There’s No Such Thing as Never in Forever
There’s No Such Thing as Never in Forever,
by Kenneth and Judy Nicholas-Fecteau
Hey guys, welcome back to Bookish Beyond.
How have you been?
Today, I’m excited to be reviewing There’s No Such Thing as Never in Forever, by Kenneth and Judy Nicholas-Fecteau. So, if you’ve got your favourite drink to hand and are all settled in, let’s begin.
About
Mandy and Lizzy are teenage twin sisters who have been adopted into the Native American Mistook tribe. As part of their vision-quest, they are tasked with finding an important artefact. However, their journey soon takes an unexpected turn, plunging them into another time.
Characters
For the purposes of this review, I will focus on the following six characters: Mandy, Lizzy, Yerma, Hugo, Rosethorn, and Queen Ant LaRouge.
Mandy
Mandy was the more curious and studious of the two Elegant-sisters. She was honest to a fault and – at times – could be overly cautious, not wanting to take risks. Her impeccable logic and attention to detail served as a core strength of her character, along with her loyalty to her sister.
Lizzy
Lizzy was the opposite of her sister, Mandy. She was more impulsive, though equally as curious, and was definitely the funny one in my opinion. Lizzy was also the more emotional of the two sisters and could get quite hot-headed at times. However, she was also courageous and bold, willing to take risks where necessary to achieve her goals.
Yerma
Yerma, a dear friend of the Elegant-sisters, was a stubborn and brave young woman who always stood up for herself and others. She was an independent woman and possessed a formidable inner-strength, able to confidently persevere through the most difficult of situations no matter how she felt.
Hugo
Hugo, another dear friend of the Elegant-sisters was an intelligent young man, who quickly pieced situations together. He was remarkably responsible for his age, coming from a family of sailors, and proved to be a kind, loyal, and protective friend.
Rosethorn
Rosethorn was a Native American shaman and shapeshifter, a mysterious man who often spoke in riddles. He had a warm and welcoming presence and seemed good-natured in general. In addition, he served as a kindly, fatherly figure in the story, helping to guide the Elegant-sisters and their friends on their vision quest.
Queen Ant LaRouge
Finally, we come to Queen Ant LaRouge, a fierce and ruthless pirate queen. Her intimidating presence was off-putting and was initially masked by her beauty and charm. She was a master of voodoo and hypnosis and would do anything necessary to get what she wanted. The more I learned about her, the more I came to see the truly vindictive and sadistic being that lurked behind her façade of sickly sweetness.
Positive Aspects
There were many positive aspects to the book:
- Firstly, I enjoyed the romantic poem (by Kenneth) which was included at the story’s start.
- Secondly, the Elegant-sisters made for two intriguing characters, whose playful sibling dynamic made the story a fun and delightful read.
- Thirdly, the third-person omniscient narration allowed the reader to see into the minds of multiple characters, to gain a better understanding of their motivations and feelings.
- In addition, the plot itself was interesting, including elements of time-travel as the sister’s embark on their vision-quest to locate an ancient artefact, only to be thwarted at every turn.
- Furthermore, I especially liked the ‘torture garden’ scene for its high levels of tension, and for showcasing Queen Ant LaRouge’s true personality in such a clear and dramatic way.
- Finally, the included mythology of the Ant People was fascinating, as was the created history of the Mistook.
Negative Aspects
Despite the many positives to this story, there was one thing which I felt let the book down.
The story began in media-res, showing the reader a later point in the story. Although this technique is commonly used in writing, it felt unnecessary here as I felt it didn’t provide enough context for the reader to know what was going on. Vague references were made to characters and to some goal to decode some documents, however, not knowing any of the characters or any background information made the shift from this scene – back to the start of the sister’s journey – feel awkward and confusing.
Memorable Quotes
The following quotes were the most memorable:
1) ‘Overemotional people can be manipulated’.
2) ‘Loyalty is a wonderful thing, but not when it is applied in a hopeless situation’.
3) ‘Every goodbye is just the beginning of a new hello – There’s no such thing as never in forever’.
Overview
Overall, I thought There’s No Such Thing as Never in Forever was a gripping and fun-filled adventure that covered key themes of family, friendship, time-travel, love, and self-discovery.
My Rating: 4 stars.
Recommended to: lovers of unique urban-fantasy tales of novella-length.
Would you like more information?
To learn more about There’s No Such Thing as Never in Forever, you can visit its Goodreads page, HERE.
Or, to find out more about Kenneth and Judy Nicholas-Fecteau, visit their Goodreads Author Page, HERE.
As always, thank you for joining me for today’s review.
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Have a wonderful week,
Ellie. xoxo
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