This review was written by: C
Received: ARC from Author
Publication Date of Book: April 13, 2018
Stars: 4/5
Official Summary:
Five children find themselves stuck in a beautiful jungle on a strange planet. But all is not as peaceful as it first appears.
Twelve-year-old Charlotte has been different all her life. It isn’t just that her father left when she was a child, or her mother ignores her. What really makes her an outsider is the fact that she has strange abilities that she can’t explain and struggles to control. Everything changes in the summer of 1993 when she feels drawn to a certain spot outside of town. Unfortunately, she isn’t alone when things go sideways.
When the children realize they are definitely not on Earth anymore, they have to learn not only how to fend for themselves, but how to get along. The problem is, even Charlotte has no idea how to get off the alien planet. And, perhaps, she doesn’t want to.
It doesn’t take long for the five to realize they aren’t alone in this strange land and that life here is more dangerous than they could have imagined.
My Thoughts:
First and foremost, I was truly fascinated when I found out that this story was inspired by Peter Pan and Neverland. I have always loved this tale, its lore, and the good and the evil found within a boy that will never grow up. Uzzell provides a short explanation at the beginning regarding how The Tales of Mentara came to be, and I thoroughly enjoyed how she tells of taking a beloved story, that impacted her while growing up, and using it as inspiration for her own work. As someone who also grew up watching Peter Pan films and eating up any form of Peter Pan literature that I could get my hands on, I was pumped for this story from the very beginning and couldn't wait to see how Uzzell was influenced by such a story to create her own form of writing magic. Now, without further adieu, let's get into it!
Charlotte and her friends enter a world unlike any other and are faced with many obstacles and dangers. They have to deal with the distrust of a native tribe, a possible war, and the struggles of trying to cooperate and improve their situation. Ultimately, they have to get past any hardships or setbacks, come together, and survive.
Along this journey, Uzzell deals with many different characters, and I appreciate her ability to maintain them all. When there are more than two individuals who are focal points in a story, more often than not some characters fall to the wayside or evoke a sense of boring and uneventful blah:
However, Uzzell was more than capable of taking five kids and not letting a single one feel as if they did not belong in the story -- they all had vital roles to play. Additionally, even though the novel was just under 200 pages, it was more than enough for meaningful character development to occur.
I also feel that the story carried some important weight regarding race and being able to coexist with people who are different from yourself be it due to speaking different languages, having varying skin colors, possessing different cultural backgrounds, or, you know, belonging to a different planet. I feel that the book brought to the table a vital message that empathy between everyone is possible even though differences exist.
Lastly, the raw emotion was stupendous. I felt everything that Charlotte, Mindy, Lena, Daniel, and Fred experienced. The stress and homesickness that they endured emanated from the page. Plus, they're stuck in the middle of an impending war. Who wouldn't be emotional?
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Uzzell's most recent work, and I look forward to seeing what she does next!
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