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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
I'll be honest, this book was around three stars for most of the book despite the flaws I picked up in it until the anticlimactic ending that made the story fizzle out for me. I did really like Wendy's relationship with Mary, and it was by far my favorite part of the whole book, but there were so many parts that dragged and needed another round of editing to tighten the story up.
Other things that I liked about this book was Wendy's time in the hospital in general, even if it was dark and fairly depressing. Peter and Neverland had their moments of being creepy in a fun way, especially with Jane being influenced by being on the island. It also gets points for working around the racist depictions of indigenous people in the original tale.
My big problem with this book is that for a premise that had all the potential to be suspenseful and scary, it ended up being weirdly lackluster and without much action going on at all. More than once I caught myself thinking, "Wendy, you're looking for your kidnapped daughter, why are you standing around reminiscing about Neverland for the fifth time?" It felt overly repetitive and circular without actually bringing anything new to the table. So much of Wendy and Jane's time on Neverland seemed to be them standing around thinking about things until suddenly the book knows it needs to end, and we're brought to the big discovery moment with Peter.
With Peter, the book makes it clear from the first chapter that he's evil and there's really no mystery to be found. Any questions about what's going on with him and Neverland doesn't get clarified at all by the ending. What happens to Neverland? Why is Peter the way he is, beyond the shadow that never gets fully explained? What about the other lost boys besides Timothy? The answer is apparently: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I think this story was trying to go for a creepy open-ended vibe, but it fell flat with being emotionally effective and instead felt rushed and half-baked.
I was really intrigued by the summary of this book and was hoping for a great female focused story about Neverland that featured an evil Peter, but there wasn't enough plot development and suspense to make it rise above being "okay" for me. If you're interested in a trying out a different evil Peter story (that's more focused around male characters) I'd recommend Lost Boy by Christina Henry.
Other things that I liked about this book was Wendy's time in the hospital in general, even if it was dark and fairly depressing. Peter and Neverland had their moments of being creepy in a fun way, especially with Jane being influenced by being on the island. It also gets points for working around the racist depictions of indigenous people in the original tale.
My big problem with this book is that for a premise that had all the potential to be suspenseful and scary, it ended up being weirdly lackluster and without much action going on at all. More than once I caught myself thinking, "Wendy, you're looking for your kidnapped daughter, why are you standing around reminiscing about Neverland for the fifth time?" It felt overly repetitive and circular without actually bringing anything new to the table. So much of Wendy and Jane's time on Neverland seemed to be them standing around thinking about things until suddenly the book knows it needs to end, and we're brought to the big discovery moment with Peter.
With Peter, the book makes it clear from the first chapter that he's evil and there's really no mystery to be found. Any questions about what's going on with him and Neverland doesn't get clarified at all by the ending. What happens to Neverland? Why is Peter the way he is, beyond the shadow that never gets fully explained? What about the other lost boys besides Timothy? The answer is apparently: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I think this story was trying to go for a creepy open-ended vibe, but it fell flat with being emotionally effective and instead felt rushed and half-baked.
I was really intrigued by the summary of this book and was hoping for a great female focused story about Neverland that featured an evil Peter, but there wasn't enough plot development and suspense to make it rise above being "okay" for me. If you're interested in a trying out a different evil Peter story (that's more focused around male characters) I'd recommend Lost Boy by Christina Henry.
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Liked the idea - a darker retelling of Peter Pan with a grown up Wendy - but a lot of it didn't work for me. I skimmed over the flashbacks, and only read felt invested in present day Wendy's narrative. And Timothy. Justice for Timothy. So by the time I reached the last 50 pages, I was just ready for it to be over.
3/5
Well written, just not for me.
3/5
Well written, just not for me.
Interessante Neuinterpretation von der Geschichte von Peter Pan bzw. eine Geschichte die nach Wendys Abenteuern in Nimmerland spielt.
Wendy ist erwachsen geworden, hat geheiratet und eine Tochter bekommen.
Die Geschichte ist an sich düsterer. Schon alleine das man von Wendy Rückblenden bekommt wie es ihr nach Nimmerland ergangen ist. Das ihr keiner geglaubt, selbst ihre beiden Brüder Michael und John haben Nimmerland schnell vergessen. Und so passiert es auch das Wendy in eine Besserungsanstalt landet, etwas was zu dieser Zeit normal war wenn Frau Anzeichen von Hysterie o.ä. gezeigt hat.
Nachdem sie quasi alles überstanden hat und ein Leben hat, da taucht Peter auf und nimmt Jane ihre Tochter mit.
Und so muss sich Wendy sich einigen Stellen um Jane wieder zurück zu bekommen.
An sich mochte ich die Atmosphäre, das Dunkle hat gepasst. Grad Peter Pan wurde gut dargestellt. Mein herz ist ein wenig wegen der verlorenen Jungs gebrochen.
Aber auch wenn die Geschichte teils interessant ist, hat sie mich nicht 100%ig gepackt. Vielleicht habe ich mir was anderes vorgestellt bzw hätte es zu einen anderen Zeitpunkt lesen sollen.
Aber ich bin doch soweit neugierig wie der zweite Band sein wird.
Wendy ist erwachsen geworden, hat geheiratet und eine Tochter bekommen.
Die Geschichte ist an sich düsterer. Schon alleine das man von Wendy Rückblenden bekommt wie es ihr nach Nimmerland ergangen ist. Das ihr keiner geglaubt, selbst ihre beiden Brüder Michael und John haben Nimmerland schnell vergessen. Und so passiert es auch das Wendy in eine Besserungsanstalt landet, etwas was zu dieser Zeit normal war wenn Frau Anzeichen von Hysterie o.ä. gezeigt hat.
Nachdem sie quasi alles überstanden hat und ein Leben hat, da taucht Peter auf und nimmt Jane ihre Tochter mit.
Und so muss sich Wendy sich einigen Stellen um Jane wieder zurück zu bekommen.
An sich mochte ich die Atmosphäre, das Dunkle hat gepasst. Grad Peter Pan wurde gut dargestellt. Mein herz ist ein wenig wegen der verlorenen Jungs gebrochen.
Aber auch wenn die Geschichte teils interessant ist, hat sie mich nicht 100%ig gepackt. Vielleicht habe ich mir was anderes vorgestellt bzw hätte es zu einen anderen Zeitpunkt lesen sollen.
Aber ich bin doch soweit neugierig wie der zweite Band sein wird.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a wonderful adaption of "Peter Pan." It goes between a few points of view and enthralled me in a twisted tale.
My true home is Wonderland, but Neverland is a beautiful and enchanting alternative. And where Wonderland is amazing for mad retellings and doing everything that doesn't make sense, Neverland always is about growing up, one way or another. When I saw this book I knew that I had to have it. Not only is the cover incredibly beautiful, but the story sounds like an amazing spin on the original tale. I didn't hesitate this morning to pick this one up. I had waited long enough now.
This story is as beautiful as you can expect it to be. The pace is slow, but never boring. That's especially because Wise tells the story in a really gripping way by not only using both Jane's and Wendy's point of view, but by also mixing the present tale with the memories and journeys from the past. We therefore experience Neverland in a few different ways, but we also are confronted with the consequences of coming home after a journey like this.
What makes this story so heartbreaking is the influence Neverland has on all three Darling siblings in our world. We experience Michael's and John's emotions through Wendy's eyes, but during the story she realized where they're coming from and why they dealt with Neverland the way they did. And what makes this story so heartwarming is the fighting spirit awakening in Wendy when she knows her daughter, who is intelligent quite clearly, is in danger.
And that's because this Neverland is a dangerous place. Just like loads of other retellings this book searches for the darkness in the original Peter Pan tale and shows us that it might seem fun to never grow up and to live without rules, but the consequences are immense. I loved how Wise connected the Isle, the miracles of Neverland and Peter Pan himself. And I loved how Wendy eventually saves her daughter, while equally taking something very precious from her.
I hope that they will both find their happily ever after, but it was looking really good!
This story is as beautiful as you can expect it to be. The pace is slow, but never boring. That's especially because Wise tells the story in a really gripping way by not only using both Jane's and Wendy's point of view, but by also mixing the present tale with the memories and journeys from the past. We therefore experience Neverland in a few different ways, but we also are confronted with the consequences of coming home after a journey like this.
What makes this story so heartbreaking is the influence Neverland has on all three Darling siblings in our world. We experience Michael's and John's emotions through Wendy's eyes, but during the story she realized where they're coming from and why they dealt with Neverland the way they did. And what makes this story so heartwarming is the fighting spirit awakening in Wendy when she knows her daughter, who is intelligent quite clearly, is in danger.
And that's because this Neverland is a dangerous place. Just like loads of other retellings this book searches for the darkness in the original Peter Pan tale and shows us that it might seem fun to never grow up and to live without rules, but the consequences are immense. I loved how Wise connected the Isle, the miracles of Neverland and Peter Pan himself. And I loved how Wendy eventually saves her daughter, while equally taking something very precious from her.
I hope that they will both find their happily ever after, but it was looking really good!
I absolutely love the idea behind this story, and it doesn't disappoint. This is definitely a book I would pick up in a bookstore and purchase without having read more than a few sentences of description. I will definitely be trying anything else this author writes!
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-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:
Yes
i really didn’t like this book. i wasn’t invested in anything that was happening. the writing was not for me at all, i thought it was kinda amateurish? it just wasn’t very good in my opinion. i also felt like the story was very generic. it was supposed to be this cool horror twist on peter pan but it all felt very tame, which comes back to the writing i guess. the writing just put me off so much, it made everything seem so boring and cliché. LOTS of clichés in this book that i didn’t like. i also felt like all the characters were very unlikeable? anyway yeah my biggest issue is just the writing lmao
Oh. My. Word.
This is a deep and honest view of Netherland. Without the wishful thinking, without the shine... this is the story of what Pete made...
This is a deep and honest view of Netherland. Without the wishful thinking, without the shine... this is the story of what Pete made...