James was a boy once who fell out of his pram and was swept away with all other lost boys to Neverland. He spent 6 joyous days there before being found and claimed by his parents and returned to his affluent London home. James was never the same. Never Never is the story of James and his desire to return to Neverland. He is joined by his butler who has never spent a day at sea himself but wants to protect James and chooses to do so by following him on his journeys. Thus begins the tale of the dreaded pirate, Captain Hook.

I found myself endeared to this boy who fell out of his pram but was eventually rescued by his parents, tasting the joys of Neverland but never able to return. I cheered for him inside as he sought out the pirate's life and silently willed him to make good choices... unfortunately, I'm sure you can guess -- that didn't always happen. How do you tell the story of a famous villain without some disastrous choices along the way??

He does end up being the villain in the end... but perhaps he isn't as villainous as you would think.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Disney for the advanced reader's copy of this book (audiobook edition) for review. All opinions are entirely my own.

Again, I’m a sucker for spins on fairytales & this one did not disappoint yet again! Thank you for my copy of this.

Thank you to #Netgalley, #disneypress and #SerenaValentino for this advanced listener copy of Never Never. My opinions are my own and done voluntarily.

I have read a few of the other villains series books, and thought they were okay, but never very intrigued by them, but when I got into audio books, I thought they may be better if I listened to them. so, when I saw this one I decided to give it a shot, and I am glad that I did.

It was interesting to find out more about Captain Hook, a character that is definitely misunderstood, since we knew very little about him, I enjoyed the narration a lot and thought the narrator really brough captain hook to life, It started off really interested and it kept my interest but i felt like it was drown out too much and I found myself losing interest.

but overall was a good listen

I truly enjoyed this retelling. I feel sorry for Hook.

The author did an amazing job telling Hooks story. I have to read the other stories in this series.

Full disclosure - I am a fan of Disney Classics and love these revamped stories by Serena Valentino.
However, I didn’t enjoy this one. I am not sure why. It could be the narration or something else but I just couldn’t continue listening without dozing off.

Super bummed but I can assure anyone who is new to these versions or this is their first, there are better ones. Just pick another.



Thank you #NetGalley, Disney Audiobooks, & Disney Press for giving me the opportunity to listen to this!

I love Serena Valentino’s books. I love this retelling of Peter Pan. This story really makes you feel bad for Captain Hook as you see how he becomes “evil”. He was never truly evil. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend!

I love the twisted Villains series and this story of hook was a great addition. Its hard to fault anything from the amazing author Serena Valentino. She has a way of making you fall in love with the bad guy and feel sorry for them! Hook was no different! Hook has always been one of my favorites and seeing him as young James, stumbling into neverland made me love him more!! Great job on the 9th book in this series!!

Another fantastic installment of the Villains series by Serena Valentino. I love the way that she can take the bad guy from all of our beloved fairy tales and retell the story to make us feel sorry for and empathize with the aforementioned bad guy. Her take on the life of James Hook is no different. You really feel for the lack of support for James as a child. Thank goodness for Smee acting as a surrogate caretaker. If you enjoy the Disney fairy tales, you will definitely enjoy Valentino's interpretation.

I don’t know much about Captain Hooks background and I thought this book did a great job exploring it. I want to fact check it against the Disney movie and the original Peter Pan story when I have time.

I thought for the audiobook the narrator did a great job. It was fast paced and kept me engaged while listing.

Thank you NetGalley and Disney Audiobooks for the gifted copy of this audiobook!

This was just so nostalgic and loved this version of a Peter Pan retelling! It was a great way to get into the back story of Captain Hook and see another side to one of our favorite Disney villains!

I do like that all these books in the villain series can be read as a stand alone! Definitely want to read to my dad older children!

This book was good! I loved learning about hook and have been waiting to read one of these for a while! If you are a Disney fan I recommend

Captain Hook origin story, tied in the story we all know with some fun new elements that connect this story and Peter Pan to more fairy tales.
Overall, great narration, was a fast listen/read!

Justice for Captain Hook!?

🏴‍☠️ REVIEW: NEVER NEVER 🏴‍☠️

By Serena Valentino

📖 SUMMARY: James, a young man from a well-off family, wants nothing more in life than to return to Neverland, where he spent a few days as a child. He knows the best way to get there is to become a pirate and travel the realms, so that’s exactly what he does. He meets monsters and witches who help him reach his destination, even though some warn him against finding Neverland. Peter might not be excited to see his old pal James all grown up…

💭 THOUGHTS: This was one of my recent commute audio books, and it was such a fun listen! I’ll read any and every fairytale retelling out there, but this was the first one I’ve read that focuses on the villain of the story. It was interesting to read this author’s interpretation of the character and see what other legends/stories she weaved in. You definitely empathize with James as he becomes Captain Hook! I’d recommend this, but I believe this is middle grade or YA, so keep that in mind.

Thank you to @ netgalley and @ disneybooks for the ARC. This came out in July!

✨ RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🥰 YOU’LL ENJOY IF: you love a villain origin story and want to reimagine Peter Pan

I enjoyed this book and the narrator did an excellent job.
The idea that Hook didn't start out with bad intentions... but I don't want t give it all away.
This book did make me want to listen to others in the series.

This is the 9th book in the villain series and is about Captain Hook. As a baby Captain Hook feel out of his pram and was taken to Neverland. But his parents found him before his 7 days were up so he lost his chance to become a Lost Boy. Now that he is grown he is desperate to find his way back to Neverland. I loved seeing how the origin story connects to the cartoon. This series is a lot of fun and Never Never is not a disappointment. I did miss 2 book, but there were only a couple places that I didn't know what had happened. It didn't effect the main story.

4 stars

The story starts with a young James who found Neverland and his journey on getting back there and becoming Hook. The only downside I would say is that I wasn't aware it was best to follow the series in order. There were some storylines I just couldn't follow without knowing the back story. Otherwise, this was a cool take on the back story of Captain Hook!

I feel the narrator did a good job voicing a bunch of different characters and making them distinct. He did a really great job and made the narration enjoyable.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and DisneyBooks for an ALC of this book.

Heartbreak may not be something one would typically associate with Disney Villains, but author Serena Valentino’s story chronicling Captain Hook’s origins truly broke my heart. It is a story that only Valentino could so expertly tell and comprises a clever and daring crossover between Captain Hook from Disney’s Peter Pan and the author’s original behind-the-scenes tale.

Never Never explores the pertinent parts of Captain Hook’s past before picking up where Disney’s Peter Pan begins – Captain Hook’s role as the infamous Neverland villain hellbent on killing Peter Pan. The tale shapes Captain Hook’s – or rather a young James Bartholomew’s – early experiences while also giving us his perspective on meeting Peter Pan and his foreshadowed destiny. Valentino weaves wonders by showing us the world through a young Captain James Hook’s eyes.

“Realizing one’s dreams can be a terrifying venture, for fear they don’t meet one’s expectations.”

Blackbeard gives James this advice early on and it is paramount to the story’s trajectory and to my entire sense of unease about this tale. That is not a criticism – I suspect that unease is precisely what Valentino intended. While I have enjoyed all the Villains novels to date, this one gave me the greatest angst and discomfort in knowing what becomes of Captain James Hook and how desperate his beginnings were. After all, they were paved with only the best and most innocent of intentions: to fulfill his childhood dream.

That dream becomes an obsession and quickly dissolves into a nightmare. James’ sense of fulfilling his dreams becomes so distorted that one cannot pinpoint exactly where he loses his way. It is confronting, disquieting and ultimately heartbreaking. Not to mention that danger lurks everywhere – especially when it comes to the Odd Sisters and their meddlesome ways.

Valentino’s original, behind-the-scenes tale across the entire Villains series largely culminates in this story. I strongly recommend that Never Never be read as part of the series and not simply as a standalone novel. The origins of the Odd Sisters, Circe, Primrose, Hazel – as well as the fates of Princess Tulip, Beast and Gothel – are explored in significant detail in this story and various questions from previous novels are answered. If starting with Never Never, readers new to the series may get lost in a whirlwind of history, dark magic, time and space. It is a lot to digest and may be overwhelming if the reader does not have any familiarity with Valentino’s original characters and their expansive universe. This is not necessarily the case in the prior novels, but in my view, it is certainly the case with Never Never.

That said, the Book of Fairy Tales provides an exciting umbrella to the Villains series and introduction to Never Never. The Many Kingdoms and the Odd Sisters universe is rich, intricate and inviting, and is fantastically interwoven with Hook’s origins. Fans will delight in being reunited with some of their favorite Valentino characters, and there is also great humor in this story.

What I found most thrilling about Never Never is that it is jam-packed with pirate tales and adventure. It was a joy to read about Blackbeard, the crew’s encounter with the Kraken, James’ love for books and pirate lore, as well as his overall swashbuckling journey to villainhood. The integration of Valentino’s original characters is well done and opens up a whole world of inner workings – both in the Disney universe and beyond. But reader beware: if Hook’s story breaks your heart too, I suspect it shan’t be mended in later novels. Thankfully, Valentino’s creativity, characters and writing style more than makes up for it, up to and including the satisfying, surprising, bitter end.

I thought it was a very interesting take on the beginnings of Captain Hook. Part of the book seemed to be more about the witches than Hook, but it did explain a lot of the plot and why Hook is the way he is.

This helps view more of Hook and his plight. It gives you sympathy for the villain. Poor James just wanted to go to Neverland to live his best life. He goes through death defying situations hoping to journey back to Neverland. He struggles with who to trust and people who want to get in his way. Hook is strong willed and definitely never backs down.

I think this would be best to be read in series order of publication as I feel that I might be missing out on connecting links throughout the books.

My son loves this series and I’m sure he’ll like this one too. I would recommend for a more middle grade audience… with that said though it does frustrate me that there is some language in it.

Audio specifically - I don’t like how when sped up audio got an echo. Still very slow but could be good for a child story telling style.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own.

Have you ever enjoyed an audiobook so much, you listened to it twice? That was this book for me.

Young James has a pattern of falling from his pram as a baby. He is aware that this is the way for boys to get to Never Never Land, and all he wants is to run free with his friends in the magical world. He is thwarted each time by his mother, who decides to take precautions and keep James sheltered to prevent him from disappearing again. As James grows, he escapes into the world of books, and he has an intense passion for learning about pirates. In time, he finds himself living his dream as first-mate to none other than Blackbeard himself. This story chronicles the adventures they have, and the twist at the end is perfection.

I have always loved villains, and I adore the story of Peter Pan. This was a no-brainer for me when I saw it pop up on NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

2.25⭐️

I was very excited for this book but found myself disappointed. The beginning was great, getting a bit of background, meeting Captain Hook when he was younger and finding out why he turned out to be the man we know in Peter Pan. The ending was also good, as it explained even more of what we know (no spoilers), and it was fun to see everything all wrapped up and have some answers.

The middle part was kind of…boring. I was not super invested, I was not pulled into the events taking place, and my hopes and excitement for this book were deflated. I will say, however, listening to the audio was fun and the narrator had some great voices! He did a wonderful job!!!

I tried to put myself in the mind of a young reader, but the truth is, when it comes to Disney anything I AM a child and I don’t think child version of me would feel any different.

Pick it up and give it a chance yourself so you can form your own opinion!!!!

Thank you to Serena Valentino, Disney Audiobooks, and NetGalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!!!