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It Came from Neverland: A Novel
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First published June 9, 2026
About the author
Cynthia Pelayo
68 books725 followersCynthia Pelayo is a Bram Stoker Award winning and International Latino Book Award winning author and poet.
Pelayo writes fairy tales that blend genre and explore concepts of grief, mourning, and cycles of violence. She is the author of Loteria, Santa Muerte, The Missing, Poems of My Night, Into the Forest and All the Way Through, Children of Chicago, Crime Scene, The Shoemaker’s Magician, as well as dozens of standalone short stories and poems.
Loteria, which was her MFA in Writing thesis at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, was re-released to praise with Esquire calling it one of the ‘Best Horror Books of 2023.’ Santa Muerte and The Missing, her young adult horror novels were each nominated for International Latino Book Awards. Poems of My Night was nominated for an Elgin Award. Into the Forest and All the Way Through was nominated for an Elgin Award and was also nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection. Children of Chicago was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award in Superior Achievement in a Novel and won an International Latino Book Award for Best Mystery. Crime Scene won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection. The Shoemaker’s Magician has been released to praise with Library Journal awarding it a starred review.
Her forthcoming novel, The Forgotten Sisters, will be released by Thomas and Mercer in 2024 and is an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid.”
Her works have been reviewed in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, LA Review of Books, and more.
Pelayo writes fairy tales that blend genre and explore concepts of grief, mourning, and cycles of violence. She is the author of Loteria, Santa Muerte, The Missing, Poems of My Night, Into the Forest and All the Way Through, Children of Chicago, Crime Scene, The Shoemaker’s Magician, as well as dozens of standalone short stories and poems.
Loteria, which was her MFA in Writing thesis at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, was re-released to praise with Esquire calling it one of the ‘Best Horror Books of 2023.’ Santa Muerte and The Missing, her young adult horror novels were each nominated for International Latino Book Awards. Poems of My Night was nominated for an Elgin Award. Into the Forest and All the Way Through was nominated for an Elgin Award and was also nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection. Children of Chicago was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award in Superior Achievement in a Novel and won an International Latino Book Award for Best Mystery. Crime Scene won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection. The Shoemaker’s Magician has been released to praise with Library Journal awarding it a starred review.
Her forthcoming novel, The Forgotten Sisters, will be released by Thomas and Mercer in 2024 and is an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid.”
Her works have been reviewed in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, LA Review of Books, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 230 reviews
May 15, 2026
It Came from the Nether Land by Cynthia Pelayo is a stunning blend of psychological horror, dark fantasy, and gothic fairy-tale retelling that completely consumed me from beginning to end. This eerie reimagining of Peter Pan takes everything familiar about childhood fantasy and transforms it into something haunting, unsettling, and unforgettable.
The story explores grief, trauma, fear, and the dangerous comfort of escaping reality. What begins as a beautifully mysterious tale slowly unravels into something darker and far more psychological. The tension builds so naturally that I found myself unable to put it down, needing to know where the story would lead next.
What truly made this book extraordinary for me was Cynthia Pelayo’s writing style. Her prose is mesmerizing. Every scene feels alive. I could hear sounds echoing through the darkness, smell decay and rain in the air, and feel the chilling atmosphere wrapping around each page. It takes incredible skill to make a reader experience a story through all the senses, and Cynthia Pelayo delivers this effortlessly. Her descriptions are poetic yet deeply unsettling, creating a dreamlike horror that lingers long after reading.
The characters were another highlight. They felt emotionally raw and authentic, carrying pain and vulnerability that made their journeys feel real. Every interaction added another layer to the growing psychological unease, and I became deeply invested in what would happen to them. No character felt unnecessary—each one contributed to the haunting atmosphere.
What I loved most was how the horror was handled. This is not a book that relies on gore or jump scares. The fear comes from atmosphere, emotion, and the slow unraveling of the mind. It creeps under your skin and stays there, creating a constant sense of unease that becomes almost suffocating in the best way.
And then there’s the ending—absolutely brilliant. Beautifully crafted, emotional, shocking, and deeply satisfying, it brings everything together in a way that left me speechless.
It Came from the Nether Lands is one of those rare books that is both terrifying and beautiful at the same time. Cynthia Pelayo has created something darkly magical, emotionally powerful, and completely immersive. If you love psychological horror with rich atmosphere, unforgettable writing, and fairy tales twisted into nightmares, this book deserves a place at the top of your reading list.
Thank you NetGalley, Crooked Lane Publishers, and Cynthia Pelayo for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publishing Date: June 9th, 2026
The story explores grief, trauma, fear, and the dangerous comfort of escaping reality. What begins as a beautifully mysterious tale slowly unravels into something darker and far more psychological. The tension builds so naturally that I found myself unable to put it down, needing to know where the story would lead next.
What truly made this book extraordinary for me was Cynthia Pelayo’s writing style. Her prose is mesmerizing. Every scene feels alive. I could hear sounds echoing through the darkness, smell decay and rain in the air, and feel the chilling atmosphere wrapping around each page. It takes incredible skill to make a reader experience a story through all the senses, and Cynthia Pelayo delivers this effortlessly. Her descriptions are poetic yet deeply unsettling, creating a dreamlike horror that lingers long after reading.
The characters were another highlight. They felt emotionally raw and authentic, carrying pain and vulnerability that made their journeys feel real. Every interaction added another layer to the growing psychological unease, and I became deeply invested in what would happen to them. No character felt unnecessary—each one contributed to the haunting atmosphere.
What I loved most was how the horror was handled. This is not a book that relies on gore or jump scares. The fear comes from atmosphere, emotion, and the slow unraveling of the mind. It creeps under your skin and stays there, creating a constant sense of unease that becomes almost suffocating in the best way.
And then there’s the ending—absolutely brilliant. Beautifully crafted, emotional, shocking, and deeply satisfying, it brings everything together in a way that left me speechless.
It Came from the Nether Lands is one of those rare books that is both terrifying and beautiful at the same time. Cynthia Pelayo has created something darkly magical, emotionally powerful, and completely immersive. If you love psychological horror with rich atmosphere, unforgettable writing, and fairy tales twisted into nightmares, this book deserves a place at the top of your reading list.
Thank you NetGalley, Crooked Lane Publishers, and Cynthia Pelayo for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publishing Date: June 9th, 2026
June 21, 2026
4.5 Stars
Have you ever wondered what happened to the Darling family after their return from Neverland?
Wendy works as a school teacher at a home for children orphaned by the war. Unfortunately, she is still affected by the trauma of her time in Neverland. The stories that are told are all fictionalized, and in actuality, it was a complete nightmare. When another child goes missing, Wendy is convinced Peter took them and is determined to get them back, even if it means going back to Neverland.
This was definitely an interesting, creepy take on the traditional fairy tale. I dare to say I like this version better. My only quibble would be that based on the blurb, I had a different interpretation of certain things, specifically Wendy’s involvement with the missing children. Cryptic, I know. That aside, I really did enjoy this dark take on the classic.
Have you ever wondered what happened to the Darling family after their return from Neverland?
Wendy works as a school teacher at a home for children orphaned by the war. Unfortunately, she is still affected by the trauma of her time in Neverland. The stories that are told are all fictionalized, and in actuality, it was a complete nightmare. When another child goes missing, Wendy is convinced Peter took them and is determined to get them back, even if it means going back to Neverland.
This was definitely an interesting, creepy take on the traditional fairy tale. I dare to say I like this version better. My only quibble would be that based on the blurb, I had a different interpretation of certain things, specifically Wendy’s involvement with the missing children. Cryptic, I know. That aside, I really did enjoy this dark take on the classic.
Read
May 27, 2026I always thought Peter Pan felt more sinister than magical! Thank you, Cynthia Pelayo, for centering Wendy's story on the other side of Neverland and exploring the nightmare of knowing his legacy of trauma isn't over. Classic book lovers and horror fans, this is for us.
June 27, 2026
This was a creeper!! First of all I love Peter Pan, okay. I knew he was demonic, I mean a boy who never grows up, last name Pan and he can fly. Yeah serious red flags, but just like Wendy I would have jumped out that window with him too LOL😂 Then comes the aftermath and that’s where this story starts and sh@t gets real dark, twisted and quite creepy. Peter is all together something different from nightmares and obsessed with Wendy in ways that will make your skin crawl.
What I loved the most was the art of storytelling here. A lot of detail went into cracking your imagination open and teasing your senses. I’m not gonna lie I had to side check myself a couple of times thinking I seen something out the corner of my eye 😂😂 Yes there was a lot left to be desire here and I liked the fact that there was no happily ever after when the Darling children returned home and people got wind of their story and the going on’s in Neverland.
I truly enjoyed the ride even with it lacking in areas where it could have given more, and then bringing in things that made no sense. It was a fantastic story and if you like a little horror with your fantasy and a thing for Peter Pan, check this one out. This one will give you some thrills and chills and for that I say….Thank you!
What I loved the most was the art of storytelling here. A lot of detail went into cracking your imagination open and teasing your senses. I’m not gonna lie I had to side check myself a couple of times thinking I seen something out the corner of my eye 😂😂 Yes there was a lot left to be desire here and I liked the fact that there was no happily ever after when the Darling children returned home and people got wind of their story and the going on’s in Neverland.
I truly enjoyed the ride even with it lacking in areas where it could have given more, and then bringing in things that made no sense. It was a fantastic story and if you like a little horror with your fantasy and a thing for Peter Pan, check this one out. This one will give you some thrills and chills and for that I say….Thank you!
June 9, 2026
Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane for my pre-release copy of Cynthia Pelayo's It Came from Neverland. Below is my honest review.
I'm a bit disappointed. This one had such an intriguing premise, but the execution was quite lacking. The stakes never really felt high. The plot dragged until the last 20%, and I almost gave up multiple times. I'm glad I didn't because I enjoyed parts of the story, but it was a slog.
The characters were kinda shallow and under-developed. There was talk of an entity that made Peter what he is, but then it's never mentioned again when they're discussing how to stop Peter for good... what's stopping the entity from creating another Peter?
There were SO many typos. SO SO SO many. And the shifts from current reality to a memory of time in Neverland and back weren't really indicated, so all of a sudden mid-page you'd be thrust into a conversation that was a memory being relived, but nothing told you that. It was jarring.
The "happy ending" part was awkward and cringy as well.
Two stars, meh, and I hate saying that about any book.
I'm a bit disappointed. This one had such an intriguing premise, but the execution was quite lacking. The stakes never really felt high. The plot dragged until the last 20%, and I almost gave up multiple times. I'm glad I didn't because I enjoyed parts of the story, but it was a slog.
The characters were kinda shallow and under-developed. There was talk of an entity that made Peter what he is, but then it's never mentioned again when they're discussing how to stop Peter for good... what's stopping the entity from creating another Peter?
There were SO many typos. SO SO SO many. And the shifts from current reality to a memory of time in Neverland and back weren't really indicated, so all of a sudden mid-page you'd be thrust into a conversation that was a memory being relived, but nothing told you that. It was jarring.
The "happy ending" part was awkward and cringy as well.
Two stars, meh, and I hate saying that about any book.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
STARRED review in the May 2026 issue of Booklist and on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2026/05...
Three Words That Describe This Book: Strong Sense of Place, Meaning, Psychological Horror
Other words: dark retelling, trauma, PTSD, survivor guilt, historical horror, books about books, the reader knows how much worse things are going to get after the story ends.
You will never be able to look at Peter Pan the saw way again after reading this book. I need to lead with this because the Peter we are presented with here is in the vein of Charlie Manx (from Joe Hill's NOS4A2).
Wendy has PTSD from what Peter did to her. She has guilt and grief over the boys she could not save. She has the trauma of an abused partner. She is a classic victim of abuse in a time when no one understood that. Readers understand that PTSD really wasn't considered a medical condition until AFTER WWI.
In Pelayo's hands, Barrie's stories about the Darling children are the happy version of what was a TRUE CRIME mystery that rocked Pelayos alternate London. The Darling's are famous for disappearing and reappearing, but they are also infamous because of the "crazy" things Wendy claims happened. But the world knows the story Barrie wrote. Barrie took her pain and turned it into joy. She has read everything he has written. People know it is about her. It is awful for her, every single day. She is like today's famous victims of evil men.
Kensington Garden as a place of MANY child abductions, no one believing or listening to Wendy, her being put into a mental hospital during her teen years to protect her from herself and her derangements. Her estrangement from her brothers because they all were told to push their trauma and feelings down.
But now it is 12 years later. Wendy is functioning, barely. She works at the orphanage where she lived after her stay in the hospital. She is the children's teacher. It is 1914 and WWI is just starting to ramp up. The specter of the war we know is to come overshadows everything. It is bad now with young men dying and being injured, children being given to the orphanages because their fathers have been killed and the mothers cannot raise all of their children alone.
Readers know things are bad but they will get worse. There is one mention of some coughing and it is enough to remind readers that after the war, the 1917 flu will come. The atmosphere is oppressive to start, so that everything that Wendy is experiencing is menacing right off the bat.
Pelayo uses the atmosphere and history of the time and place, overlays it with the "true" horror of what happened to the Darling children, and then slowly builds the horror. The whole book is like a pot of water that begins on low as Pelayo begins to turn up the heat. Once it is simmering, the boiling comes quick. But here is the thing, even as it clams down after almost boiling over, it is still simmering, rather fast. Why? because the end resolution of this book is a pause. Michael is off to war, the war will come to London, everyone will be affected, and then the flu will kill many. Oh, and a Second World War will come next. Readers know this. So even with a pleasant outcome to this story, the horror of what will come lingers on this story. That was so very well done.
Wendy is developed perfectly. She is bookish and anxious and so isolated. She has very few friends because she is not allowed to share her truth. That labels her as insane. So when she starts to see the signs in the children (from the first lines, Agnes, one of her charges, is during a bird skull because "he" told her to) that Peter is trying to entice them to Neverland she is on edge. But no one will deliver her, she knows that. And then more things happen, crows are attacking, her shadow is acting strange.
Pelayo moves Wendy in and out of her present and into her past. She enriches the Peter Pan story we all know with details that make us all think long and hard about how dark it really is. And then she adds the overlay that Peter is not a fun young man, but rather, he is a monster who uses the children to stay young and alive... (That is mentioned early)
This book is DARK., The writing though is beautiful. It draws you through as the true horror of Wendy's experiences as a 12 year old and her life now are built up. As she rejoins forces with her brothers to try to finally end Peter's reign of terror, things move faster, but they also get way more terrifying. And again, the ending will leave you satisfied but extremely uneasy because everyone's world in London is about to get a whole lot worse.
This is not your typical Peter Pan retelling. There is no romance here. It is the opposite. And it is very dark and terrifying. The only retelling I can compare it to is Wendy, Darling by AC Wise. But again, this is more Wedny vs Peter as Vic vs Manx in NOS4A2. Also this is a great option for fans of Maguire's Wayward Children series. For Pelayo fans who loved Children of Chicago, this is a great option to pair with that as well.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Strong Sense of Place, Meaning, Psychological Horror
Other words: dark retelling, trauma, PTSD, survivor guilt, historical horror, books about books, the reader knows how much worse things are going to get after the story ends.
You will never be able to look at Peter Pan the saw way again after reading this book. I need to lead with this because the Peter we are presented with here is in the vein of Charlie Manx (from Joe Hill's NOS4A2).
Wendy has PTSD from what Peter did to her. She has guilt and grief over the boys she could not save. She has the trauma of an abused partner. She is a classic victim of abuse in a time when no one understood that. Readers understand that PTSD really wasn't considered a medical condition until AFTER WWI.
In Pelayo's hands, Barrie's stories about the Darling children are the happy version of what was a TRUE CRIME mystery that rocked Pelayos alternate London. The Darling's are famous for disappearing and reappearing, but they are also infamous because of the "crazy" things Wendy claims happened. But the world knows the story Barrie wrote. Barrie took her pain and turned it into joy. She has read everything he has written. People know it is about her. It is awful for her, every single day. She is like today's famous victims of evil men.
Kensington Garden as a place of MANY child abductions, no one believing or listening to Wendy, her being put into a mental hospital during her teen years to protect her from herself and her derangements. Her estrangement from her brothers because they all were told to push their trauma and feelings down.
But now it is 12 years later. Wendy is functioning, barely. She works at the orphanage where she lived after her stay in the hospital. She is the children's teacher. It is 1914 and WWI is just starting to ramp up. The specter of the war we know is to come overshadows everything. It is bad now with young men dying and being injured, children being given to the orphanages because their fathers have been killed and the mothers cannot raise all of their children alone.
Readers know things are bad but they will get worse. There is one mention of some coughing and it is enough to remind readers that after the war, the 1917 flu will come. The atmosphere is oppressive to start, so that everything that Wendy is experiencing is menacing right off the bat.
Pelayo uses the atmosphere and history of the time and place, overlays it with the "true" horror of what happened to the Darling children, and then slowly builds the horror. The whole book is like a pot of water that begins on low as Pelayo begins to turn up the heat. Once it is simmering, the boiling comes quick. But here is the thing, even as it clams down after almost boiling over, it is still simmering, rather fast. Why? because the end resolution of this book is a pause. Michael is off to war, the war will come to London, everyone will be affected, and then the flu will kill many. Oh, and a Second World War will come next. Readers know this. So even with a pleasant outcome to this story, the horror of what will come lingers on this story. That was so very well done.
Wendy is developed perfectly. She is bookish and anxious and so isolated. She has very few friends because she is not allowed to share her truth. That labels her as insane. So when she starts to see the signs in the children (from the first lines, Agnes, one of her charges, is during a bird skull because "he" told her to) that Peter is trying to entice them to Neverland she is on edge. But no one will deliver her, she knows that. And then more things happen, crows are attacking, her shadow is acting strange.
Pelayo moves Wendy in and out of her present and into her past. She enriches the Peter Pan story we all know with details that make us all think long and hard about how dark it really is. And then she adds the overlay that Peter is not a fun young man, but rather, he is a monster who uses the children to stay young and alive... (That is mentioned early)
This book is DARK., The writing though is beautiful. It draws you through as the true horror of Wendy's experiences as a 12 year old and her life now are built up. As she rejoins forces with her brothers to try to finally end Peter's reign of terror, things move faster, but they also get way more terrifying. And again, the ending will leave you satisfied but extremely uneasy because everyone's world in London is about to get a whole lot worse.
This is not your typical Peter Pan retelling. There is no romance here. It is the opposite. And it is very dark and terrifying. The only retelling I can compare it to is Wendy, Darling by AC Wise. But again, this is more Wedny vs Peter as Vic vs Manx in NOS4A2. Also this is a great option for fans of Maguire's Wayward Children series. For Pelayo fans who loved Children of Chicago, this is a great option to pair with that as well.
April 12, 2026
For those of you who don’t know, I am a SUCKER for any type of Peter Pan retelling. So when I saw this on my feed and then on NetGalley, I knew I had to request it!
They were not kidding when they said this book was if IT and Peter Pan had a love child! This was such a wonderful and unique retelling of what we thought we knew about Peter Pan. The story was a well executed slow burn that constantly had me looking over my shoulder and checking every shadow. Cynthia Pelayo does a wonderful job with her smooth transitions between past and present and connecting the story for the bigger picture. The lost boys seemed so primal and animalistic and painted such a good picture in my head. Listen, idk what it is but I also loved the way Cynthia describes smells. I swear, the descriptions were tricking my mind that the smells were really there! If you’re looking for an eerie and dread-filled fairytale retelling, then this book is for you!
Lastly, I’d like to give huge thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC!
They were not kidding when they said this book was if IT and Peter Pan had a love child! This was such a wonderful and unique retelling of what we thought we knew about Peter Pan. The story was a well executed slow burn that constantly had me looking over my shoulder and checking every shadow. Cynthia Pelayo does a wonderful job with her smooth transitions between past and present and connecting the story for the bigger picture. The lost boys seemed so primal and animalistic and painted such a good picture in my head. Listen, idk what it is but I also loved the way Cynthia describes smells. I swear, the descriptions were tricking my mind that the smells were really there! If you’re looking for an eerie and dread-filled fairytale retelling, then this book is for you!
Lastly, I’d like to give huge thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC!
June 19, 2026
It Came From Neverland is everything! I absolutely loved this dark twist on the children’s fairytale. The storyline and take on the story were brilliantly done. The author did an amazing job writing descriptions so clear that you are THERE, transported into the book with Wendy. The atmosphere was so eerie that even without being super gory, you felt uneasy and on edge. I wish we got a bit more Michael perspectives because those did add a nice touch to the story, but overall, very well done! 10/10 recommend!
June 14, 2026
This was an absolutely excellent Peter Pan retelling! It was fast paced, spooky, and chilling. I genuinely could not put this one down. I look forward to reading for from this author!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Wendy Darling, a schoolteacher caring for returning soldiers, is haunted by a mysterious patient who murmurs, "Peter Pan." Memories rush back when a student goes missing, reminiscent of historical child murders linked to Peter Pan, whom Wendy believes has returned. As more children disappear, Scotland Yard investigates, uncovering Wendy's knowledge of the murdered children. Struggling to prove her innocence, Wendy must confront Peter Pan and stop him once and for all...
I have to admit, I was captivated by the cover! You know me, no need for blurbs to catch my interest. If a book has an eye-catching image, I’m all in! However, the concept behind this story holds great potential!
This dark, eerie, and unsettling tale mainly unfolds from Wendy's perspective, though we also get glimpses from Michael and John. As we delve into Wendy’s adult life and her job, we start to uncover what happened during her impressionable youth. Her relationship with her brothers is strained; they’ve kept their distance to avoid confronting the past. Wendy turns to journaling to manage her trauma, but little does she know that when it comes to Peter Pan, he always gets what he wants—be prepared for some gory twists along the way.
To be honest, I had never heard of Peter Pan until I moved to the U.S. and married my husband. We watched a few movie adaptations, and I found the whole idea rather creepy—with a man who’s fascinated by kids living in Neverland. I’m grateful someone wrote this book because I've always thought there was something off about Peter Pan! In this story, he’s not the hero; instead, another unexpected character takes on that role! Can you guess who? You’ll have to add this to your TBR list to find out!
If you enjoy J.H. Markert’s work, I guarantee you’ll appreciate this one! If you know, you know... This is a dark retelling of a beloved fairytale, filled with horror and supernatural elements, where your favorite character is the villain. It’s a childhood nostalgia reimagined in an entirely different light. Set during the WWI era, this fresh take might just be what you’re seeking this Halloween season! Just imagine reading this during Halloween week - it’s bound to be spooky! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to spread the word about this dark, twisted read that would go hand in hand with IT! Ha!
Thank you, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley, for the DRC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I have to admit, I was captivated by the cover! You know me, no need for blurbs to catch my interest. If a book has an eye-catching image, I’m all in! However, the concept behind this story holds great potential!
This dark, eerie, and unsettling tale mainly unfolds from Wendy's perspective, though we also get glimpses from Michael and John. As we delve into Wendy’s adult life and her job, we start to uncover what happened during her impressionable youth. Her relationship with her brothers is strained; they’ve kept their distance to avoid confronting the past. Wendy turns to journaling to manage her trauma, but little does she know that when it comes to Peter Pan, he always gets what he wants—be prepared for some gory twists along the way.
To be honest, I had never heard of Peter Pan until I moved to the U.S. and married my husband. We watched a few movie adaptations, and I found the whole idea rather creepy—with a man who’s fascinated by kids living in Neverland. I’m grateful someone wrote this book because I've always thought there was something off about Peter Pan! In this story, he’s not the hero; instead, another unexpected character takes on that role! Can you guess who? You’ll have to add this to your TBR list to find out!
If you enjoy J.H. Markert’s work, I guarantee you’ll appreciate this one! If you know, you know... This is a dark retelling of a beloved fairytale, filled with horror and supernatural elements, where your favorite character is the villain. It’s a childhood nostalgia reimagined in an entirely different light. Set during the WWI era, this fresh take might just be what you’re seeking this Halloween season! Just imagine reading this during Halloween week - it’s bound to be spooky! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to spread the word about this dark, twisted read that would go hand in hand with IT! Ha!
Thank you, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley, for the DRC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 11, 2026
The vibe: very dreamlike-meets-nightmare.
Cynthia Pelayo’s It Came from Neverland is a dark, hypnotic reimagining that blurs the line between folklore, urban legend, and psychological horror—and it lingers long after the final page.
At its core, this novel isn’t just about Peter Pan; it’s about what happens when the idea of Neverland rots. Pelayo takes the familiar mythology and strips it of whimsy, replacing it with grief, obsession, and something deeply unsettling.It feels less like a retelling and more like an infection—Neverland as a creeping, predatory force rather than a place of wonder - a trap.
What stood out most for me was Pelayo’s prose. It’s gorgeous without trying too hard, sharp without losing depth. The emotional undercurrent (grief, guilt, growing up vs. not) hits harder than expected for a horror-leaning story, where the “monster” isn’t just external—it’s memory, longing, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. There’s a rhythm to the storytelling that mirrors a descent—each chapter pulling you deeper into a dreamlike nightmare where reality and myth collapse into each other. You don’t just read this book; you absorb it.
If you like your retellings dark, bizarre and just unsettling enough to make you side-eye your childhood favorites… yeah, this one’s for you.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and the author for gifting me this ARC through NetGalley. As always, the opinions in this review are my very own.
Cynthia Pelayo’s It Came from Neverland is a dark, hypnotic reimagining that blurs the line between folklore, urban legend, and psychological horror—and it lingers long after the final page.
At its core, this novel isn’t just about Peter Pan; it’s about what happens when the idea of Neverland rots. Pelayo takes the familiar mythology and strips it of whimsy, replacing it with grief, obsession, and something deeply unsettling.It feels less like a retelling and more like an infection—Neverland as a creeping, predatory force rather than a place of wonder - a trap.
What stood out most for me was Pelayo’s prose. It’s gorgeous without trying too hard, sharp without losing depth. The emotional undercurrent (grief, guilt, growing up vs. not) hits harder than expected for a horror-leaning story, where the “monster” isn’t just external—it’s memory, longing, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. There’s a rhythm to the storytelling that mirrors a descent—each chapter pulling you deeper into a dreamlike nightmare where reality and myth collapse into each other. You don’t just read this book; you absorb it.
If you like your retellings dark, bizarre and just unsettling enough to make you side-eye your childhood favorites… yeah, this one’s for you.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and the author for gifting me this ARC through NetGalley. As always, the opinions in this review are my very own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Wendy Darling is all grown up, working in a children’s home in the midst of the first World War. Largely estranged from her brothers, Wendy is desperate to move on from her traumatic childhood and escape the media circus that ensued upon their return. But twelve years after Wendy’s first taste of magic, Neverland is once again calling for her, and this time there’s no doubt that Peter is out for blood.
THIS WAS EVERYTHING. I’m sure others exist but I can’t believe I’ve never seen another horror retelling of Peter Pan because it’s a story that lends itself so well to horror. Pelayo hit a lot of the notes I was hoping for and twisted them so excellently. The second I heard the premise I was like “Peter’s shadow better feature” and of course it does, because that’s just too perfect. Peter is terrifying in this book, so delightfully inhuman, and manifesting in so many ways paralleling the Darling children’s manifestations of trauma. The brutality of Neverland is great, because it only takes a push to make the Lost Boys a little Lord of the Flies. If anything, I think the author could have gone farther with that. My other notes are that the storyline with the soldier in the hospital makes sense to have in the story but it’s kind of forgettable when it’s not actively on the page. I also think some of the flashbacks have really choppy transitions, and since you’re working with multiple timelines it can be a bit hard to follow.
Highly recommend this! I was super excited by the premise and I got exactly what I wanted.
Thank you to Cynthia Pelayo and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!
Happy reading!
THIS WAS EVERYTHING. I’m sure others exist but I can’t believe I’ve never seen another horror retelling of Peter Pan because it’s a story that lends itself so well to horror. Pelayo hit a lot of the notes I was hoping for and twisted them so excellently. The second I heard the premise I was like “Peter’s shadow better feature” and of course it does, because that’s just too perfect. Peter is terrifying in this book, so delightfully inhuman, and manifesting in so many ways paralleling the Darling children’s manifestations of trauma. The brutality of Neverland is great, because it only takes a push to make the Lost Boys a little Lord of the Flies. If anything, I think the author could have gone farther with that. My other notes are that the storyline with the soldier in the hospital makes sense to have in the story but it’s kind of forgettable when it’s not actively on the page. I also think some of the flashbacks have really choppy transitions, and since you’re working with multiple timelines it can be a bit hard to follow.
Highly recommend this! I was super excited by the premise and I got exactly what I wanted.
Thank you to Cynthia Pelayo and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!
Happy reading!
May 10, 2026
While this one held promise and was atmospheric, bringing the time period and location fully alive in the reader’s mind, it was too much; too full on which had the effect of diffusing the horror.
Upon opening this book, I was immediately drawn in. I thought the concept of Peter Pan being a scary story was excellent. It is not the sort of thing I would normally read but I was here for it.
Some of the spooky moments were excellent, the crows etc. But there was no subtlety. There was too much going on, tapping, feathers, whispering. There was barely a moment’s break which had the opposite effect and began to feel a lot less creepy and a bit more silly.
It kind of fizzled for me. For a horror, I have to be fully convinced and all in or it just doesn’t work. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.
Upon opening this book, I was immediately drawn in. I thought the concept of Peter Pan being a scary story was excellent. It is not the sort of thing I would normally read but I was here for it.
Some of the spooky moments were excellent, the crows etc. But there was no subtlety. There was too much going on, tapping, feathers, whispering. There was barely a moment’s break which had the opposite effect and began to feel a lot less creepy and a bit more silly.
It kind of fizzled for me. For a horror, I have to be fully convinced and all in or it just doesn’t work. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.
June 9, 2026
Thank you NetGalley for the ALC of It Came From Neverland!
I have always thought the tale of Peter Pan was a little menacing. Like a guy creeping into your window at night and wanting to take you away from your parents? Concerning. Maybe at best its the first into many of us get into Dark Romance, but even then, it just always felt like if Wendy Darling stayed, it would end badly for her.
It Came from Neverland took all of those unsettling and concerning feelings and gave them VOICE! I loved that Peter was menacing and controlling and obsessive. I loved the role Hook played (no spoilers, you'll have to read it yourself!). I loved that with the traumatic experience, the three Darling siblings all coped in different ways. Both causing a distance and a bond between them.
The pacing in this book was incredible. I finished it in one day. Practically in one sitting, except for pausing the book when I was picking up my groceries, because I don't ever want to be the jerk who gives unintentional spoilers to people without their consent. At one point in the book when you're finally finally finding out what happened to Roger, I was frozen mid scoop while getting my cats their kibble. I forgot what existence I was in and was fully just living in the book.
The narrators were all amazing. I loved Ella Lynch's soothing teacher voice and her hurried panicked voice! I actively had to check that when Rory Barnett was narrating, that there was only one narrator who voiced both brothers. That was pretty cool.
I took away one star simply because I thought they could have gone darker with this. I wanted a sinister book that would give me nightmares about Peter and what happened to all the lost boys. But instead I got a fun, fast paced, story that kept me interested and mildly stressed out, but at no point did I feel it went fully into horror. More thriller/suspense/mystery.
I have always thought the tale of Peter Pan was a little menacing. Like a guy creeping into your window at night and wanting to take you away from your parents? Concerning. Maybe at best its the first into many of us get into Dark Romance, but even then, it just always felt like if Wendy Darling stayed, it would end badly for her.
It Came from Neverland took all of those unsettling and concerning feelings and gave them VOICE! I loved that Peter was menacing and controlling and obsessive. I loved the role Hook played (no spoilers, you'll have to read it yourself!). I loved that with the traumatic experience, the three Darling siblings all coped in different ways. Both causing a distance and a bond between them.
The pacing in this book was incredible. I finished it in one day. Practically in one sitting, except for pausing the book when I was picking up my groceries, because I don't ever want to be the jerk who gives unintentional spoilers to people without their consent. At one point in the book when you're finally finally finding out what happened to Roger, I was frozen mid scoop while getting my cats their kibble. I forgot what existence I was in and was fully just living in the book.
The narrators were all amazing. I loved Ella Lynch's soothing teacher voice and her hurried panicked voice! I actively had to check that when Rory Barnett was narrating, that there was only one narrator who voiced both brothers. That was pretty cool.
I took away one star simply because I thought they could have gone darker with this. I wanted a sinister book that would give me nightmares about Peter and what happened to all the lost boys. But instead I got a fun, fast paced, story that kept me interested and mildly stressed out, but at no point did I feel it went fully into horror. More thriller/suspense/mystery.
June 22, 2026
1.5 rounded up as there are worse books than these. And there were 3 mildly interesting chapters.
This was a bit of an oddball for me.
It is a dark Peter Pan retelling, with the Orphanage vibes which is catnip to me.
I love Peter Pan as a thief of children, a dark figure: because what else can you call a being that never grows up, knocks at your children’s windows and spirits them away to a land where no one grows up. Sounds awfully like NOS4A2. But wait. It gets better. Shadows move of their own accord, and can sneak around you. If that is not nightmare fuel, I don’t know what is!
Now, about this tale. I loved the setting and the bones of the tale.
The initial part was intriguing but it all went downhill from there. The part that kept throwing me off was how were so many weird things happening so often to be just swept under the rug. I get that Wendy wouldn’t be believed, but how were all these happenings ignored by everyone there?? Also the prose got annoying. Instead of slow and dreamy, I got deliberately vague and meandering.
The characters were weirdly underdeveloped for such a rich background. Wendy is grown up and caring for other children. No one believes her tale, not even her parents, especially after JM Barrie in the same universe created Peter Pan: the cute version that people love better.
That’s it.
That’s the premise and that is her whole arc - where we start with and leave her, though we spend most of the tale with her. We hardly explore anything about her except that she has faced horrors. Michael and John just exist. We know of them, have one chapter with them. They all have done something and maybe need to do something again that might dispel the evil but we stall and stall for no apparent reason than to get to some predetermined page count.
We have some children at Marigold House, but everyone there is pretty forgettable. Also the deep rooted togetherness that children display - which usually is the fuel for such stories - is glaringly absent. Every other character is a cardboard cutout, just there.
The writing is poor and feels overdone to be memorable but ends up repetitive. There is slow burn and there is meandering slog.
The crux: so you don’t have to.
The lore was so convoluted and dull I was just sad I had to read so much to get at this above tripe.
Reading the story is you telling the bunch of kids at a haunted house to run/not split up/do something. Just here it was just “do something” rather than going through bleary motions of repetitive nothings.
This was a bit of an oddball for me.
It is a dark Peter Pan retelling, with the Orphanage vibes which is catnip to me.
I love Peter Pan as a thief of children, a dark figure: because what else can you call a being that never grows up, knocks at your children’s windows and spirits them away to a land where no one grows up. Sounds awfully like NOS4A2. But wait. It gets better. Shadows move of their own accord, and can sneak around you. If that is not nightmare fuel, I don’t know what is!
Now, about this tale. I loved the setting and the bones of the tale.
The initial part was intriguing but it all went downhill from there. The part that kept throwing me off was how were so many weird things happening so often to be just swept under the rug. I get that Wendy wouldn’t be believed, but how were all these happenings ignored by everyone there?? Also the prose got annoying. Instead of slow and dreamy, I got deliberately vague and meandering.
The characters were weirdly underdeveloped for such a rich background. Wendy is grown up and caring for other children. No one believes her tale, not even her parents, especially after JM Barrie in the same universe created Peter Pan: the cute version that people love better.
That’s it.
That’s the premise and that is her whole arc - where we start with and leave her, though we spend most of the tale with her. We hardly explore anything about her except that she has faced horrors. Michael and John just exist. We know of them, have one chapter with them. They all have done something and maybe need to do something again that might dispel the evil but we stall and stall for no apparent reason than to get to some predetermined page count.
We have some children at Marigold House, but everyone there is pretty forgettable. Also the deep rooted togetherness that children display - which usually is the fuel for such stories - is glaringly absent. Every other character is a cardboard cutout, just there.
The writing is poor and feels overdone to be memorable but ends up repetitive. There is slow burn and there is meandering slog.
The crux: so you don’t have to.
The lore was so convoluted and dull I was just sad I had to read so much to get at this above tripe.
Reading the story is you telling the bunch of kids at a haunted house to run/not split up/do something. Just here it was just “do something” rather than going through bleary motions of repetitive nothings.
June 29, 2026
The nitty-gritty: Cynthia Pelayo reimagines the story of Peter Pan, with elements both new and familiar, in this emotionally charged tale.
This isn’t the first Peter Pan retelling I’ve read that casts Peter as the villain—check out Lost Boy by Christina Henry for an excellent example of that—but it was a good one! Cynthia Pelayo did some unique things with the Peter Pan story that I haven’t seen before, and even better, she sets her tale during World War I and draws parallels between the war and Wendy’s experiences in Neverland. As with other Pelayo books, the story is beautifully written and evocative, and I enjoy it a lot.
It’s been twelve years since Wendy Darling and her brothers John and Michael managed to escape Neverland, after being held captive by the monstrous Peter Pan. It’s the beginning of WWI and Wendy has found work as a teacher at Marigold House, an orphanage for children of war torn families. Wendy herself spent several years there after her return to London, and for her it’s a safe haven, a familiar place where nothing can go wrong.
Until she starts seeing and hearing odd things: crows gather outside, unfamiliar shadows appear on the walls, and someone is calling her name. Wendy and her brothers killed Peter—or did they? Wendy always checks the windows to make sure they are locked, but it seems Peter might have found a way back. And when one of the young children in her care goes missing, Wendy decides to ask John and Michael for help. It’s time to return to Neverland to finish what they started, once and for all.
In Pelayo’s version of Peter Pan, the writer J.M. Barrie based his beloved classic on the real life experiences of Wendy, John and Michael. Wendy and her brothers have grown up under the scrutiny of a public who read Barrie’s happier, shinier version of the story, unwilling to acknowledge that the children actually had a very traumatic experience in Neverland. Poor Wendy was nearly institutionalized after trying to explain to the adults in her life what happened, and she soon realized that no one actually believed her. I loved this “story within a story” element, especially the sadder, darker consequences of hiding the truth. The three siblings haven’t seen or spoken to each other since their return, and for Wendy, it’s heartbreaking not to have her brothers in her life any more.
Most of the story is told through Wendy’s eyes, and I loved her combination of vulnerability and strength. Wendy is a caretaker at heart. She was responsible for her little brothers, and when they were swept away to Neverland, she became “mother” to the other boys on the island. After tragedy struck and many of the boys were lost, she’s having to deal with not only her own trauma and trying to make sense of everything that happened, but the fact that she couldn’t protect the boys from Peter. The story is told in the present, but through flashbacks we eventually learn what really happened in Neverland.
Pelayo gradually builds tension, and the events in Neverland become more and more menacing as the story progresses. What starts as a fantastical adventure soon turns dark and deadly. Peter isn’t a boy at all, but what is he? I’ll leave that for readers to discover. Late in the story Peter’s origins are revealed, and I quite liked the author’s idea, especially because it’s one I’ve never seen associated with this story before. The bottom line is that in this version, Peter is a predator, stealing children, playing cruel games, and ultimately casting them aside when he’s done with them.
And always in the background is the war. Wendy decides to volunteer at a hospital and is asked to comfort the dying soldiers by reading to them. Michael has enlisted and is about to leave for the front lines in a matter of weeks. The uncertainty and tragedy of war intermingles with the return of Peter and his evil intentions, casting a dark cloud over everything. Still, Wendy is the bright shining light in the story, ready to vanquish the threat and save her loved ones.
Readers who love Peter Pan retellings should definitely pick this up. And even if you aren’t a fan of the story, It Came From Neverland offers so much more than the story you might be familiar with.
Big thanks to Kaye Publicity and the publisher for providing a review copy.
This isn’t the first Peter Pan retelling I’ve read that casts Peter as the villain—check out Lost Boy by Christina Henry for an excellent example of that—but it was a good one! Cynthia Pelayo did some unique things with the Peter Pan story that I haven’t seen before, and even better, she sets her tale during World War I and draws parallels between the war and Wendy’s experiences in Neverland. As with other Pelayo books, the story is beautifully written and evocative, and I enjoy it a lot.
It’s been twelve years since Wendy Darling and her brothers John and Michael managed to escape Neverland, after being held captive by the monstrous Peter Pan. It’s the beginning of WWI and Wendy has found work as a teacher at Marigold House, an orphanage for children of war torn families. Wendy herself spent several years there after her return to London, and for her it’s a safe haven, a familiar place where nothing can go wrong.
Until she starts seeing and hearing odd things: crows gather outside, unfamiliar shadows appear on the walls, and someone is calling her name. Wendy and her brothers killed Peter—or did they? Wendy always checks the windows to make sure they are locked, but it seems Peter might have found a way back. And when one of the young children in her care goes missing, Wendy decides to ask John and Michael for help. It’s time to return to Neverland to finish what they started, once and for all.
In Pelayo’s version of Peter Pan, the writer J.M. Barrie based his beloved classic on the real life experiences of Wendy, John and Michael. Wendy and her brothers have grown up under the scrutiny of a public who read Barrie’s happier, shinier version of the story, unwilling to acknowledge that the children actually had a very traumatic experience in Neverland. Poor Wendy was nearly institutionalized after trying to explain to the adults in her life what happened, and she soon realized that no one actually believed her. I loved this “story within a story” element, especially the sadder, darker consequences of hiding the truth. The three siblings haven’t seen or spoken to each other since their return, and for Wendy, it’s heartbreaking not to have her brothers in her life any more.
Most of the story is told through Wendy’s eyes, and I loved her combination of vulnerability and strength. Wendy is a caretaker at heart. She was responsible for her little brothers, and when they were swept away to Neverland, she became “mother” to the other boys on the island. After tragedy struck and many of the boys were lost, she’s having to deal with not only her own trauma and trying to make sense of everything that happened, but the fact that she couldn’t protect the boys from Peter. The story is told in the present, but through flashbacks we eventually learn what really happened in Neverland.
Pelayo gradually builds tension, and the events in Neverland become more and more menacing as the story progresses. What starts as a fantastical adventure soon turns dark and deadly. Peter isn’t a boy at all, but what is he? I’ll leave that for readers to discover. Late in the story Peter’s origins are revealed, and I quite liked the author’s idea, especially because it’s one I’ve never seen associated with this story before. The bottom line is that in this version, Peter is a predator, stealing children, playing cruel games, and ultimately casting them aside when he’s done with them.
And always in the background is the war. Wendy decides to volunteer at a hospital and is asked to comfort the dying soldiers by reading to them. Michael has enlisted and is about to leave for the front lines in a matter of weeks. The uncertainty and tragedy of war intermingles with the return of Peter and his evil intentions, casting a dark cloud over everything. Still, Wendy is the bright shining light in the story, ready to vanquish the threat and save her loved ones.
Readers who love Peter Pan retellings should definitely pick this up. And even if you aren’t a fan of the story, It Came From Neverland offers so much more than the story you might be familiar with.
Big thanks to Kaye Publicity and the publisher for providing a review copy.
April 24, 2026
• BOOK REVIEW •
NEW ARC READ!
DATE OF RELEASE : 9TH JUNE 2026
Date : 24th April 2026
Book : It Came From Neverland
Author : Cynthia Pelayo
Genre : Dark Fantasy
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love love love a good retelling of a story that I’ve read as a kid. And this so happens to be about Peter Pan, although this Peter Pan is kinda creepy. (P/s: who else had a crush on that Peter Pan actor when it first came out?)
Imagine back then as a kid, you’d probably wanna head to Neverland and think that not growing up is so much fun, right? But in this book, you might wanna think of it as a horrible curse because this Peter is more of a predator who has a role as both Pennywise (from IT) and a dementor (from Harry Potter) rather than a fun playmate.
So from this book, you have Wendy, John and Michael Darling who are terrified over what happened to them all those years ago. And this book now fast forwards to a many years later, where they each have their own lives, are estranged and are living with a whole lotta trauma.
Thank you so much, @crookedlanebooks for my #gifted physical and ebook arc! This was definitely a book that was on my reading goal for the year. So thank you for letting me read this and allowing me to give my honest review.
#itcamefromneverland #bookstagram #peterpan bookrecommendations •dark fantasy• horror •retelling•
NEW ARC READ!
DATE OF RELEASE : 9TH JUNE 2026
Date : 24th April 2026
Book : It Came From Neverland
Author : Cynthia Pelayo
Genre : Dark Fantasy
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I love love love a good retelling of a story that I’ve read as a kid. And this so happens to be about Peter Pan, although this Peter Pan is kinda creepy. (P/s: who else had a crush on that Peter Pan actor when it first came out?)
Imagine back then as a kid, you’d probably wanna head to Neverland and think that not growing up is so much fun, right? But in this book, you might wanna think of it as a horrible curse because this Peter is more of a predator who has a role as both Pennywise (from IT) and a dementor (from Harry Potter) rather than a fun playmate.
So from this book, you have Wendy, John and Michael Darling who are terrified over what happened to them all those years ago. And this book now fast forwards to a many years later, where they each have their own lives, are estranged and are living with a whole lotta trauma.
Thank you so much, @crookedlanebooks for my #gifted physical and ebook arc! This was definitely a book that was on my reading goal for the year. So thank you for letting me read this and allowing me to give my honest review.
#itcamefromneverland #bookstagram #peterpan bookrecommendations •dark fantasy• horror •retelling•
June 18, 2026
1.5 stars rounded up
Horror stories based on Peter Pan are my faves... however, I found this one utterly lacking.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Wendy was an astonishingly underdeveloped character. Kidnapped and taken to Neverland where she played mother to a group of boys, she gets back to London where, as an adult, she's... taking care of a bunch of children in the place she lived after her parents gave her up for her "delusions" about Peter Pan and Neverland. That's it. That's the extent of her character.
John and Michael seemed like afterthoughts; the book is told from Wendy's perspective, but one chapter is given to John and one is given to Michael to show their response to Peter's return. They both say they need to connect with Wendy ASAP but they sure take their time. There's no reason to be invested in the sibling relationship because it's practically nonexistent.
The rest of the characters are vague and uninteresting. Eleanor runs the children's home and there are staff mentioned whose names I don't remember. There are a bunch of children we're supposed to care about but they're just generic side characters. We're supposed to hate the constable because of how he treated Wendy when she came back from Neverland, but we don't have enough of the story to care about hating him. We're supposed to care about Roger because Wendy loved him, but we only got bits and pieces of that story. Then there’s Edward the soldier who’s in the hospital yet completely uninjured but asleep and therefore a plot device for Peter to use, because of course. Also, Captain Hook was randomly able to show up in London for some reason.
And then there's Peter Pan himself. Part of the problem with him is that the lore surrounding him and Neverland is convoluted as fuck. He's an ancient creature that takes the shape of a man but is also a kidnapped child who's less than 50 years old? There's an ancient crow named Solomon who kidnapped a child from the late 1800s and turned him into a creature that lives between worlds and that's Peter Pan... and every 12 years Peter Pan wakes up? Or every 12 years he takes a bunch of kids and then sleeps for another 12 years??? And Peter Pan has only been around for like 50 years, but Neverland is filled with a shit-ton of bones of dead boys?? Also, crows are watching because Solomon??? The lore made absolutely no fucking sense.
The passage of time is also confusing. It seems like the entire story takes place over a few days, maybe a week and then, at the end, we find out months have passed. And, during that time, the three Darlings are gutted with worry for their siblings but do nothing except attempt to call and send letters when they could have just immediately gone to each other’s houses?? Like, there is zero internal logic.
The writing itself is meh. It starts by building tension, and that's fine, but then that cycle of tension building just repeats... and repeats... and repeats... and repeats... until I'm sitting there irritated because nothing is happening except cycles of tension that lead nowhere.
It sucks, because the potential for a good story was here. It's a great idea, and Peter Pan is excellent fodder for horror adaptations. The execution of It Came from Neverland, however, was absolute shit. Underdeveloped characters, underdeveloped world building, underdeveloped plot. (Also, at least 2 glaring grammatical errors??? Ouch!) Not worth the read.
Horror stories based on Peter Pan are my faves... however, I found this one utterly lacking.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Wendy was an astonishingly underdeveloped character. Kidnapped and taken to Neverland where she played mother to a group of boys, she gets back to London where, as an adult, she's... taking care of a bunch of children in the place she lived after her parents gave her up for her "delusions" about Peter Pan and Neverland. That's it. That's the extent of her character.
John and Michael seemed like afterthoughts; the book is told from Wendy's perspective, but one chapter is given to John and one is given to Michael to show their response to Peter's return. They both say they need to connect with Wendy ASAP but they sure take their time. There's no reason to be invested in the sibling relationship because it's practically nonexistent.
The rest of the characters are vague and uninteresting. Eleanor runs the children's home and there are staff mentioned whose names I don't remember. There are a bunch of children we're supposed to care about but they're just generic side characters. We're supposed to hate the constable because of how he treated Wendy when she came back from Neverland, but we don't have enough of the story to care about hating him. We're supposed to care about Roger because Wendy loved him, but we only got bits and pieces of that story. Then there’s Edward the soldier who’s in the hospital yet completely uninjured but asleep and therefore a plot device for Peter to use, because of course. Also, Captain Hook was randomly able to show up in London for some reason.
And then there's Peter Pan himself. Part of the problem with him is that the lore surrounding him and Neverland is convoluted as fuck. He's an ancient creature that takes the shape of a man but is also a kidnapped child who's less than 50 years old? There's an ancient crow named Solomon who kidnapped a child from the late 1800s and turned him into a creature that lives between worlds and that's Peter Pan... and every 12 years Peter Pan wakes up? Or every 12 years he takes a bunch of kids and then sleeps for another 12 years??? And Peter Pan has only been around for like 50 years, but Neverland is filled with a shit-ton of bones of dead boys?? Also, crows are watching because Solomon??? The lore made absolutely no fucking sense.
The passage of time is also confusing. It seems like the entire story takes place over a few days, maybe a week and then, at the end, we find out months have passed. And, during that time, the three Darlings are gutted with worry for their siblings but do nothing except attempt to call and send letters when they could have just immediately gone to each other’s houses?? Like, there is zero internal logic.
The writing itself is meh. It starts by building tension, and that's fine, but then that cycle of tension building just repeats... and repeats... and repeats... and repeats... until I'm sitting there irritated because nothing is happening except cycles of tension that lead nowhere.
It sucks, because the potential for a good story was here. It's a great idea, and Peter Pan is excellent fodder for horror adaptations. The execution of It Came from Neverland, however, was absolute shit. Underdeveloped characters, underdeveloped world building, underdeveloped plot. (Also, at least 2 glaring grammatical errors??? Ouch!) Not worth the read.
June 19, 2026
General Thoughts:
I genuinely wish I could put screenshots of the notes. I took while reading this book in this review. Because they were wild. This book had so much nostalgia for me because it really had massive IT by Stephen King vibes. This is a dark play on Peter Pan and Wendy that really has a wide range of emotions assigned to it.
Peter comes across very sinister from the beginning and has such an aura of mystery surrounding his character. It absolutely keeps you intrigued throughout the duration of the story. The pacing did range from slow to more medium paced. But even the slow pacing did a great job with building suspense or tension.
So many real world incidents were built into the story, giving a mythical aspect to them. I really enjoyed that overall. Just what you think you know what the story is about and going to be like it completely flips and has some of the best body horror I've ever read. I got surprisingly emotional towards the end in a couple of situations. The Stephen King nostalgia continued from start to finish, and there were a lot of resemblances. But resemblance and nostalgia were all they were. They were not directly from the book. I wanna make that clear.
Was the narration good??
Honestly, here's where the star was lost for me. I had a hard time with the audiobook. The audiobook had a very odd aspect to it. You could tell that the female and male narrators were filmed separately and spliced together. The male narrator sounded almost robotic at times. I even had to check to make sure it was a real person that was narrating it. Was not a fan of the narrator at all, but the female narrator did a fantastic job. I have listened to this male narrator, narrate other books, and never had a problem with him before so i'm tracking it up to the way the audiobook was produced.
Disclaimer: I read this book as a gifted eARC and a audiobook from the publisher. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
I genuinely wish I could put screenshots of the notes. I took while reading this book in this review. Because they were wild. This book had so much nostalgia for me because it really had massive IT by Stephen King vibes. This is a dark play on Peter Pan and Wendy that really has a wide range of emotions assigned to it.
Peter comes across very sinister from the beginning and has such an aura of mystery surrounding his character. It absolutely keeps you intrigued throughout the duration of the story. The pacing did range from slow to more medium paced. But even the slow pacing did a great job with building suspense or tension.
So many real world incidents were built into the story, giving a mythical aspect to them. I really enjoyed that overall. Just what you think you know what the story is about and going to be like it completely flips and has some of the best body horror I've ever read. I got surprisingly emotional towards the end in a couple of situations. The Stephen King nostalgia continued from start to finish, and there were a lot of resemblances. But resemblance and nostalgia were all they were. They were not directly from the book. I wanna make that clear.
Was the narration good??
Honestly, here's where the star was lost for me. I had a hard time with the audiobook. The audiobook had a very odd aspect to it. You could tell that the female and male narrators were filmed separately and spliced together. The male narrator sounded almost robotic at times. I even had to check to make sure it was a real person that was narrating it. Was not a fan of the narrator at all, but the female narrator did a fantastic job. I have listened to this male narrator, narrate other books, and never had a problem with him before so i'm tracking it up to the way the audiobook was produced.
Disclaimer: I read this book as a gifted eARC and a audiobook from the publisher. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
June 17, 2026
4.5⭐️
When I saw that a horror retelling of Peter Pan came out last week I was 100% in! I need to be on some sort of alert/mailing list for any and all Peter Pan inspired books that come out so that I don’t find out about them on accident because of a tiktok rundown of all the new releases on that particular Tuesday. But for this book, it doesn’t matter because it found its way to me and I couldn’t be happier. I did also pick up the audiobook as I was building a big Lego set this week and wanted to continue to read it while building. The audio narrator is well suited for the mood of the story and I think made the book even better.
It’s been over 10 years since Wendy and her brothers got away from Peter Pan and the horrors they witnessed in Neverland, but it has continued to haunt her. As war breaks out in Europe, her children’s shelter is filled with more parentless children and the hospital ward is filled with soldiers needing care. Wendy try’s to take care of everyone, but starts noticing strange things, like shadows moving in ways they shouldn’t, the children telling her a boy told them to do strange things, and comatose soldiers whispering the name of a boy she thought she killed all those years ago. As the weird things keep happening, and children start disappearing again like the did when she was a child, the police coming looking to her for answers, and she and the Darling brothers will need to face their fears and go back to Neverland to stop Peter Pan once and for all.
I don’t know why I thought this book was going to be a more grounded retelling of Peter Pan, like using the ideas and bringing it into historical context without the mystical aspects. It is in fact the opposite, giving us an historical background but weaving the mythology of Peter Pan (and ideas about his origins) into it. I thought it was a fantastic read. The “horror” aspects were good for the ambience of the story, and it really helped build up to when they returned to Neverland with all its gruesome decay and death. The imagery was perfect for a rotted Neverland. The book does slow down and become a little repetitive in the middle while you wait for the tension to build, but it’s easy to overlook this with the audiobook. Overall, I got more from this book than I was expecting and I like the way the author depicted Peter and the mythology presented about how he got his power and regenerated it.
When I saw that a horror retelling of Peter Pan came out last week I was 100% in! I need to be on some sort of alert/mailing list for any and all Peter Pan inspired books that come out so that I don’t find out about them on accident because of a tiktok rundown of all the new releases on that particular Tuesday. But for this book, it doesn’t matter because it found its way to me and I couldn’t be happier. I did also pick up the audiobook as I was building a big Lego set this week and wanted to continue to read it while building. The audio narrator is well suited for the mood of the story and I think made the book even better.
It’s been over 10 years since Wendy and her brothers got away from Peter Pan and the horrors they witnessed in Neverland, but it has continued to haunt her. As war breaks out in Europe, her children’s shelter is filled with more parentless children and the hospital ward is filled with soldiers needing care. Wendy try’s to take care of everyone, but starts noticing strange things, like shadows moving in ways they shouldn’t, the children telling her a boy told them to do strange things, and comatose soldiers whispering the name of a boy she thought she killed all those years ago. As the weird things keep happening, and children start disappearing again like the did when she was a child, the police coming looking to her for answers, and she and the Darling brothers will need to face their fears and go back to Neverland to stop Peter Pan once and for all.
I don’t know why I thought this book was going to be a more grounded retelling of Peter Pan, like using the ideas and bringing it into historical context without the mystical aspects. It is in fact the opposite, giving us an historical background but weaving the mythology of Peter Pan (and ideas about his origins) into it. I thought it was a fantastic read. The “horror” aspects were good for the ambience of the story, and it really helped build up to when they returned to Neverland with all its gruesome decay and death. The imagery was perfect for a rotted Neverland. The book does slow down and become a little repetitive in the middle while you wait for the tension to build, but it’s easy to overlook this with the audiobook. Overall, I got more from this book than I was expecting and I like the way the author depicted Peter and the mythology presented about how he got his power and regenerated it.
June 17, 2026
The first quarter of It Came From Neverland worked well for me. I really liked Pelayo’s writing and I was tentatively invested in Wendy’s apprehension to talk about her past with Peter, her time in Neverland, and the psychological effects they were having on her. Something that especially intrigued me was the alternate-history aspect where J.M. Barrie basically used Wendy’s real story from the news to draft and publish the classic novel. This was such a great detail and I wish it’d been explored more because it would have done wonders for expanding on the themes of autonomy and agency over one’s own story for girls and women.
After the initial set up, however, the story lost its grip on me. The novel constantly hints at horrifying events in Neverland but withholds too much information for too long. I wanted more explanation of what actually happened in Neverland, but it never came. The mythology and lore behind Peter's nature are also very murky, calling into question just how much background knowledge a reader needs to have about Peter Pan to avoid general confusion.
I would describe this story as spooky, so it lacked a certain level of darkness and tension I think a horror Peter Pan retelling is capable of having. The “Peter Pan meets Stephen King’s It” tag is also puzzling—obviously more so the It part because the story was definitively not visceral or gruesome enough to warrant that comparison.
It Came From Neverland was too tamed and safe for me, but I think it’s a great read for those who either want a tempered introduction to the horror genre or enjoy literary/contemporary reads with gothic and psychological elements.
After the initial set up, however, the story lost its grip on me. The novel constantly hints at horrifying events in Neverland but withholds too much information for too long. I wanted more explanation of what actually happened in Neverland, but it never came. The mythology and lore behind Peter's nature are also very murky, calling into question just how much background knowledge a reader needs to have about Peter Pan to avoid general confusion.
I would describe this story as spooky, so it lacked a certain level of darkness and tension I think a horror Peter Pan retelling is capable of having. The “Peter Pan meets Stephen King’s It” tag is also puzzling—obviously more so the It part because the story was definitively not visceral or gruesome enough to warrant that comparison.
It Came From Neverland was too tamed and safe for me, but I think it’s a great read for those who either want a tempered introduction to the horror genre or enjoy literary/contemporary reads with gothic and psychological elements.
May 26, 2026
I loved this novel SO MUCH. When I read the description, I was super excited to dive into it, but I had no idea what to expect. It was described as Peter Pan meets Stephen King’s It, which is unbelievably accurate. I’ve always wanted to read a fairy tale retelling, but so many of them are heavily focused on smut and romance, which just isn’t my cuppa tea. So when I saw that Cynthia Pelayo took Peter Pan, one of my favourite fairy tales, and coated it in horror, I was instantly in, but nothing could have prepared me for how much I would adore this book.
Reading this novel feels like uncovering the dark truth hidden behind your favourite fairy tale. Pelayo managed to explain the differences between the original story and her own version in such a creative and compelling way. I also absolutely loved the era she chose for the story, it added so much atmosphere and worked perfectly with the plot. The characters still felt true to the originals while adding new layers and characteristics that were believable within the original story itself.
This is officially a top 10 book of all time for me. I had SO much fun with this novel, and it’s the first time in a very long time that I would willingly reread a book purely for the beauty of the story being told. Thank you so much NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Cynthia Pelayo for allowing me to read this absolute masterpiece early in exchange for my honest review.
I would give this all the stars in the sky if I could… excluding the second star.
...But since I can’t do that, I’ll happily settle on 5 stars.
Reading this novel feels like uncovering the dark truth hidden behind your favourite fairy tale. Pelayo managed to explain the differences between the original story and her own version in such a creative and compelling way. I also absolutely loved the era she chose for the story, it added so much atmosphere and worked perfectly with the plot. The characters still felt true to the originals while adding new layers and characteristics that were believable within the original story itself.
This is officially a top 10 book of all time for me. I had SO much fun with this novel, and it’s the first time in a very long time that I would willingly reread a book purely for the beauty of the story being told. Thank you so much NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Cynthia Pelayo for allowing me to read this absolute masterpiece early in exchange for my honest review.
I would give this all the stars in the sky if I could… excluding the second star.
...But since I can’t do that, I’ll happily settle on 5 stars.
June 16, 2026
I have a nagging suspicion the writer used AI. A lot of AI.
June 15, 2026
A good spooky tale about the intrinsic horror of a creature that shows up to steal away children, giving a different look at the character of Peter Pan.
Overall, the atmosphere and narrative voice carries this book the entire journey, where it expertly brings a feeling of unease and unreality to the events that are happening in this novel. While I wish we had some more focus on what actually happened when the Darling children were missing in Neverland, we’re given enough to feel how they both trusted and feared the Peter character while the events were occurring.
When we get chapters also from Paul and Michael’s perspectives while the focus up until this point (and after) has been on Wendy, the tense atmosphere really sells the danger and inability to control what’s going on that all three Darling siblings are experiencing.
My only issues are with the lack of focus on Peter (and especially the person who created him)’s backstory, where we at most get a brief synopsis of how he was created in a sentence or two but then this is never dove further into. I found myself wondering why, exactly, the person who made Peter did such a thing, and whether there was any point in defeating Peter at all, if he could simply make another one to replace him.
Also, this book introduced another character into it that simply existed to be a contrast to Peter and who didn’t survive, and I was hoping until the very last page that the mysterious unconscious soldier Wendy spends a great deal of time reading to would be him. Otherwise, both of these characters are kind of pointless and neither needs to exist, if there’s no connection between them, in my opinion.
Finally, this could be because I read an advanced copy and haven’t had a chance to compare it to a published copy, but mine had some severe errors in the timeline of Peter’s creation and the abducted children, which became really obvious when the Darling siblings were checking records. If I get a chance to check against a published copy I’ll edit this if it’s been corrected.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for a review copy.
Overall, the atmosphere and narrative voice carries this book the entire journey, where it expertly brings a feeling of unease and unreality to the events that are happening in this novel. While I wish we had some more focus on what actually happened when the Darling children were missing in Neverland, we’re given enough to feel how they both trusted and feared the Peter character while the events were occurring.
When we get chapters also from Paul and Michael’s perspectives while the focus up until this point (and after) has been on Wendy, the tense atmosphere really sells the danger and inability to control what’s going on that all three Darling siblings are experiencing.
My only issues are with the lack of focus on Peter (and especially the person who created him)’s backstory, where we at most get a brief synopsis of how he was created in a sentence or two but then this is never dove further into. I found myself wondering why, exactly, the person who made Peter did such a thing, and whether there was any point in defeating Peter at all, if he could simply make another one to replace him.
Also, this book introduced another character into it that simply existed to be a contrast to Peter and who didn’t survive, and I was hoping until the very last page that the mysterious unconscious soldier Wendy spends a great deal of time reading to would be him. Otherwise, both of these characters are kind of pointless and neither needs to exist, if there’s no connection between them, in my opinion.
Finally, this could be because I read an advanced copy and haven’t had a chance to compare it to a published copy, but mine had some severe errors in the timeline of Peter’s creation and the abducted children, which became really obvious when the Darling siblings were checking records. If I get a chance to check against a published copy I’ll edit this if it’s been corrected.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for a review copy.
June 21, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Overall, I found this to be a disappointing read. The vivid descriptive imagery was easily the strongest aspect of the novel and created an unsettling atmosphere throughout.
However, the constant shifts between past and present, as well as between reality and memories of Neverland, were often confusing and poorly signposted. I frequently found myself having to work out where and when a scene was taking place. The characters also felt underdeveloped, making it difficult to become invested in their stories.
The novel spends most of its time building suspense, but it never felt as though it was leading anywhere meaningful. With so much tapping, whispering, feathers, and other strange occurrences, the horror eventually became repetitive and lost much of its impact.
Overall, while I appreciated the atmospheric writing, the confusing structure and lack of payoff meant this book ultimately did not work for me.
Happy reading x
Overall, I found this to be a disappointing read. The vivid descriptive imagery was easily the strongest aspect of the novel and created an unsettling atmosphere throughout.
However, the constant shifts between past and present, as well as between reality and memories of Neverland, were often confusing and poorly signposted. I frequently found myself having to work out where and when a scene was taking place. The characters also felt underdeveloped, making it difficult to become invested in their stories.
The novel spends most of its time building suspense, but it never felt as though it was leading anywhere meaningful. With so much tapping, whispering, feathers, and other strange occurrences, the horror eventually became repetitive and lost much of its impact.
Overall, while I appreciated the atmospheric writing, the confusing structure and lack of payoff meant this book ultimately did not work for me.
Happy reading x
June 9, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This book has the potential to make it into my top books of the year. It is a retelling done immaculately well. This is the first full length piece I have read by Pelayo after reading her shorter fiction in various collections, and it will certainly not be the last thing I read by her. The first pages of this book made me weep as I was immediately sucked into the writing. It is absolutely one of the best written prologues I have ever come across. Peter Pan and Neverland are familiar stories and Pelayo does a wonderful job of keeping the well-loved story intact while twisting it up to create a darker version of the story This was atmospheric from page one and I never wanted to put the book down. It contains all the familiar characters of the Peter Pan tale (Wendy, Peter, Captain Hook), as well as some of Pelayo’s own creations that shine just as bright. The children are a focus of the story and they shine off the page. For a short novel, Pelayo is able to expertly convey themes of abuse, hope, growing up, and so much more. I cannot recommend this enough to anyone that loves horror, fantasy, retellings, or just beautiful writing in general.
June 23, 2026
Not sure what it says about me when I still fancy Peter Pan, even if he’s a soul sucking murderous demon entity.
My friends would probably say I have a type & given my exes I’d have to say they’d be right.
My friends would probably say I have a type & given my exes I’d have to say they’d be right.
June 28, 2026
One of the better books I've read this year.
April 9, 2026
Add this to your TBR!
Peter Pan meets Stephen King's It in this twisted horror retelling of a classic childhood fairy tale set during WWI.
This story takes something familiar and twists it into something far more unsettling. It blends folklore, grief, and horror in a way that feels both haunting and strangely poetic, creating an atmosphere that lingers long after you’ve stopped reading.
The writing leans into mood over action, building a sense of unease through imagery and emotion rather than constant scares. It’s the kind of horror that quietly creeps in, layering tension until it becomes impossible to ignore.
What stood out most was how it balances beauty with darkness — there’s a rawness to the themes that adds depth beyond the horror elements. It’s not always an easy read, but it’s a memorable one.
🖤 A haunting, lyrical story that feels as unsettling as it is beautiful.
Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this advanced readers copy of It Came From Neverland in exchange for my honest review.
Peter Pan meets Stephen King's It in this twisted horror retelling of a classic childhood fairy tale set during WWI.
This story takes something familiar and twists it into something far more unsettling. It blends folklore, grief, and horror in a way that feels both haunting and strangely poetic, creating an atmosphere that lingers long after you’ve stopped reading.
The writing leans into mood over action, building a sense of unease through imagery and emotion rather than constant scares. It’s the kind of horror that quietly creeps in, layering tension until it becomes impossible to ignore.
What stood out most was how it balances beauty with darkness — there’s a rawness to the themes that adds depth beyond the horror elements. It’s not always an easy read, but it’s a memorable one.
🖤 A haunting, lyrical story that feels as unsettling as it is beautiful.
Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this advanced readers copy of It Came From Neverland in exchange for my honest review.
June 10, 2026
The premise is tantalizing. This story had so much potential, but ultimately I was disappointed.
I loved the beginning. The mood was eerie and unsettling. I wanted to know what happened to Wendy while she was with Peter. I wanted to slip into that world, to see and understand it. Peter was an enigma that I wanted to explore.
And this was ultimately the problem. By the end of the first quarter, the story stalled. The eeriness became repetitive, and in that repetition, the atmosphere lost its hold on me. I felt like we were stuck in the setup way too long. We moved in fits and starts, and pacing never found its groove. The writing was all mood but no substance.
The book also needs a good edit, both to tighten up the story and to eliminate some glaring errors. The editor seems to have skipped out on this one.
*Thanks to Kaye Publicity for the free copy!*
I loved the beginning. The mood was eerie and unsettling. I wanted to know what happened to Wendy while she was with Peter. I wanted to slip into that world, to see and understand it. Peter was an enigma that I wanted to explore.
And this was ultimately the problem. By the end of the first quarter, the story stalled. The eeriness became repetitive, and in that repetition, the atmosphere lost its hold on me. I felt like we were stuck in the setup way too long. We moved in fits and starts, and pacing never found its groove. The writing was all mood but no substance.
The book also needs a good edit, both to tighten up the story and to eliminate some glaring errors. The editor seems to have skipped out on this one.
*Thanks to Kaye Publicity for the free copy!*
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