Author: A.C. Wise
Genre: Fantasy/Retellings
Series: No
**Warning-This book does contain scenes from the goings-on in a mental asylum and some of them are not very pleasant.**
Brief Summary:
Wendy Darling never forgot Neverland. Even when she lost her family, even when she was hauled away to an asylum because of her memories, even when she paid the ultimate price for leaving and grew up, Wendy never forgot. And more importantly, perhaps, the boy at the center of it all never forgot his Wendy.
Peter Pan is back; Neverland needs its mother. Refusing to believe that the grown-up before him is Wendy, he takes instead her daughter, Jane, declaring her to be 'Wendy' now. The true Wendy has no choice but to follow, a girl's joy at seeing her childhood land of dreams warring with the very grown-up fear of losing her daughter.
Wendy soon discovers that when something appears too good to be true, it usually is. Neverland is just as she remembered, but seen through the eyes of an adult she can see beyond the surface. Something is very wrong at the heart of Neverland and it is up to Wendy to discover its secrets before it is too late for them all.
Here is what Goodreads had to say:
My take:For those that lived there, Neverland was a children's paradise. No rules, no adults, only endless adventure and enchanted forests - all led by the charismatic boy who would never grow old.
But Wendy Darling grew up. She left Neverland and became a woman, a mother, a patient, and a survivor. Because Neverland isn't as perfect as she remembers. There's darkness at the heart of the island, and now Peter Pan has returned to claim a new Wendy for his lost boys.
I love story retellings, and this was one of the best retellings of Peter Pan that I have ever read. The tension is slow-building and takes you on an emotional rollercoaster from almost the very first page. Told alternately between present-day and Wendy's time at the asylum, the reader has no choice but to travel both journeys with her. Her feelings became my own. I can tell you that I will never look at Peter Pan the same way again! Stripped of childhood blinders, it is more frightening, compelling, sinister, and appealing all at once. I would definitely recommend this one.
edit - Septem-bean beans sent! - Tarma
