‘The P.A.N.’ by Jenny Hickman

4.5 stars and straight on till morning

Book Blurb:

“Since her parents were killed, Vivienne has always felt ungrounded, shuffled through the foster care system. Just when liberation finally seems possible—days before her eighteenth birthday—Vivienne is hospitalized with symptoms no one can explain.

The doctors may be puzzled, but Deacon, her mysterious new friend, claims she has an active Nevergene. His far-fetched diagnosis comes with a warning: she is about to become an involuntary test subject for Humanitarian Organization for Order and Knowledge—or H.O.O.K.

Vivienne can either escape to Neverland’s Kensington Academy and learn to fly (Did he really just say fly?) or risk sticking around to become a human lab rat.

But accepting a place among The P.A.N. means Vivienne must abandon her life and foster family to safeguard their secrets and hide in Neverland’s shadows… forever.”

Review:

‘The P.A.N.’ is a cleverly written blend of contemporary YA and fairy-tale re-imagining which blends and continues the ‘Peter Pan’ story we all know and love.  This tale is somewhat self-aware; it explains the existence of JM Barrie’s book, ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’ and provides background for different elements associated with it; Peter Pan, Tink, fairy dust, flying, second star to the right, lost boys and girls, never growing up, Hook, and the crocodile.

We follow Vivienne as her Nevergene activates around her eighteenth birthday and the charming and handsome Deacon shows up to help her through the change and bring her to Neverland, one of the P.A.N. headquarters.

I really liked Vivienne’s optimism.  She is a believable character with just enough skepticism to keep things realistic in the fanciful new world of secrets she finds herself in.  Author Jenny Hickman chose to keep the tone relatively light; though Vivienne’s life in foster care was mediocre and she misses her birth parents and siblings, she doesn’t spend much time being upset about these things, which helps the story move forward in a lighter way.

Vivienne meets some really good people at Neverland; her roommate, classmates, and Deacon’s friends are all caring, and lots of fun when they start breaking the rules.  Deacon is a great love interest for her; their interactions consist of witty banter at times and shy, hesitant conversations at others.  He was raised in the Neverland environment and knows the answers to nearly all her questions, even though he doesn’t always share them.

The characters alone are enough for me to want to continue reading this series, but there are a few unanswered questions, especially one regarding H.O.O.K. that has me hooked on the P.A.N. and their world.

Fly away with ‘The P.A.N.’ on October 14, 2020!

I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.