Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Lost in the Never Woods

A haunting story, Lost in the Never Woods tells the story of one girl coming to terms with a party she has forgotten while the world around her tries to save the children who have recently gone missing.

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saltylane's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I liked the book okay, but the “final battle” ending felt… idk, like it didn’t really make sense? I don’t know why, but even when things were going on—like action/fighting—I would sometimes get bored. I’ve noticed this author tends to describe things excessively with interiority, sometimes repeating the information in slightly different ways multiple times… I don’t know if it counts as “telling” rather than showing, though, since it can be important to get a character’s feelings on what’s happening.
The author also often includes a “best friend” who would be great to get to know more about and get to interact with in the story… but then gives them very little “screen time” and focuses on the two characters with a romantic connection. Maybe they have a hard time juggling multiple character interactions at once?
Overall, I think this book has a very interesting and unique spin on the “Peter Pan” story. I feel like the author struggled to find a believable way to end the main conflict, which is a shame because the surrounding plot seemed pretty solid. The writing style wasn’t for me, but I’m sure others can easily enjoy the book regardless.

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micalyia's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional fast-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

I had no idea what I was signing up for but I’m so glad I listened to this book.

I listened to the audio book and I thought things started off pretty quickly. I was constantly wondering “ and what after that?”

It’s a Peter Pan retelling with a twist (check TW as I can imagine the content to be very triggering).

I was so enraptured by the story and really wanted to know how everything would piece together. I wasn’t expecting as much romance as I got but I’m not mad about it I guess.

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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

An atmospheric, contemporary reimagining of J.M Barrie’s Peter Pan that presents a decidedly less light-hearted, darker take on Neverland and it’s lore which definitely (in my opinion) added a whole new depth to Peter and Wendy’s story as we explore life AFTER Neverland.

Five years ago Wendy and her brothers’ John and Michael disappeared from their small town in Oregon, But only Wendy came back…

With no memories of her time missing, Wendy has spent years coming to terms with the loss of her brothers. But on the night of her eighteenth birthday, local children start disappearing—with similarities to her and her brothers’ own disappearance that has everyone worried.

And things only get more complicated when a strange boy called Peter Pan arrives, desperate for Wendy to help him track down his shadow before more kids go missing.

Having read a really slow paced Peter Pan retelling at the end of last year (and which put me into a bit of a reading slump), I was a little hesitant to delve into this. But I’m soo glad I finally did as it was a really enjoyable and intriguing take on Peter Pan.

The contemporary setting definitely helped to revitalise the source material and I was glad to finally find a reimagining where Peter isn’t some soulless caricature. Here he has nuance and a host of complex feelings that we explore through every interaction with Wendy.

Wendy, likewise, is also an endearingly complex character grappling with her childhood trauma, and the guilt surrounding her brothers’ disappearance. With no memories whatsoever Wendy has struggled for years to move on— without closure she (and her parents’) are trapped in a cycle of hope and grief that never seems to end. Her journey was genuinely heartbreaking and darker than most of the YA Fantasy/ coming of age books I usually read, but the message (of loss, grief and learning to move on) was really well done.

The pacing was a little slow, but the sheer amount of emotion conveyed (through Peter, Wendy and the people closest to her) more than makes up for it.

This is the second book by Aiden Thomas that I’ve ever read (the first being The Sunbearer Trials which I LOVED) and I they may have just earned auto-buy status—I’m definitely excited to check out Cemetery Boys now!

And a massive thank you to Bethan over at Macmillan for the wonderful finished copy.

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escarlataaaaaa's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

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hayley07's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

2.75

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