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shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Murder, Child death, Violence, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
historyoftape's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I struggled to get into this book after having super high expectations for the premise. I'm glad I ended up picking it up again, because the story started picking up a bit just after where I'd stopped. I really enjoyed how it set up my initial suspicions, then made me question them over & over again by giving what seemed to be clearcut answers that contradicted them, only to have them confirmed in the end
Sometimes I felt the book leaned too much into previous characterizations of Wendy and Peter, but the further on it went the more I could feel the characters becoming the author's own. The ending came abouta little contrived, the fact that all of a sudden she could just decide that now was a good time to remember what happened, but then again, she did just get information that changed what she thought she might remember so I'm not quite sure about how to feel about that Everything after that point was well thought out, the twist was great, the ending truly bittersweet. And the epilogue was just open enough for me to start spinning my own possibilities. also, kind of a cool parallel how as a pediatrician Wendy will be helping kids on this side of the afterlife, and Peter will take care of the ones she might not be able to save... A comfort?
One thing I found slightly unrealistic though was that none of the kids spilled the beans on Peter Pan. The lie of there being a different kidnapper leaves them with a heap of trauma they can't really talk about-at least to their parents. I mean sure, being consistently scared by a shadow to feed it seems hard to explain, but man is that different from mere confinement.
Sometimes I felt the book leaned too much into previous characterizations of Wendy and Peter, but the further on it went the more I could feel the characters becoming the author's own. The ending came about
One thing I found slightly unrealistic though was that none of the kids spilled the beans on Peter Pan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Car accident, Gun violence, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Violence, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Addiction
Minor: Stalking and Chronic illness
estellec13's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Grief, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Murder, Blood, Body horror, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Car accident
lunep's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Medical content, Child death, Grief, Blood, Kidnapping, and Car accident
Moderate: Murder, Medical trauma, and Cursing
Minor: Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Alcohol, and Vomit
rnewk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Blood, Gun violence, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Alcohol and Car accident
sarah_shelf's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-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? No
2.5
I really wanted to like this book. I’ve adored Aiden Thomas’ other books and was so excited when I realized his next book was a fairytale retelling. It’s always been one of my favorite genres, and reading the Peter and the Starcatchers series got me into the genre, so I was happy to dive into another Peter Pan story. However, I was bored throughout so much of this book. The beginning and the end, especially, were entertaining but the middle just seemed to drag on.
I started losing interest somewhere around the time Wendy confronted Peter in the hunting shack and confirmed he was in fact trying to help the missing kids not hurt them. After that, so much of the novel was just Wendy trying to hide her activities from her family and friends because no one would believe her (which makes sense but also just got more annoying every time she brought it up and delivered a new lie) or her and Peter wandering around the town and woods with no real idea of how to help.
I will admit, the last few chapters were entertaining and fun. I suspected part of the plot twist, but didn’t quite grasp the scope of it until the big reveal. And while the lack of communication that exacerbated the reveal was annoying, I was so happy to see some out there theories make it into this version’s lore. However, I can’t help thinking so much of the novel was unnecessary to reach that point. Yes, technically all the development between Peter and Wendy was required for the climax of the story, but again it was all just so slow. It doesn’t fit into the supposed deadline and terrible consequences everyone will face if they fail to find the kids and stop their kidnapper. The ending, and it really was a fantastic ending in my eyes, can’t make up for my lackluster opinion of the rest of the novel.
I started losing interest somewhere around the time Wendy confronted Peter in the hunting shack and confirmed he was in fact trying to help the missing kids not hurt them. After that, so much of the novel was just Wendy trying to hide her activities from her family and friends because no one would believe her (which makes sense but also just got more annoying every time she brought it up and delivered a new lie) or her and Peter wandering around the town and woods with no real idea of how to help.
I will admit, the last few chapters were entertaining and fun. I suspected part of the plot twist, but didn’t quite grasp the scope of it until the big reveal. And while the lack of communication that exacerbated the reveal was annoying, I was so happy to see some out there theories make it into this version’s lore. However, I can’t help thinking so much of the novel was unnecessary to reach that point. Yes, technically all the development between Peter and Wendy was required for the climax of the story, but again it was all just so slow. It doesn’t fit into the supposed deadline and terrible consequences everyone will face if they fail to find the kids and stop their kidnapper. The ending, and it really was a fantastic ending in my eyes, can’t make up for my lackluster opinion of the rest of the novel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Blood, Child death, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
tea_coffee_sam's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Grief, Kidnapping, Violence, Child death, Death, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Medical content, Alcoholism, and Cancer
justinareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Child death, Gun violence, and Murder
dragonwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Wendy, John, and Michael Darling disappeared from the woods behind their Oregon home just before Christmas, and six months later, Wendy was the only one to return, her brother’s blood crusted under her nails. Wendy is unable to tell the police what happened; her memory of the last six months are gone, but she’s terrified of the woods. Five years pass, and still, no one knows what happened to John and Michael, but Wendy keeps drawing pictures of a twisted tree and a boy from her stories, Peter Pan. On her eighteenth birthday, her past finally start to catch up to her when she finds a boy on the side of the road—a boy who knows her name and looks EXACTLY like her pictures of Peter Pan. The boy claims to be that self-same Peter, and he begs her for help to find and reattach his shadow, who has gone rogue and been kidnapping local children. Realizing this could lead to her lost memories and even bring her brothers home, Wendy agrees to help, coming face to face with the horrible truth she tried to forget.
I really liked this interpretation of Peter Pan—though I don’t really understand why it takes place in OREGON, of all places. It deals very heavily with the effects of grief and loss on a family, as well as childhood trauma. The explanations of Peter’s purpose, fairy dust, the shadow, and Neverland itself are all excellent and I enjoyed how they played into the story.
My biggest complaint is: WHAT HAPPENED TO NANA??? I don’t know how I missed it. I kept listening for what happened to the dog, but I don’t think they ever said. Nana came out of the woods with blood on her muzzle, then disappeared from the story, and I NEED to know what happened to her 🥺
CW: child death, grief
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Child death, and Grief
the_ash37's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
*the plot twist*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Torture, Blood, Child death, Kidnapping, Violence, Death, Gore, and Gun violence
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Stalking
be aware of the plot twist