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Rating: 4/5 Stars
Title: Peter Darling
Author: Austin Chant
Synopsis:
Ten years ago, Peter Pan left Neverland to grow up, leaving behind his adolescent dreams of boyhood and resigning himself to life as Wendy Darling. Growing up, however, has only made him realize how inescapable his identity as a man is. But when he returns to Neverland, everything has changed: the Lost Boys have become men, and the war games they once played are now real and deadly. Even more shocking is the attraction Peter never knew he could feel for his old rival, Captain Hook—and the realization that he no longer knows which of them is the real villain.
Initial thoughts:
With Peter Pan being my favorite book ever, I have read pretty much everything that has to do with Neverland and Pan. Somehow though, this book had flown from my radar until recently and, being the Pan fanatic that I am, had to read it. I knew from the back of the book that this was going to be a romance and that it held LGBTQ elements, so I wasn’t surprised at all by what I read.
Plot:
What I liked:
The representation of trans characters was spot on and never once did the author allude to Peter being anything more than simply a boy because he was. The body dysmorphia really hit home with me as Peter went through the change from Home to Neverland in what his family wanted and what he knew to be true about himself. I really loved the idea of Peter and Wendy being the same person to be honest. It made the story feel connected in a way I never had thought of before and Austin did a fantastic job of keeping the darkness that came with the original telling of Peter Pan when it came to how Peter viewed his place in Neverland.
What I didn't like:
The way that the book started felt very abrupt in my opinion. It felt as though everything was just jumped right into without a lot to back up what was happening until later on in the novel. The romance seemed a little odd to me with the age difference even though Peter was an adult in the book and I found myself rooting more for Ernest than Hook as I read through. Another qualm that I had with the story was the events seemed forced at times. Trouble seemed to simply appear when it was unnecessary to move the story along.
Characters:
Peter: I loved him and his mischievousness that came with his character. He was very much like the original Peter Pan and I loved that.
Tinkerbell: I loved how she was described as more insect like then how the original fairies were in the book.
The Fairy Queen: She seemed to care about the living people on Neverland and wanted them to be capable of making their own decisions when it came to whether they left or stayed.
James: He was a very complex character fighting with what was real and what wasn’t throughout the book. He was very good when meeting the real Peter and treated him no differently than when they were in Neverland together.
Ernest: I liked his way of thinking. He was a very kind hearted kid and tried to be understanding to both Peter and James and wanted there to be a happy medium.
Peter’s Family: I wished that they would have been more accepting toward Peter when he came out as a boy to his family and wanted to be addressed as such. I felt like John and Michael didn’t have a chance to develop toward the acceptance of their brother because of how Peter’s parents reacted to the change.
The Lost Boys and the Pirates: I felt kind of bad for them. They all deserved better and they spent most of the book cowering in fear.
Overall:
I really did enjoy this book and would consider it a light and quick read. I would recommend this book to people who want to understand the right way to treat someone who identifies as a transgender individual. Austin did a fantastic job with this book and I am glad to have read it.