mimi_reads_smut 's review for:

The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe

5.0

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This is a deliciously dark Peter Pan retelling. Winnie Darling is a hot mess, broken by neglect and the painful things she’s lived through for the sake of her mother, who has been searching for ways to keep Winnie safe from the monster that stalks their family line. Peter Pan abducts the oldest Darling daughter on her 18th birthday. They are returned, eventually, but they are different - broken in mind and spirit. No one really knows why, and Winnie doesn’t believe in the family myth, she just thinks she’s going to go insane when she turns 18. Having been neglected and starved for affection for most of her life, she has embraced her fate by doing whatever she wants, which mostly means sex with whoever she wants. She’s earned a reputation for it but she doesn’t really care. When she’s abducted by Peter Pan and meets Vane, Kas, and Bash in Neverland, she’s afraid but also intrigued and very attracted.

This is a very dark book. The men are not heroes. There is an element of dub/con in this book, but Winnie enjoys and embraces what happens, and she toys with them right back. The story itself is a page-turner, as you keep reading to find out why they take Darlings, what they’re looking for, and what happened to start all of this. There aren’t any clearly defined good guys or bad guys, and it does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, although several of the biggest questions are answered by the end. Really can’t wait for book two!