Darling Blurb
On Wendy Darling’s first night in Chicago, a boy called Peter appears at her window. He’s dizzying, captivating, beautiful—so she agrees to join him for a night on the town.
Wendy thinks they’re heading to a party, but instead they’re soon running in the city’s underground. She makes friends—a punk girl named Tinkerbelle and the lost boys Peter watches over. And she makes enemies—the terrifying Detective Hook, and maybe Peter himself, as his sinister secrets start coming to light. Can Wendy find the courage to survive this night—and make sure everyone else does, too?
Acclaimed author K. Ancrum has re-envisioned Peter Pan with a central twist that will send all your previous memories of J. M. Barrie’s classic permanently off to Neverland.
First Impression
I’m not gonna lie. The first line of the blurb had me absolutely cringing. Hi, true crime enthusiast here! Before I even started the book, I wanted to shake the main character. Well, that’s not necessarily a bad thing–so long as there’s promise of character growth. And there is. Guys, there is.
Overall, I didn’t love it, but that’s more of a taste issue than a quality issue–I was hoping for a grounded fantasy, but this is more of an urban cautionary tale. The story is a retelling at its core, so you can’t fault it for being somewhat predictable. I think the strongest aspect of it was that you have a real sense of foreboding the entire time you’re reading (or at least I did) because you know everything that can go horribly wrong on this wild night. For those with weak stomachs: It didn’t get at all as dark as it could’ve. There isn’t much about the storytelling I can critique, just that the end was a bit rushed and left me wanting a little more.
Character
Ancrum did a great job of capturing OG Peter Pan’s mystique and allure. There are moments when even I felt a little swept up in his charisma–wow! We see a lot of diversity, which was the most refreshing element of the story. Occasionally it felt like some characters were “token,” only there for the sake of representation, but when writing such a large cast in a single book you simply can’t give everyone equal screentime (page-time?). There just isn’t enough room. If the character’s only tertiary, they serve more for setting than anything else, anyways.
We meet all the cast of the original novelization: Wendy, Peter, Tinkerbelle, Tiger Lily, the lost boys, Hook, and the crocodile. If you’re familiar with the Disney adaptation, then you’ll feel these characters have had a dark makeover, but if you’ve read the book you’ll know they really aren’t that far off from their original selves. Maybe even tamer.
That said, these characters were integrated into our world in a charming and clever way. The story is very colorful and pulls in cultural elements of their urban setting in a way that makes you feel like you’re there with them.
Like I said earlier, I felt a little let down by the ending. The character growth was great, but when you get to the moment the suspense has been building up to, it was a little underwhelming because the character motives felt shallow. I’m not gonna lie, I feel that way when I learn IRL people’s motives, too, so it’s hard to call that “bad” or “wrong.” I guess I just wish there was a little more discussion about that if that’s what the author was going for.
World
Not much to say here as this isn’t a fantasy. The setting is Chicago. I’ve never been there, so I can’t speak to authenticity, but I have lived in big cities and K. Ancrum captured that urban setting really well. The multiculturalism, the diversity, the danger–it’s all there. You feel immersed right away.
Storytelling
Woah. What a ride. It actually took me three weeks to read this because I was so tense the whole time. I had to keep reassuring myself that this is a YA novel so it won’t get too graphic. And then the devil on my shoulder would remind me that YA is changing and that isn’t a promise this genre always keeps. Did I mention I love true crime? Yeah. I think I imagined Wendy getting raped or murdered (frequently both) about twenty times before she finally reaches a semblance of safety. TLDR; the tension was good. It was intense.
There was a little romance, both toxic and healthy relationships are represented–which I love. Yes! Thank you! I love seeing that comparison. But it’s almost like an afterthought. Maybe that’s because I’m more of a romance reader? I really wanted more. Though, honestly, expanding that wouldn’t improve the book. This all happens in one night and, as I’ve said in previous reviews, it’s hard to get on board with an overnight love story.
My biggest (only?) critique is a big one: the ending was a little disappointing. The character growth was great, but when you get to that big moment the suspense has been building up to, it was underwhelming. Some character motives are weak, some challenges are too easily overcome. I don’t like to include spoilers in my reviews, so that’s as much detail as you’re gonna get. Ultimately, the end was a “wait, that’s it?” moment instead of the “omg no way!” I was expecting.
Final Thoughts
4/5. This isn’t my normal genre (I wanted to try something different) and despite being picky about what I read and DNFing like it’s hot, I still finished and liked this book. I might’ve loved it if the ending delivered more. Because the ending was so rushed, I had a lot of questions left unanswered, so I felt a little dissatisfied. But just a little. It was still a clever retelling with GREAT suspense and I’d absolutely recommend it to readers who enjoy suspense, crime, and a good urban setting.
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