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deldc's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
it was a beautifully written reimagination of Peter Pan. everything was given a brand new turn of perspective from the original story -- Peter Pan, what happened to him and Wendy, to Michael, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook!, and even the playwright J.M. Barrie was given a new light -- i liked it all so much. i liked that from this idea sprung a strategy to tackle pressing issues like rape, drugs, child-abuse, and even feminism. it made the premise all the more interesting.
it also moved me as it is a story about mothers -- how they'd be willing to do anything for their children; they'd do anything they think what's right at the call of the occasion. not only mothers, actually, but also sisters like Nan, who cares and loves like a real mother. i didn't expect how timely this book would impress me, and i envied Holly for having a mother like Jane. i was surprised at how she acted as a mom in the end. i admired her from the moment she believed Holly and showed alliance to her without any doubt.
i just think that almost 3/4 of the book were too draggy and makes the reader hyperfixate on Peter when the ending was intended to be anticlimactic for him, at least, which he deserves by the way. it solidified the conviction that Peter isn't, nor any men, are the heroes of this story -- but women - mothers.
all in all, it has an intelligent and beautiful writing. i highly approve the science references -- it was accurate.
i give it a 3! :)
it also moved me as it is a story about mothers -- how they'd be willing to do anything for their children; they'd do anything they think what's right at the call of the occasion. not only mothers, actually, but also sisters like Nan, who cares and loves like a real mother. i didn't expect how timely this book would impress me, and i envied Holly for having a mother like Jane. i was surprised at how she acted as a mom in the end. i admired her from the moment she believed Holly and showed alliance to her without any doubt.
i just think that almost 3/4 of the book were too draggy and makes the reader hyperfixate on Peter when the ending was intended to be anticlimactic for him, at least, which he deserves by the way. it solidified the conviction that Peter isn't, nor any men, are the heroes of this story -- but women - mothers.
all in all, it has an intelligent and beautiful writing. i highly approve the science references -- it was accurate.
i give it a 3! :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Drug abuse, Child abuse, and Drug use
ekmurphey's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Sexual assault, and Child death
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use
chelle_benedetti's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Drug abuse
trippalli's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A thoughtful modernization and continuation of the Peter Pan legacy with now deserves, sadness and the struggles we see in modern society, business, anti-aging and beauty products industry, drugs, school competitions and sports, money and family drivers, research and ethics, survivors and family tragedies Los and coping. Overall a thoughtful family drama.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Rape, Grief, Confinement, Addiction, and Abandonment
Moderate: Car accident, Gaslighting, Child death, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug abuse, Alcohol, and Death
greek_book_wanderer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Sometimes it’s easier to remember sorrow than joy… Sorrow doesn’t hurt as much.
When I heard about this novel, I was very interested to read it. I was curious to see how the author handled the story, considering that she gave a darker tone to the classic one. The premise sounded intriguing and I dived into the book rather quickly. I must warn you that the book contains scenes or mentions of sexual assault and r*pe so please, if you want to read the book, do it at your own risk.
The story was overall very interesting. The mystery aspects made the book more engaging and I wanted to find the answers to the secrets behind the Darling's family's story. As sick as it sounds, I liked the idea of portraying Peter Pan as a sexual predator and that was an interesting take on the original story. There was something twisted, yet appealing about his character that motivated me to continue reading the book in order to discover more about him and his past with the Darlings.
The writing style was simple and atmospheric. I could almost feel Peter's presence, whether it was faint or not and there were some parts which made me pause for a moment before I continue my reading. At times, the writing became kinda dull and bland but all in all, it was easy to get into.
Although the book, for the most part, was enjoyable, I expected something more. The idea to turn a classic children's book into such a dark story was clever, but the execution was not good. During the middle, the plot became repetitive and lackluster. Holly tried to find ways to protect her children, she had to face her own demons, she reflected on her past and so on. There's nothing wrong with plots with books that follow the same structure, but because of that, the book was boring and monotonous. When I reached the ending, I was underwhelmed and even though it was not bad, it felt rushed and poorly written.
The way the author revealed some of the secrets behind Holly's family and Peter Pan was lackuster as well. Throughout the book, she was building suspense but the answers that were given were poor and the revelations were anticlimactic. Until the very end, there were still some questions left about Neverland and the Darling family, which were never answered. It's not bad if an author chooses to leave something to the imagination of the readers and interpretation of different topics is very welcome. However, in this book it seemed like the author didn't know what answers she should give in order to explain all of the queer events that happened and thus, and many questions were left unanswered. There was more telling that showing and unfortunately, the reveals did not live up to the suspense. Such a pity since I was invested to the mystery and I realy wanted to learn more about Peter Pan, the past of the Darling family and Neverland.
The characters were overall poorly written. As much as it hurts to say this, I couldn't feel anything towards Holly. No, I do not say that she didn't suffer and I am aware of her mentally state and her grief, but she was very bland. She cared deeply about her children, which was understandable, but beyond that, she was nothing more. Some of her decitions were irrational and although they could get excused to some degree, it was frustating to see her behaving in a stupid and immature way for the most part of the book and she irritated me alot. It is clear that she is not supposed to be a good character and I appreciated her gray-moraliy aspects, but that doesn't change the fact that she was a poorly written protagonist. Had she had written more in depth, I would have found her far more interesting.
As for the other characters, I don't have much to say, with the exception of Peter. Holly's son, jack, was a typical teenage boy with almost no personality, Jane was bland as well and she was also quite irritating (it seem that it runs in the family) and I couldn't form a full opinion about the others. There was a character who was a resemblance of Hook and although he was the most entertaining character in the book, he was a wasted opportunity. So much could have been done with his character but he was not fleshed out, just like the rest of the others.
Although it may sound sick and I may seem like a weirdo, the only character who picked my interest was Peter Pan. I don't have to clarify that I by no means support him in the book, but his dark nature intrigued me and I wanted to discover the reasons behind his motives. When the plot would center around him, it became more interesting and I was more invested to it. He was brought up many times in the book and the author placed great emphasis on his name, but I was let down when I saw that he appeared only a few times. Considering that Holly was supposed to be after him, the story didn't focus on him as much as it should have and despite him being described as dark and twisted, he too suffered from the poor characterisation.
All in all, the book was entertaining and I did not regret reading it. I admit that I expected more from the plot, but nevertheless, this was an interesting retelling with suspense and mystery. I would recommend to someone who is looking for a dark Peter Pan retelling, however, proceed with caution and make sure to check the trigger warnings before you dive into it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Death, Rape, Child death, Drug use, Blood, and Sexual assault
Minor: Car accident
squid_sunfish's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Read all of this in one sitting lmao because I wanted to get it over with. The premise starts out interesting but the execution is poor. There's less action, more people working and being on phone calls. I found Holly's character to be extremely unlikeable and a poor decision-maker, and her son Jack to be an insufferable teenager who frankly wasn't worth all the trouble she went through to heal him. Jane and Eden are the real stars of the show. This book had potential but was super slow and agonizing to read, with the author telling you everything from the get go (telling, not showing). Wish there was more of Holly doing something other than talking about sea cucumbers and driving around "seedy" parts of London. A pretty disappointing read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Drug use, and Drug abuse
thenymphsvoice's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I was enthralled and annoyed and enthralled and engaged and enthralled and angry and enthralled and disgusted.
In short this book had me a little bit all over emotionally. It reads kind of like a romance novel… a little Colleen Hooveresque YET not a real big focus on the romance.
For me reading this novel could be infuriating because I am a mother but I am also the daughter of a… not so great parent so I was seeing the reasoning even if the actions were… regrettable seems like a nice way to put it.
It did not shy away from some disturbing themes, some new ones for me actually. Kind of like a Crime Scene Investigation Detective Drama combined with a mild fantasy light romance novel.
I don’t regret reading it. I suspect I will forget having read it in 6mos 😬
it was a very strange choice by the author to kill the bbeg off screen??? Mildly unsatisfying
In short this book had me a little bit all over emotionally. It reads kind of like a romance novel… a little Colleen Hooveresque YET not a real big focus on the romance.
For me reading this novel could be infuriating because I am a mother but I am also the daughter of a… not so great parent so I was seeing the reasoning even if the actions were… regrettable seems like a nice way to put it.
It did not shy away from some disturbing themes, some new ones for me actually. Kind of like a Crime Scene Investigation Detective Drama combined with a mild fantasy light romance novel.
I don’t regret reading it. I suspect I will forget having read it in 6mos 😬
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, Rape, Child abuse, and Drug abuse
prof_pelon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Rape, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Death, Child death, Medical content, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, and Addiction
Moderate: Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Sexual violence, Chronic illness, Grief, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Violence, Pedophilia, Drug use, Stalking, Child death, Car accident, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Incest, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
hanskoka's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
(ALL SPOILERS)
A horrible, miserable attempt at retelling the story of Peter Pan. The main character kept making choices that dragged the story on and on. Like never telling the police about anything and all that. Also, I was considering giving it three stars, until the last 50 fucking pages. Some of the worst writing/closure I have seen. I honestly feel really bad saying such awful things about this book but GIRL I FEEL ROBBED!! When the most vital parts happen, the main character falls asleep and all the issues are solved. Really.??!!? And then she also calls an ambulance and the ambulance should have been an issue but it was forgotten about?? And don’t even get me started on the treacherous romance with Christopher. He was meant to be Captain Hook, but the writer only made feeble attempts to connect him. There was no actual flashback to Hooks life ever. And we never went to neverland. Are you kidding me??
A horrible, miserable attempt at retelling the story of Peter Pan. The main character kept making choices that dragged the story on and on. Like never telling the police about anything and all that. Also, I was considering giving it three stars, until the last 50 fucking pages. Some of the worst writing/closure I have seen. I honestly feel really bad saying such awful things about this book but GIRL I FEEL ROBBED!! When the most vital parts happen, the main character falls asleep and all the issues are solved. Really.??!!? And then she also calls an ambulance and the ambulance should have been an issue but it was forgotten about?? And don’t even get me started on the treacherous romance with Christopher. He was meant to be Captain Hook, but the writer only made feeble attempts to connect him. There was no actual flashback to Hooks life ever. And we never went to neverland. Are you kidding me??
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Rape, and Drug abuse
silene's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The premise is fascinating, but I wish she’d done better with the science she squished in. It’s very unbelievable, even suspending disbelief for magic. The characters often feel like a gritty Hallmark movie and made plot-necessary choices instead of character-driven. None of them are likable. The story does hold together, but the drug focus cheapens it. The background lore of a different Neverland and the drama around Wendy Darling honestly sound like a far more interesting book than this one. Overall, it’s clever, but it could have been so much more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Rape