THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS NEVER IN FOREVER

by Kenneth Nichols Fecteau, Kenneth Nichols Fecteau & Judy Nichols Fecteau

It was going to be the perfect Thanksgiving weekend. Mandy and Lizzy Elegant, along with their friends, Hugo Yerway and Yerma Wafermaker, were psyched out of their minds. Their rock group, The Mols, was set to play their biggest gig yet at the top teen club, the Electric Circus. To make the holiday even more magical, these four big city kids had been adopted by the Mistook Indian Tribe. Their initiation was a vision quest, to prove their worthiness. They were going on a dirt bike trek to retrieve a talisman, deep in the evergreen forest. Lost in a cave, their missteps send them down a tunnel where they are bombarded by everything from shoe boxes to baseballs, ballerinas to bicycles, while doing a double dutch dance down strands of DNA.
Mandy and Lizzy find themselves in a dirty seaport town, without money, or their friends. They become underage dancing girls in a grungy bar, filled with hard drinking sailors. Meanwhile, Hugo and Yerma have been abducted by a voodoo queen. Soon Mandy and Lizzy are running from both her criminal gang and the police.
With their lives on the line, a talisman that turns out to be quite extraordinary, and danger exploding around them, questions must be answered. Will they ever make it back in time for the gig? Will they ever find their way home? Will they ever get out of there alive? Will they sacrifice a love to save a life?
No computers, televisions, radios or phones of any kind. No public transportation. No cars. No money. No neighboring towns. No clue how they will ever make it home.
It was going to be a perfect holiday weekend.
Life had other plans.

219 pages, Paperback

First published December 8, 2021

Reviews

[Ellie Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

~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.

[Happy Booker · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘There’s No Such Thing As Never In Forever’ is a paranormal urban fantasy story filled with action and adventure. Mandy, Lizzy, Hugo, and Terma decide on having the perfect Thanksgiving. However, everything falls apart when they all get abducted. Mandy and Lizzy find themselves as underage dancers, and Hugo and Yerma are prisoned by a voodoo queen.
The story is geared toward the young adult audience, so the dialogue, discussions, scenes, and details are created to attract the young mind. It is filled with intriguing and exciting descriptive passages.

The concept of the storyline is intense, and you quickly find yourself self-hooked on the ordeal, hoping things will pan out for all four of them. I recommend this book to action adventure young adult readers.