Lost in the Never Woods

4 stars - It was really goodIt’s been five years since Wendy and her brothers went missing in the woods and children are starting to disappear again. When she comes across Peter, a boy who she thought lived only in her stories, she realizes there's more to the disappearances than everyone expects.This story was dark and very emotional. Wendy has spent the past five years with no memory of her disappearance or of what happened to her brothers. She was living a life filled with grief, depression, and anxiety. Peter crashing into her life changed everything. She slowly starts to regain pieces of her memory of Neverland. They team up to find the missing children and hopefully uncover the truth about her brother's wearabouts. Wendy was definitely a hurt and traumatized character who we see grieve and heal as she learns the truth. She is mistrustful of Peter at first but he slowly gains her trust, especially after she starts remembering Neverland.Being in the human world, and with Wendy, has changed Peter. He isn’t the fearless little boy anymore. He feels insecurity and fear for the first time. I loved how protective he was of Wendy. It was very sweet. I really enjoyed seeing him change and grow up. The connection between these two is so strong and emotional it just captivates you and makes you want to keep reading.While this book had a slow start, it quickly captivated me and I didn’t want to put it down. Aiden Thomas created a fascinating and dark retelling out of one of the most happy and carefree children's stories out there. This book was all about finding the truths and using them to heal and grieve. It reminds you to look for the joy in painful moments, in love during loss, and in hope during hard times. It's all about learning to live again. I just loved this unique retelling with all its darkness, pain, and hopefulness.Trigger Warnings:- Familial loss, grief, and trauma- anxiety and anxiety attacks- alcoholism (parents)- night terrors and insomnia- kidnapping

This is a retelling of Peter Pan, but with a Grimm's Fairytale edge to it. It is not the happy and light story written by J.M. Barrie. It is a retelling, but is is also what came after.Wendy has just turned 18 and she is contemplating the next steps she will take in her life. Which college she will attend. What career she will study. In the midst of everything, she can't seem to stop drawing this boy over and over. She draws him even when she is unconscious of it. She does not know quite who he is or why she draws him.One night on her way home from volunteering at the hospital, a dark figure rams into her truck and a boy's body is found unconscious in the middle of the road. Something is very familiar about him and he definitely knows who she is.This story had a dark and mysterious edge to and used the origonal story of Peter Pan and twisted it into something darker. This book forever changes how I looked at Peter Pan and I adores the dark atmosphere this clouded the original story with.If you are a Peter Pan purist, you will probably find this very disappointing. Lost in the Neverwoods is a completely reimagined story with dark accents all the way through. I do not feel this story is for the people who expect the atmosphere of the classic story. It is for people who enjoy a reinterpretation of what they knew from the original and this story expands on it. It is the story of Peter Pan matured.I read this to be immersed and enchanted. The fact that this was so well done made me adore it. Everything was executed perfectly. The suspense was steady and I cared what was happening all the way through. This was such a interesting and dark narrative and I loved it.

I immediately read this after I've finished Thomas' other work, Cemetery Boys, and Thomas is becoming an author whose works I'll devour.Lost in the Never Woods is a dark retelling of Peter Pan, centering on Wendy Darling trying to cope with the trauma of losing her brothers (and her memory of their disappearance) until she confronts a certain boy named Peter...This novel reworks the mythos of Peter Pan in interesting ways, as a means of preserving childhood innocence from a world that can be aggressively cruel and unkind. In a lot of adaptations I know of Peter Pan, he's annoyed me personally because he's a perpetually static character who literally could never grow up. Here, though, that itself is explored on how he interacts with Wendy plus his motivations that tie with the main mystery. Both he and Wendy are emotionally complex characters who shoulder their responsibilities since so much is thrown on their intertwining paths, regardless of the trauma. The little moments they share with each other is the only respite they can get from all the madness they endure.Above all, this story is about how much trauma and grief can change someone and their families. Wendy and her parents are emotionally ravaged, throwing themselves into their work to the point of communicatively isolating from each other. Wendy is an anxiety ridden mess who'd rather lock up without learning how to cope with it until the main conflict occurs. The depiction of their pain and bereavement was the most poignant and compelling parent of the story.If I had any criticisms, my first one would be that Wendy's friend, Jordan, didn't really serve much of a purpose besides being her intellectual support. There were points where I expected her to show up, but she doesn't. My second one, is there's an antagonist who's actions didn't get much exploration compared to another one, especially the consequences of them. Additionally, there was a plothole that I never knew if it was acknowledged or not.I love stories that explore the effects of trauma, especially how their characters will learn to cope with it. If you like an eerie story exploring said themes with rays of hope, go read this book, whether you're a fan of Peter Pan or not.

love that it’s a hardback