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katie_stringfellow's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape
oceanwriter's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I've always loved the story of Peter Pan. The idea of being whisked away to another world? Even as someone who doesn't often care for fantasy, I'm enchanted by every production and adaption I've seen. As far as retellings go, I didn't think anything would top the movie 'Hook'. How wrong I was!
I read every word of this book meticulously I was so absorbed. I took my time trying to savor every second while simultaneously having trouble putting it down. The new dynamics presented here have assured that I will never look at this tale the same way again. I'm oddly okay with it. Hearing that Peter Pan was the villain was what made me pick up this book in the first place.
I wasn't sure how I would like Holly at first. While she does so much for her kids, there is a selfish air about her. That bothered me less as the story went on and the character growth feels authentic and genuine. I loved the involvement of Jane as well. Jack and Eden are lovely additions to the Darling family. And Christopher? Oh, I do hope we will get a sequel/prequel with him in the future.
I could gush about so much but for fear of spoilers, I'll end by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this story. There are some loose ends that I would have liked to have been tied up, but perhaps that was intentional...
Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for providing me with a free ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
I read every word of this book meticulously I was so absorbed. I took my time trying to savor every second while simultaneously having trouble putting it down. The new dynamics presented here have assured that I will never look at this tale the same way again. I'm oddly okay with it. Hearing that Peter Pan was the villain was what made me pick up this book in the first place.
I wasn't sure how I would like Holly at first. While she does so much for her kids, there is a selfish air about her. That bothered me less as the story went on and the character growth feels authentic and genuine. I loved the involvement of Jane as well. Jack and Eden are lovely additions to the Darling family. And Christopher? Oh, I do hope we will get a sequel/prequel with him in the future.
I could gush about so much but for fear of spoilers, I'll end by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this story. There are some loose ends that I would have liked to have been tied up, but perhaps that was intentional...
Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for providing me with a free ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Rape
Moderate: Child death, Car accident, and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
chaptersofchilly's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Just went back to work at my summer job this week and THREE of my coworkers are reading different peter pan retellings as well, so it’s been fun chatting about different takes on the classic story with them. Darling Girl was a fun spring read that had a good mix of fantasy, family, and dark mystery. The Darling family is the focus of the book, and Peter Pan is the villain which I was exciting to see. I really like when retellings delve into the darker aspects of fairytales. I loved the exploration of protective parenting and grief in this novel as well. However, I think the character development was a little rushed for me at the end and I wish there was more time exploring the character of Christopher Cooke (bc he seems super sexy). The end was set up so a sequel could be possible, and I would love to see what happens with these characters next since there were a few loose ends when the book finished. Overall a fun read a good book of the month pick.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Blood
Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Child death, Torture, and Medical content
kari_f's review
dark
emotional
tense
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I honestly went into this book fairly blind, knowing only that it was a darker take on the Peter Pan story. I have enjoyed screen adaptations showing Peter as something other than the delightfully mischievous, child-like sprite, so I was excited to dive into a literary version of this. On the whole, I'm glad I didn't have a ton of background on what the plot would be, and I enjoyed figuring it out along the way.
I was drawn in pretty immediately, trying to meld in my mind the traditional Peter Pan story and the protagonist's current reality. I loved how the plot progressed and we learned more about this highly dysfunctional and misunderstood family as we kept reading. There was so much secrecy and deception throughout the entire book (thus, the dysfunctional family aspect), and I found myself wanting to throttle each of the characters at some point in time. Because there were some tragically flawed and morally dubious characters, we also got a good amount of deep character development.
I enjoyed that so many characters from the original story were present and how each of them was represented in a unique way. The tone was dark and suspenseful, and I found myself intrigued enough that I didn't want to put it down! Though the book is pretty dark throughout, there were several enchanting and magical moments! The descriptions of the gardens and homes were beautifully done, and the depictions of magic had both whimsy and a sense of foreboding. There are definitely scenes where the reader will need to suspend belief, but isn't that what the Peter Pan story is all about in the first place?
There are multiple terrible decisions made by a variety of characters, and I wish we'd had a bit more resolution as far as making amends for those. We see a lot of guilt from a few of them, but reconciliation happens so quickly that it felt a bit surface level. Also, be aware that there are a few trigger warnings, including sexual assault, abandonment, abuse, and suicidal ideation.
Overall, I enjoyed this dark reimagining of the classic, whimsical tale!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Child abuse
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Drug abuse
marchhare89's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual violence, Car accident, Child death, Sexual assault, and Rape
Moderate: Chronic illness, Blood, Gaslighting, and Grief
abookwormsgarden's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Sexual assault, and Ableism
Moderate: Child death and Car accident
Minor: Drug use and Murder
mytearsricochet_'s review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Drug use, Drug abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Child death, Death, Pregnancy, Grief, Car accident, and Kidnapping
crsfoto's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape
Moderate: Drug abuse and Child death
morganbirck's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Violence
robbiclaire's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A retelling of a classic fairytale that seemed to be a stark reminder that fairytales don’t exist - until suddenly it seemed to say, maybe they do.
The Darling girl here is a descendant of the infamous family, the granddaughter of Wendy. Just like many families, there is myth and there is truth in the family history. For Holly Darling, a past full of loss and tragedy has been tucked away so that she can stay in control of her life today - a teenage son, a thriving business, a very sick daughter hidden away in a faraway countryside house as a secret. As the book unfolds, the reader watches as her tightly held grasp on her life becomes threatened and she must face all of those whispers from her past.
There is magic here - it’s a book with the sound of bells, glittering pixie dust, and the alluring idea that childhood can last forever. But there is also violence, and I found myself wondering how much of the violence was necessary for the plot and character development. Turning a fairytale upside down is clever but we don’t always have to shake it this hard. The hints at the opioid crisis were timely and interesting. The objectification of women’s bodies felt like a plot point, not necessarily sincere. (Full disclosure: this is a fairytale I’m very fond of and it wasn’t very fun to see parts of it dismantled this way.)
4 stars for its creativity, for the way the story and characters evoked nostalgia. I’d knock a star off for some of my concerns noted above so let’s settle on 3.
CW: sexual assault, substance use, child death, mention of child sexual abuse, blood, hospitalization/medical trauma
The Darling girl here is a descendant of the infamous family, the granddaughter of Wendy. Just like many families, there is myth and there is truth in the family history. For Holly Darling, a past full of loss and tragedy has been tucked away so that she can stay in control of her life today - a teenage son, a thriving business, a very sick daughter hidden away in a faraway countryside house as a secret. As the book unfolds, the reader watches as her tightly held grasp on her life becomes threatened and she must face all of those whispers from her past.
There is magic here - it’s a book with the sound of bells, glittering pixie dust, and the alluring idea that childhood can last forever. But there is also violence, and I found myself wondering how much of the violence was necessary for the plot and character development. Turning a fairytale upside down is clever but we don’t always have to shake it this hard. The hints at the opioid crisis were timely and interesting. The objectification of women’s bodies felt like a plot point, not necessarily sincere. (Full disclosure: this is a fairytale I’m very fond of and it wasn’t very fun to see parts of it dismantled this way.)
4 stars for its creativity, for the way the story and characters evoked nostalgia. I’d knock a star off for some of my concerns noted above so let’s settle on 3.
CW: sexual assault, substance use, child death, mention of child sexual abuse, blood, hospitalization/medical trauma
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Child death
Minor: Child abuse