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Mirror Islands #1
Peter Pan in Wonderland
With only a month to high school graduation, Peter is excited to get started on his life’s next adventure—college and learning who he is without his adoptive family constantly around.
Too bad fate has other plans for him.
At a local amusement park called Wonderland, Peter has a chance encounter with his fencing rival, Jillian Hook. They fall through a creepy funhouse mirror and embark on an unimaginable journey searching for Peter’s sister, Alice, who is lost on the mirror islands where fairies grant wishes, cats appear grin-first, and pirates rule the skies.
With reimagined, beloved characters, this dual POV, fairytale retelling boasts a vivid mixture of several worlds and stories. This series is perfect for fans of enemies to lovers, villain origin tales, magical worlds, whimsy, and Once Upon a Time.
Too bad fate has other plans for him.
At a local amusement park called Wonderland, Peter has a chance encounter with his fencing rival, Jillian Hook. They fall through a creepy funhouse mirror and embark on an unimaginable journey searching for Peter’s sister, Alice, who is lost on the mirror islands where fairies grant wishes, cats appear grin-first, and pirates rule the skies.
With reimagined, beloved characters, this dual POV, fairytale retelling boasts a vivid mixture of several worlds and stories. This series is perfect for fans of enemies to lovers, villain origin tales, magical worlds, whimsy, and Once Upon a Time.
334 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 10, 2023
125 people are currently reading
868 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
May 10, 2023
I am a sucker for a Peter Pan retelling and this book checked all the boxes. It had smartly woven references from our familiar fairy tales in it. I loved the gender bent hook character and the relationship her and Peter built.
This was definitely a YA book and so the world building and character nuances aren’t as in depth but this book more than makes up for it in pacing and fun adventures that keeps the story exciting and oh so entertaining.
Really looking forward to book 2!!!!
This was definitely a YA book and so the world building and character nuances aren’t as in depth but this book more than makes up for it in pacing and fun adventures that keeps the story exciting and oh so entertaining.
Really looking forward to book 2!!!!
May 6, 2023
The premise of this book and the beautiful artwork drew me in, however, I wasn’t able to finish it. I got about 30% in and decided to skip to the end and found I was still just as disappointed. It’s an easy read, but a bit boring. Although that might be on me as i’m not a huge reader of YA. Overall, I think I mistakenly expected something a bit more complex and suitable for an older audience. I thought I was about to go on a journey with Peter and Alice as they returned home to a world they never knew existed let alone came from, however, I don’t believe this is the case. It feels more like a complete retelling but with a a few of the same characters added in for nostalgia’s sake. I did enjoy the world building though, and found it really easy to imagine the world that was being described to me in great detail, which is usually hard for me to do. 2 out of 5 stars as it was an easy read, well written but just not my cup of tea story wise.
May 5, 2023
TL;DR- Characters have the same name but are very different from the characters you already associate the name with, Wonderland is a ripoff Neverland with some characters from Alice in Wonderland, and the characters don't act their ages.
I went in expecting a story of the classic Peter Pan mixed with Hook that I grew up with, think Peter Pan left Neverland to live in the real world and then gets sucked into Wonderland by accident while at a theme park. But instead I got a book where the characters from the "real world" have never heard of Wonderland, Neverland, and other popular make believe places.
It seems like the author forgot she was writing a book that takes place in Wonderland instead of Neverland and when she did remember where the story was taking place she threw in random and confusing characters from Wonderland. There could have been a much better introduction and plot line involving Cheshire Cat and Mad Hatter. Majority of the characters are from Neverland but there is some changes, i.e John and Michael were simply changed to Johanna and Micheala to fit the narrative the author was going for.
The two main characters in the book, Jillian and Peter, are supposed to be 17-18 years old. The way the characters are described, their mannerisms, and way they talked had me constantly thinking they were closer to 13-14 years old if not younger. I can't think of an 18 year old that would introduce themselves to strangers the way that Peter did, although he did seem like a very awkward character from the start.
The story line that I could get through was subpar and majority of what caused going to Wonderland could have been avoided if the adults acted like adults instead of getting into an altercation at an amusement park. I get having a bad history with people but as an adult getting into a physical altercation with someone while in a family setting doesn't make sense to me.
I went in expecting a story of the classic Peter Pan mixed with Hook that I grew up with, think Peter Pan left Neverland to live in the real world and then gets sucked into Wonderland by accident while at a theme park. But instead I got a book where the characters from the "real world" have never heard of Wonderland, Neverland, and other popular make believe places.
It seems like the author forgot she was writing a book that takes place in Wonderland instead of Neverland and when she did remember where the story was taking place she threw in random and confusing characters from Wonderland. There could have been a much better introduction and plot line involving Cheshire Cat and Mad Hatter. Majority of the characters are from Neverland but there is some changes, i.e John and Michael were simply changed to Johanna and Micheala to fit the narrative the author was going for.
The two main characters in the book, Jillian and Peter, are supposed to be 17-18 years old. The way the characters are described, their mannerisms, and way they talked had me constantly thinking they were closer to 13-14 years old if not younger. I can't think of an 18 year old that would introduce themselves to strangers the way that Peter did, although he did seem like a very awkward character from the start.
The story line that I could get through was subpar and majority of what caused going to Wonderland could have been avoided if the adults acted like adults instead of getting into an altercation at an amusement park. I get having a bad history with people but as an adult getting into a physical altercation with someone while in a family setting doesn't make sense to me.
June 1, 2023
Peter Pan just about to graduate highschool but thrown into a magical world?! Yes, please! I absolutely enjoyed this book!
It was such a fun and exciting adventure! I really enjoyed the gender swapped Hook character. It actually reminded me of the Disney movie Hook starring Robin Williams and of the show Once Upon A Time since both are about someone being thrown into a magical world.
I absolutely loved the idea of multiple fairy tales in this one universe! This book was such an easy read! It totally just sucked you into this world!
Parts had me turning my Kindle face down. A downside of not reading a physical book is not being able to SLAM it shut! 😅
TW: SA attempt
If you enjoy fairy tale retellings, definitely read this one!
It was such a fun and exciting adventure! I really enjoyed the gender swapped Hook character. It actually reminded me of the Disney movie Hook starring Robin Williams and of the show Once Upon A Time since both are about someone being thrown into a magical world.
I absolutely loved the idea of multiple fairy tales in this one universe! This book was such an easy read! It totally just sucked you into this world!
Parts had me turning my Kindle face down. A downside of not reading a physical book is not being able to SLAM it shut! 😅
TW: SA attempt
If you enjoy fairy tale retellings, definitely read this one!
May 5, 2023
This books felt like a fever dream! And in a good way! Some things felt a little rushed but that doesn’t take away the charm of this book. The story follows Peter and Jillian as they navigate the world of Wonderland and how certain challenges lead them to a lot of weird adventures. I love how the author weaved all the familiar stories we’ve watched and read as children into a wonderful story! Looking forward to Alice’s POV in the next book!
May 10, 2023
Apologies to Jeni Conrad for the delay, I was an ARC reader but I don't believe my review comes in time for her book drop.
When I read the synopsis and saw the book cover, it seemed interesting enough for me.
Reading this story, not only takes from other worlds such as Neverland, but it also takes from Alice in wonderland, labyrinth and Wizard of Oz. Surprisingly blended the pre-existing IPs into their own without seeming boring or useless.
When I started reading this story, it reminded me of authors who existed in the 1800s with the way this story was told. Simplified yet over explaining, while some how not killing the story at the same time.
It follows Peter and his sister; Alice, with their family friend; Jillian hook, through a maze of mirrors and tumbling inside a world they've only known of in stories.
I ended liking the story and the twist and turns involved throughout.
I'm quite excited to continue supporting Jeni Conrad's books.
Oh and I got so flustered over Smee..it's not even a spicy book but damn, your girl got flustered.
When I read the synopsis and saw the book cover, it seemed interesting enough for me.
Reading this story, not only takes from other worlds such as Neverland, but it also takes from Alice in wonderland, labyrinth and Wizard of Oz. Surprisingly blended the pre-existing IPs into their own without seeming boring or useless.
When I started reading this story, it reminded me of authors who existed in the 1800s with the way this story was told. Simplified yet over explaining, while some how not killing the story at the same time.
It follows Peter and his sister; Alice, with their family friend; Jillian hook, through a maze of mirrors and tumbling inside a world they've only known of in stories.
I ended liking the story and the twist and turns involved throughout.
I'm quite excited to continue supporting Jeni Conrad's books.
Oh and I got so flustered over Smee..it's not even a spicy book but damn, your girl got flustered.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2023
I absolutely loved this book. It drew me in and I just could not put it down. Super excited for the next one!! 🥰
March 16, 2024
I didn't know what to expect when I picked this book up, but I've always enjoyed tales of Neverland and Wonderland so I figured this could be good. And it was. It was also longer than I expected, but that's a good thing. There were times when I thought the book would end on a pointless cliffhanger, but it kept going to a better ending. This is the perfect set-up for whatever adventures await these characters in the next book, which I already picked up.
Again, with no expectation, I enjoyed the diversity of the characters, not simply talking about skin color either. I love that one of the main characters is adopted. You don't see that a lot.
Highly recommended to fans of Neverland tales, reimaginings, mash-ups, magic, and adventure.
Again, with no expectation, I enjoyed the diversity of the characters, not simply talking about skin color either. I love that one of the main characters is adopted. You don't see that a lot.
Highly recommended to fans of Neverland tales, reimaginings, mash-ups, magic, and adventure.
May 19, 2023
Alright, here we go. I'm taking some deep breaths before I go into this because I'm having anxiety and feeling guilty over a DNF, and an honest review. (Nothing to do with the author, I'm just an anxious human who hates saying things that may even seem negative.)
For starters, I was provided an ARC of this book. It was made abundantly clear that formatting, typos, and such were not entirely fixed and situated in the version of the book that I was provided. With that being said, before leaving this review, I have borrowed the book from Kindle Unlimited to look at the part of the book that I did read before DNF'ing to see if the formatting errors that were hard for me to read through were still there. Since I do have a copy of this book, I may try to pick it up and finish it in the future.
Now that I've put all my anxious disclaimers out there, let me begin.
I read 15% of this book. That was all I could read. I love YA books, both retellings and fantasy, amongst many other genres. That was part of why I was so excited to have the opportunity to read this.
One of the first things that was hard to read was the way the paragraphs were formatted. The book consists of very short paragraphs for every paragraph. A lot of these could have been combined into larger paragraphs for smoother reading. It was very chunky to look at, and to read it. It caused cuts in scenes and dialogue that didn't need cuts. This was in the ARC and the released version.
The second thing that was hard to read was how Peter refers to his parents. Peter is adopted which is one of the first things we learn about him. He first refers to his adoptive parents as Mr. & Mrs. Anderson. We then come up to a line where it says "Mr. Anderson shot Peter an encouraging smile from the rearview mirror, and Mom went back to scrolling on her phone." I made note during my reading that it was odd. Shortly after that we come up to a line that says "Alice, Mom, and Dad could be in their happy little bubble without his dumb comments, not intentionally making them angry." Here we have another change in the narration and reference to what he calls them. Very shortly after that but at two different times, Peter goes back to calling them both Mr. & Mrs. Anderson. This made Peters narration really hard for me to follow, which in a YA novel the narration should be easy to follow, and this is something that I feel should have been caught onto by editors and/or the author since it does come back to Peters narration and backstory with his family.
The third thing that was hard to read was how unlike their ages everyone acted. I see in other reviews that I'm not the only person who saw this either. A good reference for this is the following example: "Alice took in a harsh gasp and scrunched her face in anger. 'Why do the adults always act like kids but are mad at me when I get upset? At least I'm acting my age!'" To elaborate on what I mean, Alice does not act like a 13 year old to me. Peter does not act like an 18 year old. These parents certainly don't act like adults, considering they're lashing out at each other at an amusement park. I know this is a YA fantasy/fairy-tale retelling, but there still should be some semblance of reality in maturity levels. The descriptors of body language were also hard to understand because they just didn't seem right. Scrunching face in anger? To me a face scrunches in disgust, not anger. I feel like some other words could have been used for descriptors in some parts.
I pushed through after those initial red flags to me, and kept going in hopes things would improve and read smoother. The storyline picked up, and the world building got better, but the other things didn't. I also had some questions about how when they went through the mirror, their first thought wasn't "Where is my sister?!" I feel like with the level of concern they had and why they went after her, that would have been one of their first thoughts other than how they had ended up there themselves. There just seems to be some holes, some writing quirks to be smoothed out, and a little more attention to the ages of who is being written about.
This book has so much potential. The cover art is absolutely beautiful. I do want to try to finish it, and maybe there will be a redone edition at some point.
For starters, I was provided an ARC of this book. It was made abundantly clear that formatting, typos, and such were not entirely fixed and situated in the version of the book that I was provided. With that being said, before leaving this review, I have borrowed the book from Kindle Unlimited to look at the part of the book that I did read before DNF'ing to see if the formatting errors that were hard for me to read through were still there. Since I do have a copy of this book, I may try to pick it up and finish it in the future.
Now that I've put all my anxious disclaimers out there, let me begin.
I read 15% of this book. That was all I could read. I love YA books, both retellings and fantasy, amongst many other genres. That was part of why I was so excited to have the opportunity to read this.
One of the first things that was hard to read was the way the paragraphs were formatted. The book consists of very short paragraphs for every paragraph. A lot of these could have been combined into larger paragraphs for smoother reading. It was very chunky to look at, and to read it. It caused cuts in scenes and dialogue that didn't need cuts. This was in the ARC and the released version.
The second thing that was hard to read was how Peter refers to his parents. Peter is adopted which is one of the first things we learn about him. He first refers to his adoptive parents as Mr. & Mrs. Anderson. We then come up to a line where it says "Mr. Anderson shot Peter an encouraging smile from the rearview mirror, and Mom went back to scrolling on her phone." I made note during my reading that it was odd. Shortly after that we come up to a line that says "Alice, Mom, and Dad could be in their happy little bubble without his dumb comments, not intentionally making them angry." Here we have another change in the narration and reference to what he calls them. Very shortly after that but at two different times, Peter goes back to calling them both Mr. & Mrs. Anderson. This made Peters narration really hard for me to follow, which in a YA novel the narration should be easy to follow, and this is something that I feel should have been caught onto by editors and/or the author since it does come back to Peters narration and backstory with his family.
The third thing that was hard to read was how unlike their ages everyone acted. I see in other reviews that I'm not the only person who saw this either. A good reference for this is the following example: "Alice took in a harsh gasp and scrunched her face in anger. 'Why do the adults always act like kids but are mad at me when I get upset? At least I'm acting my age!'" To elaborate on what I mean, Alice does not act like a 13 year old to me. Peter does not act like an 18 year old. These parents certainly don't act like adults, considering they're lashing out at each other at an amusement park. I know this is a YA fantasy/fairy-tale retelling, but there still should be some semblance of reality in maturity levels. The descriptors of body language were also hard to understand because they just didn't seem right. Scrunching face in anger? To me a face scrunches in disgust, not anger. I feel like some other words could have been used for descriptors in some parts.
I pushed through after those initial red flags to me, and kept going in hopes things would improve and read smoother. The storyline picked up, and the world building got better, but the other things didn't. I also had some questions about how when they went through the mirror, their first thought wasn't "Where is my sister?!" I feel like with the level of concern they had and why they went after her, that would have been one of their first thoughts other than how they had ended up there themselves. There just seems to be some holes, some writing quirks to be smoothed out, and a little more attention to the ages of who is being written about.
This book has so much potential. The cover art is absolutely beautiful. I do want to try to finish it, and maybe there will be a redone edition at some point.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2024
In my Wonderland and Neverland mood I stumbled upon this series. The first book was on my Kindle for quite some time already, but for some reason I rarely read books on my Kindle apart from review copies or while traveling. However, since I got my physical copy a few days ago I now couldn't wait to start reading any longer. I love Neverland and Peter Pan, I love Alice and Wonderland. I was really curious to discover how this mixed retelling would work out.
I absolutely loved what the author did in this book! The mix of Wonderland and Neverland works out perfectly. And actually, the author is not just mixing Wonderland and Neverland, she's also opening doors towards loads of other worlds like Oz and Goblin City. However, Wonderland and Neverland blended really nicely in this novel. I think the worlds have much in common to begin with and therefore it's not hard to imagine that a talking cat and evil mermaids exist in the same universe.
I also really loved this version of Peter Pan. Despite the fact that he grew up in our world, being Alice's elder adopted brother, he's still the recognizable boy from the original tale. He's a little childish at times. He's reckless. He acts before the thinks. And although it gets him in a lot of danger and unwanted situations, it also makes him fly, literally, and has him end up becoming very special to the evil mermaids.
I also really liked reading Jillian Hook's story. Jillian has grown up in poverty and has learned how to survive in the most terrifying circumstances all her life. So, when she's being captured by a bunch of pirates it only takes her a few chapters before she's their new captain. I most of all liked that both she and Peter were not love interests. They had their own journeys, struggles and adventures, despite the fact that they start and end their adventures together.
I'm also really excited to discover what has happened to Alice. I can't wait to pick up the next book!
I absolutely loved what the author did in this book! The mix of Wonderland and Neverland works out perfectly. And actually, the author is not just mixing Wonderland and Neverland, she's also opening doors towards loads of other worlds like Oz and Goblin City. However, Wonderland and Neverland blended really nicely in this novel. I think the worlds have much in common to begin with and therefore it's not hard to imagine that a talking cat and evil mermaids exist in the same universe.
I also really loved this version of Peter Pan. Despite the fact that he grew up in our world, being Alice's elder adopted brother, he's still the recognizable boy from the original tale. He's a little childish at times. He's reckless. He acts before the thinks. And although it gets him in a lot of danger and unwanted situations, it also makes him fly, literally, and has him end up becoming very special to the evil mermaids.
I also really liked reading Jillian Hook's story. Jillian has grown up in poverty and has learned how to survive in the most terrifying circumstances all her life. So, when she's being captured by a bunch of pirates it only takes her a few chapters before she's their new captain. I most of all liked that both she and Peter were not love interests. They had their own journeys, struggles and adventures, despite the fact that they start and end their adventures together.
I'm also really excited to discover what has happened to Alice. I can't wait to pick up the next book!
May 9, 2023
“This book is dedicated to those who have always wanted to fly and, despite all who said they couldn't, found a way to anyway.”
If you ever wondered what would happen when Peter Pan met Alice in Wonderland with a dash of a few other fairy tales, then this is the book for you. It’s a delicate weaving of several classics, using the original storylines in a completely new way - resulting in a delightfully satisfying read.
This modern retelling of old favorites was fast paced and instantly captivating. You’ll find yourself transported into a fantastical world of magic and whimsy with characters who were relatable and believable. The chapters are short and easy to read and I found myself staying up late into the night to finish just one more chapter on several occasions.
The story was told in a way that was familiar enough to be comforting, but different enough to be entertaining, which is a hard balance to strike in retelling. The author did a wonderful job.
The slow burn romance was able to capture the awkwardness of the teenage years pretty well. The love/hate relationship between the main characters felt cringe worthy, but as I remembered this is a book about teenagers and written for teenagers, I realized it was an appropriate and accurate representation of a typical budding romance of youth, and likely very relatable to its target audience.
As a wonderful start to the series, Peter in Neverland has an unexpected ending and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
If you ever wondered what would happen when Peter Pan met Alice in Wonderland with a dash of a few other fairy tales, then this is the book for you. It’s a delicate weaving of several classics, using the original storylines in a completely new way - resulting in a delightfully satisfying read.
This modern retelling of old favorites was fast paced and instantly captivating. You’ll find yourself transported into a fantastical world of magic and whimsy with characters who were relatable and believable. The chapters are short and easy to read and I found myself staying up late into the night to finish just one more chapter on several occasions.
The story was told in a way that was familiar enough to be comforting, but different enough to be entertaining, which is a hard balance to strike in retelling. The author did a wonderful job.
The slow burn romance was able to capture the awkwardness of the teenage years pretty well. The love/hate relationship between the main characters felt cringe worthy, but as I remembered this is a book about teenagers and written for teenagers, I realized it was an appropriate and accurate representation of a typical budding romance of youth, and likely very relatable to its target audience.
As a wonderful start to the series, Peter in Neverland has an unexpected ending and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
May 9, 2023
The idea was original and fun. The implementation could have been a bit better.
I really enjoy the premise. A collection of storybook lands (not just Wonderland) that we all know, and some teens who are transported there. But it was confusing how the teens knew of some of the lands from their reality but not others. That made it a little hard for me to suspend disbelief.
Additionally, Jillian was so deeply unlikable for me. Choosing the potential of bodily harm and the acknowledged risk of SA over being rescued just to prove a point? It makes it seem like she’s either dumb or just so deeply stubborn she’s willing to risk herself. Empathy is built for her later in the book but it’s a little too late.
I applaud the authors idea and think it could be a super interesting series but I think the readers need to be invited to care about the characters a little earlier in the story. There were a lot of unanswered questions and I didn’t dislike the book, I just don’t know if it’s enough to bring me back for the next.
I really enjoy the premise. A collection of storybook lands (not just Wonderland) that we all know, and some teens who are transported there. But it was confusing how the teens knew of some of the lands from their reality but not others. That made it a little hard for me to suspend disbelief.
Additionally, Jillian was so deeply unlikable for me. Choosing the potential of bodily harm and the acknowledged risk of SA over being rescued just to prove a point? It makes it seem like she’s either dumb or just so deeply stubborn she’s willing to risk herself. Empathy is built for her later in the book but it’s a little too late.
I applaud the authors idea and think it could be a super interesting series but I think the readers need to be invited to care about the characters a little earlier in the story. There were a lot of unanswered questions and I didn’t dislike the book, I just don’t know if it’s enough to bring me back for the next.
May 9, 2023
I honestly am struggling trying to figure out what I’d like to rate this. I wish there were half stars, otherwise I would probably give it 3.5.
I’ll start by saying I received this book as an ARC to give my honest review in exchange.
I was super excited to read this book. The cover is beautiful, and I’m a little obsessed with Pan so I really looked forward to this retelling.
The storyline was pretty good. Some parts felt super rushed, and I found myself annoyed with Jillian, and at times Pan as they felt more child-like rather than older teens.
I wish there was a little more world building, and I really wish we knew what happened between James and Pan’s family, too. Maybe in the 2nd book?
I did enjoy the book, but it’s not something I was super thrilled with.
I’ll start by saying I received this book as an ARC to give my honest review in exchange.
I was super excited to read this book. The cover is beautiful, and I’m a little obsessed with Pan so I really looked forward to this retelling.
The storyline was pretty good. Some parts felt super rushed, and I found myself annoyed with Jillian, and at times Pan as they felt more child-like rather than older teens.
I wish there was a little more world building, and I really wish we knew what happened between James and Pan’s family, too. Maybe in the 2nd book?
I did enjoy the book, but it’s not something I was super thrilled with.
May 3, 2023
This was the first “fantasy” book I’ve read. I was kind of nervous about it at first, but half way through I was hooked. I really liked the stories she gave the characters, I like how she blended Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland together into this one book. Definitely gives me “Descendants” vibes. I’m so super excited for Book #2 and really hope we get some “background” on Peter from when he was little.
May 13, 2023
If you love Peter Pan, Neverland, fairies and mermaids then this is a perfect retelling of a fan favorite! I love the hints of other worlds thrown in and am excited to see how the other books will bring them in! The world building in the beginning was a bit slow and took a bit to get into, but I'm excited for book 2 with Alice's side of the story! I have passed my ARC copy on to my son for him to read as well (he's 13), and am looking forward to hearing his thoughts. Perfect book for fantasy readers and teens trying to break into the book world!
May 15, 2023
I received an ARC of this book. I think it was a wonderful mixed YA retelling of Peter Pan in a new way. There were so many familiar characters and it was very nostalgic for me!
I will say, I found myself trying to stay focused on some parts. I think this might be because it was a little bit more YA than I am used to but that isn't the book's fault. I am just used to more epic fantasy books.
This is available on Kindle Unlimited!
I will say, I found myself trying to stay focused on some parts. I think this might be because it was a little bit more YA than I am used to but that isn't the book's fault. I am just used to more epic fantasy books.
This is available on Kindle Unlimited!
May 2, 2023
Such a fun Peter Pan retelling! I love how other “stories” were also mixed in as well. I am ready to read the next book already!
Characters are “ok”. Some of the writing could have had a little more description at times but it didn’t stop me from reading this entire book in one day!
Young adult, adventurous and exciting.
Characters are “ok”. Some of the writing could have had a little more description at times but it didn’t stop me from reading this entire book in one day!
Young adult, adventurous and exciting.
May 10, 2023
I LOVE a good fairytale retelling, and this one is a new favorite! It was great getting to see a new interpretation of all the characters we grew up loving, and I can't wait to see more in the next book. It was so fun seeing the adventure Peter and Jillian went on and I hope we get to see a little more of their relationship flourish in book 2.
May 12, 2023
I'm a sucker for a fairy tale retelling! I feel this is a great YA read for sure. I really enjoyed the woven references from our familiar fairy tales. I loved the gender change on Captain Hook's character and the relationship her and Peter built. I can't wait to get the second book and get Alice's side of the story!
May 19, 2025
Once upon a time…
I’ve always loved any Peter Pan story. This story by Jenifer Conrad didn’t disappoint! Having Peter older is infinitely more satisfying than thinking of him as a child! It had just enough of the old story and enough of the new to make the story an extension of young Peter and keep you interested in knowing the grown up Peter! I can’t wait to read the next book.
I’ve always loved any Peter Pan story. This story by Jenifer Conrad didn’t disappoint! Having Peter older is infinitely more satisfying than thinking of him as a child! It had just enough of the old story and enough of the new to make the story an extension of young Peter and keep you interested in knowing the grown up Peter! I can’t wait to read the next book.
May 3, 2023
I absolutely LOVED this book! I love that she incorporated Peter pan, the wizard of oz, The goblin king, and Alice in wonderland! I’m also sensing a little bit of Ariel Inspo from one of the mermaids! This book was so great and I read it within a day and a half!
May 6, 2023
I really loved the fantasy fairytale aspect! It felt truly magical. The characters were all loveable and written very well. I flew through this pretty quick ! Looking forward to more books by this author.
May 12, 2023
I enjoyed this Peter Pan retelling. I loved how Jeni added other characters from story books I loved as a child. This was a different read than I’m use to, and it was great to have a refresher from my norm of reading. I’d love to see a little more character building, but I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book. It’ll definitely be nice to see what Alice has been through and maybe more background on Peter.
I’m happy I was apart of the ARC team. It was a good YA/ Peter Pan retelling. Thank you Jeni for giving me this opportunity.
I’m happy I was apart of the ARC team. It was a good YA/ Peter Pan retelling. Thank you Jeni for giving me this opportunity.
May 14, 2023
This book was very cute. The ending redeemed the middle of the book where the pacing slowed down. I would not have guessed the small plot twist at the end of the book and I’m excited to read the second one coming out in a few months!
Read
June 5, 2023I’m not giving this one a rating as I don’t think it’s fair since I only got 12% in. This one just isn’t for me so I had to stop. It does have potential so to anyone thinking about it I recommend giving it a try for yourself because you may enjoy it. Unfortunately it just wasn’t my thing.
February 5, 2024
Super fun mixed up retelling. But, I love all things Peter Pan. 💚
Fav Quotes:
1. “Thankfully he was too full of himself to understand it was stupid to bring daggers to a sword fight.”
2. “You should have left that well enough alone. Shiny things always bring trouble."
3. Finally, she sighed and turned her gaze away, out to the open sea. “Peter, have you ever had to work for anything a day in your life?” Her question confused him, and he had trouble sorting out where her thought process had gone. “Of course. I might not be as good as you at fencing, but I had to work hard to get to my skill level. Not to mention, I’ve had to do that for every sport I play…or played. You know as well as I do what kind of dedication and hard work athletics require.” She scoffed and shook her head with a small smile. “See? That’s what I mean. You don’t even consider how much your parents have had to shell out so you can use your hard work and dedication to participate. I’ve only ever been in fencing because my father said we only had enough money for one sport. When I picked fencing, he had to work extra hours to earn enough to pay for all the equipment. Before events where we have to travel farther than the next town over, I pick up extra babysitting gigs to help with the costs. All of my clothes come from secondhand stores, and we eat cheap ramen noodles at least three times a week. I bet your family buys lots of meat so you can use the protein to build muscles. Imagine how much better I’d be if I had access to such luxuries.” She shot him a mocking smirk. “Not to mention, your house is huge, and we’ve had several weeks where we couldn’t even afford to pay the electric bill.”“Oh, Jillian.” His heart sank as he said her name, hoping she could see and hear the care he had for her. Instead of softening and opening up to him, like he was hoping for, her eyes hardened, and her lip stiffened. The words flew out of her mouth like poisoned darts. “Don’t say my name like that! You have no right! ...”
Fav Quotes:
1. “Thankfully he was too full of himself to understand it was stupid to bring daggers to a sword fight.”
2. “You should have left that well enough alone. Shiny things always bring trouble."
3. Finally, she sighed and turned her gaze away, out to the open sea. “Peter, have you ever had to work for anything a day in your life?” Her question confused him, and he had trouble sorting out where her thought process had gone. “Of course. I might not be as good as you at fencing, but I had to work hard to get to my skill level. Not to mention, I’ve had to do that for every sport I play…or played. You know as well as I do what kind of dedication and hard work athletics require.” She scoffed and shook her head with a small smile. “See? That’s what I mean. You don’t even consider how much your parents have had to shell out so you can use your hard work and dedication to participate. I’ve only ever been in fencing because my father said we only had enough money for one sport. When I picked fencing, he had to work extra hours to earn enough to pay for all the equipment. Before events where we have to travel farther than the next town over, I pick up extra babysitting gigs to help with the costs. All of my clothes come from secondhand stores, and we eat cheap ramen noodles at least three times a week. I bet your family buys lots of meat so you can use the protein to build muscles. Imagine how much better I’d be if I had access to such luxuries.” She shot him a mocking smirk. “Not to mention, your house is huge, and we’ve had several weeks where we couldn’t even afford to pay the electric bill.”“Oh, Jillian.” His heart sank as he said her name, hoping she could see and hear the care he had for her. Instead of softening and opening up to him, like he was hoping for, her eyes hardened, and her lip stiffened. The words flew out of her mouth like poisoned darts. “Don’t say my name like that! You have no right! ...”
July 20, 2023
3.5
Thank you to the author for the e-arc in exchange for my review!!
Peter Pan in Wonderland is an amazing mash up of my favourite fairytales- Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland! Theres also hits of the show Once Upon A Time in there, too!! I really enjoyed this, and it made me want to watch the 2003 Peter Pan, the live action alice in Wonderland and season 3a of Once Upon A Time (the best ones i dont even care what yall say)!
This story follows Peter and Jillian, who fall into the mirror dimension looking for Peter's sister, Alice, who ran off to chase a rabbit (girl, we dont run after animals that could have rabies, and if you say this rabbit had a jacket on a stopwatch, we definitely dont run towards it, we run the opposite way and assume we're going delulu). Peter and Jillian both face dangers, and this story is super exciting, i was hooked from the beginning to the end - also, that end?! Bye. I need the next one like yesterday.
But the reason i have rated it 3 stars is because the writing felt like it was something my 11 year old self would write, it was very child-like, and i know that this book is in the YA category but for me, it was more of a children's book. The writing style bugged me sometimes and said things like "stupid looking," etc. This was genuinely the only fault, though, and a child would definitely love this book. Even people who read YA all the time would love it, too!
That being said, i am so so so excited to read the next one, i can't wait to see what alice got up to while Peter and Jillian were doing their thing!
Definitely check this out if you want a quick, easy read filled with magic and give off so much Once Upon A Time vibes, you'll want to rewatch!!!
Thank you to the author for the e-arc in exchange for my review!!
Peter Pan in Wonderland is an amazing mash up of my favourite fairytales- Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland! Theres also hits of the show Once Upon A Time in there, too!! I really enjoyed this, and it made me want to watch the 2003 Peter Pan, the live action alice in Wonderland and season 3a of Once Upon A Time (the best ones i dont even care what yall say)!
This story follows Peter and Jillian, who fall into the mirror dimension looking for Peter's sister, Alice, who ran off to chase a rabbit (girl, we dont run after animals that could have rabies, and if you say this rabbit had a jacket on a stopwatch, we definitely dont run towards it, we run the opposite way and assume we're going delulu). Peter and Jillian both face dangers, and this story is super exciting, i was hooked from the beginning to the end - also, that end?! Bye. I need the next one like yesterday.
But the reason i have rated it 3 stars is because the writing felt like it was something my 11 year old self would write, it was very child-like, and i know that this book is in the YA category but for me, it was more of a children's book. The writing style bugged me sometimes and said things like "stupid looking," etc. This was genuinely the only fault, though, and a child would definitely love this book. Even people who read YA all the time would love it, too!
That being said, i am so so so excited to read the next one, i can't wait to see what alice got up to while Peter and Jillian were doing their thing!
Definitely check this out if you want a quick, easy read filled with magic and give off so much Once Upon A Time vibes, you'll want to rewatch!!!
May 22, 2023
I am a sucker for Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland. Those two things combined with the gorgeous artwork for the cover pulled me in to volunteering to be an ARC.
I had such high hopes for this book, and while I can’t say they were completely crushed… I wasn’t totally satisfied either.
The story begins with Peter (pan) and Jillian (hook) fall into a portal the another world while chasing after Alice, peter’s sister. They are thrown about different fairytale worlds and different characters we all know and love, even though they are quite different.
It took me a bit to get into the story and I didn’t like the different POVs until they went their separate ways. Before then, it didn’t make sense to me to have the dual POV.
Parts of the story seemed rushed, and skipped over, whole other parts seemed a bit drug out.
It also seemed like the author wanted to give the book a little spice but refrained from it (some of the parts that would be rushed over).
I also feel like this book was pretty predictable for me and I wasn’t begging for more and itching to turn the page like I would have hoped.
Over all it was a quick and easy read. I enjoyed it enough, but wasn’t a favorite.
I had such high hopes for this book, and while I can’t say they were completely crushed… I wasn’t totally satisfied either.
The story begins with Peter (pan) and Jillian (hook) fall into a portal the another world while chasing after Alice, peter’s sister. They are thrown about different fairytale worlds and different characters we all know and love, even though they are quite different.
It took me a bit to get into the story and I didn’t like the different POVs until they went their separate ways. Before then, it didn’t make sense to me to have the dual POV.
Parts of the story seemed rushed, and skipped over, whole other parts seemed a bit drug out.
It also seemed like the author wanted to give the book a little spice but refrained from it (some of the parts that would be rushed over).
I also feel like this book was pretty predictable for me and I wasn’t begging for more and itching to turn the page like I would have hoped.
Over all it was a quick and easy read. I enjoyed it enough, but wasn’t a favorite.
May 18, 2023
"Peter Pan in Wonderland" is the first book in the Mirror Island series. It is a dual POV story that focus on Peter and his fencing rival/secret crush Jillian.
Peter and Jillian find themselves in an new world when they fall through a mirror in a funhouse while chasing Peter's sister, Alice. The two are immediately at odds due to the history between their parents. While trying to find their way in this strange world and rescue Alice, they meet a assortment of fairytale creatures and find themselves in an array of predicaments.
Jeni Conrad has created a delightful, fresh story while still maintaining the whimsy of stories from our childhood. While the traditional stories of Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland were never my favorites, Conrad's novel brought new life to them and was truly enjoyable. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!
I received an ARC of this book and offered to provide a voluntary, honest review.
Peter and Jillian find themselves in an new world when they fall through a mirror in a funhouse while chasing Peter's sister, Alice. The two are immediately at odds due to the history between their parents. While trying to find their way in this strange world and rescue Alice, they meet a assortment of fairytale creatures and find themselves in an array of predicaments.
Jeni Conrad has created a delightful, fresh story while still maintaining the whimsy of stories from our childhood. While the traditional stories of Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland were never my favorites, Conrad's novel brought new life to them and was truly enjoyable. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!
I received an ARC of this book and offered to provide a voluntary, honest review.
May 13, 2023
I received this book as an arc in exchange for an honest review.
I'll start by saying this: the author had a great idea, I just don't think she executed it in the best way. It's called Peter Pan in Wonderland and in the 50% that I read, there were very few references to Alice In Wonderland. The Wonderland they went to in the book was basically Neverland with a twist.
The book is written in third person, which was kind of off-putting to me. I feel like first person would have really helped this book, especially since it's dual pov.
The book would be good for a younger reader, it just isn't my cup of tea. I would 100% feel comfortable letting my child read it without having to worry about language or sexual content.
I'll start by saying this: the author had a great idea, I just don't think she executed it in the best way. It's called Peter Pan in Wonderland and in the 50% that I read, there were very few references to Alice In Wonderland. The Wonderland they went to in the book was basically Neverland with a twist.
The book is written in third person, which was kind of off-putting to me. I feel like first person would have really helped this book, especially since it's dual pov.
The book would be good for a younger reader, it just isn't my cup of tea. I would 100% feel comfortable letting my child read it without having to worry about language or sexual content.
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