Book review - Forever Neverland

Title: Forever Neverland
Author: Susan Adrian
Genre: Fantasy
Similar books: Secrets of the Book by Erin Fry
                      Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke
Rating:

a solid re-imagining

Summary (provided by publisher): Clover and Fergus are the great-great-grandchildren of Wendy Darling (yes, that Wendy). And now Peter Pan wants to take them to Neverland for the adventure of their lives! But Clover is a little nervous--she's supposed to look after her brother. Fergus is autistic, and not everyone makes him feel welcome. What will happen to him in this magical world?
Fergus isn't nervous at all. To him, Neverland seems like a dream come true! He's tired of Clover's constant mothering and wants some independence, like Peter and the Lost Boys have. He wonders, Why can't the real world be more like Neverland?
Neverland is fun and free, but it's also dangerous and even scary at times. Unfamiliar creatures lurk in the shadows, and strange sounds come from the waters. And then the mermaids start to go missing. . . .
In an imaginative and thoughtful continuation of the story of Peter Pan, Susan Adrian explores Neverland with a fresh perspective and indelible warmth, offering a new adventure based on a beloved classic!

My opinion: You might not expect Neverland and Greek/Roman mythology to mesh well, but Adrian pulls it off. This is largely because she establishes early on that Neverland reshapes itself based on the current occupants and visitors. It only makes sense, then, that an adventure for mythology obsessed Fergus would have a mythological bent. Not only are the plot elements well integrated, Fergus and Clover are well developed characters. They go through significant changes, forced to address the flaws in their characters that are addressed in the early chapters. 
I do have a single, major complaint. In the early chapters we meet the children's grandfather, a gruff man who has no patience and no understanding of Fergus. This early conflict is never resolved. It's never even addressed again. Clover and Fergus have interactions with their mother and grandmother but the grandfather is notably absent in the novel's resolution.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley