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Wendy Darling #1
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Wendy Darling has a perfectly agreeable life with her parents and brothers in wealthy London, as well as a budding romance with Booth, the neighborhood bookseller’s son. But while their parents are at a ball, the charmingly beautiful Peter Pan comes to the Darling children’s nursery and—dazzled by this flying boy with god-like powers—they follow him out of the window and straight on to morning, to Neverland, an intoxicating island of feral freedom.
As time passes in Neverland, Wendy realizes that this Lost Boys’ paradise of turquoise seas, mermaids, and pirates holds terrible secrets rooted in blood and greed. As Peter’s grasp on her heart tightens, she struggles to remember where she came from—and begins to suspect that this island of dreams, and the boy who desires her, have the potential to transform into an everlasting nightmare.
As time passes in Neverland, Wendy realizes that this Lost Boys’ paradise of turquoise seas, mermaids, and pirates holds terrible secrets rooted in blood and greed. As Peter’s grasp on her heart tightens, she struggles to remember where she came from—and begins to suspect that this island of dreams, and the boy who desires her, have the potential to transform into an everlasting nightmare.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 13, 2015
255 people are currently reading
10135 people want to read
About the author
Colleen Oakes
18 books1,455 followersColleen Oakes is the bestselling author of books for both teens and adults, including the Queen of Hearts Series, the Wendy Darling Saga, The Black Coats, Sister of the Chosen One and Eleven Houses.
She recently moved to New England with her husband and son. When not writing or plotting new books, Colleen can be found swimming, forest strolling, traveling or immersing herself in nerdy pop culture. She is also a public librarian with a Master's Degree in Library Science and is currently working on an adult thriller.
You can visit her webpage at: www.colleenoakes.org, find her on Facebook under Author Colleen Oakes or follow her on Instagram.
She recently moved to New England with her husband and son. When not writing or plotting new books, Colleen can be found swimming, forest strolling, traveling or immersing herself in nerdy pop culture. She is also a public librarian with a Master's Degree in Library Science and is currently working on an adult thriller.
You can visit her webpage at: www.colleenoakes.org, find her on Facebook under Author Colleen Oakes or follow her on Instagram.
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Want to read
August 8, 2015ME. ME. THIS IS ALL ABOUT MEEEEEEEEE.
January 14, 2016
If Queen of Hearts is the book that spoke of my rage at infertility, Wendy Darling is the book that speaks to my joy at finally getting to be a parent(while still being dark and twisty). I hope you enjoy.
September 24, 2015
www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com
I never really liked Peter Pan, but this story is told through Wendy Darling's point of view and I like that, it makes the book different.
I liked the love she had for Booth and I would have liked to see how that played out, maybe in later books.
I still don't like Peter, I just can't help it. He is so nice to Wendy at first of course, but then he turns mean when she can't really love him.
I also love Tink, that is a given.
This book has love in it, some gruesome endings for some nice kids and Captain Hook :)
I want to read book two because of the ending of this one and I want to see where the author is going to go with the next one.
I think all Peter Pan fans would like this book!
*I would like to thank NETGALLEY and SPARKPRESS for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
I never really liked Peter Pan, but this story is told through Wendy Darling's point of view and I like that, it makes the book different.
I liked the love she had for Booth and I would have liked to see how that played out, maybe in later books.
I still don't like Peter, I just can't help it. He is so nice to Wendy at first of course, but then he turns mean when she can't really love him.
I also love Tink, that is a given.
This book has love in it, some gruesome endings for some nice kids and Captain Hook :)
I want to read book two because of the ending of this one and I want to see where the author is going to go with the next one.
I think all Peter Pan fans would like this book!
*I would like to thank NETGALLEY and SPARKPRESS for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
January 26, 2016
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to SparkPress (a BookSparks imprint) and NetGalley.)
This book wasn’t awful, but it didn’t hold my attention well at all.
Wendy was an okay character, and she came across how I would expect Wendy to come across, there wasn’t anything extra there though, and I didn’t really care very much for her.
The storyline in this didn’t really seem any different to the Disney movie, and I felt bored because I knew exactly what was going to happen, and there didn’t seem to be anything majorly different at all. It was the same old Wendy and the boys going to Neverland, forgetting their real lives, Wendy kissing Peter Pan, The Lost Boys trying to attack Hook etc. and nothing much new at all.
The ending to this was a cliff-hanger, but I don’t think I’d want to read the next book in the series.
5 out of 10
"Life is for the living, Wendy. And I plan on living a very, very long time."
This book wasn’t awful, but it didn’t hold my attention well at all.
Wendy was an okay character, and she came across how I would expect Wendy to come across, there wasn’t anything extra there though, and I didn’t really care very much for her.
The storyline in this didn’t really seem any different to the Disney movie, and I felt bored because I knew exactly what was going to happen, and there didn’t seem to be anything majorly different at all. It was the same old Wendy and the boys going to Neverland, forgetting their real lives, Wendy kissing Peter Pan, The Lost Boys trying to attack Hook etc. and nothing much new at all.
The ending to this was a cliff-hanger, but I don’t think I’d want to read the next book in the series.
5 out of 10
March 16, 2016
Most people probably know the Peter Pan story whether or not they have read the book. He is such a famous figure and there are a couple of movies out there. I read the book in my teens so my memory of the book is, well not that good, but I have seen movies so I think I know the story quite well.
I must admit that the cover was one of the reasons for that made me request the book that and it seemed to be a much darker story. I was a bit wary about it being YA since I really don't like reading YA that much, but it turned out that this story was a bit darker than I expect from YA books. But it could be that I just haven't read the right YA books.
This retelling is truly darker than the original story. The Lost boys and Peter Pan and their adventures with the pirates are much more lethal. Here, we have boys that really fight pirates that stab them with swords, etc. and Peter Pan is really adapt to killing pirates. And, the pirates kill Lost boys as well. I mean one of the Lost Boys gets his throat cut.
I was a bit annoyed with John, Wendy's brother. He was just awfully rude and spiteful throughout the book towards Wendy. I just didn't like him very much, but Wendy's little brother Michael was sweet. Then, there is Peter Pan. He is still very much full of himself and frankly not a very nice person. Since this is a YA is Wendy's relationship with Peter Pan a bit more mature. Well no sex, but much more kissing and stuff.
But I had some problem connecting with the story. It was good, I liked the retelling and I liked the darker tone. I just really didn't fully enjoy the book. It felt that something was missing. I have a suspicious feeling that the next book in this series will be better since one very special person didn't make an appearance until the very last minute. And, that makes me eager to read the next book since I think that person's present will make the story more intriguing.
Thanks to SparkPress and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I must admit that the cover was one of the reasons for that made me request the book that and it seemed to be a much darker story. I was a bit wary about it being YA since I really don't like reading YA that much, but it turned out that this story was a bit darker than I expect from YA books. But it could be that I just haven't read the right YA books.
This retelling is truly darker than the original story. The Lost boys and Peter Pan and their adventures with the pirates are much more lethal. Here, we have boys that really fight pirates that stab them with swords, etc. and Peter Pan is really adapt to killing pirates. And, the pirates kill Lost boys as well. I mean one of the Lost Boys gets his throat cut.
I was a bit annoyed with John, Wendy's brother. He was just awfully rude and spiteful throughout the book towards Wendy. I just didn't like him very much, but Wendy's little brother Michael was sweet. Then, there is Peter Pan. He is still very much full of himself and frankly not a very nice person. Since this is a YA is Wendy's relationship with Peter Pan a bit more mature. Well no sex, but much more kissing and stuff.
But I had some problem connecting with the story. It was good, I liked the retelling and I liked the darker tone. I just really didn't fully enjoy the book. It felt that something was missing. I have a suspicious feeling that the next book in this series will be better since one very special person didn't make an appearance until the very last minute. And, that makes me eager to read the next book since I think that person's present will make the story more intriguing.
Thanks to SparkPress and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
April 12, 2020
I love re-tellings and this one seemed to be fun and frivolous (I mean, look at the cover!) But underneath that bright, shiny and colourful exterior lies a dark and twisty tale.
Volume 1 of the Wendy Darling Saga started off well. The family dynamics of the rich, privileged Darlings was interesting, with the smothering mother, Mary Darling and the soft-spoken, loving father, George Darling, both of whom kept their children in rein owing to the oppressive social expectations of 1911 London.
Wendy herself was an okay character. I understood the precariousness of her position in society and her inability to accept the local bookseller’s son Booth as her beau in front of her family. But I felt she lacked any sort of personality for a good 80% of the book, wherein she felt strong emotions, swooned over Peter Pan, stood around and watched stuff happen but actually did nothing else. Only in the end did she grow a spine.
In the original Peter Pan, I remember John and Michel Darling to be very nondescript, but here they get their own distinct personalities. Michel Darling is such a cute and adorable little boy. John Darling, in contrast, was annoying, mean, cruel and disrespectful to Wendy both at home and in Neverland. His character made me glad I don’t have a younger brother!
The main issue for me was that the middle two-thirds of this book felt like a tourism guide to Neverland. There were excessively detailed descriptions of everything (which I normally like), but this massive info-dump made my imagination shut itself down and I kept skimming those bits. I wanted more dialogues and action. Don’t get me wrong; there was a lot of action, but the descriptions could have been cut short, IMHO.
And Peter Pan, the quintessential, magnetic child who never grew up! Here he’s arrogant, spiteful and kind of deranged. He has the Darlings and the Lost Boys totally under his spell and his true self is revealed to Wendy almost too late, after which she’s irrevocably stuck in his clutches. Tinker Bell is a pitiable, tortured character, but kind of hard to understand owing to her abrupt mood swings. I liked the rude and sneer-y Abbott. Though he was a pretty minor character, I felt he was more humane than Peter or even John and understood Wendy better than Peter/her brothers/Booth. I’m probably the only person shipping the unlikely pair of Wendy and Abbott (who had not a single romantic moment together, but oh well.)
The ending felt annoyingly rushed. It ended on a major cliffhanger with almost nothing resolved. I’ll probably check out the second book of this saga to see what happens next and whether my far-fetched theory regarding Wendy and Abbott comes to light. But is it weird that the thing I’m looking forward to the most about Wendy Darling: Volume 2: Seas is its cover?
UPDATE: Like I'd anticipated, the cover of Book 2 is BEAUTIFUL!
Volume 1 of the Wendy Darling Saga started off well. The family dynamics of the rich, privileged Darlings was interesting, with the smothering mother, Mary Darling and the soft-spoken, loving father, George Darling, both of whom kept their children in rein owing to the oppressive social expectations of 1911 London.
Wendy herself was an okay character. I understood the precariousness of her position in society and her inability to accept the local bookseller’s son Booth as her beau in front of her family. But I felt she lacked any sort of personality for a good 80% of the book, wherein she felt strong emotions, swooned over Peter Pan, stood around and watched stuff happen but actually did nothing else. Only in the end did she grow a spine.
In the original Peter Pan, I remember John and Michel Darling to be very nondescript, but here they get their own distinct personalities. Michel Darling is such a cute and adorable little boy. John Darling, in contrast, was annoying, mean, cruel and disrespectful to Wendy both at home and in Neverland. His character made me glad I don’t have a younger brother!
The main issue for me was that the middle two-thirds of this book felt like a tourism guide to Neverland. There were excessively detailed descriptions of everything (which I normally like), but this massive info-dump made my imagination shut itself down and I kept skimming those bits. I wanted more dialogues and action. Don’t get me wrong; there was a lot of action, but the descriptions could have been cut short, IMHO.
And Peter Pan, the quintessential, magnetic child who never grew up! Here he’s arrogant, spiteful and kind of deranged. He has the Darlings and the Lost Boys totally under his spell and his true self is revealed to Wendy almost too late, after which she’s irrevocably stuck in his clutches. Tinker Bell is a pitiable, tortured character, but kind of hard to understand owing to her abrupt mood swings. I liked the rude and sneer-y Abbott. Though he was a pretty minor character, I felt he was more humane than Peter or even John and understood Wendy better than Peter/her brothers/Booth. I’m probably the only person shipping the unlikely pair of Wendy and Abbott (who had not a single romantic moment together, but oh well.)
The ending felt annoyingly rushed. It ended on a major cliffhanger with almost nothing resolved. I’ll probably check out the second book of this saga to see what happens next and whether my far-fetched theory regarding Wendy and Abbott comes to light. But is it weird that the thing I’m looking forward to the most about Wendy Darling: Volume 2: Seas is its cover?
UPDATE: Like I'd anticipated, the cover of Book 2 is BEAUTIFUL!
February 5, 2017
I don't know why I just remembered I read that a while ago.
As I'm not super original, I love any Peter Pan-related stuff, so I was quite eager to read this thing when it came out.
I can't remember a lot of it, but here is what my brain recorded for posterity :
- It's typical YA, not in its best meaning
- Wendy's doomed to be annoying forever, no matter which retelling you will read
- Peter Pan is a hot 17 year old (if my memory is correct, and maybe it's not)
- Peter Pan is an alpha douche and also
- He hits on Wendy in the less subtle way possible
- Drinking game : have a shot every time Peter "tucks her hair/a lock of her hair/a curl behind her ear".
- There is a love triangle somewhere. I'm sure of it. Let's say I'm 85% sure of it. Okay, 65%.
- I wanted to smash John's face so hard against a wall that his brain would leak out of his eyeballs?
- Cheap steam : is it still steam or is it not steam at all?
- I never touched a Peter Pan retelling again after closing this book. It was 9 months ago.
Enjoy your read!
As I'm not super original, I love any Peter Pan-related stuff, so I was quite eager to read this thing when it came out.
I can't remember a lot of it, but here is what my brain recorded for posterity :
- It's typical YA, not in its best meaning
- Wendy's doomed to be annoying forever, no matter which retelling you will read
- Peter Pan is a hot 17 year old (if my memory is correct, and maybe it's not)
- Peter Pan is an alpha douche and also
- He hits on Wendy in the less subtle way possible
- Drinking game : have a shot every time Peter "tucks her hair/a lock of her hair/a curl behind her ear".
- There is a love triangle somewhere. I'm sure of it. Let's say I'm 85% sure of it. Okay, 65%.
- I wanted to smash John's face so hard against a wall that his brain would leak out of his eyeballs?
- Cheap steam : is it still steam or is it not steam at all?
- I never touched a Peter Pan retelling again after closing this book. It was 9 months ago.
Enjoy your read!
May 23, 2018
I’m going to have to give up on reading YA novels. I just don’t relate to them, but having read Eleanor & Park and The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxset, I know it’s possible!! I truly don’t understand the reviewers that love this book, especially those from adult women, but then again, I never understood all the love for the Twilight series either.
I like the concept of the book, with Peter being a darker character, and more logical danger in the story. However this Peter Pan is not just “darker”, he is cold, cruel, manipulative, rapey, a liar, and a kidnapper and murderer. Although young, there is no mention of Peter not wanting to grow up, in fact it seems his main goal is to take Wendy’s virginity whether she agrees or not. Scratch that, “seems” is the wrong word, he explicitly wants to have sex with Wendy whether she agrees or not. He also keeps plenty of alcohol on hand for all the Lost Boys to drink, boys as young as at least five – and no one bats an eye, including Wendy. And this is strange, considering we find out later that Peter’s father was a drunk who beat his family. But consistency and explanations are not something we get much of in this book.
John isn’t much better than Peter. He’s a misogynistic ass who treats Wendy terribly through the entire book. At age 14, he’s already learned that women have their place and Wendy needs to not overstep her boundaries. It’s mentioned that John has trouble fitting in at school and has no friends, and that is why he behaves in this manner. But we are never shown this more fragile side of John, we are only told he is so. Instead we are shown this terribly rude, abusive, disrespectful boy, and therefore the reader has no compassion for him and doesn’t really care if John might get left behind in Neverland. Let him stay and get killed by a pirate, no big loss as far as I’m concerned.
I hated the portrayal of the female characters and you should too. Aside from a couple very short bits in London, Wendy and Tink are the only females in this story. Neither Wendy nor Tink have any control over their own lives, or any goals in life other than to be with the men they love and to take care of their families. Wendy loves looking at stars with her father, but there’s no mention of her maybe studying to be an astronomer. She has fallen in love with a boy her father deems unworthy, and he forbids her from seeing him. Her brother John treats her like crap. In Neverland, Peter has complete control over her and sees her as his possession with which he can do what he wants, including rape if necessary. Wendy is given pants to wear in one scene (just ONE scene) and she’s very uncomfortable wearing them, she wants her skirts back. She has no desire for adventure whatsoever. Wendy is preoccupied throughout with keeping her pure heart and remaining innocent – I’m not saying Wendy should be a slut, but let’s give up on the requirement of innocence and purity for “worthy” girls, okay? As Peter is actively trying to rape her (yes, rape, she tells him NO over and over and over), she even apologizes for leading him astray and assumes the whole situation is her fault. This is the message we’re giving young girls now?
Poor Tink is basically a willing prisoner of Peter’s, because she looooooves him, just as many abused women do. Yes, Tink is beaten by Peter. It also appears that Peter sucks her fairy life force right out of her in order to obtain his flying powers. This is only alluded to in this first book, but I think that was obviously the reason for Tink’s haggard look (well, that and the beatings). And Peter has so little respect for this woman who truly loves him that he takes Wendy to have sex in Tink’s house!
I understand that Peter has somehow put a magical spell on everyone, and that is why Wendy at least is attracted to him at first. But no one else treats the women any better, and Wendy had no more rights at home than she does in Neverland.
In the end Wendy finally grows some ovaries and takes charge – with the help of a male of course. And the final scene makes me almost want to read the next book. But with no assurance that the females will actually become stronger AND have any control over their own lives, I’m going to have to just assume book two will just be another great concept with a poor execution. This book only manages to get that second star because of the promising ending.
I was given a copy from Netgalley for an honest review, and unfortunately you can see I was less than impressed. Hopefully this won’t stop them from giving me books in the future, but I intend to stay away from YA novels from now on. Come on, women authors, give your female characters some strength and power and rights!!
I like the concept of the book, with Peter being a darker character, and more logical danger in the story. However this Peter Pan is not just “darker”, he is cold, cruel, manipulative, rapey, a liar, and a kidnapper and murderer. Although young, there is no mention of Peter not wanting to grow up, in fact it seems his main goal is to take Wendy’s virginity whether she agrees or not. Scratch that, “seems” is the wrong word, he explicitly wants to have sex with Wendy whether she agrees or not. He also keeps plenty of alcohol on hand for all the Lost Boys to drink, boys as young as at least five – and no one bats an eye, including Wendy. And this is strange, considering we find out later that Peter’s father was a drunk who beat his family. But consistency and explanations are not something we get much of in this book.
John isn’t much better than Peter. He’s a misogynistic ass who treats Wendy terribly through the entire book. At age 14, he’s already learned that women have their place and Wendy needs to not overstep her boundaries. It’s mentioned that John has trouble fitting in at school and has no friends, and that is why he behaves in this manner. But we are never shown this more fragile side of John, we are only told he is so. Instead we are shown this terribly rude, abusive, disrespectful boy, and therefore the reader has no compassion for him and doesn’t really care if John might get left behind in Neverland. Let him stay and get killed by a pirate, no big loss as far as I’m concerned.
I hated the portrayal of the female characters and you should too. Aside from a couple very short bits in London, Wendy and Tink are the only females in this story. Neither Wendy nor Tink have any control over their own lives, or any goals in life other than to be with the men they love and to take care of their families. Wendy loves looking at stars with her father, but there’s no mention of her maybe studying to be an astronomer. She has fallen in love with a boy her father deems unworthy, and he forbids her from seeing him. Her brother John treats her like crap. In Neverland, Peter has complete control over her and sees her as his possession with which he can do what he wants, including rape if necessary. Wendy is given pants to wear in one scene (just ONE scene) and she’s very uncomfortable wearing them, she wants her skirts back. She has no desire for adventure whatsoever. Wendy is preoccupied throughout with keeping her pure heart and remaining innocent – I’m not saying Wendy should be a slut, but let’s give up on the requirement of innocence and purity for “worthy” girls, okay? As Peter is actively trying to rape her (yes, rape, she tells him NO over and over and over), she even apologizes for leading him astray and assumes the whole situation is her fault. This is the message we’re giving young girls now?
Poor Tink is basically a willing prisoner of Peter’s, because she looooooves him, just as many abused women do. Yes, Tink is beaten by Peter. It also appears that Peter sucks her fairy life force right out of her in order to obtain his flying powers. This is only alluded to in this first book, but I think that was obviously the reason for Tink’s haggard look (well, that and the beatings). And Peter has so little respect for this woman who truly loves him that he takes Wendy to have sex in Tink’s house!
I understand that Peter has somehow put a magical spell on everyone, and that is why Wendy at least is attracted to him at first. But no one else treats the women any better, and Wendy had no more rights at home than she does in Neverland.
In the end Wendy finally grows some ovaries and takes charge – with the help of a male of course. And the final scene makes me almost want to read the next book. But with no assurance that the females will actually become stronger AND have any control over their own lives, I’m going to have to just assume book two will just be another great concept with a poor execution. This book only manages to get that second star because of the promising ending.
I was given a copy from Netgalley for an honest review, and unfortunately you can see I was less than impressed. Hopefully this won’t stop them from giving me books in the future, but I intend to stay away from YA novels from now on. Come on, women authors, give your female characters some strength and power and rights!!
October 9, 2015
Wendy Darling has a secret. And her father and brother John are not pleased. Baby Michael wants to comfort her but he's just a kid, he doesn't know how. Her mom is oblivious to her feelings. How can she live through her secret, when everyone else are against it?
Wendy's secret is Booth, the bookseller's son. The two sees each other through weekly visits to the bookstore, through stolen moments. In this upperscale society in London, relationship between the poor and the rich is frowned upon. Tries as he might, Booth can never be accepted by Wendy's family and that's what really hurts her.
Should I even dare to hope that one day it will only be us on all the earth, and that we will be able to love each other freely and with abandon that will make the heavens shake... If the stars above saw what I felt for you, they would pour out their wonders..."
Just as she is ready to accept their fate, a new adventure arrives in their doorstep.. or rather through their windows. John, Michael and Wendy is visited by a boy who flies. Peter Pan. He takes them to the stars up above, beyond London, beyond mountains and oceans. He takes them to Neverland.
She hugged herself against the tree and then reached out with one leg, instantly pulling back when her balance shifted. Hesitating, she looked down the ground, so far below her, and then abck at the branch in front of her.
"Be brave," she whispered to herself. "Be brave."
That reminded her of someone... who?
You'd think you knew everything about Peter and Neverland and the Lost Boys, but in this book, you are in for a big shocking surprise. You'd think the Darling bunch would enjoy being away. You would be devastated when you learn the truth.
Peter pulled her closer, and as she neared his side, she could hear the confused grumbling of several boys.
"Peter?"
"A girl?"
"This is unacceptable!"
Peter turned his brilliant eyes on the crowd, daring those voices to continue their dissent.
They didn't.
You'll get the dark side of the island, the menacing attitude of the Lost Boys, the selfish fairy Tinkerbell and the pure unadulterated version of a villain named Peter Pan. Prepare for a journey that will lead you to bewilderment, anxiety, selfishness, betrayal, disappointments.. and death.
Her ragged breaths were being chocked out of her as she struggled to free his hands from her throat.
"Peter... I... I can't breathe!"
"Nor can I," he whispered. "Not without you."
His hands tightened. Stars exploded in her vision, just before she caved to the darkness...
Oh. My.. Gosh!
This had been one of the best Peter Pan retellings ever written. I am eerily chocking up, can't catch my breath. I've never seen Peter anything like this. Somehow I preferred Captain Hook than Peter and the Lost Boys now more than ever. Tink got into my nerves and Wendy slowly crawls into my heart. Oh you poor girl. All you ever wanted was love and acceptance, but look what happened. Damnit, I can't wait to read the next book. I wonder if Captain Hook would be a better pirate after all the things I've learned!
I've got a lot of feels. I loved the dark forces enveloping my senses while reading this story. I loved the world created by Colleen Oakes. I loved everything in this book. Now, I just wonder if I made the right decision to read this first before watching the new movie Pan. I might end up comparing the two. Clearly I'm having second thoughts now. Yay! Colleen Oakes, you're one wicked storyteller!
Wendy Darling is a highly recommended book! Thanks to Netgalley and SparkPress for providing me an ARC.
Wendy's secret is Booth, the bookseller's son. The two sees each other through weekly visits to the bookstore, through stolen moments. In this upperscale society in London, relationship between the poor and the rich is frowned upon. Tries as he might, Booth can never be accepted by Wendy's family and that's what really hurts her.
Should I even dare to hope that one day it will only be us on all the earth, and that we will be able to love each other freely and with abandon that will make the heavens shake... If the stars above saw what I felt for you, they would pour out their wonders..."
Just as she is ready to accept their fate, a new adventure arrives in their doorstep.. or rather through their windows. John, Michael and Wendy is visited by a boy who flies. Peter Pan. He takes them to the stars up above, beyond London, beyond mountains and oceans. He takes them to Neverland.
She hugged herself against the tree and then reached out with one leg, instantly pulling back when her balance shifted. Hesitating, she looked down the ground, so far below her, and then abck at the branch in front of her.
"Be brave," she whispered to herself. "Be brave."
That reminded her of someone... who?
You'd think you knew everything about Peter and Neverland and the Lost Boys, but in this book, you are in for a big shocking surprise. You'd think the Darling bunch would enjoy being away. You would be devastated when you learn the truth.
Peter pulled her closer, and as she neared his side, she could hear the confused grumbling of several boys.
"Peter?"
"A girl?"
"This is unacceptable!"
Peter turned his brilliant eyes on the crowd, daring those voices to continue their dissent.
They didn't.
You'll get the dark side of the island, the menacing attitude of the Lost Boys, the selfish fairy Tinkerbell and the pure unadulterated version of a villain named Peter Pan. Prepare for a journey that will lead you to bewilderment, anxiety, selfishness, betrayal, disappointments.. and death.
Her ragged breaths were being chocked out of her as she struggled to free his hands from her throat.
"Peter... I... I can't breathe!"
"Nor can I," he whispered. "Not without you."
His hands tightened. Stars exploded in her vision, just before she caved to the darkness...
Oh. My.. Gosh!
This had been one of the best Peter Pan retellings ever written. I am eerily chocking up, can't catch my breath. I've never seen Peter anything like this. Somehow I preferred Captain Hook than Peter and the Lost Boys now more than ever. Tink got into my nerves and Wendy slowly crawls into my heart. Oh you poor girl. All you ever wanted was love and acceptance, but look what happened. Damnit, I can't wait to read the next book. I wonder if Captain Hook would be a better pirate after all the things I've learned!
I've got a lot of feels. I loved the dark forces enveloping my senses while reading this story. I loved the world created by Colleen Oakes. I loved everything in this book. Now, I just wonder if I made the right decision to read this first before watching the new movie Pan. I might end up comparing the two. Clearly I'm having second thoughts now. Yay! Colleen Oakes, you're one wicked storyteller!
Wendy Darling is a highly recommended book! Thanks to Netgalley and SparkPress for providing me an ARC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2021
Now it is Wendy’s turn at the story. The famous Peter Pan story is seen through Wendy's eyes.
There are changes to the original but all were well developed according to my estimations.
Highly recommend.
There are changes to the original but all were well developed according to my estimations.
Highly recommend.
October 5, 2015
Wendy Darling took me by surprise. I had a hard time rating this book because it felt somewhere between three and four stars. It was quite good but it took me a while to start getting into the book and really liking it. It actually wasn't until the last couple of chapters that I really started getting invested with the story and Wendy.
I've read and seen lots of retellings around Peter Pan and Neverland. Most retellings don't really portrait her as a nice person so that's one way this book makes it unique. The story starts out pretty much the same as the classic tale of Peter Pan we all know with small changes here and there but also some bigger ones that make it a true retelling.
Like I said before, for most of the book I wasn't liking it all that much at first. It had a very strong prologue but it went a little downhill from there. I guess there wasn't much happening and I was getting a wee bit bored. Also, at that point I wasn't liking Wendy all that much. She's nice and all but that's where it stopped for me.
But then the story started getting quite chilling when Peter shows his true colors to Wendy. I thought this was actually a really great turn of events, even though it felt all pretty dark. But it was there that I started caring much more for Wendy and realizing how she truly is a great heroine.
Wendy's brother Michael was adorable but John annoyed the hell out of me. I get that being in Neverland changes people, but he was so disrespectful towards his sister. The Lost Boys were something else. I really liked some of them very much. Especially Abbott. He was a character I wanted to learn more about. And there was Tink. I'm not sure what to say about her except that I really felt sorry for what Peter made her go through and how he treated her.
The writing was absolutely wonderful. I really have nothing negative to say about that. It was at times really beautiful and even lyrical. Basically perfect for a Neverland story. And that ending! Holy crap, I need the sequel right now! So, yeah, be prepared for a cliffhanger!
I've read and seen lots of retellings around Peter Pan and Neverland. Most retellings don't really portrait her as a nice person so that's one way this book makes it unique. The story starts out pretty much the same as the classic tale of Peter Pan we all know with small changes here and there but also some bigger ones that make it a true retelling.
Like I said before, for most of the book I wasn't liking it all that much at first. It had a very strong prologue but it went a little downhill from there. I guess there wasn't much happening and I was getting a wee bit bored. Also, at that point I wasn't liking Wendy all that much. She's nice and all but that's where it stopped for me.
But then the story started getting quite chilling when Peter shows his true colors to Wendy. I thought this was actually a really great turn of events, even though it felt all pretty dark. But it was there that I started caring much more for Wendy and realizing how she truly is a great heroine.
Wendy's brother Michael was adorable but John annoyed the hell out of me. I get that being in Neverland changes people, but he was so disrespectful towards his sister. The Lost Boys were something else. I really liked some of them very much. Especially Abbott. He was a character I wanted to learn more about. And there was Tink. I'm not sure what to say about her except that I really felt sorry for what Peter made her go through and how he treated her.
The writing was absolutely wonderful. I really have nothing negative to say about that. It was at times really beautiful and even lyrical. Basically perfect for a Neverland story. And that ending! Holy crap, I need the sequel right now! So, yeah, be prepared for a cliffhanger!
June 23, 2020
Leaning over her kneeling form, he drew a heart in the sand with his fingers that stretched all the way around her. Wendy, trapped in Peter's heart.
This retelling of the classic children's story is absolutely phenomenal!
The author ages up the characters (except Michael, who remains a child of about five) to better explore the darker nuances in the original story with an ample dose of clever rewriting to make for both an interesting story and very complex, fleshed out characters.
My personal favorite part of this book (and series) is the focus on Wendy and her characterization.
She starts off somewhat weak-willed and easily cowed; she bows in the face of conflict and prefers playing it safe--as seen in how she wants to keep her relationship with Booth, a boy below her social station, a secret from her upper class family, despite Booth wishing to properly court her in the open--, but she isn't easily relieved of her convictions and throughout the story, we see Wendy come more and more into her own and learn from her mistakes. Despite how charmed and taken in by Peter's glamour she is, she doesn't just mindlessly bend to the situation to please Peter; there's always her true self at the back of her, reminding her that the things she sees and experiences are as dark and wrong as she feels. Concessions are made, but she doesn't completely give up, and her determination to hold onto important things, even just a little, helps her pull through stronger and more sure of herself after this period of weakness.
I like that Wendy has her flaws and her moments and that she's able to grow and make mistakes but in the ends sets out on the path she needs to. It was so nice to see her love for Booth be this beacon for her to pull away from Peter and from Neverland. She knows what's right, what's real, and while the fantasy and allure of abandoning herself and her former life to live in a magic world with this boy who promises passion but at the cost of absolute submission is enticing, she ultimately knows that the harder path is the one she must fight for.
Although initially charming and carefree, Peter shows himself to be a complex and dangerous blend of child and adult. It's an unnerving characterization. He's grown up enough to know how to manipulate and control others and to want to sexually possess a young woman and have these notions of being a king and all-powerful father figure--as if he's seen enough of the adult world to want these things without full understanding of them--yet he throws tantrums and views the world as a playground, death and violence and lies all tools to make his fantasies come true and has these moments of complete emotional breakdown when he doesn't get his way.
Even when it comes to Wendy, as much as he tried to play the part of a courting lover, he isn't mature enough to understand Wendy's hesitations, her refusals, her feelings, and so he reacts with a whiplash of aggression at not getting his way and being rejected, followed by him backtracking with apologies and attempts to empathy (admitting he did bad, promising it won't happen again, professing that he still loves her regardless, you know, the typical mantra of the abusive) to jar and manipulate her into doing as he wants by feigning guilt and redeeming qualities to earn forgiveness without learning anything.
He's a god-child with illusions of grandeur who has built himself up as someone better than anyone and entitled to whatever he wants. It's utterly terrifying to see how he thinks and feels, the abusive, heartless way he treats those around him--Wendy especially.
Even John is revamped; rather than just being a basic middle-brother figure who is smart, John is made to be one of those boys who compensates for their insecurities and feelings of inferiority by pushing other people down to elevate themselves. He steps on women, children, the poor, other boys... anyone, really, who he feels he can force to be lesser so he's made better by default, all in an attempt to feel that while he may be a social pariah with no friends he's at least better than his sister, than Booth, than the boys at school, at least his father dotes on him, at least the dog likes him best.
It's absolutely infuriating to see him be so cold and callous and to mindlessly think that Wendy's concern for him is dragging him down (and that it means not that she cares but that she thinks poorly of him as someone incompetent, like a child), that Peter's attention mean that he's important and special, that by acting this way he can somehow be okay with himself.
But, I also like how much more dimensional this John is compared to the original. He has clear motivation for why he would want to stay in Neverland--it's where he can be a general commanding others, it's where someone with power values him, it's where he's free from the boys at school who don't want to be his friend and don't give him the validation he wants--whereas the original mostly hinged on the vague notion that growing up wasn't appealing because it meant no more playtime or fun.
Tink as well has a different character. She's not just a tiny jealous faerie who is willing to kill or hurt thoughtlessly whenever she feels slighted. She's in a toxic relationship and clings to it because she can't bear to acknowledge the truth of the person she loves. She's a broken, beaten girl trapped by a lifetime of abuse in a vicious cycle. She does horrible things, but she's clearly the product of this awful situation she can't leave, so my feelings towards her are complex.
Overall, A+ on the characters in this book. Everyone is given more depth and works off one another very well (I think perhaps Micheal is the only one lacking in a huge revamp, as he remains a small, innocent child).
The way this series is split up is that each volume focuses on a particular arc; Stars focuses on Peter Pan and the Lost Boys and the island and all the splendor and magic of believing in the fantasy, ending with a huge climax that leads us into the next volume, where we'll interact with Hook and see another facet to the world of Neverland. While I will say that, initially, the waiting was hard, I do understand the reason for the split of the volumes and appreciate how the story is sectioned off into these arcs: stars, seas, shadow.
If you're into darker stories or retellings, I give this book my full recommendation! Now, we do have a few general trigger warnings, but I will say that I expected much worse and didn't get nearly the level of awful I was braced for. There's death, murder, scenes of domestic abuse (physical and emotional), Peter mentions the pirates being rapists/raping once or twice, child death, etc. Nothing super explicit but, still worth mentioning.
May 16, 2016
Tal vez si hablara de la original historia de Peter Pan no tendría que describir a los personajes puesto que todos ya los conocemos gracias a el libro y sus miles de adaptaciones. Pero Estrellas de Colleen Oakes es muy diferente.
El libro es narrado desde la perspectiva de Wendy Darling, una adolescente de 16 años que tiene un enamoramiento con el hijo del dueño de una librería (o sea, un chico pobre). Una relación imposible ya que sus padres (especialmente su madre) son elitistas y sólo les interesa la clase social de las personas y nunca permitirían que su única hija se involucrara con alguien pobre ¿qué pensaría la sociedad? No son para nada los padres adorables, comprensivos y cariñosos que nos presentó hace mucho tiempo J.M. Barrie.
Weny tiene dos hermanos más pequeños que ella. John, que es un poco antipático y muy sabelotodo que siempre le lleva la contraria a Wendy, y el pequeño Michael que sólo tiene cinco años y es el bebé de la casa.
La vida de los hermanos Darling (especialmente la de Wendy) no es del todo placentera, es por eso que la noche en que un chico atractivo y vivaz se aparece como por arte de magia en su habitación ofreciéndoles la oportunidad de una vida sin padres y sin reglas, es bastante apetecible para ellos y no se piensan dos veces la propuesta antes de aceptar. Y es así cómo conocen al enigmático Peter Pan.
Él les promete visitar un lugar en donde no se tendrán que preocupar por las reglas estúpidas de los adultos con la promesa de que podrán regresar a casa en el momento en el que ellos decidan. Así que sin más ni más, se embarcan en la aventura.
Y así llegan a el país de Nunca Jamás, un lugar hermoso con mares, casas en los árboles, piratas y hasta sirenas, pero ¿cuál es el precio de vivir sin reglas?
Éste retelling nos muestra una historia completamente diferente a la que conocemos de Peter Pan. De hecho, aquí no existe eso de llegar a la segunda estrella a la derecha, no, para llegar a Nunca Jamás se necesita un portal que sólo Peter podrá abrir, dándole así total poder sobre los hermanos Darling. También, los niños perdidos y Peter son un tanto más sanguinarios con los piratas y por cosas tan banales como botellas de vino. Pero Wendy se siente atraída y fascinada por Peter al punto de que poco a poco va olvidando todo lo que dejó en Inglaterra, no sólo a su familia sino también a Booth, el chico al que tanto amaba.
La narrativa me gustó muchísimo, en comparación a Reina de corazones, éste libro está mucho más completo y más extenso, con muchísima más descripción y contenido. Eso me gustó muchísimo. Tengo entendido que la autora escribió éste libro después de haber escrito Reina de corazones y la evolución en su forma de escribir es bastante notoria.
Lo que no sé si me gustó o no, fueron esos cambios drásticos en la idea de Peter Pan y Nunca Jamás. Los retellings que había leído sólo tomaban la idea de un cuento y así creaban una nueva historia, o en el caso de Reina de corazones, era una historia alterna a la ya conocida (La historia de la reina ANTES de ser reina). Pero en éste libro la historia comienza en el mismo punto que la historia original, y nada más le cambia mil detalles para convertirla en una historia original. Repito, no sé si eso me gustó o me disgustó, ya que como he dicho con anterioridad, Peter Pan es uno de mis personajes favoritos desde la infancia. Tal vez me hubiera gustado que fuera fiel a los detalles, pero le cambiara la historia. No veo razón para convertir el viaje a Nunca Jamás en un portal en vez de un vuelo. En fin, sigo sin saber qué me pareció eso.
Lo que sí me gustó bastante es la descripción de los lugares, sin caer en lo redundante o pesado, la autora te describe todos los lugares que los personajes visitan de una forma tan perfecta que te los puedes imaginar con facilidad. Porque a pesar de tener imágenes mentales gracias a las adaptaciones que he visto, lo que me imaginaba del libro era completamente diferente y eso me gustó mucho.
También se me hizo bastante original convertir a uno de los héroes más conocidos gracias a Disney, en un personaje oscuro... y, no es spoiler, en un villano. Esto lo convierte en un personaje completamente diferente y que inspira a querer saber más sobre él.
El libro es la primera parte, pero no sé si es de una saga o de una trilogía (ojalá de una trilogía) y se queda en un cliffhanger de muerte al final. Definitivamente, creo mi parte favorita de TODO el libro es la última línea. Literalmente pegué un grito con ese final, y me quedé con muchísimas ganas de poder leer la continuación que siento será aún mucho mejor que ésta primera parte que fue más que nada como una introducción.
Definitivamente lo recomiendo mucho, si han leído Peter Pan o si han visto cualquiera de sus adaptaciones, les recomiendo iniciar la lectura con una mente abierta sin la intención de comparar, porque no son para nada similares, de hecho, son completamente opuestas. Pero siento que la disfrutarán igual. Un excelente libro.
August 19, 2017
I received the third Wendy Darling as an ARC but wanted to read the entire series before expressing any opinions. I'm so glad I did.
I knew of Oakes and her Alice in Wonderland take-love it! But Wendy Darling ranks even higher in my estimation.
We learn that there is more to Miss Wendy than merely being the big sister to John and Michael. She's old enough to find young love, first with a good boy, then with the best bad boy around-the never to grow up Peter Pan. The lad certainly has a reputation (and a way with the ladies). He's also quite charismatic and a born leader, which makes him a sociopath, which she finds out much too late. However we all know how easy unsure young ladies find it to fall for the strong man and how hard it is to leave him.
Along the way we learn that Hook really does have a vendetta that will be avenged. He owns most of the island anyway, so he's sure to rumble a few times with the Lost Boys.
To be continued...
I knew of Oakes and her Alice in Wonderland take-love it! But Wendy Darling ranks even higher in my estimation.
We learn that there is more to Miss Wendy than merely being the big sister to John and Michael. She's old enough to find young love, first with a good boy, then with the best bad boy around-the never to grow up Peter Pan. The lad certainly has a reputation (and a way with the ladies). He's also quite charismatic and a born leader, which makes him a sociopath, which she finds out much too late. However we all know how easy unsure young ladies find it to fall for the strong man and how hard it is to leave him.
Along the way we learn that Hook really does have a vendetta that will be avenged. He owns most of the island anyway, so he's sure to rumble a few times with the Lost Boys.
To be continued...
September 27, 2015
This review will also be posted on both of my blogs:
https://fafasbookcorner.wordpress.com/
http://fafasbookcorner.blogspot.ca/
I received this E-ARC via Netgalley and SparkPress in exchange for an honest review.
I'm going to be honest here. I am not actually a fan of Peter Pan. I never liked the idea of Neverland. As a child it didn't make any sense as to why there would be an island in which no one aged. Even at this point in my life I like aging. I probably would've enjoyed the movie more had I not thought about Neverland too much. So yes I requested this book on a whim. And partly to read a book in which the darker side of Neverland is shown.
The book starts off with a prologue that seemed to take place in Neverland. I actually did not fully understand it. Moving on. Readers are then taken to the first chapter in which we see Wendy and her father looking for the star that eventually takes the Darlings to Neverland. Her mother sees this and yells at her husband because she fears for Wendy's safety. She could've fallen from the window had her father not held on to her. Her father manages to defuse his wife and they look for the star once more. John and Micheal enter the nursery room. While they are preparing for bed Wendy picks up a letter from Booth. Her best friend who works at the book store she frequently visits. When Micheal asks about the letter she is about to come up with an excuse when John interrupts and says that it is from Booth who is probably admitting to being in love with Wendy. Wendy try's to defend herself and say that Booth is her best friend. When that does not work she eventually retorts saying that unlike John she at least has friends. John then advises her to hide the letter before anyone finds it.
The next day she visits Booth and yes he does admit to being in love with her. And the two try to come up with a plan. He then has to go back to work and tells Wendy that they will continue their conversation. She makes her way downstairs and runs into a friend of her mothers. Said friend insults the bookstore and the owner who is Booth's father. Booth's father then tells Wendy that if she truly cares for Booth she will leave his life. He thinks that if Wendy's parents find out about their plans they will buy off the store cutting off any money he is making. She does as he says and leaves.
When she reaches home she takes Liza's (the nanny) advice and rests for a few hours. She wakes up to some noise on the window and finds Booth outside. She convinces him that after her parents leave she will meet him outside. Once her parents have left and she is sure that both John and Micheal are sleeping she gets ready to go and see Booth. John wakes up and the two have a fight to which Wendy says that he can go ahead and call Liza if he wants but regardless she will see Booth. Just as she is about to reach the window the lanterns shut off and the window breaks. Startled the Darling children huddle together and are surprised to see a floating boy in the nursery. Said boy is Peter Pan and convinces them to come to Neverland promising to return them home before their parents get back.
Lets move on to the differences between this version and the original one. Wendy is sixteen years old, John is 14 (I think) and Micheal is possibly 4 years old. The ages are different than that of the original story. Wendy is a good older sister and an overall good girl. Despite this her father's favorite is John. Now John in this version is quite different. He is an extremely bitter person and jealous of Wendy. He also seems to think all women are crazy. Micheal is exactly the same.
Peter Pan actually has around 200 lost boys. He also has a ranking system. When you first arrive in Neverland you start off as a lost boy then eventually you can make your way up to General that way you can participate in stealing from Captain Hook. Tinker Bell like the original version hates Wendy and whenever possible tries to get rid of her. While the Darlings were in Neverland they started to slowly lose their memories of their past life.
Unlike the original version Peter Pan did not allow Wendy to go back to London. Instead he tried to kill her. He saved her saying that he was trying to make a point. Peter and Wendy's relationship did not make any sense. In the original one you could easily ship them but in this book that was not the case. Peter was obsessed with Wendy to the point where he believes that she belongs to him. Like he owns her. I found Peter to be insane rather than childish. You are given back stories of the characters including Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. Also this story is much darker than the original one.
What really lead to my dislike of this book was John. And yes Peter. I guess part of it comes down to the fact that I have never liked Peter Pan. But honestly I'll take the original version. The original version was more focused on Wendy mothering the boys. And whenever Wendy pointed something out to Peter he did attempt to listen to her. But he does not do so in this version. Also this is going to be a series. Hopefully when the series ends they will make it back home.
The only things I liked while reading this was Wendy, Booth, and Micheal's character. Booth and Wendy's relationship, the writing, the world building, and towards the end when Wendy and Tinker Bell have an interaction. This is the only reason why I have given it a 2 star.
If you like Peter Pan and would like to read a book in which the darker side to Neverland is shown then I would highly recommend this. If you do not like Peter Pan or simply prefer the original version then I wouldn't recommend this.
https://fafasbookcorner.wordpress.com/
http://fafasbookcorner.blogspot.ca/
I received this E-ARC via Netgalley and SparkPress in exchange for an honest review.
I'm going to be honest here. I am not actually a fan of Peter Pan. I never liked the idea of Neverland. As a child it didn't make any sense as to why there would be an island in which no one aged. Even at this point in my life I like aging. I probably would've enjoyed the movie more had I not thought about Neverland too much. So yes I requested this book on a whim. And partly to read a book in which the darker side of Neverland is shown.
The book starts off with a prologue that seemed to take place in Neverland. I actually did not fully understand it. Moving on. Readers are then taken to the first chapter in which we see Wendy and her father looking for the star that eventually takes the Darlings to Neverland. Her mother sees this and yells at her husband because she fears for Wendy's safety. She could've fallen from the window had her father not held on to her. Her father manages to defuse his wife and they look for the star once more. John and Micheal enter the nursery room. While they are preparing for bed Wendy picks up a letter from Booth. Her best friend who works at the book store she frequently visits. When Micheal asks about the letter she is about to come up with an excuse when John interrupts and says that it is from Booth who is probably admitting to being in love with Wendy. Wendy try's to defend herself and say that Booth is her best friend. When that does not work she eventually retorts saying that unlike John she at least has friends. John then advises her to hide the letter before anyone finds it.
The next day she visits Booth and yes he does admit to being in love with her. And the two try to come up with a plan. He then has to go back to work and tells Wendy that they will continue their conversation. She makes her way downstairs and runs into a friend of her mothers. Said friend insults the bookstore and the owner who is Booth's father. Booth's father then tells Wendy that if she truly cares for Booth she will leave his life. He thinks that if Wendy's parents find out about their plans they will buy off the store cutting off any money he is making. She does as he says and leaves.
When she reaches home she takes Liza's (the nanny) advice and rests for a few hours. She wakes up to some noise on the window and finds Booth outside. She convinces him that after her parents leave she will meet him outside. Once her parents have left and she is sure that both John and Micheal are sleeping she gets ready to go and see Booth. John wakes up and the two have a fight to which Wendy says that he can go ahead and call Liza if he wants but regardless she will see Booth. Just as she is about to reach the window the lanterns shut off and the window breaks. Startled the Darling children huddle together and are surprised to see a floating boy in the nursery. Said boy is Peter Pan and convinces them to come to Neverland promising to return them home before their parents get back.
Lets move on to the differences between this version and the original one. Wendy is sixteen years old, John is 14 (I think) and Micheal is possibly 4 years old. The ages are different than that of the original story. Wendy is a good older sister and an overall good girl. Despite this her father's favorite is John. Now John in this version is quite different. He is an extremely bitter person and jealous of Wendy. He also seems to think all women are crazy. Micheal is exactly the same.
Peter Pan actually has around 200 lost boys. He also has a ranking system. When you first arrive in Neverland you start off as a lost boy then eventually you can make your way up to General that way you can participate in stealing from Captain Hook. Tinker Bell like the original version hates Wendy and whenever possible tries to get rid of her. While the Darlings were in Neverland they started to slowly lose their memories of their past life.
Unlike the original version Peter Pan did not allow Wendy to go back to London. Instead he tried to kill her. He saved her saying that he was trying to make a point. Peter and Wendy's relationship did not make any sense. In the original one you could easily ship them but in this book that was not the case. Peter was obsessed with Wendy to the point where he believes that she belongs to him. Like he owns her. I found Peter to be insane rather than childish. You are given back stories of the characters including Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. Also this story is much darker than the original one.
What really lead to my dislike of this book was John. And yes Peter. I guess part of it comes down to the fact that I have never liked Peter Pan. But honestly I'll take the original version. The original version was more focused on Wendy mothering the boys. And whenever Wendy pointed something out to Peter he did attempt to listen to her. But he does not do so in this version. Also this is going to be a series. Hopefully when the series ends they will make it back home.
The only things I liked while reading this was Wendy, Booth, and Micheal's character. Booth and Wendy's relationship, the writing, the world building, and towards the end when Wendy and Tinker Bell have an interaction. This is the only reason why I have given it a 2 star.
If you like Peter Pan and would like to read a book in which the darker side to Neverland is shown then I would highly recommend this. If you do not like Peter Pan or simply prefer the original version then I wouldn't recommend this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2020
2/5stars
Not very different from the original. If you’re gonna try to make this story dark, ya gotta really commit to it.
Not very different from the original. If you’re gonna try to make this story dark, ya gotta really commit to it.
November 7, 2015
2.5 to be accurate...I think...
How do I feel about this book? Well, for starters, it must be stated that I am a complete sucker for anything Peter Pan related. It's my most beloved Disney film, and I shipped Wendy and Peter before I even knew what shipping was. I also liked the version of the darker Peter/Wendy story that Once Upon A Time gave us (even though that show is garbage, in my opinion) and I feel like that's the angle Oakes was shooting for here. As such, I was completely enamored with this book before I even read it. But that feeling quickly faded.
Let's talk story:
The Darkness: Well. It certainly was darker...but I felt like the darkness was forced, in that it was injected into the story instead of having the twists unfold naturally. I feel like I could see all the turns coming, as it wouldn't have been much of a story without them...especially one that would be set apart from the many of its same kind before it.
Plot: It felt jumbled and d r a g g e d in the beginning, until Peter showed up and the Darlings were off to Neverland. Once there, it felt staggered and rushed in various spots, and I couldn't get a handle on any one feel of pacing. Not really in a good way, either.
The ending: Intriguing but I also felt like I saw that coming? Not that I'm super great at predicting things or anything of the like, but I felt like that was one of two ways it was going to end, logically.
Now let's talk characters.
Wendy: I was disappointed in Wendy as a character. I felt like she was too timid, and too worried about propriety, and too concerned with her lush lifestyle and making sure that everyone thought she was innocent and pure and lovely and...you get the drift. She had no real spark , and I felt like she just bent too easily to the will of the men around her.
Peter: Well, I loved the concept of this version of Peter, and loved to hate him when necessary, but I still feel like this is a fanfiction of OUAT's Pan? I don't know, I'm probably reading too much into it, but I feel like they had the handle on dark!Pan a little better, sorry to say. I did find him completely charming though, and was pulled in by his magnetism in the beginning 100%. The story needed a different twist than using Hook for its climax, so I felt like this was obviously coming.
Booth: SO OKAY. I do NOT get him being a stable love interest for Wendy AT ALL. He got angry at her when she didn't immediately cave to his whims, and was willing to go against her EXPRESS WISHES and expose her and himself to her parents and risk Wendy's future...once again, AGAINST HER WILL. He also patronized her and belittled her when she didn't cave, and I'm sorry, this is...NOT LOVE? He also felt like a complete trope in the Poor Boy with Forbidden Love for the Rich Girl way, and it wasn't even a fun portrayal of that trope. Next.
John: He could've died and I wouldn't have batted an eye. He was vile, completely misogynistic, spoiled, jealous, selfish, childish, and rude. I hoped many times he would fall to his death. Whoops. Although I am sure
Tink: Poor Tink. As the only other female with any real point in the book she was treated horribly. I get that this is an island of males, but the women are treated so wretchedly. And especially one with power, such as Tink? I think that was the point, but I can't be sure if that's the point or if Oakes is just against strong, independent women.
Michael: Eh.
The Lost Boys: Some I loved (Oxley, Abbott, Kitoko), the rest I couldn't really care about. I appreciated the diversity though.
So. All in all? MEHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I think it was just my intense love for all things Peter Pan that got me to finish the book. I hope in the next installment, Wendy quits waffling about and develops some of her own agency, and that the predictable plot lines don't come to fruition, but I don't know that I'll even be reading it.
How do I feel about this book? Well, for starters, it must be stated that I am a complete sucker for anything Peter Pan related. It's my most beloved Disney film, and I shipped Wendy and Peter before I even knew what shipping was. I also liked the version of the darker Peter/Wendy story that Once Upon A Time gave us (even though that show is garbage, in my opinion) and I feel like that's the angle Oakes was shooting for here. As such, I was completely enamored with this book before I even read it. But that feeling quickly faded.
Let's talk story:
The Darkness: Well. It certainly was darker...but I felt like the darkness was forced, in that it was injected into the story instead of having the twists unfold naturally. I feel like I could see all the turns coming, as it wouldn't have been much of a story without them...especially one that would be set apart from the many of its same kind before it.
Plot: It felt jumbled and d r a g g e d in the beginning, until Peter showed up and the Darlings were off to Neverland. Once there, it felt staggered and rushed in various spots, and I couldn't get a handle on any one feel of pacing. Not really in a good way, either.
The ending: Intriguing but I also felt like I saw that coming? Not that I'm super great at predicting things or anything of the like, but I felt like that was one of two ways it was going to end, logically.
Now let's talk characters.
Wendy: I was disappointed in Wendy as a character. I felt like she was too timid, and too worried about propriety, and too concerned with her lush lifestyle and making sure that everyone thought she was innocent and pure and lovely and...you get the drift. She had no real spark , and I felt like she just bent too easily to the will of the men around her.
Peter: Well, I loved the concept of this version of Peter, and loved to hate him when necessary, but I still feel like this is a fanfiction of OUAT's Pan? I don't know, I'm probably reading too much into it, but I feel like they had the handle on dark!Pan a little better, sorry to say. I did find him completely charming though, and was pulled in by his magnetism in the beginning 100%. The story needed a different twist than using Hook for its climax, so I felt like this was obviously coming.
Booth: SO OKAY. I do NOT get him being a stable love interest for Wendy AT ALL. He got angry at her when she didn't immediately cave to his whims, and was willing to go against her EXPRESS WISHES and expose her and himself to her parents and risk Wendy's future...once again, AGAINST HER WILL. He also patronized her and belittled her when she didn't cave, and I'm sorry, this is...NOT LOVE? He also felt like a complete trope in the Poor Boy with Forbidden Love for the Rich Girl way, and it wasn't even a fun portrayal of that trope. Next.
John: He could've died and I wouldn't have batted an eye. He was vile, completely misogynistic, spoiled, jealous, selfish, childish, and rude. I hoped many times he would fall to his death. Whoops. Although I am sure
Tink: Poor Tink. As the only other female with any real point in the book she was treated horribly. I get that this is an island of males, but the women are treated so wretchedly. And especially one with power, such as Tink? I think that was the point, but I can't be sure if that's the point or if Oakes is just against strong, independent women.
Michael: Eh.
The Lost Boys: Some I loved (Oxley, Abbott, Kitoko), the rest I couldn't really care about. I appreciated the diversity though.
So. All in all? MEHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I think it was just my intense love for all things Peter Pan that got me to finish the book. I hope in the next installment, Wendy quits waffling about and develops some of her own agency, and that the predictable plot lines don't come to fruition, but I don't know that I'll even be reading it.
March 21, 2022
I am tired of reading about main female characters with no personality. Also I’m pretty sure the author just aged the characters up so that she could write make-out scenes…
Stars is a Peter Pan retelling, meant to tackle more mature themes than the original by J.M. Berry, but honestly what filled more in this book than any of that was the obvious sexual tension between Wendy and Peter.
Needless to say, I was not fond of the changes that she made. In the original, I felt that her father being the one nagging about growing up and being proper could be argued to represent how society expects young girls to give up their childhood early to uphold patriarchal values, namely getting married off young, while boys are continued to be allowed to play and be childish. This was even more fitting when her father was the one telling her to grow up, instead of her mother, as he represents the figurehead of the patriarchy. Reversing the role seems a bit pointless to me.
Furthermore, Wendy having a close bond with her father instead of her mother seems only to villainize her mother more than anything else. Her mother is the problem, not the patriarchy. Not sure I like the implications of this. At one point her father tells her about someone he’d loved once which is meant to mirror Wendy’s own situation. But wouldn’t it make more sense if that had been Wendy’s MOTHER telling her that? Wouldn’t it have further driven home that women are always expected to sacrifice their wishes to conform to societal demands? And what exactly was the point in telling Wendy that if he was just going to tell her off without any reasons? This scene particularly seemed very pointless to me.
Another thing that irked me was Wendy’s age. As I said before, I have an inkling that the author did that to sexualise the characters, which didn’t really bring anything to the narrative. The point of Wendy being 12 is that she is on the cusp of puberty ie the ending of her childhood. Neverland was supposed to represent the imaginative and creative world of children that she manages to visit one last time before she starts to grow up. I don’t see the point in making her 16, as she is already seen as an adult by most other members of society by then, especially by that period’s standards.
Thus this received 1 out of 5 stars.
Stars is a Peter Pan retelling, meant to tackle more mature themes than the original by J.M. Berry, but honestly what filled more in this book than any of that was the obvious sexual tension between Wendy and Peter.
Needless to say, I was not fond of the changes that she made. In the original, I felt that her father being the one nagging about growing up and being proper could be argued to represent how society expects young girls to give up their childhood early to uphold patriarchal values, namely getting married off young, while boys are continued to be allowed to play and be childish. This was even more fitting when her father was the one telling her to grow up, instead of her mother, as he represents the figurehead of the patriarchy. Reversing the role seems a bit pointless to me.
Furthermore, Wendy having a close bond with her father instead of her mother seems only to villainize her mother more than anything else. Her mother is the problem, not the patriarchy. Not sure I like the implications of this. At one point her father tells her about someone he’d loved once which is meant to mirror Wendy’s own situation. But wouldn’t it make more sense if that had been Wendy’s MOTHER telling her that? Wouldn’t it have further driven home that women are always expected to sacrifice their wishes to conform to societal demands? And what exactly was the point in telling Wendy that if he was just going to tell her off without any reasons? This scene particularly seemed very pointless to me.
Another thing that irked me was Wendy’s age. As I said before, I have an inkling that the author did that to sexualise the characters, which didn’t really bring anything to the narrative. The point of Wendy being 12 is that she is on the cusp of puberty ie the ending of her childhood. Neverland was supposed to represent the imaginative and creative world of children that she manages to visit one last time before she starts to grow up. I don’t see the point in making her 16, as she is already seen as an adult by most other members of society by then, especially by that period’s standards.
Thus this received 1 out of 5 stars.
October 7, 2015
This review (and others) can be seen in all its properly formatted glory on my blog Beauty and the Bookshelf.
4.5 stars (to the right)!
I have a hard time resisting Peter Pan retellings. (And yet, I still haven't read the original story. Dishonor on my cow.) When I saw Wendy Darling: Stars on Goodreads one day, I immediately went into a tizzy because the title obviously meant the story had something to do with Peter Pan, and how did I not already know about it? It very quickly became a book I absolutely needed (more than Hook needs to kill that blasted Pan, for sure), and when I got approved for an eARC, I was over the moon excited. Then I finally got the chance to read it, and was desperately hoping it would not disappoint...and oh my gosh, it absolutely, positively did not.
Let's start with a fact: I wasn't even ten percent into this book before I was being hit by a overload of feels. And it didn't even have to do with Peter Pan. As the synopsis suggests, Wendy Darling already has a love interest pre-Neverland, and that would be Booth. And my gosh, the feels between those two--I almost couldn't stand it. I was at the point where I didn't even want to go to Neverland and meet Peter Pan. I already had my ship, and it didn't exist on the waters of Neverland. It's nice--and, I think, important--to see some establishment of the characters and their behavior before they head off toward the second star to the right and straight on till morning. As most forms of Peter Pan show, Neverland changes people--and makes them forget. So by seeing how Wendy, John, and Michael acted in London, we are able to see their character development as they spend time in Neverland.
Of all the characters, only three were similar to their original versions (which I'm basing off the original Disney animated movie): Wendy, Michael, and Nana (and partially Tinker Bell, now that I think about it). Wendy Darling is always a sweet and innocent girl--and I don't know that she ever comes off as a very strong character. But in this book--her book--she might get her chance. She's also the only character who ever seems to really think and use logic and reasoning. If you'll recall from the Peter Pan films, it's Wendy who remembers home and shakes off the Neverland effect. So she may not be strong physically, but she's certainly strong in the head. Michael's still Michael, the youngest of the three and who always wants to play with the big kids. John was...well, a little shit. I didn't care for him all that much, to be honest. And when it came to the Darling parents, their characterizations seemed to flip. George Darling tends to be more gentile and less fussy when it comes to his children, while Mary Darling is the more adamant parent (and also tends to worry, and who's on medication for something). But I liked the role reversal, and how Oakes altered some things to make a new version of an already established story.
I was a fan of the Lost Boys, especially the Generals. (For in this Neverland, there are rankings.) Tink was interesting, for she's not the little fairy we all know, but she is the insanely jealous, sometimes awfully cruel fairy we know, and I liked the part she played. Then there's the man of the hour: Peter Pan. He really, truly is a man-child. In this portrayal, he's more like a teenager in certain aspects (namely his affections for some women), but in others--like fighting--he's an adult, but when it comes to getting what he wants, he is an utter child. He's out-of-this-world gorgeous and has a great body, and he can be quite sweet and swoony and silly, and yet...there's something off about him. And it's up to the mesmerized and infatuated Wendy (don't forget Booth, Wendy!) to figure it out.
There were some issues with this, however--it's not perfect. The writing wasn't bad, but it wasn't my favorite, and there were a few bits of repetition. Some things were cheesy or written kind of awkwardly--like some dialogue--and that can be distracting. All that said, this book was very hard to put down. I was pulled in rather quickly, and from there I just kept flipping pages on my Kindle to see what would happen next. You might say "just one more chapter," but that's hard to do when you want to keep going after each one. I had no idea how this would end (I did know that it's not a standalone), and I couldn't possibly guess what aspects of the original tale would be used, or if they'd be twisted, or what, and it made for some serious suspense and addiction. I love when books are so good and you just get pulled in so far that you can't let go even when it's over. It's a very important aspect to a book, and it can bring a book from being good to good. Love it.
When it comes down to it, I think Wendy Darling: Stars exceeded my expectations. Sure, I was super excited for it, but there's that fear that it won't be good like I want it to be. But this was! This successfully took the well-known story of Peter Pan and twisted it into something fresh and darker. I've noticed something in Peter Pan retellings lately (that is, in versions that aren't centered on the crowing boy): this beloved boy is stuck on a blurry line between villain and hero. Which one is he? Arguments can be made for both, but can he be both? I love story lines like that, and I am extremely eager to see what happens with the Darlings and Neverlandians next. Wendy Darling: Stars had it all: terror, suspense, feels, kissing (oh, the kissing!), good versus evil, adventurous outings for alcohol, mermaids, many, many lost boys, frustrating family members, and a tale spun by a very magical, pixie-dust-dusted thread. It was an awfully big adventure, and I need the sequel more than Peter Pan needs to not grow up. (And I fear what might happen in it more than Hook fears that tick-tocking crocodile.)
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars (to the right)!
I have a hard time resisting Peter Pan retellings. (And yet, I still haven't read the original story. Dishonor on my cow.) When I saw Wendy Darling: Stars on Goodreads one day, I immediately went into a tizzy because the title obviously meant the story had something to do with Peter Pan, and how did I not already know about it? It very quickly became a book I absolutely needed (more than Hook needs to kill that blasted Pan, for sure), and when I got approved for an eARC, I was over the moon excited. Then I finally got the chance to read it, and was desperately hoping it would not disappoint...and oh my gosh, it absolutely, positively did not.
Let's start with a fact: I wasn't even ten percent into this book before I was being hit by a overload of feels. And it didn't even have to do with Peter Pan. As the synopsis suggests, Wendy Darling already has a love interest pre-Neverland, and that would be Booth. And my gosh, the feels between those two--I almost couldn't stand it. I was at the point where I didn't even want to go to Neverland and meet Peter Pan. I already had my ship, and it didn't exist on the waters of Neverland. It's nice--and, I think, important--to see some establishment of the characters and their behavior before they head off toward the second star to the right and straight on till morning. As most forms of Peter Pan show, Neverland changes people--and makes them forget. So by seeing how Wendy, John, and Michael acted in London, we are able to see their character development as they spend time in Neverland.
Of all the characters, only three were similar to their original versions (which I'm basing off the original Disney animated movie): Wendy, Michael, and Nana (and partially Tinker Bell, now that I think about it). Wendy Darling is always a sweet and innocent girl--and I don't know that she ever comes off as a very strong character. But in this book--her book--she might get her chance. She's also the only character who ever seems to really think and use logic and reasoning. If you'll recall from the Peter Pan films, it's Wendy who remembers home and shakes off the Neverland effect. So she may not be strong physically, but she's certainly strong in the head. Michael's still Michael, the youngest of the three and who always wants to play with the big kids. John was...well, a little shit. I didn't care for him all that much, to be honest. And when it came to the Darling parents, their characterizations seemed to flip. George Darling tends to be more gentile and less fussy when it comes to his children, while Mary Darling is the more adamant parent (and also tends to worry, and who's on medication for something). But I liked the role reversal, and how Oakes altered some things to make a new version of an already established story.
I was a fan of the Lost Boys, especially the Generals. (For in this Neverland, there are rankings.) Tink was interesting, for she's not the little fairy we all know, but she is the insanely jealous, sometimes awfully cruel fairy we know, and I liked the part she played. Then there's the man of the hour: Peter Pan. He really, truly is a man-child. In this portrayal, he's more like a teenager in certain aspects (namely his affections for some women), but in others--like fighting--he's an adult, but when it comes to getting what he wants, he is an utter child. He's out-of-this-world gorgeous and has a great body, and he can be quite sweet and swoony and silly, and yet...there's something off about him. And it's up to the mesmerized and infatuated Wendy (don't forget Booth, Wendy!) to figure it out.
There were some issues with this, however--it's not perfect. The writing wasn't bad, but it wasn't my favorite, and there were a few bits of repetition. Some things were cheesy or written kind of awkwardly--like some dialogue--and that can be distracting. All that said, this book was very hard to put down. I was pulled in rather quickly, and from there I just kept flipping pages on my Kindle to see what would happen next. You might say "just one more chapter," but that's hard to do when you want to keep going after each one. I had no idea how this would end (I did know that it's not a standalone), and I couldn't possibly guess what aspects of the original tale would be used, or if they'd be twisted, or what, and it made for some serious suspense and addiction. I love when books are so good and you just get pulled in so far that you can't let go even when it's over. It's a very important aspect to a book, and it can bring a book from being good to good. Love it.
When it comes down to it, I think Wendy Darling: Stars exceeded my expectations. Sure, I was super excited for it, but there's that fear that it won't be good like I want it to be. But this was! This successfully took the well-known story of Peter Pan and twisted it into something fresh and darker. I've noticed something in Peter Pan retellings lately (that is, in versions that aren't centered on the crowing boy): this beloved boy is stuck on a blurry line between villain and hero. Which one is he? Arguments can be made for both, but can he be both? I love story lines like that, and I am extremely eager to see what happens with the Darlings and Neverlandians next. Wendy Darling: Stars had it all: terror, suspense, feels, kissing (oh, the kissing!), good versus evil, adventurous outings for alcohol, mermaids, many, many lost boys, frustrating family members, and a tale spun by a very magical, pixie-dust-dusted thread. It was an awfully big adventure, and I need the sequel more than Peter Pan needs to not grow up. (And I fear what might happen in it more than Hook fears that tick-tocking crocodile.)
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 11, 2015
I got copy of this book to review through NetGalley. Previous to this book I had read The Child Thief by Brom and Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen, both were Peter Pan retellings that I really enjoyed. This book was okay, but pretty slow and predictable. Also a quick caution this book is the start to a new series and doesn’t resolve anything.
Wendy Darling is living a perfectly respectable life in London, her only issue being her budding romance with Booth which her mother doesn’t approve of. Then Peter Pan shows up one night and whisks Wendy and her brothers to Neverland. At first Wendy is overwhelmed with joy at the beauty and freedom of Neverland. However as time goes on she realizes she is forgetting her former life and that life with the Lost Boys is not what it seems.
This book starts out very slowly (you are 30% of the way through the book before you even get to Neverland). The book follows the Disney version of Neverland (and maybe the original book which I have ironically never read) very closely in the beginning. It’s pretty boring because it’s something most of us have either seen or read before.
I had trouble engaging with the characters. Wendy is somewhat despicable, her beau Booth is right...she is not brave and she is not committed. She is blown away by Peter’s good looks and attention and is a fairly shallow heroine. This changes some as the book goes on. Probably my favorite character in the book is Wendy’s little brother Michael, who is very sweet and honest and resists the corruption of Neverland more than anyone else. Tink is an interesting character but she also seemed a bit shallow and one dimensional to me and she isn’t in the story much.
This book is marketed as showing readers the dark side of Neverland and I guess it kind of does in a very light YA kind of way. However, it was fairly predictable and never all that dark or surprising. This is just the start of a series and I wish it had been marketed as such; the story pretty much stops right in the middle without any resolution which left me frustrated and disappointed.
The most positive thing about this book is that it is beautifully written with excellent description.
I think part of my issue with this book is that I have read much better retellings of Peter Pan. Brom wrote a retelling of the Peter Pan story called The Child Thief, which was amazing and incredibly dark. Lisa Jensen wrote a spectacular retelling of the Peter Pan story called Alias Hook which I absolutely adored; this is a version that is sympathetic to Captain Hook and told an amazing twist to the Peter Pan story.
Overall I found Wendy Darling to a bit empty, fluffy, and incomplete; it’s okay but nothing special. It does have some excellent imagery, but if you are truly interested in a creative retelling of the Peter Pan story check out The Child Thief by Brom or Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen.
Wendy Darling is living a perfectly respectable life in London, her only issue being her budding romance with Booth which her mother doesn’t approve of. Then Peter Pan shows up one night and whisks Wendy and her brothers to Neverland. At first Wendy is overwhelmed with joy at the beauty and freedom of Neverland. However as time goes on she realizes she is forgetting her former life and that life with the Lost Boys is not what it seems.
This book starts out very slowly (you are 30% of the way through the book before you even get to Neverland). The book follows the Disney version of Neverland (and maybe the original book which I have ironically never read) very closely in the beginning. It’s pretty boring because it’s something most of us have either seen or read before.
I had trouble engaging with the characters. Wendy is somewhat despicable, her beau Booth is right...she is not brave and she is not committed. She is blown away by Peter’s good looks and attention and is a fairly shallow heroine. This changes some as the book goes on. Probably my favorite character in the book is Wendy’s little brother Michael, who is very sweet and honest and resists the corruption of Neverland more than anyone else. Tink is an interesting character but she also seemed a bit shallow and one dimensional to me and she isn’t in the story much.
This book is marketed as showing readers the dark side of Neverland and I guess it kind of does in a very light YA kind of way. However, it was fairly predictable and never all that dark or surprising. This is just the start of a series and I wish it had been marketed as such; the story pretty much stops right in the middle without any resolution which left me frustrated and disappointed.
The most positive thing about this book is that it is beautifully written with excellent description.
I think part of my issue with this book is that I have read much better retellings of Peter Pan. Brom wrote a retelling of the Peter Pan story called The Child Thief, which was amazing and incredibly dark. Lisa Jensen wrote a spectacular retelling of the Peter Pan story called Alias Hook which I absolutely adored; this is a version that is sympathetic to Captain Hook and told an amazing twist to the Peter Pan story.
Overall I found Wendy Darling to a bit empty, fluffy, and incomplete; it’s okay but nothing special. It does have some excellent imagery, but if you are truly interested in a creative retelling of the Peter Pan story check out The Child Thief by Brom or Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen.
February 6, 2018
I have never been more grateful to have finished a book.
I had a hard time giving this book a rating, and it's a lot coming from a huge fan of the original story. I've been looking forward to reading this for a long time, only to have it disappoint me (understatement, I'm telling you)
What are the pros of this book? It had a very strong prologue. That's all I can think of.
I feel like I'm betraying my roots by saying this, but I couldn't bring myself to like any characters, not even the originals. It feels weird for me to say this, but I found Wendy boring and Peter annoying throughout 90% of everything. All the while I was waiting for Wendy to woman up and grow a backbone, and it only happened in the last 2 chapters.
Ajhhdbwjdvbhdvwh I'm so frustrated.
I get that this is a retelling, but turning Peter into a gorgeous, horny teenage boy made me nauseous. How old is Wendy in this book? 15? 16? It makes sense for her to be naive in the original, but this book? It just made want to tear my hair out. All she does in 85% of this book is think about Peter, wish that Peter was with her, blush, fight with John, etc etc.
Let's do a drinking game, shall we?
- Down a shot every time Wendy blushes under Peter's gaze
- Have a sip every time Wendy feels flustered
- Down a shot every time Peter brushes a lock of Wendy's hair
There were tons of opportunities for Wendy to speak up or lend a hand or be useful but SHE NEVER TAKES THEM UP. There were obvious signs that spoke HEY, something is wrong and you need to be suspicious. How can someone be so blind?????
And she never takes any action, I swear. "John, how could you?" "John!" "Peter!" "John! Don't be so rude!"
Ffffffuuuuuu---
Speaking of John, nobody likes him, alright? Nobody.
Okay maybe I did like a few things while reading - Abbott and Tink. I won't go into too much detail, but those two were characters I'd really like to know more about, especially the former.
Screw that, I really liked Abbott and Tink.
The writing was okay. There would be huge paragraphs of detailed descriptions; I normally enjoy reading those, but in this one, half the time they made me want to skim over the words and jump to where action was taken.
BUT THERE IS NO ACTION TAKEN.
Plot what plot?
I might've liked the cliffhanger had it at least RESOLVED SOMETHING. But noooooo. I guess I'll check out the second book, but with low expectations.
I had a hard time giving this book a rating, and it's a lot coming from a huge fan of the original story. I've been looking forward to reading this for a long time, only to have it disappoint me (understatement, I'm telling you)
What are the pros of this book? It had a very strong prologue. That's all I can think of.
I feel like I'm betraying my roots by saying this, but I couldn't bring myself to like any characters, not even the originals. It feels weird for me to say this, but I found Wendy boring and Peter annoying throughout 90% of everything. All the while I was waiting for Wendy to woman up and grow a backbone, and it only happened in the last 2 chapters.
Ajhhdbwjdvbhdvwh I'm so frustrated.
I get that this is a retelling, but turning Peter into a gorgeous, horny teenage boy made me nauseous. How old is Wendy in this book? 15? 16? It makes sense for her to be naive in the original, but this book? It just made want to tear my hair out. All she does in 85% of this book is think about Peter, wish that Peter was with her, blush, fight with John, etc etc.
Let's do a drinking game, shall we?
- Down a shot every time Wendy blushes under Peter's gaze
- Have a sip every time Wendy feels flustered
- Down a shot every time Peter brushes a lock of Wendy's hair
There were tons of opportunities for Wendy to speak up or lend a hand or be useful but SHE NEVER TAKES THEM UP. There were obvious signs that spoke HEY, something is wrong and you need to be suspicious. How can someone be so blind?????
And she never takes any action, I swear. "John, how could you?" "John!" "Peter!" "John! Don't be so rude!"
Ffffffuuuuuu---
Speaking of John, nobody likes him, alright? Nobody.
Okay maybe I did like a few things while reading - Abbott and Tink. I won't go into too much detail, but those two were characters I'd really like to know more about, especially the former.
Screw that, I really liked Abbott and Tink.
The writing was okay. There would be huge paragraphs of detailed descriptions; I normally enjoy reading those, but in this one, half the time they made me want to skim over the words and jump to where action was taken.
BUT THERE IS NO ACTION TAKEN.
Plot what plot?
I might've liked the cliffhanger had it at least RESOLVED SOMETHING. But noooooo. I guess I'll check out the second book, but with low expectations.
December 2, 2015
This is a retelling of Peter Pan with some twists to the plot. In this version Peter has a much darker side to him. He is possessive, aggressive, and violent. He is in the mindset that if he can't have Wendy no one can. He is pretty much forcing Wendy to stay in Neverland. John is also different, he has a bitter, jealous side to him that makes him very resentful towards Wendy. Neverland has a scarier side to it, making you lose your memories of your former life. All the Darling children struggle with remembering their home and family during their stay in Neverland.
There were some eventful moments and a pretty steady pace throughout this making it an enjoyable read. The ending leaves you on a interesting cliffhanger. I am interested to see what will happen next. I will continue this series at some point, but it's not one that I am dying to know what happens next.
There were some eventful moments and a pretty steady pace throughout this making it an enjoyable read. The ending leaves you on a interesting cliffhanger. I am interested to see what will happen next. I will continue this series at some point, but it's not one that I am dying to know what happens next.
March 25, 2021
Soy CERO FAN de Peter Pan.
Pero cero eh, creo que solo he visto su peli de disney y ya jajaja así que tenía muy bajas expectativas con este libro y me llevé una grata sorpresa.
La pluma de la autora es súper rápida y atrapante además de los giros en la historia original que hacen todo más darkssss ajajja ya cuando vi eso del deseo ardiente de Peter por Wendy vi que la cosa iba a ser totalmente otra cosa.
Wendy me cayó medio gordita en este libro la verdad pero luego se recupera.
Pero cero eh, creo que solo he visto su peli de disney y ya jajaja así que tenía muy bajas expectativas con este libro y me llevé una grata sorpresa.
La pluma de la autora es súper rápida y atrapante además de los giros en la historia original que hacen todo más darkssss ajajja ya cuando vi eso del deseo ardiente de Peter por Wendy vi que la cosa iba a ser totalmente otra cosa.
Wendy me cayó medio gordita en este libro la verdad pero luego se recupera.
October 20, 2015
At first glance, Wendy Darling: Stars by Colleen Oakes may seem to be another re-telling of Peter Pan, but from Wendy's POV. Colleen does justice to this much beloved children's classic, giving it a darker spin that had me reading straight through because I couldn't stop. J.M. Barrie would be proud. Wendy Darling doesn't read like a typical YA. This feels like literature, much like it was written in the early 20th century. Colleen's writing grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go, leaving the reader with a cliffhanger that will have you anxious for the sequel.
Wendy Darling begins right around the time Peter Pan does. Wendy is the proper 16 year old daughter to upper middle class parents. Even though Wendy is on the cusp of adulthood, she still sleeps in the nursery with her two brothers- John, aged 12, and Michael aged 5. She and Michael are very close, while John keeps to himself, but he's very critical toward Wendy for reasons that aren't really explained. It might have to do with John being the middle child with no real friends and constantly competing with Wendy for his father's attentions. Their father is an accountant and a amateur astronomer who showers his love for the stars on Wendy and John. Wendy has a big secret that if found out will have her shipped off to boarding school. She's having a secret romance with Booth, the son of a bookstore owner. She thinks she loves Booth. He makes her tingle in all the right places. He feels the same and wants to court Wendy openly, but she fears she'll be taken away from Booth forever.
One night while her parents are at a ball, and as she is going to sneak off to see Booth, something strange and magical occurs. A flying boy enters the nursery. He's Peter Pan and wants to take the Darling children on a grand adventure to Neverland. Wendy, like John and Michael, are agog by Peter and accept. Here, only Peter can fly, so the Darling children must hold onto him. Off they go, with the promise of returning home anytime they want.
They end up in Neverland, which is a place of beauty, or so Wendy thinks at first. Peter explains the lay of the land and promises to protect the Darling children from all harm, especially Wendy, who finds him very appealing, so much so that she forgets Booth. As the days pass, she slowly forgets her life in London and her parents, as does her brothers.
Eventually, the Darling children are accepted by Peter's Lost Boys, with the exception of Wendy. The 200 or so orphaned boys are suspicious of Wendy because she's a girl. John's personality changes to the point of cruelty toward her, and Michael doesn't want to be treated a baby. Then there is Tink, the last fairy in Neverland who hates Wendy because she thinks Wendy has stolen Peter's love. A few times she tries to kill Wendy (or so it seems). Then there is Peter who tells larger than life tales about mermaids and pirates, specially the dastardly Captain Hook he has defeated. Peter wants his boys to wage war on the pirates to Wendy's dismay. As Wendy begins to see another side to Neverland, and to Peter, her doubts grow and she wants to go home. But Peter doesn't want her to go. He wants to possess her, to own her and won't accept her rejection. The wonder that was originally Neverland and Peter Pan is now ominous and deadly for Wendy, who has no one to trust now. She is at the mercy of Peter Pan.
Wendy Darling is a much darker side to Peter Pan. Like Wendy, the reader is amazed by Neverland and the seductive Peter, but then it changes quickly in a way that's chilling. The Lost Boys have no guidance or direction unless Peter tells them what to do, which is greedy and selfish. There is constant talk of war and the possibility of death for these children who are under the age of 12. Peter is the oldest, and is like a dictator. He lies, steals and has a sadistic quality to him. He has incredible charm also, which mesmerizes Wendy and almost causes her downfall. She becomes his victim like Tink, but she brushes off the almost Stockholm Syndrome everyone has around her regarding Peter. But by then it might be too late.
There's a sensuality factor here that fits the tone of the novel regarding the initial romance between Peter and Wendy, but it doesn't go too far. There's kissing and some caresses given to Wendy that she accepts from Peter. But as she figures out the truth behind this wicked boy, his passion and "love" for her becomes predatory. What Wendy goes through during the last quarter of the novel will have you holding your breath, especially when someone close to her rejects her outright and tosses her away because she doesn't matter to them.
The last chapter is as close to a horror or thriller novel as you can get. Everything changes because of this, leading to another possible villain, or perhaps Wendy's savior (if you've read Peter Pan fan fiction, you'll have a good idea who I mean)? Whichever way Colleen goes with this tale, I'm totally invested.
Kudos to Colleen for giving the Peter Pan story a new twist where the female character aka the heroine here ends up saving the day not only for herself, but for those she loves.
Wendy Darling begins right around the time Peter Pan does. Wendy is the proper 16 year old daughter to upper middle class parents. Even though Wendy is on the cusp of adulthood, she still sleeps in the nursery with her two brothers- John, aged 12, and Michael aged 5. She and Michael are very close, while John keeps to himself, but he's very critical toward Wendy for reasons that aren't really explained. It might have to do with John being the middle child with no real friends and constantly competing with Wendy for his father's attentions. Their father is an accountant and a amateur astronomer who showers his love for the stars on Wendy and John. Wendy has a big secret that if found out will have her shipped off to boarding school. She's having a secret romance with Booth, the son of a bookstore owner. She thinks she loves Booth. He makes her tingle in all the right places. He feels the same and wants to court Wendy openly, but she fears she'll be taken away from Booth forever.
One night while her parents are at a ball, and as she is going to sneak off to see Booth, something strange and magical occurs. A flying boy enters the nursery. He's Peter Pan and wants to take the Darling children on a grand adventure to Neverland. Wendy, like John and Michael, are agog by Peter and accept. Here, only Peter can fly, so the Darling children must hold onto him. Off they go, with the promise of returning home anytime they want.
They end up in Neverland, which is a place of beauty, or so Wendy thinks at first. Peter explains the lay of the land and promises to protect the Darling children from all harm, especially Wendy, who finds him very appealing, so much so that she forgets Booth. As the days pass, she slowly forgets her life in London and her parents, as does her brothers.
Eventually, the Darling children are accepted by Peter's Lost Boys, with the exception of Wendy. The 200 or so orphaned boys are suspicious of Wendy because she's a girl. John's personality changes to the point of cruelty toward her, and Michael doesn't want to be treated a baby. Then there is Tink, the last fairy in Neverland who hates Wendy because she thinks Wendy has stolen Peter's love. A few times she tries to kill Wendy (or so it seems). Then there is Peter who tells larger than life tales about mermaids and pirates, specially the dastardly Captain Hook he has defeated. Peter wants his boys to wage war on the pirates to Wendy's dismay. As Wendy begins to see another side to Neverland, and to Peter, her doubts grow and she wants to go home. But Peter doesn't want her to go. He wants to possess her, to own her and won't accept her rejection. The wonder that was originally Neverland and Peter Pan is now ominous and deadly for Wendy, who has no one to trust now. She is at the mercy of Peter Pan.
Wendy Darling is a much darker side to Peter Pan. Like Wendy, the reader is amazed by Neverland and the seductive Peter, but then it changes quickly in a way that's chilling. The Lost Boys have no guidance or direction unless Peter tells them what to do, which is greedy and selfish. There is constant talk of war and the possibility of death for these children who are under the age of 12. Peter is the oldest, and is like a dictator. He lies, steals and has a sadistic quality to him. He has incredible charm also, which mesmerizes Wendy and almost causes her downfall. She becomes his victim like Tink, but she brushes off the almost Stockholm Syndrome everyone has around her regarding Peter. But by then it might be too late.
There's a sensuality factor here that fits the tone of the novel regarding the initial romance between Peter and Wendy, but it doesn't go too far. There's kissing and some caresses given to Wendy that she accepts from Peter. But as she figures out the truth behind this wicked boy, his passion and "love" for her becomes predatory. What Wendy goes through during the last quarter of the novel will have you holding your breath, especially when someone close to her rejects her outright and tosses her away because she doesn't matter to them.
The last chapter is as close to a horror or thriller novel as you can get. Everything changes because of this, leading to another possible villain, or perhaps Wendy's savior (if you've read Peter Pan fan fiction, you'll have a good idea who I mean)? Whichever way Colleen goes with this tale, I'm totally invested.
Kudos to Colleen for giving the Peter Pan story a new twist where the female character aka the heroine here ends up saving the day not only for herself, but for those she loves.
October 21, 2015
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book published on October 13th 2015!
Fairytales retellings with a twist will always have a small, special place in my heart. It is perhaps why I was immediately intrigued when I heard about Wendy Darling: Stars. Another reason: personally speaking, the idea of Neverland never appealed to me - a place where no one aged seemed like something too good to be true, and even as a young child I perceived this as a trap of sorts. (What does that say about me?) Looking at its cover, you get an inkling that something is amiss - a hint that things may not be what it seems - and such suspicions will be proven true.
Told from the perspective of Wendy Darling, Wendy Darling by Colleen Oakes is a retelling of Peter Pan with a delightfully dark direction, chilling undertones, and fantastic interpretations of the story's characters. Though parts of narrative of Wendy Darling retain elements of the original story, those familiar with Peter Pan - whether it be the original or the Disney version - will appreciate the allusions and similarities to the original subject matter. The changes to the story - and they are numerous - are a breath of fresh air, particularly the addition of original characters which successfully add another dimension of complexity and diversity to the story. Reading Wendy Darling is an experience that feels comfortable and familiar, but also incredibly exciting when it treads on unknown territory.
Wendy Darling undermines the picture-perfect preconceptions of Neverland and its inhabitants. It shatters them and rebuilds them, and now I may never be able to see Peter Pan the same ever again. Oakes takes the beloved characters from Peter Pan, and crafts an interpretation so compelling and dark that it's addictive. Reading their developments was like trying to uncover the true depth of their malice, and both Wendy and reader are pulled into a terrifying descent into madness and disillusion. As the Darlings begin to forget who they are and where they came from, Wendy Darling adopts elements of a psychological thriller, the results are horrifying, akin to what the summary promises: a nightmare.
Unfortunately, the beginning is exceptionally slow to start as it sets the context of Wendy's life and her character. Though what we see in the beginning shapes her character, its significance has yet to manifest in this book (though perhaps it will in its sequel). I would have liked to see more effort and time devoted to Tink's character development or the other Lost Boys. Furthermore, there were instances where the rhythm or force of the narrative was lost in its superfluous descriptions; my imagination felt tied down to minute details, and the magic of Neverland was partly diminished because of it. Thankfully, the second half of the book is a dramatic improvement to the first and there are still many things to love despite these minor shortcomings.
Perhaps my favourite aspect of Wendy Darling was how its twist crept up on you, and I loved the way Oakes achieved this with so much subtlety that it found ways to surprise me. It is less the fact that what transpires is surprising in itself, but more of how the writing comes from an unexpected angle. My visualization of the narrative was strongly influenced by the Disney version; I saw the cartoon characters in my mind. And as I read, I found small mentions of things that did not belong in fairytales. It created a crack in my imagining of the story; suddenly I found that the cartoon characters did not belong in such a graphic, violent place. This story was not a happy fantasy. It was a brutal, gritty retelling, with undisguised violence and behaviours that truly horrifies. There were moments when I was confused - did I just really read that? The dissonance and the realization that Wendy Darling wasn't a fairytale was so profound for something so subtle, but it is what makes Wendy Darling the fantastically twisted book that it is.
Oakes's powerful writing lowered my barriers with its familiarity, raised them with its foreboding, but all along had been making its way underneath my skin. Wendy Darling is a great book for readers who love retellings with a dark twist, but also captures the innocence of children, and the power of words and figures of authority.
And of course it needs to be said - that ending. Wow. The sequel. I need.
Rating: 3.5/5
-
Review can also be found on my book blog, Read, Think, Ponder!
Fairytales retellings with a twist will always have a small, special place in my heart. It is perhaps why I was immediately intrigued when I heard about Wendy Darling: Stars. Another reason: personally speaking, the idea of Neverland never appealed to me - a place where no one aged seemed like something too good to be true, and even as a young child I perceived this as a trap of sorts. (What does that say about me?) Looking at its cover, you get an inkling that something is amiss - a hint that things may not be what it seems - and such suspicions will be proven true.
Told from the perspective of Wendy Darling, Wendy Darling by Colleen Oakes is a retelling of Peter Pan with a delightfully dark direction, chilling undertones, and fantastic interpretations of the story's characters. Though parts of narrative of Wendy Darling retain elements of the original story, those familiar with Peter Pan - whether it be the original or the Disney version - will appreciate the allusions and similarities to the original subject matter. The changes to the story - and they are numerous - are a breath of fresh air, particularly the addition of original characters which successfully add another dimension of complexity and diversity to the story. Reading Wendy Darling is an experience that feels comfortable and familiar, but also incredibly exciting when it treads on unknown territory.
Wendy Darling undermines the picture-perfect preconceptions of Neverland and its inhabitants. It shatters them and rebuilds them, and now I may never be able to see Peter Pan the same ever again. Oakes takes the beloved characters from Peter Pan, and crafts an interpretation so compelling and dark that it's addictive. Reading their developments was like trying to uncover the true depth of their malice, and both Wendy and reader are pulled into a terrifying descent into madness and disillusion. As the Darlings begin to forget who they are and where they came from, Wendy Darling adopts elements of a psychological thriller, the results are horrifying, akin to what the summary promises: a nightmare.
Unfortunately, the beginning is exceptionally slow to start as it sets the context of Wendy's life and her character. Though what we see in the beginning shapes her character, its significance has yet to manifest in this book (though perhaps it will in its sequel). I would have liked to see more effort and time devoted to Tink's character development or the other Lost Boys. Furthermore, there were instances where the rhythm or force of the narrative was lost in its superfluous descriptions; my imagination felt tied down to minute details, and the magic of Neverland was partly diminished because of it. Thankfully, the second half of the book is a dramatic improvement to the first and there are still many things to love despite these minor shortcomings.
Perhaps my favourite aspect of Wendy Darling was how its twist crept up on you, and I loved the way Oakes achieved this with so much subtlety that it found ways to surprise me. It is less the fact that what transpires is surprising in itself, but more of how the writing comes from an unexpected angle. My visualization of the narrative was strongly influenced by the Disney version; I saw the cartoon characters in my mind. And as I read, I found small mentions of things that did not belong in fairytales. It created a crack in my imagining of the story; suddenly I found that the cartoon characters did not belong in such a graphic, violent place. This story was not a happy fantasy. It was a brutal, gritty retelling, with undisguised violence and behaviours that truly horrifies. There were moments when I was confused - did I just really read that? The dissonance and the realization that Wendy Darling wasn't a fairytale was so profound for something so subtle, but it is what makes Wendy Darling the fantastically twisted book that it is.
Oakes's powerful writing lowered my barriers with its familiarity, raised them with its foreboding, but all along had been making its way underneath my skin. Wendy Darling is a great book for readers who love retellings with a dark twist, but also captures the innocence of children, and the power of words and figures of authority.
And of course it needs to be said - that ending. Wow. The sequel. I need.
Rating: 3.5/5
-
Review can also be found on my book blog, Read, Think, Ponder!
December 19, 2015
This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
ACTUAL RATING: 3.5
MY THOUGHTS
I love retellings of all kinds so when I saw this one on Netgalley, I was immediately curious! It took a little bit to get into this one, but the ending was very exciting and I enjoyed this book.
Wendy Darling is in love with the bookseller's son, Booth, but she can't be with him. Booth isn't of her class and it's forbidden. Wendy is about to sneak out to see him, when instead, a strange boy flies into the nursery. He promises adventure and a tantalizing world. Wendy and her brothers travel with him to Neverland and at first it seems to be an amazing adventure, but it turns out to be dangerous...
This book is obviously a retelling of Peter Pan. For a long while, there weren't a whole lot that felt like they were definite retellings. Sure, there were differences, but it felt more like Peter Pan being told from Wendy's POV. Still, I thought it was very well-done!
I liked Wendy as a character. She's not as strong as a character as I'm used to, but she's also a woman in the early 1900's, so she would be much different from what we're used to. I liked how she cared for her brothers. Though, John is a complete jerk, Wendy still cares (even though he doesn't deserve it). She also tried to care and protect Michael.
The romance with Booth didn't wow me. I guess I felt like the romance way too strong. I admit that I might've felt more if I saw the romance come to play, but the book obviously has to begin with their heavy feelings for each other already there.
I mentioned that the book didn't feel like it was a definite retelling for awhile. It was also very slow-paced in the beginning as well. Well, in the last parts of the book, the book gets very interesting and much more fast-paced. I love how it twisted the original story and how the book ended! Yes, there's a cliffhanger, but I loved how it gives us a strong basis of what the next book will include!
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, this turned out to be a great retelling! It took a bit to get really exciting, but I loved how it turned out. The ending makes me really want to read the sequel! I recommend this to fans of retellings and I am definitely continuing this series!
I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
ACTUAL RATING: 3.5
MY THOUGHTS
I love retellings of all kinds so when I saw this one on Netgalley, I was immediately curious! It took a little bit to get into this one, but the ending was very exciting and I enjoyed this book.
Wendy Darling is in love with the bookseller's son, Booth, but she can't be with him. Booth isn't of her class and it's forbidden. Wendy is about to sneak out to see him, when instead, a strange boy flies into the nursery. He promises adventure and a tantalizing world. Wendy and her brothers travel with him to Neverland and at first it seems to be an amazing adventure, but it turns out to be dangerous...
This book is obviously a retelling of Peter Pan. For a long while, there weren't a whole lot that felt like they were definite retellings. Sure, there were differences, but it felt more like Peter Pan being told from Wendy's POV. Still, I thought it was very well-done!
I liked Wendy as a character. She's not as strong as a character as I'm used to, but she's also a woman in the early 1900's, so she would be much different from what we're used to. I liked how she cared for her brothers. Though, John is a complete jerk, Wendy still cares (even though he doesn't deserve it). She also tried to care and protect Michael.
The romance with Booth didn't wow me. I guess I felt like the romance way too strong. I admit that I might've felt more if I saw the romance come to play, but the book obviously has to begin with their heavy feelings for each other already there.
I mentioned that the book didn't feel like it was a definite retelling for awhile. It was also very slow-paced in the beginning as well. Well, in the last parts of the book, the book gets very interesting and much more fast-paced. I love how it twisted the original story and how the book ended! Yes, there's a cliffhanger, but I loved how it gives us a strong basis of what the next book will include!
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, this turned out to be a great retelling! It took a bit to get really exciting, but I loved how it turned out. The ending makes me really want to read the sequel! I recommend this to fans of retellings and I am definitely continuing this series!
January 8, 2016
I'm so glad I read this instead of waiting and shelving it onto my tbr. This was an amazing retelling, adding enough of a twist without completely changing or copying the original. World building was extremely well written. I can really envision Neverland and it's how I would picture it based on a mashup of all the versions I've read/watched. Such a great beginning book for a series. I love the story of Peter Pan and reading from Wendy's perspective was really refreshing.
Of course I love Peter he would've made Wendy very happy, plus wit is a highly attractive characteristic to me. I like that he has a darker side, which is explored quite a bit in other retellings but I think it's going to focus on his need for a family too.
Booth bores me. He's not exciting and much too respectable. I understand that he's Wendy's first love but he's really nothing special to me even though he's the smarter choice.
Tink is great. Really well written character that can be more developed throughout the series. I hate John, but I've never liked him in any retelling.
I was really surprised by the violence being so graphic. Only downside is that there are some grammar and spelling errors near the end of the book which normally frustrates me a lot but I didn't really care because I loved the book so much.
Of course I love Peter he would've made Wendy very happy, plus wit is a highly attractive characteristic to me. I like that he has a darker side, which is explored quite a bit in other retellings but I think it's going to focus on his need for a family too.
Booth bores me. He's not exciting and much too respectable. I understand that he's Wendy's first love but he's really nothing special to me even though he's the smarter choice.
Tink is great. Really well written character that can be more developed throughout the series. I hate John, but I've never liked him in any retelling.
I was really surprised by the violence being so graphic. Only downside is that there are some grammar and spelling errors near the end of the book which normally frustrates me a lot but I didn't really care because I loved the book so much.
January 26, 2016
(I received a copy from Netgalley, In exchange for an honest review.)
Actual rating - 2.5
Wendy was an okay character, but I didn't love her.
This wasn't a bad read, but it couldn't hold my interest very well unfortunately. I felt bored quite a few times, and it started to drag for me. I think I would have preferred to just watch the movie again.
Overall, Not awful, but I won't be reading book two.
Actual rating - 2.5
Wendy was an okay character, but I didn't love her.
This wasn't a bad read, but it couldn't hold my interest very well unfortunately. I felt bored quite a few times, and it started to drag for me. I think I would have preferred to just watch the movie again.
Overall, Not awful, but I won't be reading book two.
May 6, 2016
Se nota demasiado la evolución de Colleen Oakes en este libro, me gusta mucho su forma de escribir, sobre todo de describir nunca jamás, la manera en que los personajes de esta nueva historia están desarrollados es increíble, aún no se quien me da más miedo si peter pan o campanita.
July 11, 2023
Jesus Christ, that was boring.
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