What do you think?
Rate this book
Todo recto hasta el amanecer
La vida de Wendy Darling no es lo que ella se imaginaba que sería, y su única escapatoria es escribir historias del país de Nunca Jamás. Después de estar a punto de conocer a Peter Pan, su héroe, cuatro años atrás, aún tiene la esperanza de que ese hogar mágico existe de verdad. Así que, cuando se le presenta la oportunidad de viajar a Nunca Jamás en un barco pirata, Wendy hace un pacto con el diablo. Sin embargo, Nunca Jamás resulta no ser el lugar que se imaginaba; está lleno de peligros y personajes extraños, y el malvado capitán Garfio es uno de ellos. En las manos de Wendy (y de Campanilla) estará salvar a Peter Pan y todo Nunca Jamás
432 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2020
2309 people are currently reading
51947 people want to read
About the author
Liz Braswell
51 books6,356 followersAfter the sort of introverted childhood you would expect from a writer, Liz earned a degree in Egyptology at Brown University and then promptly spent the next ten years producing video games. Finally she caved into fate and wrote Snow and Rx under the name Tracy Lynn, followed by The Nine Lives of Chloe King series under her real name, because by then the assassins hunting her were all dead. She also has short stories in Geektastic and Who Done It and a new series of reimagined fairy tales coming out, starting with A Whole New World—a retelling of Aladdin.
She lives in Brooklyn with a husband, two children, a cat, a part-time dog, three fish and five coffee trees she insists will start producing beans any day. You can email her at me@lizbraswell.com.
She lives in Brooklyn with a husband, two children, a cat, a part-time dog, three fish and five coffee trees she insists will start producing beans any day. You can email her at me@lizbraswell.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,689 reviews
May 3, 2025
**3.5-stars rounded up**
My current ratings for the Twisted Tales series:
1. What Once Was Mine (Tangled): 4.5-stars rounded up
2. Reflection (Mulan): 4-stars
3. Go the Distance (Hercules): 4-stars
4. As Old As Time (Beauty & the Beast): 3.5-stars rounded up
5. Straight on Till Morning (Peter Pan): 3.5-stars rounded up
6. Mirror, Mirror (Snow White): 3.5-stars rounded up
7. Unbirthday (Alice in Wonderland): 3.5-stars
8. Conceal, Don't Feel (Frozen): 3.5-stars
9. A Whole New World (Aladdin): 3-stars
10. Part of Your World (The Little Mermaid): 2-stars
In this twisted version of Peter Pan, we follow Wendy Darling, who though she has written, and told many stories of Peter Pan and his escapades, has never actually met him.
However, unbeknownst to Wendy, Peter has sat many a night outside the window of the Darling family nursery, listening to those very stories. On one such night, Peter accidentally leaves behind his shadow.
Wendy keeps it, tucking it away in a drawer and when she stumbles upon Captain Hook, she uses the shadow as a bargaining chip to gain passage upon a voyage to Neverland.
Unsurprisingly, Hook has more sinister plans in mind than he lets on to Wendy, however, and now Neverland's entire existence is in jeopardy.
Once discovering Hook's true intentions, Wendy must work with a tiny and surprising ally, Tinkerbell, in order to correct her mistake.
What was she thinking trusting a pirate!?
Overall, I enjoyed this installment. There were some spots that felt a little slow, but mostly it kept me quite entertained.
I really loved the development of Wendy's character. She is 16-years old, on the cusp of adulthood and dealing with her parent's expectations.
She's not ready to enter womanhood in the way they would like her too. She finds the prospect unnerving, to say the least.
Her romp through Neverland is her last ditch effort to hold onto the carefree time of her youth.
If fact, that theme arises a lot, with Captain Hook also struggling with his lost boyhood.
In addition to the exploration of the shift your life can take as you grow older, I also enjoyed the evolution of the relationship between Wendy and Tinkerbell.
Tink and Wendy's relationship, as we know it, was often steeped in jealousy and petty acts of sabotage.
While that is how it begins here as well, we also see the two of them growing to understand and ultimately, even care for one other. I thought that growth was very well executed by Braswell.
For fans of Peter Pan, I think this will be a lovely take on the original. It's definitely worth at least picking it up and giving it a shot.
As always, I am looking forward to seeing what stories Disney chooses to twist next!!!
My current ratings for the Twisted Tales series:
1. What Once Was Mine (Tangled): 4.5-stars rounded up
2. Reflection (Mulan): 4-stars
3. Go the Distance (Hercules): 4-stars
4. As Old As Time (Beauty & the Beast): 3.5-stars rounded up
5. Straight on Till Morning (Peter Pan): 3.5-stars rounded up
6. Mirror, Mirror (Snow White): 3.5-stars rounded up
7. Unbirthday (Alice in Wonderland): 3.5-stars
8. Conceal, Don't Feel (Frozen): 3.5-stars
9. A Whole New World (Aladdin): 3-stars
10. Part of Your World (The Little Mermaid): 2-stars
In this twisted version of Peter Pan, we follow Wendy Darling, who though she has written, and told many stories of Peter Pan and his escapades, has never actually met him.
However, unbeknownst to Wendy, Peter has sat many a night outside the window of the Darling family nursery, listening to those very stories. On one such night, Peter accidentally leaves behind his shadow.
Wendy keeps it, tucking it away in a drawer and when she stumbles upon Captain Hook, she uses the shadow as a bargaining chip to gain passage upon a voyage to Neverland.
Unsurprisingly, Hook has more sinister plans in mind than he lets on to Wendy, however, and now Neverland's entire existence is in jeopardy.
Once discovering Hook's true intentions, Wendy must work with a tiny and surprising ally, Tinkerbell, in order to correct her mistake.
What was she thinking trusting a pirate!?
Overall, I enjoyed this installment. There were some spots that felt a little slow, but mostly it kept me quite entertained.
I really loved the development of Wendy's character. She is 16-years old, on the cusp of adulthood and dealing with her parent's expectations.
She's not ready to enter womanhood in the way they would like her too. She finds the prospect unnerving, to say the least.
Her romp through Neverland is her last ditch effort to hold onto the carefree time of her youth.
If fact, that theme arises a lot, with Captain Hook also struggling with his lost boyhood.
In addition to the exploration of the shift your life can take as you grow older, I also enjoyed the evolution of the relationship between Wendy and Tinkerbell.
Tink and Wendy's relationship, as we know it, was often steeped in jealousy and petty acts of sabotage.
While that is how it begins here as well, we also see the two of them growing to understand and ultimately, even care for one other. I thought that growth was very well executed by Braswell.
For fans of Peter Pan, I think this will be a lovely take on the original. It's definitely worth at least picking it up and giving it a shot.
As always, I am looking forward to seeing what stories Disney chooses to twist next!!!
December 10, 2019
I was not sure what to expect of this story. I’ve been reading all the other twisted tales and so far not one has truly disappointed me, but the premise of this one sounded a little vague and I was really curious where that would lead and what kind of story we would eventually get. And I have to admit that I am impressed what has been done with this amazing tale!
And most of that has to do with the character Wendy Darling and how she’s portrayed in this book. She reminds me of myself so much, in so many ways. It was therefore easy to connect with her, to feel for her and to recognise myself in her journey. Because that’s what this story is about: Wendy’s journey from Child to Adult, to the adult she WANTS to be.
Along the way some of the flaws in the Peter Pan stories are fixed. The most important one? This book actually contains a friendship between Tinkerbell and Wendy instead of their constant jealousy and them trying to betray each other. Watching them bonding, learning and growing together while exploring every part of Neverland was truly amazing.
The world building of Neverland also went way beyond the original book and the Disney movie. That made the Isle feel more alive, but it also made the Isle feel a little more from us, from everyone. And it lead to some awesome adventures we never got to see in the original books and stories.
Some more things I liked: The characters of Peter Pan being confronted with the symbolism in their own story (and them denying it), Hook actually being smart and intelligent (and delusional), the lesson that imagination is a powerful weapon in itself and where Wendy’s story eventually ends.
I can’t wait for the next twisted tale!
And most of that has to do with the character Wendy Darling and how she’s portrayed in this book. She reminds me of myself so much, in so many ways. It was therefore easy to connect with her, to feel for her and to recognise myself in her journey. Because that’s what this story is about: Wendy’s journey from Child to Adult, to the adult she WANTS to be.
Along the way some of the flaws in the Peter Pan stories are fixed. The most important one? This book actually contains a friendship between Tinkerbell and Wendy instead of their constant jealousy and them trying to betray each other. Watching them bonding, learning and growing together while exploring every part of Neverland was truly amazing.
The world building of Neverland also went way beyond the original book and the Disney movie. That made the Isle feel more alive, but it also made the Isle feel a little more from us, from everyone. And it lead to some awesome adventures we never got to see in the original books and stories.
Some more things I liked: The characters of Peter Pan being confronted with the symbolism in their own story (and them denying it), Hook actually being smart and intelligent (and delusional), the lesson that imagination is a powerful weapon in itself and where Wendy’s story eventually ends.
I can’t wait for the next twisted tale!
Want to read
September 11, 2019the author's writing is generally cardboard but I love Peter Pan so . . . "Here we go!!"
August 23, 2020
Ugh...whyyyyy?
Why re-write Peter Pan with the sole aim of making it pass the bechdel test? Apart from the clever inclusion of Wendy's wolf from the original book, this has NOTHING going for it. It's just cringy over the top forced girl power and literally nothing else. Also, who in blazes was this even written for? Most of the writing comes across as Middle Grade but content leans more to suggestive YA. So my best guess is it was written for feminists who haven't gotten beyond an 8th grade reading level yet would like to enjoy the "fixed" version of Peter Pan.
Also, what's wrong with little dogs? I mean, I prefer bigger breeds (and frankly cats) myself, but this book has such a vindictive stance on hating small dogs and frilly girls who like small dogs.
This book is literally anti-puppy (unless you're a wolf) and I'm not okay with that.
The author even reiterates her dislike of small dogs in the dedication, so I really don't think I'm reading too much into it.
I mean come on, lady, I like ducklings too...
...but why are they inherently better than lapdogs?
I don't follow your logic.
This was just so pointless. I'm so glad Braswell didn't write the Cinderella one for this series, because then I'd have lost any hope of it being remotely good at this point.
I can't believe I spent money on this book.
Sorry to anyone who did like this, I just personally found it vapid and pointless.
Why re-write Peter Pan with the sole aim of making it pass the bechdel test? Apart from the clever inclusion of Wendy's wolf from the original book, this has NOTHING going for it. It's just cringy over the top forced girl power and literally nothing else. Also, who in blazes was this even written for? Most of the writing comes across as Middle Grade but content leans more to suggestive YA. So my best guess is it was written for feminists who haven't gotten beyond an 8th grade reading level yet would like to enjoy the "fixed" version of Peter Pan.
Also, what's wrong with little dogs? I mean, I prefer bigger breeds (and frankly cats) myself, but this book has such a vindictive stance on hating small dogs and frilly girls who like small dogs.
This book is literally anti-puppy (unless you're a wolf) and I'm not okay with that.
The author even reiterates her dislike of small dogs in the dedication, so I really don't think I'm reading too much into it.
I mean come on, lady, I like ducklings too...
...but why are they inherently better than lapdogs?
I don't follow your logic.
This was just so pointless. I'm so glad Braswell didn't write the Cinderella one for this series, because then I'd have lost any hope of it being remotely good at this point.
I can't believe I spent money on this book.
Sorry to anyone who did like this, I just personally found it vapid and pointless.
March 14, 2020
Hello Wendy Darling!
Straight On Till Morning was another fantastic book in this twisted tales series! I feel like I don't read enough peter pan retellings because the ones that I do find, I fall in love with. Pretty sure I've only read like 3 others.. but eh, details. The world needs more.
The characters in this book were a lot different than what I was used to. Yes, we still see the very same ones we grew up with in the Disney Movie. Yet, something is different. Wendy was easy to connect with and extremely likable. It was entertaining to see her growth throughout this book because of who she wanted to be in the end.
Then there's Tinkerbell - lord she's adorable. In this one, they are actually friends! Yay to friendship guys because it was adorable as well. I think it's why Wendy was the way she was - ya know? No idea if that made sense at all but going with it. Their friendship definitely helped each other grow and it made exploring throughout Neverland pretty fun.
Hook and the pirates made me laugh during some chapters. Then there's Peter who did the same. They were also completely different than how they are usually portrayed and that made this book so likable. Heck, lovable in my eyes.
Again, the world needs more peter pan books and I can't wait for whatever Disney gives me next!
Straight On Till Morning was another fantastic book in this twisted tales series! I feel like I don't read enough peter pan retellings because the ones that I do find, I fall in love with. Pretty sure I've only read like 3 others.. but eh, details. The world needs more.
The characters in this book were a lot different than what I was used to. Yes, we still see the very same ones we grew up with in the Disney Movie. Yet, something is different. Wendy was easy to connect with and extremely likable. It was entertaining to see her growth throughout this book because of who she wanted to be in the end.
Then there's Tinkerbell - lord she's adorable. In this one, they are actually friends! Yay to friendship guys because it was adorable as well. I think it's why Wendy was the way she was - ya know? No idea if that made sense at all but going with it. Their friendship definitely helped each other grow and it made exploring throughout Neverland pretty fun.
Hook and the pirates made me laugh during some chapters. Then there's Peter who did the same. They were also completely different than how they are usually portrayed and that made this book so likable. Heck, lovable in my eyes.
Again, the world needs more peter pan books and I can't wait for whatever Disney gives me next!
June 8, 2021
¡Por fin, el clásico Peter Pan para las no tan niñas!
¿Qué habría pasado si Wendy hubiera viajado a Nunca Jamás junto con el Capitán Garfio?
No esperes que yo te conteste esta pregunta, no voy a desvelarte nada de la extraordinaria historia que estás a punto de leer, salvo que nuestra querida Wendy ya no es la niña que dejamos atrás. Ahora su alma se revela contra las directrices que marca la sociedad; sobre todo aquellas que le dicen que tiene que dejar de soñar y de escribir absurdas historias sobre Nunca jamás. Pero ella quiere escribir, es buena escribiendo, tiene talento, aunque la sociedad es un muro férreo que solo permite entrar en su rebaño a quienes se comportan como se espera de ellos... Y Wendy siente cómo poco a poco va perdiendo la batalla y cómo su vida es en realidad una cáscara vacía, sin aventuras, sin risas, sin alegrías...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ah, muchos buscamos aventuras y acabamos como esclavos, de una manera u otra. Cuando eres joven, crees que el mundo te permitirá ser quien eres y hacer lo que quieres... y luego descubres que el mundo de los adultos tienen aún más límites que el mundo de los niños. Sin espacio para la aventura y mucho menos para tener un pensamiento propio".
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Así que, vuelvo ha preguntarte: ¿qué crees que habría pasado si Wendy viajara a Nunca Jamás con el Capitán Garfio?
¿Qué habrías hecho tú en su lugar?
Sirenas, piratas, niños perdidos, que ya no son tan niños...
¿Te atreverías a hacer realidad tu sueño más preciado?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Se mordió el labio. Había tomado una decisión; había llegado la hora de llevarla a cabo. No había espacio para debilidades ni dudas para un héroe y, como mínimo, Wendy tenía que ser el héroe de su propia alma".
------------------------------------------------------------------------
¿Te gustaría ser el héroe de tu alma?
¿Qué habría pasado si Wendy hubiera viajado a Nunca Jamás junto con el Capitán Garfio?
No esperes que yo te conteste esta pregunta, no voy a desvelarte nada de la extraordinaria historia que estás a punto de leer, salvo que nuestra querida Wendy ya no es la niña que dejamos atrás. Ahora su alma se revela contra las directrices que marca la sociedad; sobre todo aquellas que le dicen que tiene que dejar de soñar y de escribir absurdas historias sobre Nunca jamás. Pero ella quiere escribir, es buena escribiendo, tiene talento, aunque la sociedad es un muro férreo que solo permite entrar en su rebaño a quienes se comportan como se espera de ellos... Y Wendy siente cómo poco a poco va perdiendo la batalla y cómo su vida es en realidad una cáscara vacía, sin aventuras, sin risas, sin alegrías...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ah, muchos buscamos aventuras y acabamos como esclavos, de una manera u otra. Cuando eres joven, crees que el mundo te permitirá ser quien eres y hacer lo que quieres... y luego descubres que el mundo de los adultos tienen aún más límites que el mundo de los niños. Sin espacio para la aventura y mucho menos para tener un pensamiento propio".
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Así que, vuelvo ha preguntarte: ¿qué crees que habría pasado si Wendy viajara a Nunca Jamás con el Capitán Garfio?
¿Qué habrías hecho tú en su lugar?
Sirenas, piratas, niños perdidos, que ya no son tan niños...
¿Te atreverías a hacer realidad tu sueño más preciado?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Se mordió el labio. Había tomado una decisión; había llegado la hora de llevarla a cabo. No había espacio para debilidades ni dudas para un héroe y, como mínimo, Wendy tenía que ser el héroe de su propia alma".
------------------------------------------------------------------------
¿Te gustaría ser el héroe de tu alma?
February 17, 2022
I have been thinking a lot about what to write for this book. I have so many mixed feelings and most off all I am just really disappointed. I LOVE Peter Pan and I was super excited for this book when it came out. It took me a little while before I could read it, but now I have I almost wish I hadn’t.
To start with this is NOT a book about Wendy teaming up with Hook. Which is hinted at when you read the cover of the book. It’s Wendy teaming up with Tinkerbell. I thought it was about Hook and Wendy, and was really disappointed when I found out it wasn’t. It start of with them teaming up, but then Wendy suddenly changes her decision and leaves the Jolly Roger. That was for very sudden, not well explained and just felt weird.
The characters all feel out of character when you think about the original book or even the Disney movie. They are just completely different. My biggest annoyance came from Wendy. I felt that she was making weird decisions which I did not understand. She changes behaviour quite often from an adult to a little child. She just feels unrealistic and extremely out of character from the Wendy we know. Her relationship with Tinkerbell is weird and does not go deep enough. It is the main focus of the book, but at the same time nothing really happens with it.
The writing style in the book does not seem to know if it is directed towards the young side of YA or the older side of YA. Sometimes the book feels mature and other times it almost feels as if it is a book written for middle grade.
The story drags on and on and on. Nothing really happens and the suspension is often removed by the dragging of the storyline. It’s boring and predictable. A lot could have been removed to speed up the storyline and make it more enjoyable to read.
The romantic relationships are based on nothing and weird. They are just there and feel completely out of place. They don’t evolve or are explored. They are mentioned and hinted at, and nothing more. I would have preferred if they were not mentioned at all.
To me this is the worst Peter Pan retelling I have ever read. And I really wanted to love it so badly. I am just disappointed and sad.
To start with this is NOT a book about Wendy teaming up with Hook. Which is hinted at when you read the cover of the book. It’s Wendy teaming up with Tinkerbell. I thought it was about Hook and Wendy, and was really disappointed when I found out it wasn’t. It start of with them teaming up, but then Wendy suddenly changes her decision and leaves the Jolly Roger. That was for very sudden, not well explained and just felt weird.
The characters all feel out of character when you think about the original book or even the Disney movie. They are just completely different. My biggest annoyance came from Wendy. I felt that she was making weird decisions which I did not understand. She changes behaviour quite often from an adult to a little child. She just feels unrealistic and extremely out of character from the Wendy we know. Her relationship with Tinkerbell is weird and does not go deep enough. It is the main focus of the book, but at the same time nothing really happens with it.
The writing style in the book does not seem to know if it is directed towards the young side of YA or the older side of YA. Sometimes the book feels mature and other times it almost feels as if it is a book written for middle grade.
The story drags on and on and on. Nothing really happens and the suspension is often removed by the dragging of the storyline. It’s boring and predictable. A lot could have been removed to speed up the storyline and make it more enjoyable to read.
The romantic relationships are based on nothing and weird. They are just there and feel completely out of place. They don’t evolve or are explored. They are mentioned and hinted at, and nothing more. I would have preferred if they were not mentioned at all.
To me this is the worst Peter Pan retelling I have ever read. And I really wanted to love it so badly. I am just disappointed and sad.
February 26, 2020
This is the only book in the series, thus far, that I could not stand! It was too long and dragged on. The whole plot was just boring.
![Profile Image for Jacquelyn 💐 {This Rapunzel Reads} [Jesus Christ, my Living Hope].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1766269624i%2F169222098._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
Read
September 14, 2025DNF at Page 13 for a curse word. It may not bother some people. But it’s my personal conviction that I don’t read or finish books with curse words. It’s something I believe the Lord doesn’t want me to fill my mind with or read. It would be a waste of my time. There are way better Peter Pan retellings out there.
Read
April 10, 2020
August 1, 2020
You're like a mouse....trying to be an elephant...
-Simon Cowell
-Simon Cowell
July 28, 2020
3.5/5stars
This is a fine retelling. Boring if you know the actual book or have read any other retellings as it was not unique at all but it was fine.
This is a fine retelling. Boring if you know the actual book or have read any other retellings as it was not unique at all but it was fine.
June 17, 2021
I am utterly disappointed in the most miserable way. There were SO many opportunities in this story for me to love it, but unfortunately in my opinion, it made all the wrong choices. I am the biggest fan of Peter Pan, so I had great expectations to love this story. I wanted to love it, I really did, but I felt no magic in this. Frankly I felt like the magic was sucked away to oblivion from this. I utterly adore the original Peter Pan book, disney movie, and even the Disney sequel. They were extremely present in my childhood. The whimsical story with exciting adventures and characters were totally lost on me though in this book, and I was left with so many unanswered questions that I honestly don’t even care about. I might be going too hard on this book. Yes. It is a book that has a story to it. Some people may enjoy it. But I did not. I’ve read better unpublished Peter Pan fan fictions. I’m gonna go through all of my disappointments to show you why.
From here on out we get into spoilers.
Disappointment 1— Captain Hook. I was so intrigued by the book premise. Wendy teams up with the villain!!? YES please!!! That is my favorite kind of story. I was so ready for a possible redemption arc, or at least some more background information on Captain Hook. Or maybe even that this book pulled a Once Upon a Time and made Hook hot and romantic. I don’t really care. The structure was there for so many paths! It was completely possible! But instead we got some boring filler chapters of Hook slowly going insane. And that could have been done way better too.
Disappointment 2— the Tinker Bell/Wendy friendship. Once I gave up on my dreams of Captain Wendy, I was happy with the direction we were going in. A fairy friendship!? New character development of Tink and Wendy!! YES! But no... their interactions were SO bland and forced. This was the most intriguing concept that Braswell chose to elaborate on, but still... I thought it was done pretty poorly. There were too many quick forgives and too many generic and meaningless heart to hearts.
Disappointment 3— Wendy. Our primary narrator was SO BORING. By the end, we were kind of tricked into thinking that something changed in her, but really, this Wendy was a completely different Wendy from the cannon story. It’s fine that she changed in the years she was waiting for Pan, but we need an arc in this story too. I could say more but I’ll move on.
Disappointment 4— the WAY feminism was brought up. I am all for Wendy fighting for women’s rights, or a girl joining the lost boys. But the way we got there was so outside of the time frame this book was set in. It felt like this Wendy time traveled from 2020 and fell into the early 1900s. It felt so unrealistic, taking me out of the story, and did not impact me in any way.
Disappointment 5— the First, and the witch. This was something that I was sooo intrigued by. The First and the witch were such interesting characters and we got only one scene from them that told us essentially nothing. I would read a whole other book about them, but from this one, we got pretty much nothing.
Disappointment 6— weird romance/relationship vibes. So at first, I though we were gonna get a young and dashing hook. Fine. I love it. Then I thought we were gonna get a young and dashing Zane pirate. Sure. Cool. Whatever. THEN, I thought we were gonna get no romance and focus on Wendy and Tinker Bell’s friendship. Yes. I’m here for it. And in the back of my mind, I was curious of whether or not Peter was gonna be a love interest for Wendy. But no. Tinker Bell is in love with Peter and he (and I) think that’s weird but whatever. And then Wendy saw Peter as really young, which he turned out to be in this version. Which still I’m okay with. THEN. we get this weird thing with the male fairy and Wendy and nothing ever happens but they’re vibing and I can’t help but remember that fairies are TINY— like fit in your hand— and I can’t help but think that this is the most ridiculous romance plot imaginable.
Disappointment 7— PETER PAN. Is it really you Peter? Because I don’t think so. This imposter didn’t show up until 70% through the book!!! And he was off laying on a beach mad at his lost boys and galavanting with all the mermaids. This Peter was weak, and not fun or whimsical at all. And he was so boring! And just. AHHH I hated it. THIS WAS A PETER PAN STORY AND WE ONLY GOT PETER PAN FOR THE LAST 30% of the book!? (If even because most of the time he was unconscious or not in the scene) UGH. that was the worst of it for me. That was the clincher that made this book a 1 Star.
There’s more but I’m tired and so over this book. It’s making me mad to write about it more. This scene pretty much sums up my biggest issue with this book. And then I’ll be done.
There’s one scene when Peter is talking to Wendy and Tink. Tink kisses Wendy on the cheek and then salutes to Peter. And Peter laughs and jokes to Wendy that “Tink KISSED you and only saluted me” or something like that. But one of the main things about both book and movie version of Peter Pan is that he has no idea what a kiss is and he ends up mixing up words and refers to a kiss as a thimble and a thimble as a kiss. Now I know this is a pretty detailed moment to point out, but here is my problem with this book and it showed a lot: there was no care to keep the spirit of Peter Pan alive, and something as simple as referring back to a kiss as a thimble would have shown an ounce of care for this book. This is just a little taste of the overall emptiness of this story.
I’m sad and annoyed and need to cleanse my palette with the Disney Peter Pan 1 or 2 or both ASAP.
From here on out we get into spoilers.
Disappointment 1— Captain Hook. I was so intrigued by the book premise. Wendy teams up with the villain!!? YES please!!! That is my favorite kind of story. I was so ready for a possible redemption arc, or at least some more background information on Captain Hook. Or maybe even that this book pulled a Once Upon a Time and made Hook hot and romantic. I don’t really care. The structure was there for so many paths! It was completely possible! But instead we got some boring filler chapters of Hook slowly going insane. And that could have been done way better too.
Disappointment 2— the Tinker Bell/Wendy friendship. Once I gave up on my dreams of Captain Wendy, I was happy with the direction we were going in. A fairy friendship!? New character development of Tink and Wendy!! YES! But no... their interactions were SO bland and forced. This was the most intriguing concept that Braswell chose to elaborate on, but still... I thought it was done pretty poorly. There were too many quick forgives and too many generic and meaningless heart to hearts.
Disappointment 3— Wendy. Our primary narrator was SO BORING. By the end, we were kind of tricked into thinking that something changed in her, but really, this Wendy was a completely different Wendy from the cannon story. It’s fine that she changed in the years she was waiting for Pan, but we need an arc in this story too. I could say more but I’ll move on.
Disappointment 4— the WAY feminism was brought up. I am all for Wendy fighting for women’s rights, or a girl joining the lost boys. But the way we got there was so outside of the time frame this book was set in. It felt like this Wendy time traveled from 2020 and fell into the early 1900s. It felt so unrealistic, taking me out of the story, and did not impact me in any way.
Disappointment 5— the First, and the witch. This was something that I was sooo intrigued by. The First and the witch were such interesting characters and we got only one scene from them that told us essentially nothing. I would read a whole other book about them, but from this one, we got pretty much nothing.
Disappointment 6— weird romance/relationship vibes. So at first, I though we were gonna get a young and dashing hook. Fine. I love it. Then I thought we were gonna get a young and dashing Zane pirate. Sure. Cool. Whatever. THEN, I thought we were gonna get no romance and focus on Wendy and Tinker Bell’s friendship. Yes. I’m here for it. And in the back of my mind, I was curious of whether or not Peter was gonna be a love interest for Wendy. But no. Tinker Bell is in love with Peter and he (and I) think that’s weird but whatever. And then Wendy saw Peter as really young, which he turned out to be in this version. Which still I’m okay with. THEN. we get this weird thing with the male fairy and Wendy and nothing ever happens but they’re vibing and I can’t help but remember that fairies are TINY— like fit in your hand— and I can’t help but think that this is the most ridiculous romance plot imaginable.
Disappointment 7— PETER PAN. Is it really you Peter? Because I don’t think so. This imposter didn’t show up until 70% through the book!!! And he was off laying on a beach mad at his lost boys and galavanting with all the mermaids. This Peter was weak, and not fun or whimsical at all. And he was so boring! And just. AHHH I hated it. THIS WAS A PETER PAN STORY AND WE ONLY GOT PETER PAN FOR THE LAST 30% of the book!? (If even because most of the time he was unconscious or not in the scene) UGH. that was the worst of it for me. That was the clincher that made this book a 1 Star.
There’s more but I’m tired and so over this book. It’s making me mad to write about it more. This scene pretty much sums up my biggest issue with this book. And then I’ll be done.
There’s one scene when Peter is talking to Wendy and Tink. Tink kisses Wendy on the cheek and then salutes to Peter. And Peter laughs and jokes to Wendy that “Tink KISSED you and only saluted me” or something like that. But one of the main things about both book and movie version of Peter Pan is that he has no idea what a kiss is and he ends up mixing up words and refers to a kiss as a thimble and a thimble as a kiss. Now I know this is a pretty detailed moment to point out, but here is my problem with this book and it showed a lot: there was no care to keep the spirit of Peter Pan alive, and something as simple as referring back to a kiss as a thimble would have shown an ounce of care for this book. This is just a little taste of the overall emptiness of this story.
I’m sad and annoyed and need to cleanse my palette with the Disney Peter Pan 1 or 2 or both ASAP.
March 1, 2020
A bit confusing at times but a decent read. Peter Pan isn’t the main focus but the friendship between Wendy and Tinkerbell
March 16, 2020
I loved this book so much it is now my favorite Peter Pan retelling for the wonderful character that is Wendy and adding so much more to Tinker Bell to make her more than a jealous girl who only cares about Peter Pan. I loved the characters so much especially Wendy and Tinker Bell they had a great friendship that was rocky at times but they became the best friend to each other neither had ever had. I loved Wendy for her no nonsense attitude along with with kind and passionate nature. I loved Tinker Bell for being more than what she was in the original story she became a fully well developed character that was more than her feelings for Peter Pan. I loved the plot so much it started out as one girl's want for adventure and became so much more to a story about acceptance and perseverance and how one character just could not give up on something that it drove them mad. So overall I loved this book I will look forward to more of these books soon.
April 28, 2021
YOUTUBE / INSTAGRAM
La premisa es: “¿Qué pasaría si Wendy hubiera ido a Nunca Jamás con el Capitán Garfio?”. Pues bien, el resultado es una historia que no ha tirado en absoluto hacia donde yo creía pero que me ha sorprendido para bien. Los punto más destacables:
-La historia se centra por completo en Wendy. Peter Pan no aparece hasta más de la mitad del libro y la verdad es que me sorprendió porque he leído muchos retellings de Peter Pan y aunque suelen centrarse más en otros personajes (Garfio, Tigrilla, Wendy, etc.), Peter suele aparecer más a menudo. Pero como ha sido algo diferente, me ha parecido entretenido.
-Tiene un enfoque bastante reivindicativo y feminista y reflexiona alrededor del papel de las chicas en los cuentos e historias de aventuras (a Wendy no le apetece seguir con el rol de madre y quedarse limpiando la guarida del Árbol del ahorcado mientras los Niños Perdidos salen a divertirse). También toca un poco el tema de por qué no hay (o no puede haber según las normas) Niñas Perdidas.
-Subsana algunas actitudes de la historia original que hoy en día se ven con peores ojos. Sobre todo en la relación Wendy-Campanilla. Me ha gustado mucho el enfoque que le han dado a una relación que en el original era de celos hacia la otra por un hombre. Aquí también se ve claro el toque feminista y de sororidad que han querido darle a este retelling.
-También reflexiona, como era inevitable, sobre crecer y madurar, sobre si hay que dejar atrás los cuentos o seguir creyendo en ellos. En este libro, Wendy visita por primera vez Nunca Jamás con 16 años, pero Peter sigue siendo un niño de 12. Aunque cuatro años de diferencia puedan no parecer muchos, lo cierto es que a esa edad sí que implican muchas diferencias.
-Al principio me desconcertó la narración porque no quedaba claro la edad a la que se dirigía (¿middle-grade?, ¿juvenil?), pero luego me di cuenta de que la obra original de Peter Pan hace exactamente lo mismo, porque juega interpelando al lector como adulto en unas ocasiones y como niño en otras. Definitivamente la narración me parece más juvenil que middle-grade, aunque Wendy a veces tiene actitudes más aniñadas de lo que quizás le pertocan (no obstante, es una chica de 16 años a comienzos del siglo pasado, quizás no se puede comparar el grado de madurez con las chicas de 16 años de hoy en día).
-Me han parecido algo incongruentes con la ambientación algunas expresiones demasiado modernas que suelta Wendy, como "qué fuerte".
En conjunto os puedo decir que he disfrutado mucho de la lectura. Era de esperar, porque todo lo que tenga relación con Peter Pan me chifla, pero además es que me ha sorprendido y gustado mucho el enfoque.
La premisa es: “¿Qué pasaría si Wendy hubiera ido a Nunca Jamás con el Capitán Garfio?”. Pues bien, el resultado es una historia que no ha tirado en absoluto hacia donde yo creía pero que me ha sorprendido para bien. Los punto más destacables:
-La historia se centra por completo en Wendy. Peter Pan no aparece hasta más de la mitad del libro y la verdad es que me sorprendió porque he leído muchos retellings de Peter Pan y aunque suelen centrarse más en otros personajes (Garfio, Tigrilla, Wendy, etc.), Peter suele aparecer más a menudo. Pero como ha sido algo diferente, me ha parecido entretenido.
-Tiene un enfoque bastante reivindicativo y feminista y reflexiona alrededor del papel de las chicas en los cuentos e historias de aventuras (a Wendy no le apetece seguir con el rol de madre y quedarse limpiando la guarida del Árbol del ahorcado mientras los Niños Perdidos salen a divertirse). También toca un poco el tema de por qué no hay (o no puede haber según las normas) Niñas Perdidas.
-Subsana algunas actitudes de la historia original que hoy en día se ven con peores ojos. Sobre todo en la relación Wendy-Campanilla. Me ha gustado mucho el enfoque que le han dado a una relación que en el original era de celos hacia la otra por un hombre. Aquí también se ve claro el toque feminista y de sororidad que han querido darle a este retelling.
-También reflexiona, como era inevitable, sobre crecer y madurar, sobre si hay que dejar atrás los cuentos o seguir creyendo en ellos. En este libro, Wendy visita por primera vez Nunca Jamás con 16 años, pero Peter sigue siendo un niño de 12. Aunque cuatro años de diferencia puedan no parecer muchos, lo cierto es que a esa edad sí que implican muchas diferencias.
-Al principio me desconcertó la narración porque no quedaba claro la edad a la que se dirigía (¿middle-grade?, ¿juvenil?), pero luego me di cuenta de que la obra original de Peter Pan hace exactamente lo mismo, porque juega interpelando al lector como adulto en unas ocasiones y como niño en otras. Definitivamente la narración me parece más juvenil que middle-grade, aunque Wendy a veces tiene actitudes más aniñadas de lo que quizás le pertocan (no obstante, es una chica de 16 años a comienzos del siglo pasado, quizás no se puede comparar el grado de madurez con las chicas de 16 años de hoy en día).
-Me han parecido algo incongruentes con la ambientación algunas expresiones demasiado modernas que suelta Wendy, como "qué fuerte".
En conjunto os puedo decir que he disfrutado mucho de la lectura. Era de esperar, porque todo lo que tenga relación con Peter Pan me chifla, pero además es que me ha sorprendido y gustado mucho el enfoque.
April 9, 2021
Well, aren't I glad that's done!! I definitely think we could've lost 150 pages of this, easily, and I have absolutely no idea where this story started. I thought it would get cleared up but I am puzzled. Is this a re-telling or a sequel?! It felt like both at different points of the book!
May 14, 2021
I think this is the first Peter Pan retelling I've read that focuses on Wendy so much. Really, Peter is barely in this and he's an immature twelve year old who doesn't do much when we do see him. I appreciated seeing Wendy find herself throughout the story and decide that society's expectations aren't important.
I liked that this retelling was pretty different from the original story. We mostly follow Wendy and Tinkerbell, with very little of Wendy's brothers and Peter. We saw more of the pirates and lost boys, which was fun, and Wendy and Tink's friendship was fun.
I did think parts of this were a bit slow and Peter was an irritating twelve year old, but overall this was an okay read.
I liked that this retelling was pretty different from the original story. We mostly follow Wendy and Tinkerbell, with very little of Wendy's brothers and Peter. We saw more of the pirates and lost boys, which was fun, and Wendy and Tink's friendship was fun.
I did think parts of this were a bit slow and Peter was an irritating twelve year old, but overall this was an okay read.
December 13, 2020
Finished my 8th book of the month! I really enjoyed this one, straight on till morning is the 8th book in the twisted tale series but u don't have to read them in order and so I really enjoyed this one. The one thing I didn't really like was this was a bit long in my opinon. Also, it kind of dragged a little but I had the audiobook from my Overdrive and so without that I think that it would have taken me longer to read it!
January 28, 2021
That was WONDERFUL!!! Much better than the original tale to me!!! I really Really LOVED how Tinker Bell and Wendy bonded through out the book, as their rivalry was something I always hated in the movie!!! I also REALLY Loved the ending and the character arc Wendy went through to get there!!! This was yet another FANTASTIC edition to the Twisted Tales series!!!
January 31, 2021
Je n'avais pas d'attente pour ce roman. THE REVELATION. C'était juste magique. Wendy n'est plus la Wendy de mon enfance et encore moins clochette, toujours avec les traits que je me souvenais mais des nouvelles versions. Des personnages et une histoire que concrètement j'aurais vraiment apprécié voir à l'écran. Une suite qui a su réveiller mon cœur d'enfant et une excellente lecture pour ce début d'année!
March 24, 2021
“When you're young, you think the world will make room for who you are and what you want....”
![Hook&Wendy]()
Nope, this one just wasn’t for me.
I listen to the audio book, and if it wasn’t for that I would have dnf it a long time ago.
Every single character grated my nerves and I just wanted to shake them half the time and told them to grow-up. I guess it being Peter Pan and all, it’s kind of ironic. But really, it was too much for me!
Nope, this one just wasn’t for me.
I listen to the audio book, and if it wasn’t for that I would have dnf it a long time ago.
Every single character grated my nerves and I just wanted to shake them half the time and told them to grow-up. I guess it being Peter Pan and all, it’s kind of ironic. But really, it was too much for me!
February 21, 2020
I am a sucker fore any Peter Pan retelling, especially with a Hook and Wendy team up. Which I thought this one would be, I was wrong it was Wendy and Tinkerbell teaming up, I had my doubts about these two together to save Neverland, but by the end of the book a 2 star read became a solid 3 star read. I just wish that there was a little more meat to this story. A worthy read dor any Disney fan.
May 17, 2021
*sigh* Here we go again. This started off so strong, I was super invested and I really enjoyed Wendy's character. But...I thought this was a Peter Pan retelling. Other than the prologue, I had to wait for 363 pages before Peter made an appearance. 363 pages of a 488 page book. Then when I do get Peter, he's nothing but a whiny twit of a character. That's not hat I expect when I pick up a Peter Pan retelling.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the Wendy/Tinker Bell friendship. But not at the expense of the character I've loved my entire life. Maybe if the blurb on the cover said something about the fate of Never Land is solely in Wendy and Tinker Bell's hands, I could have been more prepared. But as it is, this is a Peter Pan with basically no Peter Pan, and that really annoyed me to no end.
Twisted Tale ratings in order that I've read them:
A Whole New World: 3 stars
As Old as Time: 4 stars
So This is Love: 5 stars
Mirror, Mirror: 2 stars
Go the Distance: 2 stars
Reflection: 5 stars
Once Upon a Dream: 4 stars
Conceal, Don't Feel: 3 stars
Part of Your World: 2 stars
Straight On Till Morning: 2 stars
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the Wendy/Tinker Bell friendship. But not at the expense of the character I've loved my entire life. Maybe if the blurb on the cover said something about the fate of Never Land is solely in Wendy and Tinker Bell's hands, I could have been more prepared. But as it is, this is a Peter Pan with basically no Peter Pan, and that really annoyed me to no end.
Twisted Tale ratings in order that I've read them:
A Whole New World: 3 stars
As Old as Time: 4 stars
So This is Love: 5 stars
Mirror, Mirror: 2 stars
Go the Distance: 2 stars
Reflection: 5 stars
Once Upon a Dream: 4 stars
Conceal, Don't Feel: 3 stars
Part of Your World: 2 stars
Straight On Till Morning: 2 stars
May 22, 2021
Wendy Darling has never actually met Peter Pan, but she's told numerous stories about his adventures. Her parents don't understand her eccentricities or that she wants to be a writer and they believe the best way to fix this is to send Wendy off to Ireland as a governess. But Wendy still has Peter Pan's shadow from a near encounter. Using his shadow as a bargaining chip, she hitches a ride on Captain Hook's pirate ship to Neverland.
There were parts of this I enjoyed, but some of Wendy's behavior was so weird. I know she's only a 16 yr old girl and some naivete is to be expected. But seeing her go from like "what is privilege" to "I'm going to fix all the worlds problems" was quite a stretch. Plus she says some weird shit to Skipper who is a girl and one of the Lost Boys, then turns around a couple chapters later and is like girls can do whatever they want! I'm sure this was supposed to be examples of Wendy growing, but they were so weird and disjointed that it didn't feel like real growth.
The best part of this book was Wendy and Tinkerbell's relationship. They spend the majority of the book together trying to find/save Peter and in the course of their adventure they end up learning a lot about each other and becoming close friends. The epilogue with these two was so adorable and I really liked it.
Overall, weird. Enjoyable at times for sure. Also, Peter pan is a little dick in this one.
There were parts of this I enjoyed, but some of Wendy's behavior was so weird. I know she's only a 16 yr old girl and some naivete is to be expected. But seeing her go from like "what is privilege" to "I'm going to fix all the worlds problems" was quite a stretch. Plus she says some weird shit to Skipper who is a girl and one of the Lost Boys, then turns around a couple chapters later and is like girls can do whatever they want! I'm sure this was supposed to be examples of Wendy growing, but they were so weird and disjointed that it didn't feel like real growth.
The best part of this book was Wendy and Tinkerbell's relationship. They spend the majority of the book together trying to find/save Peter and in the course of their adventure they end up learning a lot about each other and becoming close friends. The epilogue with these two was so adorable and I really liked it.
Overall, weird. Enjoyable at times for sure. Also, Peter pan is a little dick in this one.
March 4, 2020
2.5 stars
This isn’t a “retelling” so much as a fanfic about a friendship developing between Wendy and Tinker Bell. It was interesting enough, but at nearly 500 pages, it was also unnecessarily drawn out.
This isn’t a “retelling” so much as a fanfic about a friendship developing between Wendy and Tinker Bell. It was interesting enough, but at nearly 500 pages, it was also unnecessarily drawn out.
October 7, 2021
“When you’re young, you think the world will make room for who you are and what you want…. And then you find the world of adults is even more limiting than the world of children. With no room for adventure, much less yer own thoughts.”
STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING
Straight on till Morning by Liz Braswell is one book in Disney’s Twisted Tales series. This book, if it isn’t obvious, is a twist on Disney’s Peter Pan. The tagline for this book is, “what if Wendy first traveled to Neverland with Captain Hook?” Wendy’s parents are exhausted with her. They love her but she is different and she keeps writing stories in her journal. But now they see they have no choice. They are sending her to Ireland to care for some cousins, in hopes it helps her grow up. She refuses to be sent away, but where should she go? The only place she could think of is Neverland, but how could she get there. Peter Pan left his shadow with her but hasn’t returned in years. So she makes a decision she will regret. She makes a deal with Peter Pan’s enemy…Captain Hook. She gives him the shadow in exchange for passage to Neverland.
Why don’t I ever learn? My first Twisted Tale book was As Old As Time -a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I absolutely loved it. Then I tried the Sleeping Beauty retelling, Once Upon a Dream and I was so disappointed, especially since Sleeping Beauty is my favorite Disney movie. But I didn’t give up. I then read Conceal, Don’t Feel -a Frozen retelling, and Part of Your World– A Little Mermaid retelling. And each time I have been disappointed. My hopes weren’t completely high for this book because Peter Pan was never one of my favorites, but the tagline did catch my attention and I have a thing for pirates. Pirate stories are always interesting. And I stand by that when it comes to this book. I really enjoyed reading about Wendy’s journey aboard Captain Hook’s book. But everything else was just dull. I did love how it tried to be inclusive. I also loved the descriptions of Neverland. But I just couldn’t bring myself to be really invested in this story. So I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.
The audio narrator, Lorna Bennett did a lovely job. Now you are probably wondering if this is my last Disney Twisted Tale book. Probably not. There is still A Whole New (Aladdin), Reflection (Mulan), Mirror Mirror (Snow White), So This Is Love (Cinderella), UnBirthday (Alice in Wonderland), Go The Distance (Hercules), and What Once Was Mine (Rapunzel) –so I should keep trying, right? RIGHT?!
STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING
Straight on till Morning by Liz Braswell is one book in Disney’s Twisted Tales series. This book, if it isn’t obvious, is a twist on Disney’s Peter Pan. The tagline for this book is, “what if Wendy first traveled to Neverland with Captain Hook?” Wendy’s parents are exhausted with her. They love her but she is different and she keeps writing stories in her journal. But now they see they have no choice. They are sending her to Ireland to care for some cousins, in hopes it helps her grow up. She refuses to be sent away, but where should she go? The only place she could think of is Neverland, but how could she get there. Peter Pan left his shadow with her but hasn’t returned in years. So she makes a decision she will regret. She makes a deal with Peter Pan’s enemy…Captain Hook. She gives him the shadow in exchange for passage to Neverland.
Why don’t I ever learn? My first Twisted Tale book was As Old As Time -a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I absolutely loved it. Then I tried the Sleeping Beauty retelling, Once Upon a Dream and I was so disappointed, especially since Sleeping Beauty is my favorite Disney movie. But I didn’t give up. I then read Conceal, Don’t Feel -a Frozen retelling, and Part of Your World– A Little Mermaid retelling. And each time I have been disappointed. My hopes weren’t completely high for this book because Peter Pan was never one of my favorites, but the tagline did catch my attention and I have a thing for pirates. Pirate stories are always interesting. And I stand by that when it comes to this book. I really enjoyed reading about Wendy’s journey aboard Captain Hook’s book. But everything else was just dull. I did love how it tried to be inclusive. I also loved the descriptions of Neverland. But I just couldn’t bring myself to be really invested in this story. So I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.
The audio narrator, Lorna Bennett did a lovely job. Now you are probably wondering if this is my last Disney Twisted Tale book. Probably not. There is still A Whole New (Aladdin), Reflection (Mulan), Mirror Mirror (Snow White), So This Is Love (Cinderella), UnBirthday (Alice in Wonderland), Go The Distance (Hercules), and What Once Was Mine (Rapunzel) –so I should keep trying, right? RIGHT?!
June 1, 2020
I received a copy of Straight On Til Morning from Scholastic Books Australia in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.
I went into Straight On Til Morning with not a lot of prior knowledge, though I did notice that it sits at 500+ pages, whereas some of its Twisted Tales counterparts err on the much slimmer side, so I was quite curious as to why it was considerably longer than its successors. To me, Straight On Til Morning was of such a length befitting an exciting adventure that it was!
I absolutely loved how Wendy oriented this story was! She’s always been a character that I liked in the Peter Pan lore so I was completely excited to find that she really carries this story! Wendy’s character development throughout was an utte joy to read, I felt like I was on the sweeping adventure of piracy and discovery and yearning for more along with her! I equally adored Braswell’s portrayal of Tinkerbell too, the little fairy with an adoring heart towards the head of the Lost Boys, Peter Pan himself.
Straight On Til Morning is a Peter Pan Twisted Tale, though Peter himself doesn’t make an appearance until well over halfway through, although his presence was definitely felt before he made an appearance on the page. Wendy to me, had an almost hero like worship attitude to Peter Pan, weaving adventure stories of her own, taking place in a Neverland that she imagines. Whilst teenage girls her age are expected to find a male counterparts to settle down with and have a family, Wendy years for more, for adventure. When her Father threatens to send her to become a Governess to family in Ireland, Wendy knows she’s going to have to pull a treacherous action in order to escape the confines of her forced trip.
See, Wendy was left with Peter Pans’ shadow and was always awaiting him to return to claim it back. Now, can you think of someone who seeks to destroy Peter Pan and Neverland as a whole? Who’d stop at nothing to see his enemy taken down? Why yes, I’m indeed talking about Captain Hook, who Wendy bargains a trip to Neverland, in exchange for Pan’s own shadow! What follows is an adventure of slightly terrifying, piracy proportions, with Wendy being the only girl aboard The Jolly Roger, a formidable ghost-like type ship filled with pirates who abundance in malice, though I was pleasantly surprised that Wendy meets a helpful Pirate who ensures that she gets safe passage out of the clutches of Captain Hook. What follows throughout Straight on Til Morning is such a completely satisfying adventure filled with fairies, wonderlust, blooming friendship where jealousy was initially stemmed and such bravery with the lead up to a big battle to boot! Liz Braswell’s Wendy was absolutely a treasure to read about from start to end and this book is definitely one that all Disney fans need in their lives! Fun and adventure awaits, so go forth! 🙂
I went into Straight On Til Morning with not a lot of prior knowledge, though I did notice that it sits at 500+ pages, whereas some of its Twisted Tales counterparts err on the much slimmer side, so I was quite curious as to why it was considerably longer than its successors. To me, Straight On Til Morning was of such a length befitting an exciting adventure that it was!
I absolutely loved how Wendy oriented this story was! She’s always been a character that I liked in the Peter Pan lore so I was completely excited to find that she really carries this story! Wendy’s character development throughout was an utte joy to read, I felt like I was on the sweeping adventure of piracy and discovery and yearning for more along with her! I equally adored Braswell’s portrayal of Tinkerbell too, the little fairy with an adoring heart towards the head of the Lost Boys, Peter Pan himself.
Straight On Til Morning is a Peter Pan Twisted Tale, though Peter himself doesn’t make an appearance until well over halfway through, although his presence was definitely felt before he made an appearance on the page. Wendy to me, had an almost hero like worship attitude to Peter Pan, weaving adventure stories of her own, taking place in a Neverland that she imagines. Whilst teenage girls her age are expected to find a male counterparts to settle down with and have a family, Wendy years for more, for adventure. When her Father threatens to send her to become a Governess to family in Ireland, Wendy knows she’s going to have to pull a treacherous action in order to escape the confines of her forced trip.
See, Wendy was left with Peter Pans’ shadow and was always awaiting him to return to claim it back. Now, can you think of someone who seeks to destroy Peter Pan and Neverland as a whole? Who’d stop at nothing to see his enemy taken down? Why yes, I’m indeed talking about Captain Hook, who Wendy bargains a trip to Neverland, in exchange for Pan’s own shadow! What follows is an adventure of slightly terrifying, piracy proportions, with Wendy being the only girl aboard The Jolly Roger, a formidable ghost-like type ship filled with pirates who abundance in malice, though I was pleasantly surprised that Wendy meets a helpful Pirate who ensures that she gets safe passage out of the clutches of Captain Hook. What follows throughout Straight on Til Morning is such a completely satisfying adventure filled with fairies, wonderlust, blooming friendship where jealousy was initially stemmed and such bravery with the lead up to a big battle to boot! Liz Braswell’s Wendy was absolutely a treasure to read about from start to end and this book is definitely one that all Disney fans need in their lives! Fun and adventure awaits, so go forth! 🙂
Read
January 14, 2023DNF. I'm sad that I wasn't able to finish this. Got turned off by the witchcraft and general undertones of darkness. The writing style was so unique and I was really hoping it wasn't going to the direction I thought it might, but it did.
September 20, 2020
“Never Land isn’t just a simple place of childhood dreams—because childhood dreams are actually never simple.”
Pendant les cent premières pages de ce roman, j'étais complètement émerveillée par ce roman. On suit Wendy, une jeune fille anglaise qui a du mal à se conformer aux normes de l'époque parce que son esprit est entièrement occupé par le Pays imaginaire. Elle rêve de retrouver Peter Pan depuis des années, depuis que Nana ait volé l'ombre du garçon qui ne grandit pas. Afin d'exaucer ce vœu, elle décide de passer un marché avec le dangereux capitaine Crochet : l'ombre de Peter Pan contre un voyage au Pays imaginaire.
Je tournais les pages à toute vitesse, ravie par l'ambiance assez sombre et mélancolique. On n'était clairement pas au niveau de Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook, une autre réécriture de Peter Pan qui a vraiment exploré le côté inhumain du personnage, mais j'étais assez surprise et ravie. J'étais contente d'avoir trouvé une nouvelle lecture géniale et amusante, qui ne me promettait probablement pas un coup de cœur, mais au moins un excellent moment.
J'ai parlé trop vite.
J'ai été profondément déçue par la suite de ce roman, au point même où j'ai perdu tout intérêt pour l'histoire et me contentais juste de tourner les pages. Je n'avais qu'une hâte, finir ce livre. Oui, c'est très mauvais signe quand un lecteur pense ça.
Le gros, gros problème de ce roman est qu'il s'agit d'un livre d'environ 500 pages qui n'a aucune intrigue. Wendy échange l'ombre de Peter Pan, l'offre à Crochet, se rend compte que c'est dangereux puis veut la récupérer pour sauver le Pays imaginaire. C'est tout. Il n'y a pas d'intrigue secondaire ou de vrai développement des personnages, on reste sur un schéma hyper linéaire et ponctué de peu, voire d'aucune intrigue. L'action est venu pimenter le récit dans les cinquante dernières pages, mais c'est à mon sens bien trop tard pour rattraper la débâcle.
J'ai eu l'impression d'uniquement me promener au Pays imaginaire, de le découvrir à travers les yeux de Wendy. Une grosse majorité de ce roman est une explication des créatures et des endroits cultes du monde des Garçons perdus, et l'on passe d'une bestiole à une autre sans qu'aucune n'ait de réel poids.
Une exploration intensive du Pays imaginaire, de son fonctionnement, pourrait être très intéressante si on n'était pas coincé avec Wendy. Autant j'ai apprécié son caractère au début du roman, autant j'ai eu envie de la secouer fort - très fort - dès son arrivée au Pays imaginaire. Elle a le don d'être à la fois naïve et ignorante, et extrêmement sûre d'elle et de ses idées. Plusieurs personnages lui expliquent que non, le Pays imaginaire n'est pas le fruit que de son esprit, que d'autres enfants l'ont rêvé au même titre qu'elle. Est-ce que ça l'empêche de s'attribuer tous les mérites ? Non. Est-ce que ça l'empêche d'être choquée à chaque fois qu'elle voit quelque chose qu'elle n'a pas imaginé ? Non plus.
Les seuls points positifs de ce roman sont la fée Clochette et les chapitres auprès des pirates. Clochette est probablement le personnage qui avait le plus de profondeur et d'évolution, et je me suis vraiment attachée à la petite fée. Quant aux pirates, j'aimais l'ambiance sombre et maléfique de leur bateau, la folie apparente de Crochet, et le mystérieux Zane. Dommage que ces personnages n'aient pas été assez exploités.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,689 reviews