I’m huge fan of retellings (with a new spin) of well-known stories or tales so “Wendy, Darling” has been definitely my cup of tea.

I really enjoyed how it focused on grown-up Wendy on the quest to get daughter back from Peter, interchanged with the snippets from her time just after return from Neverland and the aftermath of this adventure. Many tales end when the adventure ends, and children return to their ordinary life, and it’s rare to see what could have happened after – how are they changed? How has their life been affected?

This aftermath has definitely taken a darker turn, and the tale itself, Neverland and Peter as well, and I enjoyed it a lot. It kept you on the edge.

This was a great retelling!! I loved the emotional depth, the worldbuilding and the way the original tale was woven in.

The classic story of Peter Pan is revisited in Wendy Darling by A.C. Wise. In actuality, Wendy's story is revisited. Peter Pan returns to take Wendy back to Neverland. The boys need their mother again. Only Peter doesn't realize he is taking Jane, Wendy's daughter. Jane has no idea if she is dreaming or living a real life nightmare flying away with a boy named Peter. Wendy takes us back to her life when she made it home from Neverland. And no one believed her. John and Michael forgot all about Neverland. But Wendy never could forget. Wendy's life takes several sad turns before having Jane. And now that Jane is gone, she knows exactly where Jane is and where she has to return.
Overall, this dark pairing to the original Peter Pan was a story I am so glad I read. I liked the originality of A.C. Wise and her interpretation of Wendy and Peter. Her chapters were a little longer than I like. But the story flowed nicely. I will definitely be recommending this book to others and will be looking for other works by A.C. Wise. Special thanks to NetGalley, A.C. Wise, and Titan books for the advanced digital copy. 4.5 stars for me.
#WendyDarling #NetGalley

Wendy, Darling is a fantastic new take on the classic Peter Pan mythology. It would make a great TV series! I really love seeing what happened when Wendy returned from Neverland the first time, and the lengths she goes to to rescue her daughter from Peter's grip.

Wendy, Darling is an atmospheric and beautifully written tale featuring the characters from Barrie's Peter Pan re-imagined by A. C. Wise. Released 1st June 2021 by Titan Books, it's 333 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately; it makes it so easy to find information with the search function.

This is Peter Pan through a very dark lens. Wendy and her brothers are abducted (call it what it was) as children and swept away to Neverland. When they're returned, her brothers assimilate more or easily, a fate denied Wendy who suffers throughout her life at a cost to her mental health after not being believed and ridiculed (to the point of involuntary commitment).

After being released from the sanatorium, she has a daughter and seems to be in a better place. A better place until Peter Pan shows up and abducts Wendy's young daughter. This was a difficult read for me because of the undercurrents of #MeToo and the barbaric treatment of "difficult" women and homosexuality during the early part of the 20th century (and indeed up to the current day).

I have often enjoyed revenge fantasy and this book is undeniably well written. I just found it hit a little too close to home for me personally to be a comfortable and enjoyable read. For readers who always knew there was something decidedly *wrong* under the surface in Neverland, A. C. Wise pulls back the curtain.

Very well written, traumatic in places. Four stars. Definitely for readers who like their fantasy dark.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The review of Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise is in the January 2022 issue of SFRevu and is exclusive to them until February 2022.

You may read the review at this link: <http://sfrevu.com/php/Review-id.php?id=19401>

Peter Pan retellings have to be some of the most numerous out there, and it's going to take a lot for something of this genre to stand out. While Wendy Darling follows a lot of the standard tropes of the genre, I do think it throws up a number of interesting conversations around the original racism and misogyny of Peter Pan while putting an interesting spin by expanding this well known world.

Wendy has grown up, and no one believes her stories about Peter Pan, instead treating her stories as confirmation that she's delusional. With a husband and child, she's not the young girl that Peter knew. However, her daughter Jane is exactly what Peter needs, and taking her into Neverland leaves Wendy on a journey to rescue her. What follows is a dual POV from mother and daughter, demonstrating the similarities and differences the two go through within this seemingly magical island. We also see Peter through the eyes of a child, and also that of the more shrewd Wendy. She's finally able to see Peter as this selfish, awful boy who cares for noone and nothing. That's not to say Jane can't stand up for herself too. She's different from her moth, more street wise and head strong. Something Peter isn't used to, or likes.

I found the characters really interesting and emotionally complex, however I did struggle with the writing style. It feels overwrought at times, as though author is trying too hard to inject some whimsy and beautiful prose that just doesn't really work all that well. For me personally as a reader, I like a straightforward style, that treads lightly on the purple prose otherwise I get distracted and the plot is difficult to wade through. Unfortunately that happened here, and often I found myself actively not wanting to pick up the book.

Interesting characters and some good attempt at injecting some modern conversations, but the writing style just didn't really work for me.

I was super intrigued by this book. I love the story of Peter Pan, so I was excited to read this reimagining about Wendy and what came after Neverland.
It was a magical, mysterious read with familiar and new characters. I was able to immerse myself in the world and get lost in the story. The writing was also incredible — so imaginative and addictive.
Thank you to Netgalley, author and publisher for a chance to read and review this book.

Peter Pan is not a cute fun boy who remains a child forever in this story. No instead he is the menacing, conniving, horrific character I’ve always thought he was. Even as a child reading the original story and watching the Disney movie I always felt something was a bit off about Peter. Then Disney came out with Hook and convinced me out of it for many years (cause great movie!!). However I’m much, much older (and wiser) now and know that anyone who steals children in the night (or convinces them to join them) is not good.

Wendy, Darling takes place after the original Peter Pan story. Wendy is grown-up with a husband and child. After spending some time in an asylum for women due to her ‘delusions’ about Neverland. Her brothers refuse to, or simple don’t, believe in or remember Neverland anymore.
I really enjoyed the plot of this novel. It’s well thought out, uses the characters (especially Tiger Lily) well, and comes to a satisfying (if ultimately ambiguous) ending. I could have done without some of the mother/daughter pieces (but that is likely only because I believe family is who you chose and not just someone who gave birth to you; so I’m often uncomfortable with the idea that your mom is every girls hero and best friend).

The only thing here that I didn’t love so much was the writing style itself. It wasn’t bad but it just felt like it was missing something; a bit more emotion perhaps? I also disliked the way we jumped around in time and space; sometimes with a header to warn but other time’s without. I think this would be more effective if each time a POV changed we had a header for who was our lead and where/when they were.

Overall, if you are interested in Peter Pan stories then you must read this one! If you want a story where Peter is a child figure whose good, move along. If you want anything about pirates or Hook, also move along (as it’s barely referenced). If you’re looking for a sincere mother/daughter relationship story and think there’s some darkness in Pan and Neverland then this is likely for you.

Please note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

I’m so in love with this re-telling of Peter Pan! There are darker themes, fantasy, and everything else you could want or need. Wendy, Darling is a book I’d fully recommend (and will probably be buying for people as Christmas presents), so do yourself a favor and pick this up today.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a very interesting take on Peter Pan. This one portrays Peter to be the villain. I thought Wendy was a strong heroine! Overall, I recommend this for fans of fairytales!

I absolutely loved this dark re-telling or follow up to a Disney classic. I always loved Peter Pan, but this book offered the world after Peter, and I think it was wholly realistic to what would've and could've happened to Wendy post-Neverland. I also love the exploration of Peter as the villain, despite most people viewing him as the hero of the story. Such a creative take, and one I'll definitely be recommending to friends and family.

Well, I will never be looking at Peter Pan the same way again.

WENDY, DARLING is the creepiest Pan retelling I've come across so far. Wise is an absolute force as a writer, maintaining a beautiful lyricism in her prose that skims across the top of a dark underbelly like a spider's web. Each detail is controlled and considered. Best of all, her novel attempts to answer a similar question to one of my all-time favourite books, EVERY HEART A DOORWAY: what happens when children return from a magical world and attempt to rejoin reality?

In Wendy's case, an awful lot of unpleasantness.

This is a story of wonder, but also of asylums and cruelty and the varied forms monsters can take. It's about two rigid worlds with equally unfair rules, and the souls trapped in-between. It's about trauma and recovery and how we can hold onto the things that save us.

I think my main complaint with this one was the pace. At times, the writing felt dense and sticky and repetitive, no matter how much I enjoyed Wise's style on the line-level. The tension was drawn out just a little too long, so occasionally it snapped and left me skimming. As such, I went back and forth between 3-4 stars, but since it's not one I would likely reread, I'm rounding down. But I want to emphasize that this is nevertheless a brilliant novel, and one I'd 100% recommend for lovers of the Peter Pan mythos.

You already love the idea of a dark Neverland retelling from Wendy's perspective, and you're reading this to see if you'll be disappointed. You will not! Settle in, the hype is justified.
AC Wise is a wonderful writer, which I already knew from their short fiction. This new slant on Neverland is dark, modern and absorbing, and much more than a simple retelling. One you'll lend your friends, and they'll thank you.

I really wanted to love this novel. I heard it was a feminist sequel to Peter Pan, focusing on Wendy's life as an adult, and while there were good parts (loved the queer representation) I found myself struggling to get through it because of how the story stripped away the whimsy of the original and replaced it with something far darker and more sinister. If you like Peter Pan as a villain (I'm thinking Once Upon a Time style) this just may be your style. Essentially, this story turns a fantasy into a horror. Peter as a monster is at the root of this book.

It didn't help that I read Peter Pan recently so it was fresh in my mind. What made the original story beautiful and memorable was the juxtaposition of silly magical elements with deeper and darker moments of fighting and killing. Overall there are areas that weren't explored in the original, like how Peter lost his shadow, which are explored at great length in Wendy Darling. I can respect the idea and work that went into this novel, but I was happier not thinking about some of the specifics from the original.

This was the first novel I received for free from @netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was really excited at first, but one reason it took me so long to finish was because of how much time we spend in Wendy and her daughter Jane's head. They're both strong protagonists, but between speech and action there were paaaages of introspection, and if I had any hope of finishing the book I had to skim or skip paragraphs altogether.

Overall, I'd recommend this to people who want a darker version of Neverland or to those who really like to get into the speaker's mind. It ended up being a pretty solid read for October given how spooky it was.

What a remarkable, darker Peter Pan retelling! This is what happens when Wendy grows up and Peter comes back, but instead of Wendy, he takes her daughter Jane back to Neverland. Wendy isn't having it and heads to Neverland herself to retrieve her daughter from the island she left behind years ago. Neverland isn't what she remembers - it's a dark shell of itself. And, Peter, is the villain of the novel! I enjoyed this twist on Peter Pan so much. It was fun to see Neverland through different glasses this time around. And to see what happened to Wendy, Michael, and John after they returned. I wish there were more retellings of fairytales told in this way. Highly recommended!!

This was an incredible book! I loved the retelling of Peter Pan and the darkness that came along with it. It was an excellent writing, really poetic and deep, but you felt really connected to the story and characters already because you know them so well, like the back of your hand.

It was very sad and really pulled the curtain behind the story but was super interesting. I also don't think it ruined the real Peter pan at all, which I was slightly nervous about at first.

If you love Disney, I definitely think you would enjoy this book!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wendy, Darling was such a fun Peter Pan retelling book. Well maybe fun isn't the right word but I really enjoyed the darker parts of Neverland this time around. Especially since fall is here and I'm in love with all things spooky.

Wendy is grown up now and honestly her life after Neverland wasn't the same as it was before she went. I didn't like how her brothers treated her and I also feel bad because I don't like her father in law either. So when her daughter, Jane, gets kidnapped by Peter. Well, she isn't taking that one bit. She's going to make her way back to Neverland to save her and take down Peter.

Back at Neverland, things are sort of how we grew up with. Peter and the lost boys. "Wendy" being the mother and taking care of them. As for the eating dirt and stones? Blegh - hard pass. I never would have known that was happening either until Jane stopped eating and drinking whatever Peter gave her. It helped and we saw all sorts of things we didn't before.

Each dark corner filled with twists kept this a page turner for me. I honestly enjoyed this so freaking much and need more retellings in my future. Especially if it's about Peter Pan or Neverland!

I'm definitely happy that I got the chance to dive into this book and look forward to next one this author writes!

Okay. I will preface by saying that I absolutely adore Peter Pan, and I get so excited each time I find a new Peter Pan retelling. So I was so excited to read this after I found it, especially because it deals with post Neverland.

This book is based years after Wendy returns home. She does not look back too fondly on her time in Neverland, and she went through so much after it. Now she has a family, and Peter has come back to take her daughter.

This is not the first, but it was one of the few, books I’ve found that really focuses on Peter actually being the villain, the monster and bad guy. And I really liked how they handled it. I liked that they went deeper into it and didn’t gloss over the nitty gritty of why his character isn’t the hero.

I think the book was mostly well written, and I liked how they handled a lot of sensitive topics, but it moved really slowly sometimes, and I would it would move faster and kind of get to the point. A large part of the initial interest in Peter Pan is the adventure and excitement, and I don’t know if this is because it’s meant to be an adult read, but we weren’t given that same attention to adventure. So much of it was focused just on setting, but I did like some of the character development.

I definitely do think it’s worth a read, but I also think it will not be for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Reimagining the classic children’s tale, Wendy, Darling puts a dark turn on the story of the boy who doesn’t want to grow up. More than that, however, this book explores the aftermath of the journey to Neverland, going deeper into what it meant for the once-ordinary girl Wendy to come back from such an extraordinary adventure.

Though it didn’t exactly wow me in the end, I really appreciated this revisited version, as it showed the darker parts of humanity that often get glossed over in these fantastical stories, where the book usually closes with the return home of the hero/in. Here, coming back is not that simple, and the process of readjusting to reality is different for everyone, as Wendy sees with her brothers.

The writing is very evocative and beautiful, though it sometimes (especially towards the end) made things a little bit confusing, especially with all the rapid switches in pov.

Overall, I enjoyed Wendy’s recounting of her life after Neverland more than her return there, and while the descriptions of the island were all very atmospheric, I personally felt the events that took place there were a bit too rushed at times and maybe the book would have benefited from a few extra pages.