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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
I love a twist on an old classic and this did not disappoint! The afterstory of Wendy and Peter was fabulous!
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Wendy, Darling is a dark reimagining of the Peter Pan tale and Wendy’s life after Neverland grown up with a family of her own.
The story takes us between the present day with Wendy going back to Neverland to rescue her daughter and flashbacks to a few years during which she was institutionalized by her brothers after she never forgot Neverland as she grew up.
This story was dark and twisty. It’s not a happy tale. Neverland isn’t a place of wonder and magic, Peter isn’t a simple boy who never wants to grow up - he’s something worse and monstrous. It’s a book that you don’t want to stop reading but at times feels like you have to step away from. Bouncing back and forth between Wendy and Jane’s POV gives the story an interesting perspective. Jane barely able to remember her mother’s stories is seeing Neverland in a darker and harsher light than her mother ever did. While on the other hand, Wendy is returning to Neverland. Where things that shouldn’t have been able to have died. A place that now feels haunted and evil - no longer the place of dreams and no responsibilities. She’s no longer a child and has been through many terrible things throughout her life after leaving.
This was a really great retelling and - although it did make me cry - really liked it.
One note on content warnings: be aware that this book deals with some heavy themes such as - mental illness, abuse, and death.
Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this before publication.
The story takes us between the present day with Wendy going back to Neverland to rescue her daughter and flashbacks to a few years during which she was institutionalized by her brothers after she never forgot Neverland as she grew up.
This story was dark and twisty. It’s not a happy tale. Neverland isn’t a place of wonder and magic, Peter isn’t a simple boy who never wants to grow up - he’s something worse and monstrous. It’s a book that you don’t want to stop reading but at times feels like you have to step away from. Bouncing back and forth between Wendy and Jane’s POV gives the story an interesting perspective. Jane barely able to remember her mother’s stories is seeing Neverland in a darker and harsher light than her mother ever did. While on the other hand, Wendy is returning to Neverland. Where things that shouldn’t have been able to have died. A place that now feels haunted and evil - no longer the place of dreams and no responsibilities. She’s no longer a child and has been through many terrible things throughout her life after leaving.
This was a really great retelling and - although it did make me cry - really liked it.
One note on content warnings: be aware that this book deals with some heavy themes such as - mental illness, abuse, and death.
Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this before publication.
It started out strong, then the plot seemed to fade away. I loved the parts where Jane was in the asylum and her memories about Neverland, but Jane's character (and Peter honestly) weren't fully developed.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
I have always enjoyed the story of Peter Pan. The thought of never growing up as a kid always captured me. Now as an adult somedays I still wish I had those thoughts and would like to have never grown up but at what cost would this have happened? Wise takes us down that road of thought and gives Peter Pan a whole new look. We see a way darker side of Peter and some of his antics make more sense know as I look at it as an adult. This is by far a great retelling of Peter Pan and I was hooked immediately. I have read many retells and this one sticks to the original idea the best while also giving us some answers I'm sure you have asked yourself while reading this story either as a kid of an adult.
I cannot recommend this enough, it was stunning.
It is hard to know what to say about this.
I was hoping it would go FULL uncanny valley, because it's supposed to be a "dark, horror-tinged" retelling, and the original Peter Pan book is certainly vaguely horror-tinged enough to provide fertile ground. It sort of did... and sort of didn't.
There is certainly some creepy darkness at the center of this book, and a lot of it should have been very interesting to me. For instance is honestly a GREAT detail. It should have been a GREAT twist, especially with the way it means Wendy can eventually defeat him.
Also, there's a lot more. There's SO MUCH here. So many good bones, that I should have loved to see explored.
Key words: should have.
It's so odd, and I can't pinpoint exactly what about this didn't work for me.
Something about the writing style was definitely over the top. This is also supposed to be a "lush, feminist" retelling, and it absolutely did succeed on that score. TOO lush. Too self-importantly deep and dramatic and "she tried, oh, how she tried," if you know what I mean. It's working WAY too hard, and not actually going anywhere.
There were so many chapters in the middle, of Wendy's POV and Jane's POV alternating on Neverland in which... nothing happened. They both just thought a bunch of sad, important thoughts and then traded POVs again. I didn't care, really, about Jane or Wendy. I would have loved to be invested in the creepiness and mystery, except that the book essentially told everyone straight up: Peter is evil and here's where we're going to find the answer to why.
And then just kept saying it over and over without explanation up until the climax, and at that point there's no suspense left to be had. I'm just a little irritated at the delay. If there was no real mystery left, I would have liked to discover the backstory. What's the deal with Peter? Why is his secret like that? What is he, and how? And why? I feel like for such an inherently complex character, his resolution was completely just a throwaway piece of action that answered no questions.
I really wanted to love this book, and there is so much here that is or should be fascinating. For some reason it just felt like there was an overload of certain content (Wendy's repetitive, deep dark emotions) and not enough of others (plot buildup, creepy suspense, worldbuilding).
I was hoping it would go FULL uncanny valley, because it's supposed to be a "dark, horror-tinged" retelling, and the original Peter Pan book is certainly vaguely horror-tinged enough to provide fertile ground. It sort of did... and sort of didn't.
There is certainly some creepy darkness at the center of this book, and a lot of it should have been very interesting to me. For instance
Spoiler
the true secret being Peter's shadow, which he had torn away from himself and forgotten aboutAlso, there's a lot more.
Spoiler
The whole asylum thing, the way it's confirmed that Peter does do away with troublesome or too-old lost boys, like the original book hinted. The way the whole island rises and falls on his thoughtless whims. His flighty, forgetful nature imposing itself on everyone else to their own horror.Key words: should have.
It's so odd, and I can't pinpoint exactly what about this didn't work for me.
Something about the writing style was definitely over the top. This is also supposed to be a "lush, feminist" retelling, and it absolutely did succeed on that score. TOO lush. Too self-importantly deep and dramatic and "she tried, oh, how she tried," if you know what I mean. It's working WAY too hard, and not actually going anywhere.
There were so many chapters in the middle, of Wendy's POV and Jane's POV alternating on Neverland in which... nothing happened. They both just thought a bunch of sad, important thoughts and then traded POVs again. I didn't care, really, about Jane or Wendy. I would have loved to be invested in the creepiness and mystery, except that the book essentially told everyone straight up: Peter is evil and here's where we're going to find the answer to why.
And then just kept saying it over and over without explanation up until the climax, and at that point there's no suspense left to be had. I'm just a little irritated at the delay. If there was no real mystery left, I would have liked to discover the backstory. What's the deal with Peter? Why is his secret like that? What is he, and how? And why? I feel like for such an inherently complex character, his resolution was completely just a throwaway piece of action that answered no questions.
I really wanted to love this book, and there is so much here that is or should be fascinating. For some reason it just felt like there was an overload of certain content (Wendy's repetitive, deep dark emotions) and not enough of others (plot buildup, creepy suspense, worldbuilding).
"You don't have to prove anything to anyone. You can fly, but if you let them see, they'll only try to tie you down and break your wings."
THE BURIED GIANT x NEVERLAND
In WENDY, DARLING we revisit the land of Peter Pan, but the island of our memory--though magical and enticing--is empty. Hook's gone, the mermaids forgotten, Neverland like a haunted grave or hazy mirage.
The story follows Wendy, gone from Neverland and grown up, as she grapples with her memories. It explores the concepts of reality and perception and control, following Wendy as she questions what's real and what's a dream. It asks how much power do we have over our memory and is remembering a choice? The novel explores the way we are impacted by trauma and regret and how we heal.
It's a smart and haunting novel, of one woman facing her memories and being brave enough to see the truth of her past, a story full of shadows and ancient magic, of truth slowly and elegantly revealed.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. I was expecting a fairy tale retelling adventure and instead found an elegant study of mental health and memory. It has the brilliance of an Ishiguro novel, where the truth is slowly, hauntingly revealed.
Highly recommended.
I received an ARC for an honest review.
THE BURIED GIANT x NEVERLAND
In WENDY, DARLING we revisit the land of Peter Pan, but the island of our memory--though magical and enticing--is empty. Hook's gone, the mermaids forgotten, Neverland like a haunted grave or hazy mirage.
The story follows Wendy, gone from Neverland and grown up, as she grapples with her memories. It explores the concepts of reality and perception and control, following Wendy as she questions what's real and what's a dream. It asks how much power do we have over our memory and is remembering a choice? The novel explores the way we are impacted by trauma and regret and how we heal.
It's a smart and haunting novel, of one woman facing her memories and being brave enough to see the truth of her past, a story full of shadows and ancient magic, of truth slowly and elegantly revealed.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. I was expecting a fairy tale retelling adventure and instead found an elegant study of mental health and memory. It has the brilliance of an Ishiguro novel, where the truth is slowly, hauntingly revealed.
Highly recommended.
I received an ARC for an honest review.