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A review by geooo
Peter Darling by Austin Chant
adventurous
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
So, Peter Darling is basically Peter Pan fanfiction. If I were to look on ao3 right now I could probably find a very similar piece of work.
I like the idea of Peter Pan being a trans man and Neverland being his dream world where he could be whatever he wanted without any judgment, but besides that I did not like anything about this book.
I heavily disliked the characters, who, for being in their adults, were acting like 5 year olds. I think that that's the point for Peter, at least at the beginning of the story, that nothing is as it was, but that he would change. However there is no character development for him nor for the other characters. The notion of character development is something foreign to the author. The writer tried to showcase how much the Lost Boys have changed, but they still acted like they were little children. I couldn't stand any of the characters, I hated them and I find the notion that Peter didn't change at all in idk 10 years highly improbable. I don't believe. You change in a couple of weeks but years.
The plot, to me at least, feels like it was written by a 12 year old and I can't understand how someone older than 14 would like this story. It is very juvenile. It lacks depth and complexity.
What I found really absurd was how much the author tried to transform this into something dark, with all those deaths and fights, but it only succeeded to show how silly this story really is.
I think the idea of Neverland meaning avoidance, making fantasies in your head to forget the reality and being able to let go of it showing that you healed, but also that Neverland could be a little nefarious and that is not as good as it seems is an ingenious idea, but the execution left a lot to be desired.
I did not like the romance between Peter and Hook, I would have preferred it be between Peter and Ernest.
Overall, I did not enjoy reading this book. A 2 stars read.
I like the idea of Peter Pan being a trans man and Neverland being his dream world where he could be whatever he wanted without any judgment, but besides that I did not like anything about this book.
I heavily disliked the characters, who, for being in their adults, were acting like 5 year olds. I think that that's the point for Peter, at least at the beginning of the story, that nothing is as it was, but that he would change. However there is no character development for him nor for the other characters. The notion of character development is something foreign to the author. The writer tried to showcase how much the Lost Boys have changed, but they still acted like they were little children. I couldn't stand any of the characters, I hated them and I find the notion that Peter didn't change at all in idk 10 years highly improbable. I don't believe. You change in a couple of weeks but years.
The plot, to me at least, feels like it was written by a 12 year old and I can't understand how someone older than 14 would like this story. It is very juvenile. It lacks depth and complexity.
What I found really absurd was how much the author tried to transform this into something dark, with all those deaths and fights, but it only succeeded to show how silly this story really is.
I think the idea of Neverland meaning avoidance, making fantasies in your head to forget the reality and being able to let go of it showing that you healed, but also that Neverland could be a little nefarious and that is not as good as it seems is an ingenious idea, but the execution left a lot to be desired.
I did not like the romance between Peter and Hook, I would have preferred it be between Peter and Ernest.
Overall, I did not enjoy reading this book. A 2 stars read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia