forever.

As the reader, I saw a lot of development in Wendy. The beginning chapters focus on her younger years and how she gets accepted into the Academy. Jump forward several years and she’s nineteen, about to lead a rescue team to Captain Hooke. She is the top of her class, which is one of the many reasons she is picked to rescue Captain Hooke. Wendy is a strong leader/individual and she wants to succeed at the Academy and finishing this mission would be a great start for her. She just never saw the dangers of Neverland coming; but those said dangers help her develop as a person and a Captain and that’s where Wendy really shines.

Peter Pan’s character is everything and he’s just as fun and enchanting as he was in Disney’s version. Him and his crew work to find a way to escape Neverland, while also dodging Captain Hooke and unfamiliar dangers. I enjoyed how much older he acted; he didn’t fully act like a kid and I really enjoyed that. He’s also caring when it comes to his crew and Wendy; he wants to protect them all, even if that means sacrificing his own life. And, of course, his relationship with Tinc is wonderful; I found myself chuckling at some of their interactions and it reminded me about my relationship with my best friend. Granted, Tinc is an advanced mini robot, but her personality and interactions with Pan were so much fun to see.

I really enjoyed the aspect of Peter Pan’s story involving space and a more technologically advanced world. The idea added to the world building and made the world fascinating to read about. I also liked how the romance came later into the story and didn’t overpower the plot and story line of the book. It was great to see the world developed first before introducing Wendy’s potential love interest.

Overall, Second Star is a great Peter Pan retelling and one I would recommend. I’m looking forward to reading the second book and seeing what is in store for the characters.

Second Star by J.M. Sullivan is the first book in the young adult science fiction fantasy Neverland Transmissions series. Yes folks, I have found myself yes another Peter Pan retelling with this series and no, I haven’t tired of them yet.

In this series Captain Hooke is captaining a space craft and Peter and the other lost boys are the crew when Peter sabotages the ship stranding them all on Neverland. Then the point of view changes over to Wendy who is nothing like the one we all know, instead tis version is training to captain her own crew and wants to be the one to rescue Hooke who had disappeared a hundred years ago.

I absolutely loved the idea of taking this classic into space and making a science fiction version of it. The author filled the pages with creative sci-fi twists to the story and the characters and only loosely following the original….think something along the lines of Cinder by Marissa Meyer. If you are like myself and love retellings I’d definitely suggest giving this one a try.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Let me just… deep breath… and… HOLY CRAP SECOND STAR WAS SO GOOD!!!!

There. That’s better. First of all, look at the cover. If that doesn’t catch your eye, I don’t know what will. Secondly, Second Star is a Peter Pan retelling. I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it on here, but Peter Pan is my favorite book in the entire world.

It’s always quite scary to start reading a retelling of one of your favorite classics. I imagine it’s even more scary to write one. As I opened Second Star, I hoped and hoped and hoped that it would, at the very least, be enjoyable. And holy moly, enjoyable it was! J.M. Sullivan did such a FANTASTIC job of putting her own twist on the story while still staying true to the original.

I love that Tinc (Tinker Bell) is now a little fairy sized robot. I love that Wendy is a captain of her own space crew! (Also, I believe one of her crew members was a nod at another classic favorite. Looking at you Arielle with the red fishtail braid.) I love that Neverland is its own planet where time is weird and that’s why no one ages. I love, love, LOVE that so many of the wonderful quotes from the original story were used in this futuristic retelling.

And the Shadow! The Shadow is a villain! It’s not just Peter’s pesky shadow that Wendy has to sew back onto his feet! It is a BEING!!! Is it just me, or did this thing remind anyone else of the smoke monster from Lost? Or Pan’s shadow from Once Upon a Time?

Goodness. As I was reading, I had so many thoughts, and I’m sure I’m forgetting half of them, but just… this book. This book was so satisfying. It healed a part of my soul that has been empty since I finished The Lunar Chronicles. It brought me back to being thirteen years old and reading Peter Pan for the first time. I just can’t say enough good things about this one. It was a joy to read. I need the sequel immediately.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the action and the building was amazing. I highly recommend this book.

Second Star is a sci-fi retelling of Peter Pan. There is a lot more space travel and robots in this version but seriously IT WORKS. 💪

It's a fast paced read and I was hooked from about page 5 and from there I couldn't put it down 😆

The storyline is VERY close to the version of Peter Pan I know (Disney) so don't expect it to be a retelling with a twist it is literally a retelling in a different location with a bit more science in place of magic 👌

Overall though it was a really fun read ❤ rated 3.5 stars but rounded up 😘

This was a retelling of Peter Pan told from both Peter's pov and Wendy's.
It's set in the future and Peter is actually a tech on Hook's spaceship while Wendy is training to be a spaceship captain herself.

I really liked this story. At first, I had some trouble focusing on Peter's pov but I really liked Wendy's from beginning to end. The characters were endearing and I got carried away by the plot. I loved how it was transposed to the future with a sci-fi twist, like Tinkerbell being a robot etc.
So basically, this was really fun but as much as I enjoyed it, I didn't connect with it like I sometimes do. Anyway, still a fun read.

I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

When I first came across Second Star by J.M. Sullivan on another blog, I noticed two things: the sci-fi cover and PETER PAN. Y’all this is not a drill! Second Star is a sci-fi/space opera-ish retelling of the famous boy who never grew up. It took me a few days to read all the way through the book, but I was captivated from the first words.

Second Star begins with a mechanic taking down a ship to prevent his captain from continuing with a mission that would ensure death to the crew. Except things don’t go quite as planned, and the ship winds up crashing into an uncharted planet. The ship was the Jolly Roger, the captain is the notorious Hooke, and the mechanic is none other than Pan himself.

Meanwhile back on Earth, we the readers meet a young prodigy being dropped off at the academy. The prodigy is Wendy Moira Angela Darling, and she is determined to become a captain worthy of her missing hero Captain James Hooke. I must say I loved Wendy. She’s introverted, but it serves her well. She can size up a situation and people quickly. But she is also loyal to those who she loves. It serves her well.

The plot of the book is quite simple. A mysterious transmission is received by the Londonierre Brigade from a captain that’s been missing, presumed dead for a hundred years. A newly promoted Wendy leads a small crew to Neverland on a rescue mission. However things are not as they seem, and it quickly becomes a mission to save themselves as much as the crew they were sent to save.

I think what I love most about Second Star is Sullivan’s references to the original story, and not just the Disney version. From characters like Tinc, a nanobot that Peter built, and SMEE, the captain’s Synthetic Maintenance Engineering Emissary, to the landscape of Neverland, it is clear the author loves Peter Pan as much as I do. I loved how Sullivan intertwined the original elements to tell her own story. I love the setting of a futuristic society and of course Neverland being it’s own microplanet.

My favorite thing about this story though is Wendy, Johns, and Michaels. Elias Johns is Wendy’s best friend from the academy. And it is clear the love they have for one another. It’s a sibling type love, and Johns is fiercely protective of Darling. I’ll be honest I may have shipped them a little 😉

Overall Second Star is a fantastic read. I was left breathless and unable to read fast enough at times to needing to put the book aside and ruminate for a while at others. Alternating between Wendy and Pan’s POV is genius and flows so well. I loved getting to see this world from both perspectives. And the Shadow, the big bad of the book, is not at all what I expected. Seriously y’all perfection!! If you are a fan of Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles, I believe you will enjoy this. Second Star is a must-read for any Peter Pan fan!

Second Star is the first book in the Neverland Transmissions: a Peter Pan tale interwoven with Science Fiction instead of fantasy that takes place in the distant future. There are two narrators: Peter a 19 year old mechanic and Wendy the 19 year old captain of a space ship that is looking to rescue her hero: Captain Hooke. Sullivan takes the story of Peter Pan and makes it fresh by adding characters and giving more depth to ones that were once side characters from the original tale. By aging up all of the characters, Sullivan gives access to new issues and more character development. Overall a well paced story that honors a beloved story while also making it Mr. Sullivan's own.

I have to thank the publishers and NetGalley for my copy of Second Star. My major issues with the story were that I'm sure my copy was either missing a few chapters or they were miss labeled. I enjoyed Peter's point of view the most as well. Wendy felt a little stale at times for me but Peter's was completely fresh and made up for some of Wendy's stale moments. I hope she improves in the second book.

Actual rating 2.5 stars.

"You are the most vexing and endearing box of contradictions I have ever seen. You fascinate me, Wendy."

I was totally on board with this book for probably the first half. I had a few quibbles up until then, but I was willing to overlook them. Unfortunately, the second half got confusing and frustrated me to the point where I was just waiting for the book to be over.

This is a Peter Pan re-telling set in the far future. I really enjoyed the little references to the original story. It was fun to spot them all.

But while the characters are jumping through hyperspace and hanging out on foreign planets, the language they used and the society established felt woefully outdated. Even the main insult several of the characters used – “codfish” – feels like something out of Dickens rather than Doctor Who. It actually felt like it could have been turned into a good steampunk quasi-historical story, but it didn’t go that way.

The characters also make Harry Potter references and one of them listens to Bob Marley… okay, maybe we will still be reading HP in 400 years and maybe Bob gets to stick around as a master of the classical music of this period… but it didn’t immerse me in the time period.

I also assumed that as the book went on, we would learn exactly why Hooke was the bad guy, rather than just having to take Peter’s word for it… and we did, technically, but it never rang true to me. This might be because some of the worldbuilding about the Second Star and the ultimate Big Bad actually left me feeling a bit flummoxed, so Hooke’s place in the overall plan didn’t feel fully fleshed out.

The line I used in the title of this post is something Peter says to Wendy, and it’s lovely and romantic… but he has literally known her an afternoon when he says it. Maybe a full day. Good ol’ instalove. Wendy is nearly ready to sacrifice other members of her crew for Peter after only knowing him a couple of days.

There are more books to come in this series but I don’t feel inclined to follow the story any further. The one instalment was enough for me.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)

I was provided this arc via netgalley for a honest review!

So i was so excited to start this peter pan sci fi retelling when i stumbled upon it on netgalley. I'm in a huge sci fi mood and peter pan was my favorite child hood story and i hardly see retellings for it! I really enjoy how JM Sullivan sets up the premise for the story with all the nods to the original story.

We met Wendy whose going to become a pilot in space, top of her class and totally ignored by her awful parents. Wendys character was one I definitely enjoyed and wasn't a i need a man to save me.

What i really liked about Peters character was he didnt want to stay in neverland like in the disney version. Peter was a role model in this one to the lost boys and tink was everything I needed.

Sullivan also created such a good twist on the villain for the plot line and I can't wait to see how she plays it out in the next books. My only complaints honestly was it is a bit slow after the first like 10% to like 30% but its needed back story and it wasn't even that bad.

All in all definitely a 4 star read that I would add to my collection, recommend and read future books!

Second Star (A Neverland Transmissions Novel Book 1) by J.M. Sullivan
BLURB~
“Wendy Darling worked her entire life to rise through the ranks of the prestigious Londonierre Brigade. Now as a Captain, she has everything she’s always wanted, including a ship and crew of her own. But when the Brigade receives a strange transmission from the legendary James Hooke, lost a hundred years earlier in uncharted space and presumed dead, Wendy is willing to risk it all to rescue her hero. She races to the planet known only as Neverland; her mission to find the long-lost crew and bring them home.
But there is more to Neverland than meets the eye, and more to Hooke than what was written in history books. When Wendy crash lands on the ominous planet, she quickly discovers Neverland’s dark secret; a malevolent being known as The Shadow that’s looking for a host body to escape its eternal prison. To fulfill her mission, Wendy must decide whether to trust the dashing Hooke or the mysterious Fleet mechanic who goes by the name of Pan--and she has to decide quickly...
Before the darkness consumes them all.”
REVIEW~
This novel is an absolutely brilliant take on a beloved childhood classic fairytale. I loved this retelling of Peter Pan. The author’s unique adaptation of carrying the story into the future and into space is sheer genius. I mean, how original is the concept behind this account? Who would have even thought of this??? It’s ridiculous how inventive this version of the tale is. I am rambling. Gushing even. Did I mention that I LOVE this book? I digress.
The author’s creativity is obvious but the writing and word building is wonderful as well. Perfectly paced, the characters and this amazing, adventurous realm were fashioned in such a way that you are completely drawn in. Wendy and Peter have an immediate and intense chemistry that feels tangible. The author wrote them beautifully, with witty banter and a passionate connection. The two bring such energy to the novel. In fact, ALL of the characters were so so so inventively conceived. I want to tell you but I also don’t because I hope for you to be as amusingly surprised as I was at how the familiar characters are reimagined. I will admit that there were a few minor editing errors that were noticed but those didn’t detract from the story at all.
This was such an amazing read. If I say again how much I thoroughly enjoyed it, you may shoot me, but –WOW!  I really did.  This is such a great book y’all. I mean, seriously. You have GOT to read this if you love Peter Pan. Or fairytale retellings. Or space. Or strong & fierce female MCs. And if you don’t love those things. Read it anyway. It’s quick, fun, and delightful. 5/5 stars from this entranced reader.
I was given this eBook by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
This review, or portions thereof, will be posted (when able) on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, Kobo, IG, FB, Pinterest, Litsy, and my own blog.
Unfortunately, I am unable to provide links to all sites as I am using my phone.
On various sites I am:
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Barnes & Noble~ Karyl-Ahn-white_7
Litsy~ Karylahn or Karyl White

This is my first Did Not Finish of 2019...not how I imagined I would begin my year but I owe it to my readers to be honest with every review I share about the books I read.

The story Peter Pan is my favorite of all time because of so many reasons, and maybe that is why, I really did not enjoy this book at all.
I kept hoping for something exciting to happen but the story flatlined for me overall. I don't really understand why people decide to retell stories that are already amazing. I admit it takes a clever thought and obviously the right amount of jargon to write books like this. Yet, Tink failed to be a fairy in this retelling and I don't vibe with nanobots so that may be another faulty wire in this mismatched story.

I regretted sharing this review because I once had my novel unfairly torn apart by a person that has no talent whatsoever in writing so I understand that sweating profusely over the laptop putting together a book is no small feat but I also know that my 2019 motto is to be authentic to myself and with others, and I must unfortunately share that this was not for me at all.

And neither was the author's previous work The Wanderland Chronicles.

Originality is something I believe every book should bring and when they don't, the book will fall short which unfortunately was the case here.

This book was a solid 3.5!
This was space retelling of Peter Pan. I loved her reimagining of the characters, TINC and SMEE especially. The writing was good and I loved the tie in of the original Peter Pan quotes.

The dual POV gave me insight for both Peter and Wendy. I also really liked that she made Wendy more kick butt. The ending left me ready for the sequel and excited to see where the story will go

I had a bit of a rough time with the pacing and I struggled with a couple of other things but overall I really enjoyed this retelling

This book was provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review! (Thank you)

I have mixed feelings about Second Star, a Peter Pan retelling by J.M. Sullivan. On one hand, I enjoyed the book. The setting, located on a star ship, was unique. I loved how she wove classic Peter Pan story elements into a futuristic book: TINC is a nanobot that Peter designed, SMEE was an electronic servant, and Hooke... well... he's still a captain, just of a starship. It's been a very long time since I watched the classic Disney cartoon, but I know that she incorporated other elements of the story in this retelling as well (and I've never read the original book).

Overall, the story was very good, but I would give it slightly less than 4 stars if I could give fractional stars. It's hard to articulate exactly what, but the book feels like it could use slightly more polish to it. The prose didn't grab me as much as my solid 4-star and 5-star rated books do. The story didn't captivate me enough to make me obsess over it during my day when I was unable to read the book. Those are more subjective elements to a story, but for me, it didn't score as highly on those elements as some other stories do.

The one other element that I thought could have been done a little better was the romance aspect. There was a little too much insta-love between Peter and Wendy. I can understand instant attraction, but they seemed to be a little too emotionally invested in each other a little too quickly. Not to give out spoilers, but there may be potential for a love triangle in the next book, and I'm not sure about that either.

That being said, I do want to find out what happens next, and I have every intention of reading the next book in the series. I would recommend this book to people who are big fans of Peter Pan.