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kerrygibbons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, and Grief
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, and Alcohol
The themes of this book are dark and involve children going missing, emotional abuse, andtovetott'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? Yes
4.5
And because Thomas said it too in a review post on goodreads, yes this is written much like Peter Pan fanfiction. Did I still absolutely DEVOUR this in three days?? YES
It's got everything that makes fanfiction so fantastic, warm and fuzzy. Everything from the drama to the deep, dark lore turn/twist to the tense and complicated crush-having of two people who have way too much stuff going on and still manage to fall for each other amidst the chaos. It's got the ice cream-parlor moment, it's got the almost-kiss-but-interrupted-moment, it's got the "oh my god he's wonderful with children too" and then the almost too cruel, omnious, mysterious entity that makes everything go to hell.
I had an amazing time, and the characterization of Peter was WONDERFUL and his banter with Wendy was AMAZING and after hearing that a nearly equally charming character is hiding somewhere in 'Cemetery Boys', I can't wait to read that too. <33
Graphic: Child death and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcoholism and Torture
tea_coffee_sam's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, and Medical content
the_ash37's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Stalking
be aware of the plot twistsaltylane's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The author also often includes a “best friend” who would be great to get to know more about and get to interact with in the story… but then gives them very little “screen time” and focuses on the two characters with a romantic connection. Maybe they have a hard time juggling multiple character interactions at once?
Overall, I think this book has a very interesting and unique spin on the “Peter Pan” story. I feel like the author struggled to find a believable way to end the main conflict, which is a shame because the surrounding plot seemed pretty solid. The writing style wasn’t for me, but I’m sure others can easily enjoy the book regardless.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Kidnapping, and Grief
Moderate: Torture, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical content, and Stalking
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
theespressoedition's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"I think people are more frightening than the dark," he said. "A person can stand right in front of you and be dangerous without you even knowing it."
I was only 36% of the way through this book when I determined that it would be going on my favorites list. What a story!!!
Honestly, I picked this up because it was talked about pretty frequently on bookstagram and I hadn't read many Peter Pan "retellings" (which - this isn't so much a retelling as it is a magical realism that happens to include Peter Pan in it). It blew me away!
At the beginning of the book, I thought I would be spending my time rolling my eyes at the silly youth and their silly flirting or something like that - but instead, I was completely sucked into a creative story with a wicked twist and a whole lot of imagination.
There were moments that gave me goosebumps, which was unexpected in the best way. It wasn't "scary" so much as it had a creepy factor to it (there were parts of it that reminded me of The Near Witch by VE Schwab, since it had children disappearing/being kidnapped and taken to the woods).
I loved the fact that while Peter was heroic, he was also flawed, and throughout the book, he had much more character development than I initially expected from a children's fairytale being that is already so well-known. It made him relatable.
The romance was really well done because it was minimal and sweet. Rather than trying to make you feel all swoony over a children's character (who is usually depicted as a child himself), you look at him through the eyes of Wendy, who has literally been crushing on him since she was actually a child. It almost felt like a "celebrity crush" in a way. It was her meeting someone that she had treasured as a story for so long and then realizing they were tangible and reciprocated feelings as well. I digress. It was sweet.
The twist at the end was one I did not see coming at all. And let me tell you, I can usually sniff out a twist from a mile away, so if you were to go to my kindle right now, you'd literally see that I annotated "OH.MY.GOSH" when everything went down because I literally didn't know how to process it. I was so emotional and I absolutely love how Wendy handled everything.
I do wish that this had a sequel. I know that it's silly because it "wrapped up" at the end, but I became so enveloped in this story that I never wanted it to end. So much love!
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Torture, Kidnapping, and Grief
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
bedtimesandbooks'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism
stardustandrockets's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism