Reviews

This is a… unique retelling of Peter Pan. I did enjoy that there was depth added to the character of James (Captain Hook) and that he was made to be a more complex character. However, I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy this book as much as I would’ve hoped.

Jane started off as a strong, female character fighting her way through med school as the only female student. I really disliked that she became a character who just *listened* to Captain Hook as he’s ordering her off his ship to save the day.

Wendy is a bland, nearly useless character that seems to only be used as a device to push the plot along. (Shocker, the most interesting thing about Wendy in this book is Jane’s realization that her mother is human & imperfect.) A “ghostly imprint version” of Wendy makes an appearance in Neverland toward the end but that makes absolutely no sense within the context of this book considering she was left alive in London. (And this “imprint” adds nothing to the scene!)

I wanted to feel bad for James/Captain Hook as a character, but he mostly seems to just want a pity party for himself for the consequences of his own actions. And I know his obsession with Samuel’s skull is out of love for his (deceased) partner, but it came across as a creepy obsession. (At least they were buried together in the end??)

I want to know the logic behind “Michael is possessed. It’s clear the only way to make him better is to take him to Neverland, obviously.” (Considering Michael - even as an adult - was so traumatized by Neverland that he completely shut out any memories of his time there)

I’ve never read a book with so many descriptions that led to such unclear images/imagery. Descriptions of Neverland itself were somehow detailed yet very, very vague. I get that Pan’s “beast” was the crocodile but came with very detailed vague descriptions as well. No clear understanding of just how terrifying this beast is supposed to be. The way some of the characters can just “see” Neverland on each other makes NO sense. And the whole shadow thing with the crew taking over Michael’s body was just a weird description. The whole “doorway to Neverland in the sky” was so unclear. And I still have no idea how to imagine Hook made himself & Samuel free to escape Neverland.

The multiple POVs and jumping timelines made the story confusing. And I had so many questions that didn’t seem to get a clear answer.

How did Peg’s shadow get ripped from her body? Why is she only mentioned as being “fuel” for the shadow/ghost beings of Hook’s crew toward the end?
What did Peter Pan do exactly to make Jane and Wendy so terrified of Neverland?
How does it make sense that an “Echo of Wendy” is in Neverland to help save the day? (Plot twist, it makes zero sense as a reader, knowing that Wendy is alive, well, and bland in London with no way of seeing the doorway to Neverland.)
Why is Peter the way he is? Why are his descriptions seemingly that of him being a boyish monster?
How am I supposed to imagine these characters when the “Neverland Version” of them is really only described as “the ghost of someone else laid atop their skin”?
How do the “shadow beings” (ghostly remnants) make any sense?

I probably would’ve enjoyed this book more if I read “Wendy, Darling” first. (Though I have noticed a constant theme of being disappointed by the vast majority Peter Pan retellings.) The author obviously has a clear image of what went on in the book but getting that imagery portrayed to the reader was a struggle.

The best way to describe this book is by a line on page 304 – “She sees the world in individual, disconnected moments.” That’s exactly how this book reads.

las2912's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.75

ellamae98's review

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4.0

I loved the story, loved the collision of three different visions of Neverland, and the story unfolds with sadness, pain and beauty, and every time I picked the book up I was amazed by the way this story unfolded.

Only downside is the writing style. Although it helps with the mood, it is still confusing at some times.