Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas

34 reviews

btrz7's review

dark emotional slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

I thought a Peter Pan retelling would be just the thing for me, but unfortunately it turns out I was wrong in this instance. 
There isn't much I can say about this book. Like, it felt so bland? It was something I meant to read in one sitting and ended up dragging for days. Mostly I think everything feels very superficial. Also, I like books in the YA range, but I guess this one felt like it was for a much younger audience and that didn't help my enjoyment of it.
What I did like was the concept behind Neverland as it exists in this book, but like everything else it doesn't feel very explored and I don't think it reached the potential I thought it had.
Overall I'd say about 2.5 stars rating, rounded down for the time being. I am still curious about Cemetery Boys and will check it out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Kidnapping, and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Car accident

ainsley_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I think this is the best book I ever read. The characters were amazing the writing was great. The story was so Good and I was crying at some part. I am going to recommend this book to everyone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Murder

Minor: Alcohol, Blood, and Mental illness

unwise_samwise's review

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Kidnapping, and Blood

Minor: Alcohol and Blood

zythnillawafer's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Murder

beaubaggins's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping

Minor: Child death and Alcohol

anniereads221's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

I am so glad i was able to reread this a year later, this book still means so much to me, i loved this peter pan retelling that gives such a fresh take on the tale, but a take that i even thought about before this book and when i realised where this one was going i knew it would have such a special place in my heart

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Death, Child death, Alcohol, Mental illness, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Grief

emily_mh's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The ending of this book is what saves it. I was going to rate this read two stars before the resolution came about and I saw what Thomas was trying to do with the story. But for the most part, I didn't really enjoy reading this book. The pacing was not it - there was no sense of mystery, tension or urgency despite the high stakes because those stakes were relegated to the background. Most of the plot ended up being Peter and Wendy essentially going on dates. Yet I couldn't feel invested in the romance because Peter is this kind of immortal being and Wendy is 18. Finally, I thought that the book lacked the magic and whimsy which made the original story so memorable.

But like I said, the ending saved this book. It provided a satisfying resolution. Apart from this I also liked Wendy as a narrator and I enjoyed the detail Thomas put into their description. I'm still going to keep reading their books as they always have intriguing and original premises, I just hope I can click more with their books in the future! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Moderate: Car accident, Medical content, Child death, Death, Blood, Gun violence, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Vomit, Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Confinement, and Torture

rini's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I love Aiden Thomas' work and Avi Roque is such an excellent narrator!
This book had all the feels and the big reveal near the end really came as a shock and... I'm still processing it really.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcohol, Body horror, Car accident, and Gun violence

Minor: Abandonment and Alcoholism

scorpioness's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I love the way aiden Thomas writes! I know that with a couple more books of practice he’ll be a really masterful writer, and I will read every single one they write. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Mental illness

Moderate: Blood, Kidnapping, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Alcohol and Vomit

hg_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

3.0

(3.5)
So many mixed feelings.
On one hand, the actual story line had me super intrigued, and I loved the writing of certain parts. I also loved the depiction of mental health and PTSD flashbacks. As someone who experiences them, it was refreshing to see it accurately portrayed.

On the other hand, there were certain times where I just couldn’t get over how repetitive the writing was. Like, I get that repeating thoughts will probably be running through Wendy’s head. But does e v e r y t h o u g h t need to be told? Some people really like that, but for me it made it a little tedious to read.

Peter reminded me so much of Nikolai from the Shadow and Bone series and I loved him

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder and Kidnapping

Minor: Alcohol and Death