YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

A lush, feminist re-imagining on what happened to Wendy after Neverland, for fans of Circe and The Mere Wife.

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...

Just starting this :)

First quarter - (view spoiler)[This immediately begun with Peter arriving to take Wendy's daughter, Jane. He did not believe Wendy was really Wendy as she was grown, compared to the last time they had seen each other. I love how it jumped right into the action.

Grown Wendy was an interesting character. I liked how self-aware she was, how disdaining of societal norms, and how she refused to let go of Neverland despite her incarceration. It's a shame she had to hide so much of her nature just to be accepted by society and her father-in-law, though.

I'm also glad it confronted the racism of the original tale, through a discussion with Mary about the assumed identity of Tiger Lily. (hide spoiler)]

Second quarter - (view spoiler)[I'm really loving this one! I love how the timeline switches between Wendy's time as she was incarcerated, her past time in Neverland and her current time there, as well as to Jane's perspective as she explores Neverland for the first time. Peter is such a dark character. He is violent and petulant, then and now.

I wonder what is happening to Neverland? It seems, as Wendy returns to it, much altered. The mermaid's skeleton was found, even though nothing should be able to die there, and the landscape is eerily silent. (hide spoiler)]

Third quarter - (view spoiler)[The whole book featured dark scenes, right from the very beginning, but this quarter was by far the darkest. I disliked the boar hunt scenes as well as the one that followed, when poor Rufus became the boar for Peter and the rest of the boys to hunt and hurt.

Poor Tiger Lily was tolerating an even worse fate. I was glad to see her reconnect with Wendy and am hopeful that all of those who suffer in this story can be saved by the end of it.

Timothy revealed that he had spied Peter steal a dark something from Edmund's person, which was clearly his shadow. Was it to try and recreate his first connection with Wendy again, by asking Jane to sow the shadow to his person and convince others that he was real? (hide spoiler)]

Fourth quarter - (view spoiler)[The finding of Peter's true self, the monster below the island, was eerie. I'm glad an explanation for who he really was, was provided.

The scene when Wendy flew to catch Jane as she was falling was so sweet. I was glad to see their reunion and how they were together for the book's final action scenes and conclusion.

I'm glad sweet Timothy was present too. The story of how he came to be in Neverland was very tragic and his Neverland death was even more so! (hide spoiler)]