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love_bookswillbetheendofme's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Child death, Grief, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
allygator's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved how well this book touched on trauma and PTSD, it felt very authentic and it made Wendy a much more compelling character than she was in the original story. I wasn't sure how much I would love her romance with Peter, but it wasn't overwhelming in the story and I honestly kind of enjoyed it. The trauma within Wendy's parents was really well-written and had me crying at some points.
I also really enjoyed Jordan's character, though I wish she had more page time. In general, this was a lot less diverse than Thomas' debut, but it didn't really detract from the story for me. The ending had me shaking it was so good, it was so bold and scary because it definitely could happen in today's world.
All in all, this was such a good retelling; I highly recommend picking it up.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Medical content, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
ruthie__reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, and Grief
Moderate: Gun violence and Mental illness
Minor: Animal death and Car accident
a_mendoza's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Grief
Moderate: Blood and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, and Car accident
taleofabibliophile's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, Car accident, and Alcohol
Minor: Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
lisa_m's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
I'm glad that I didn't know that before though because I have read the Original last year and didn't really like it. But this book was really good! It is a quite dark retelling of Peter Pan and Wendy is a grown up in this one (well ..she is 18).
The story was really immersive and I didn't want to stop reading. It is also a kind of mystery because you learn throughout the book what really happens to children and what happened to Wendy and her brothers all those years ago.
It is a quite gruesome story but I liked that twist to this children's tale.
I definitely want to read more books by this author!
My biggest problem with this story was the romance aspect of it. Don't get me wrong, I actually quite liked Peter in this book (I didn't like him in the Original), but having him fall in love with Wendy just seemed so strange.
I mean yeah he is technically way older than her and his body is also aging during their time together but he is still so childlike and idk it just felt really weird.
What I did like though was the twist to Peter's story. Him being a guide to murdered children is actually quite interesting. It explains his story so much better. He is compassionate and helps them move on. I liked this Death version of him.
All in all I would definitely recommend this book! Even if you don't particularly like the story of Peter Pan like me, you might still like this book. Also if you like mystery mixed with paranormal stuff this is for you :)
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Murder, and Alcohol
btrz7's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
There isn't much I can say about this book. Like, it felt so bland? It was something I meant to read in one sitting and ended up dragging for days. Mostly I think everything feels very superficial. Also, I like books in the YA range, but I guess this one felt like it was for a much younger audience and that didn't help my enjoyment of it.
What I did like was the concept behind Neverland as it exists in this book, but like everything else it doesn't feel very explored and I don't think it reached the potential I thought it had.
Overall I'd say about 2.5 stars rating, rounded down for the time being. I am still curious about Cemetery Boys and will check it out.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Kidnapping, and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Car accident, and Alcohol
cemeterygay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book is a beautiful examination of grief and childhood trauma in a way that not many books are able to do. I will say it is more of a follow-up to Peter Pan than really a Peter Pan retelling.
I think Thomas does a brilliant job of portraying the emotional isolation and disconnect that can occur after facing trauma at an incredibly young age and while for some readers that may be hard to connect to, it felt painfully relatable and real to my experiences. I found Wendy's relationship with her family and her friend Jordan to be incredibly interesting. I did like seeing how different family members reacted to Wendy's brothers' disappearances and how they each dealt with grief. I think this book also dealt with the guilt that comes, whether or not you're responsible, after the loss of a loved one or someone you knew well.
I think Peter's childishness is a nice contrast to Wendy's more detached attitude and it really serves to highlight how much Wendy has changed over the years since Peter's first visit.
As per usual, Aiden Thomas's writing style is phenomenal and I think works incredibly well with this particular story. I also adored the ending and epilogue for this book which is something I can't say too often.
Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Child abuse
emily_mh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
But like I said, the ending saved this book. It provided a satisfying resolution. Apart from this I also liked Wendy as a narrator and I enjoyed the detail Thomas put into their description. I'm still going to keep reading their books as they always have intriguing and original premises, I just hope I can click more with their books in the future!
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, and Murder
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
rini's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book had all the feels and the big reveal near the end really came as a shock and... I'm still processing it really.
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Kidnapping, and Grief
Moderate: Body horror, Gun violence, Car accident, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism and Abandonment