Official Review: Underlord of the Netherworld

[Poppy Drear]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Underlord of the Netherworld" by Juna Jinsei.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Underlord of the Netherworld by Juna Jinsei is a spin-off of Peter Pan that takes place in Neverland. Other than its setting and the inclusion of a few notable characters, it actually has very little to do with the original classic novel, though the fact that it is is the second book in a series may be to blame for this. The story follows a variety of characters, including twin princes Wochi and Reichi, tribe leader Chief Najoshi, and the warrior Khwam Glaohán. They must all work together to defend their home from the Malomen, a territorial and extremely violent race of shark people.

Because of the large number of characters in the novel, I found it difficult to form an attachment to any of them. Despite the fact that this book is a sequel, few characters seemed to show any distinguishing characteristics. Some parts of the book felt disorganized and irrelevant to the plot, particularly when Kuthanda and Dobráta project their spirits to another planet with the intent of saving an alien race from a devastating explosion. If this seems bewildering now, it's not much better in the book itself.

The battles fought between the Malomen and the residents of the island feel rather inconsequential. Despite many people dying, I wasn't given the chance to understand how the characters felt during the fighting and carnage, so the violence became routine within the story. Most of the narrative is focused on simply describing events, instead of implementing sensory details and emotions to draw the reader into the action.

Mechanistically, the writing is bland, with a significant number of minor grammatical errors. The dialogue is uninteresting, but it's not distractingly awful. Particularly in the beginning of the book, some characters say things that their conversation partners should already know, which serves as clumsy exposition. The plot of the novel is relatively sound, though, and it was full of twists and turns that somewhat made up for the lack of character development. I was surprised by how little it actually had to do with the titular Underlord.

I rate Underlord of the Netherworld 2 out of 4 stars. It certainly wasn't an awful book, but I have a hard time giving it an emphatic recommendation, due to its forgettable characters and poorly organized narrative. I'd recommend it to people who enjoy fantasy battles and simple, easy to digest moral lessons. Since there was nothing particularly inappropriate besides some moderate violence and death, this book would be a good fit for younger children with an interest in fantasy novels. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for an adventure inspired by Peter Pan, or anyone with little patience for underdeveloped characters.

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Underlord of the Netherworld
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Like ViziVoir's review? Post a comment saying so!

[kandscreeley]

I definitely didn't see that this would be a spin off of Peter Pan from the cover and title. It's too bad it didn't really have much to do with Peter Pan. That along with the bland characters and somewhat off narrative makes me think I'll be skipping this one. Sorry this wasn't quite enjoyable. Hopefully the next book will be better.

[Manang Muyang]

The cover is something I wouldn't recommend to young adult readers. I do not see a shadow of Peter Pan in there, either. In fact, I feel this book has more in common with Poe's "Nevermore" than the childhood fantasy world of "Neverland." Carnage is definitely not young adult material for me.

I wonder whether the first book in the series fared better.

Thanks for the review, ViziVoir. The book must have tested your patience.

[Nanig83006]

While Underlord of the Netherworld sounds like a decent action/adventure story, the last thing I expected it to be about is a Peter Pan retelling with little to do on the original tale. I love Peter Pan and I would have been excited to read this, but the fact that it isn't exactly about the classic, I'll have to pass on this. It also doesn't feel appropriately categorized because the novel makes me think paranormal romance than it does young adult. Maybe I'll read the first in the series, but this doesn't seem to pique my interest. Thank you for the thorough review, Vizivior. (:

[DancingLady]

Based on the cover picture, I am surprised this is even remotely appropriate for minors. But honestly, I don’t think poor quality books hold the interest of younger reader any more than adults. If you are capable of having an in depth conversation, you can tell when the dialogue is dull or unnatural.

[Bianka Walter]

Any book that's lacking in storyline is immediately picked up with developed characters. It's a pity when you can't form attachments to anyone in the book, and it makes it a forgettable read. What a shame! Thanks for the review!

[Eileen R]

It's a pity that the book didn't meet expectations. Thanks for the review though.

[Jackie Holycross]

I tend to get lost in books with multiple battle scenes as well. The character development is much more important to me. Thanks for the information.

[Tzara Drusak]

I've been reading a lot of books with the issue of too much characters. It feels as though the authors are attempting to insert additional people in the books in order to make up for the lack of substance. What happens is exactly what you've mentioned in the review - they're so many characters you don't know whose perspective you should be focusing on. The authors try to introduce many characters and tell their story but inadvertently turn readers off.