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lovelyliv's review against another edition
5.0
this might be my favorite peter pan retelling!!! felt so familiar and true to the original yet i never knew what was gonna happen.
luluwoohoo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Lost In The Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
☀️☀️🌤️
A modern-day Peter Pan retelling that had lots of promise but failed to take flight.
The opening few chapters were riveting but as the story went on I found myself struggling with the pacing. We were constantly told how time was running out but still Peter and Wendy managed to faff around being useless until the last few chapters when the story came good again. There was no clear direction and the generic writing style didn't help to create any sense of atmosphere which might have otherwise helped with this.
Wendy was a fairly simple character, though I appreciated the exploration of her grief and trauma. Peter is a child and so him having a minimal character arc is acceptable to me. I struggled somewhat with the romance aspect considering Peter's age, but the resolution of their relationship in the end was satisfying.
The shadow as a character was menacing and appropriate for a YA villain, but it was brought down too easily in the end for its defeat to be truly enjoyable.
I'm sad to say I didn't enjoy this as much as I'd hoped, particularly as Peter Pan is one of my all time favourite fairy tales, but the moody vibe failed to translate into enough tension or pace to carry this ultimately simple story forward.
☀️☀️🌤️
A modern-day Peter Pan retelling that had lots of promise but failed to take flight.
The opening few chapters were riveting but as the story went on I found myself struggling with the pacing. We were constantly told how time was running out but still Peter and Wendy managed to faff around being useless until the last few chapters when the story came good again. There was no clear direction and the generic writing style didn't help to create any sense of atmosphere which might have otherwise helped with this.
Wendy was a fairly simple character, though I appreciated the exploration of her grief and trauma. Peter is a child and so him having a minimal character arc is acceptable to me. I struggled somewhat with the romance aspect considering Peter's age, but the resolution of their relationship in the end was satisfying.
The shadow as a character was menacing and appropriate for a YA villain, but it was brought down too easily in the end for its defeat to be truly enjoyable.
I'm sad to say I didn't enjoy this as much as I'd hoped, particularly as Peter Pan is one of my all time favourite fairy tales, but the moody vibe failed to translate into enough tension or pace to carry this ultimately simple story forward.
"She couldn't remember, but whatever happened still lived in her bones. It hid tucked between her ribs and nestled in her spine, stirring on occasion. Her body remembered what her mind couldn't."
samsbookcase's review against another edition
4.0
I love love love Aiden Thomas' writing style so incredibly much. I love the twist Aiden has given to the Peter Pan story, a modern AU. One with hurt, comfort and lost of pining between the main character and the love interest. I love the way Aiden has painted the relationship between Wendy and Peter and how it grows throughout the story. I'm a sucker for good character development and there's a lot of that in this book, especially when it comes to Peter's character develops throughout the story. It is one of my absolute favourite things about this story. The ending broke my heart - absolutely shattered it. But seeming as I write my stories that way as well and as a big fan of Adam Silvera books, I absolutely loved that.
dreaming_ace's review against another edition
4.0
The challenge was Aiden Thomas's Cemetery Boys was so good that this their second book had trouble living up to the same expectations. I also think one of the challenges is right now as a collective whole we have all had to deal with loss and pain so those topics were hard to read about. There were clear moments when I considered not reading any more, I struggled to connect to the characters (Well outside of Pete Pan) and the story was more a internal based plot than an external based plot but in the end I am glad I finished it. Even if this book left me feeling a bit numb I know Aiden is a wonderful writer and I can't wait to see what they come up with next.
noorandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Peter stilled. "My magic makes it easier," he said, still looking at the floor. "It takes more of a toll now..."
"If you're busy taking care of everyone else, who takes care of you?" Wendy asked.
Very enjoyable book with an amazing writing style! Wish we got to hear more from the other characters established (cough, Jordan) and the ending didn't slap me as hard as I expected it to, but it still had me sitting there for a good few minutes.
Also, strangely, the book is about Wendy's gried and guilt of John and Michael but I find myself wishing we got to hear about them more?
AND PETER. PETER >>> EVERYTHING HE he means everything to me, he is so sweet and the relationship between him and Wendy... sobs on the floor...
"If you're busy taking care of everyone else, who takes care of you?" Wendy asked.
Very enjoyable book with an amazing writing style! Wish we got to hear more from the other characters established (cough, Jordan) and the ending didn't slap me as hard as I expected it to, but it still had me sitting there for a good few minutes.
Also, strangely, the book is about Wendy's gried and guilt of John and Michael but I find myself wishing we got to hear about them more?
AND PETER. PETER >>> EVERYTHING HE he means everything to me, he is so sweet and the relationship between him and Wendy... sobs on the floor...
thescenery's review against another edition
reflective
sad
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
4.0
oh nooo! peter pan in a allan kardec view!!!!! and a hotter, emo version of him as a villain!
bookishpositivitea's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I struggled with this book a bit. I found it kind of repetitive, and slow at times. By half way through, I still considered DNFing. I just wasn't connecting to it.
I will say that I'm not super familiar with the Peter Pan lore/movies or anything so that probably helped me to keep it separate or have a different set of expectations.
Ultimately, I enjoyed the last half or so and that helped me raise my rating a little, as I was rather middle of the road until then.
I will say that I'm not super familiar with the Peter Pan lore/movies or anything so that probably helped me to keep it separate or have a different set of expectations.
Ultimately, I enjoyed the last half or so and that helped me raise my rating a little, as I was rather middle of the road until then.
wordsofclover's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Wendy Darling is turning eighteen and looking forward to moving on from her town where she is haunted by the disappearance of her brothers five years earlier - and her own memory loss from this time. But more children have started to disappear and the police are questioning Wendy again about what she might remember when Peter Pan appears in her life - someone she only knows through the bedtime stories she used to tell her brothers. With Peter's help, the two of them might be able to work together to bring back the lost children.
This was okay for me and it's one of those book where nothing was really wrong with the story, it just didn't hit for me the way I hoped it would. I'm a huge Peter Pan fan and I think Aiden Thomas did the original story and characters justice in this book while also being able to write a unique spin on it.
I did find Wendy's character a bit boring and vanilla for me, and I would have liked her to have a bit more fire in her. I also felt like Wendy and Peter took way too long to actually get anywhere with the mystery of the shadow and the children, there was a lot of Wendy dodging Peter and getting herself into annoying scrapes where she needed rescuing or would be shouted at by her dad so the pacing of the story wasn't great in my opinion.
This was okay for me and it's one of those book where nothing was really wrong with the story, it just didn't hit for me the way I hoped it would. I'm a huge Peter Pan fan and I think Aiden Thomas did the original story and characters justice in this book while also being able to write a unique spin on it.
I did find Wendy's character a bit boring and vanilla for me, and I would have liked her to have a bit more fire in her. I also felt like Wendy and Peter took way too long to actually get anywhere with the mystery of the shadow and the children, there was a lot of Wendy dodging Peter and getting herself into annoying scrapes where she needed rescuing or would be shouted at by her dad so the pacing of the story wasn't great in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death