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rosemarieshort's review
5.0
Very few dark re-tellings actually live up to the dark part for me. Let me warn you now; All Darling Children is dark. It’s brutal and hateful and absolutely wondrous. I’ve never been a fan of Peter Pan or of the subsequent re-tellings. However this not only has done away with my Pan aversion; it’s easily one of the best re-tellings I’ve ever read.
Our protagonist is Madge; she’s a tough orphan who lives with her Grandma Wendy. Wendy keeps her prisoner in her own home, thwarting Madge’s multiple attempts to escape to find her Mother (whom she doesn’t believe is really dead, as Wendy always told her). Madge is a great heroine in that she isn’t perfect. She’s stubborn and headstrong but she’s also inherently good – the perfect combination for a girl willing to do anything to take down Pan.
If you’re a Peter / Wendy fan this probably isn’t the book for you. I always preferred a bad guy so my interest always gravitated towards Hook – who is featured here in a new and interesting way; neither good nor bad but still playing a part. I also loved the way Tiger Lily was written – a brave and fearless warrior who is trying to balance keeping her people alive with the need to stand up to Pan.
This isn’t for the faint-hearted. The writing is perfect; the simplicity with which Monroe tells the story suits the brutality of the subject matter perfectly. However there are some scenes which will probably make you squirm. No taboo is sacred and that’s probably what made me love the book so much. However if you have triggers it’s probably best to tread with caution.
This is a must read for fans of retellings – if not for all the reasons above then most certainly for that ending. Pass the fairy dust Katrina Monroe – because I’m hooked.
Our protagonist is Madge; she’s a tough orphan who lives with her Grandma Wendy. Wendy keeps her prisoner in her own home, thwarting Madge’s multiple attempts to escape to find her Mother (whom she doesn’t believe is really dead, as Wendy always told her). Madge is a great heroine in that she isn’t perfect. She’s stubborn and headstrong but she’s also inherently good – the perfect combination for a girl willing to do anything to take down Pan.
If you’re a Peter / Wendy fan this probably isn’t the book for you. I always preferred a bad guy so my interest always gravitated towards Hook – who is featured here in a new and interesting way; neither good nor bad but still playing a part. I also loved the way Tiger Lily was written – a brave and fearless warrior who is trying to balance keeping her people alive with the need to stand up to Pan.
This isn’t for the faint-hearted. The writing is perfect; the simplicity with which Monroe tells the story suits the brutality of the subject matter perfectly. However there are some scenes which will probably make you squirm. No taboo is sacred and that’s probably what made me love the book so much. However if you have triggers it’s probably best to tread with caution.
This is a must read for fans of retellings – if not for all the reasons above then most certainly for that ending. Pass the fairy dust Katrina Monroe – because I’m hooked.
illidia316's review
4.0
If the Disney version of Peter Pan is all you know about the Peter Pan story, you are in for a huge surprise when you read Katrina Monroe's All Darling Children. This modern update to the story that most people grew up knowing will knock your socks off!
Wendy is now a grandmother, and her granddaughter Madge finds herself in Neverland. This is definitely not the Disney update. Gone is the lighthearted, fun story about the kids that never grow up. Instead, this is a dark and twisted tale that I absolutely loved. It was such a fresh take on this story, and having it set in more modern times just made it that more special. Read this today!
* I received this e-book in return for an honest review, so here it is.
Wendy is now a grandmother, and her granddaughter Madge finds herself in Neverland. This is definitely not the Disney update. Gone is the lighthearted, fun story about the kids that never grow up. Instead, this is a dark and twisted tale that I absolutely loved. It was such a fresh take on this story, and having it set in more modern times just made it that more special. Read this today!
* I received this e-book in return for an honest review, so here it is.
ljrinaldi's review
4.0
Did you find the story of Peter Pan strange, and slightly creepy? Did you find his games to be weird? Did you wonder why anyone would want to never grow up? Then this book will appeal to you as not quite so much a retelling, but an extending of the story of Peter Pan and his island of lost boys.
In this telling, the daughter of Jane is taken away to Neverland, but not totally willingly, and so she is not happy with this. And her grandmother, Wendy, has been trying to keep this from happening her entire life, but we what we think of as why is not really why.
This is a dark version of Peter, and yet true to the original story. Giving too much away, I feel, spoils it, but I feel this is quite a good extension of the story, and wraps some things up. I would recommend it to those who loved the original, and those, like me, who thought there was something not quite right with Peter Pan.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
In this telling, the daughter of Jane is taken away to Neverland, but not totally willingly, and so she is not happy with this. And her grandmother, Wendy, has been trying to keep this from happening her entire life, but we what we think of as why is not really why.
This is a dark version of Peter, and yet true to the original story. Giving too much away, I feel, spoils it, but I feel this is quite a good extension of the story, and wraps some things up. I would recommend it to those who loved the original, and those, like me, who thought there was something not quite right with Peter Pan.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
inliterarylove's review
5.0
I could not stop reading this book, it was absolutely fascinating. What a dark and twisted Neverland Monroe has concocted. A little bit fairy tale, a little bit Lord of the Flies, there is never a dull moment in the world of Peter Pan.
mayuscv's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
secre's review
3.0
All Darling Children is a distinctly darker look at the Peter Pan story, several generation on. Madge is Wendy Darling's granddaughter and the third generation to have been stolen away to Never Never Land, but all is not well in this magical world and it doesn't look as though it ever was. Pan isn't an angelic child who refuses to grow up; he is warped and twisted and delights in the painful games that take his Lost Boys lives. Fighting and warfare is a natural pan of Never Never Land even though the pirates have long been slaughtered.
Madge is lured into this world by the promise of seeing her mother, only to find out that nothing is as it seems and Peter Pan is incapable of feeling for anyone other than himself. She is to be the Mother and he the Father and yet the Lost Boys who rely on him are used and discarded with a frightening lack of attachment.
It is far crueller than I was expecting and I'm not sure if this is good or bad in honesty; I can see the reasoning behind that decision and yet this is more than childish cruelty. There is an adulthood in the motivations and actions that doesn't quite marry up with my internal view of the Peter Pan story. I'd have found it easy to get into if the cruelty had been more off-hand and less brutally vicious I suppose. Pan to me is more of a tragic figure whereas here he is undoubtedly a villain. I'd have liked a little more character development I suppose.
That said though, this was an interesting read and well written so I can justify just about giving it four stars.
Madge is lured into this world by the promise of seeing her mother, only to find out that nothing is as it seems and Peter Pan is incapable of feeling for anyone other than himself. She is to be the Mother and he the Father and yet the Lost Boys who rely on him are used and discarded with a frightening lack of attachment.
It is far crueller than I was expecting and I'm not sure if this is good or bad in honesty; I can see the reasoning behind that decision and yet this is more than childish cruelty. There is an adulthood in the motivations and actions that doesn't quite marry up with my internal view of the Peter Pan story. I'd have found it easy to get into if the cruelty had been more off-hand and less brutally vicious I suppose. Pan to me is more of a tragic figure whereas here he is undoubtedly a villain. I'd have liked a little more character development I suppose.
That said though, this was an interesting read and well written so I can justify just about giving it four stars.
themadmaiden's review
4.0
3.5 Really.
It fell apart near/at the end for me, which brought down the score for me. However I liked the premise as well as a lot of the book. I was hoping Tiger Lily and Madge would work together as a team which didn't happen so that was a bit sad.
Still though, a really cool adaptation that took the source material and treated it with respect. That's rare to find these days.
Also I really love the authors blurb with one of her favourite quotes. I know that doesn't have anything to do with the book but it was the reason I decided to read it right away rather than wait, so I guess it kind of does.
It fell apart near/at the end for me, which brought down the score for me. However I liked the premise as well as a lot of the book. I was hoping Tiger Lily and Madge would work together as a team which didn't happen so that was a bit sad.
Still though, a really cool adaptation that took the source material and treated it with respect. That's rare to find these days.
Also I really love the authors blurb with one of her favourite quotes. I know that doesn't have anything to do with the book but it was the reason I decided to read it right away rather than wait, so I guess it kind of does.
sade's review
3.0
Katrina Monroe spins a sinister tale of Peter Pan, the lost boys, Neverland and the Darling Family. In this Peter Pan retelling, the characters are as far away as possible from the happy Darling's created by Disney. 
I enjoyed this book somewhat but it really didn't blow me away. I would have felt if you're going to take such artistic liberites with classic novels at least give some background. It was never really explained why Peter was the way he was or why did he just snap? why were the lost boys giving food to the pirates. Also if the lost boys and Peter couldn't grow up and for all intents and purposes they were boys and peter only took children Spoiler
he killed the pan . Spoiler
how did Jane get pregnant?
On characters i was intrigued with what we had read about the younger Wendy Darling. She was a right bitch who would do anything for Peter. Madge Darling wasn't really convincing as a stong heroine but in retrospect it could be that she felt in over her head. I don't feel other characters were developed enough except to just push this particular story along.
There were allusions to sex in the book which was disturbing to say the least,
This story bares a passing resemblance to [b:Lord of the Flies|7624|Lord of the Flies|William Golding|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327869409s/7624.jpg|2766512] with the whole children going blood mad when they're alone (I wonder why this seems to be a recurring theme). All in all i felt the story was unfinished, the author just put in the gore just for the sake of having gore in the book and she could have done more to make the story her own.
ezzasyuhada's review
3.0
There was a lot of things that I didn't like about this book and one of it is due to the characters. I felt that most of the characters were very one dimensional and lacked any sort of depth. For example, with Wendy Darling. In this book she was such a hateful person and character yet the reason why she was so hateful was not explored and thus making her look like a lunatic. Another character I felt was problematic was the main character, Madge. I really disliked her. She was such a brat, such a know-it-all it annoyed me to no end. She was also a very reactive type of character and not proactive. In one instance in the book, she only realised that she was hungry was after Pan pointed out that her stomach growling. Like how? How? I felt that she was also too mature for her age (she is 14 in the book) yet sometimes her actions are really questionable. Like following a random boy you just met to god knows where. She says that her life plan is to find her birth mother yet nowhere in this book did she go out and tried to search for her mother herself. It was someone else who did the job for her and she just happened to be there for the ride.
Another thing that I really find dubious about this book is the time line of the whole plot. Assuming, the plot starts after the original Peter Pan plot line then Wendy would have to be 108 years old (assuming this book starts in the 2000's). I mean I don't know about you but I don't think a 108 year old woman can be as sprightly as Wendy is in this book let alone do much harm and also why does Madge call Michael, uncle? Isn't Michael the brother to Wendy? Wouldn't that make him Grand-Uncle? and why is Michael so young here? If we are following the time line again wouldn't he be 100 years old assuming he is 4 when he first went to Neverland.
Also, there were a few important details that I felt were left out. I am not sure whether this will be explained in upcoming books but for now I will just assume it will not. It was never really explained how the relationship between the Neverland and Pan worked. It was said, I think by Tiger Lily, that Pan and Neverland worked in relationship whereby it was Neverland that gave Pan his immortality and power over the island but it was never explained how and another thing was it was again never explained how these powers transferred to the next Pan title holder because Peter is not the only Pan. There was another Pan before him but because he was too nice Peter overthrew him from power and killed him.
Not all was negative with this book. There were some things that I did like.
I liked how dark the overall theme of the book was and I have never read the original Peter Pan story but from wiki he seems similar to the Pan in this book which was a guy who doesn't have much empathy towards others and isn't afraid to kill a few lost boys.
I would recommend this book to people who would want to read a different aspect of Peter Pan and people who wouldn't mind a gory interlude here and there.
*A copy was given by publishers via Netgalley in return for an honest review
Another thing that I really find dubious about this book is the time line of the whole plot. Assuming, the plot starts after the original Peter Pan plot line then Wendy would have to be 108 years old (assuming this book starts in the 2000's). I mean I don't know about you but I don't think a 108 year old woman can be as sprightly as Wendy is in this book let alone do much harm and also why does Madge call Michael, uncle? Isn't Michael the brother to Wendy? Wouldn't that make him Grand-Uncle? and why is Michael so young here? If we are following the time line again wouldn't he be 100 years old assuming he is 4 when he first went to Neverland.
Also, there were a few important details that I felt were left out. I am not sure whether this will be explained in upcoming books but for now I will just assume it will not. It was never really explained how the relationship between the Neverland and Pan worked. It was said, I think by Tiger Lily, that Pan and Neverland worked in relationship whereby it was Neverland that gave Pan his immortality and power over the island but it was never explained how and another thing was it was again never explained how these powers transferred to the next Pan title holder because Peter is not the only Pan. There was another Pan before him but because he was too nice Peter overthrew him from power and killed him.
Not all was negative with this book. There were some things that I did like.
I liked how dark the overall theme of the book was and I have never read the original Peter Pan story but from wiki he seems similar to the Pan in this book which was a guy who doesn't have much empathy towards others and isn't afraid to kill a few lost boys.
I would recommend this book to people who would want to read a different aspect of Peter Pan and people who wouldn't mind a gory interlude here and there.
*A copy was given by publishers via Netgalley in return for an honest review
illidia's review
4.0
If the Disney version of Peter Pan is all you know about the Peter Pan story, you are in for a huge surprise when you read Katrina Monroe's All Darling Children. This modern update to the story that most people grew up knowing will knock your socks off!
Wendy is now a grandmother, and her granddaughter Madge finds herself in Neverland. This is definitely not the Disney update. Gone is the lighthearted, fun story about the kids that never grow up. Instead, this is a dark and twisted tale that I absolutely loved. It was such a fresh take on this story, and having it set in more modern times just made it that more special. Read this today!
* I received this e-book in return for an honest review, so here it is.
Wendy is now a grandmother, and her granddaughter Madge finds herself in Neverland. This is definitely not the Disney update. Gone is the lighthearted, fun story about the kids that never grow up. Instead, this is a dark and twisted tale that I absolutely loved. It was such a fresh take on this story, and having it set in more modern times just made it that more special. Read this today!
* I received this e-book in return for an honest review, so here it is.