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 … 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.
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THIS BOOK. Is amazing. Is magic. It’s about the loyalty of fairies and adventure, the dangers of rage and forgetting, swirling frock coats and fabulous boots, and the seductive lure of imagining yourself as the hero, even as you figure out that you might be the bad guy. It’s funny, and heartbreaking, and always, always full of hope, with a HEA that made my heart happy.
“That’s the trick of growing up. Nothing stays the same.” Hook sounded oddly sympathetic. “You see the faults in everything. Including yourself.”
Thank you, Austin Chant, for the gorgeous story. HIGHLY recommended.
Love. Love. Love every line of this book!! Peter Pan retelling where Peter is trans and falls for Captain Hook?! Do you need know anything else to read this book?
They are so cute together. I loved Peter’s character development, the adventures, the fairies and all those tropes!! It has rivals to lovers, hurt/comfort and pining. And a kraken! I wish it was longer because I want MORE!
Also Neverland is so beautiful. I loved all the characters. Read this book because you need this in your life, trust me!!
“I’m the spirit of youth and joy, remember?”
“You’re a grown man and a nuisance.”
“I’m your nuisance,” Peter said
I never knew I needed this book until I read it. For the longest time I read stories surrounding bisexual cis men, or at the very least gay cis men, then I got to thinking…where are the stories about trans men who are attracted to men? Long story short, I discovered Austin Chant, and have been a fan of his writing ever since.
Peter Pan was my favorite movie and story from when I was a kid. I loved everything about it. So now, every time I see a Peter Pan retelling, I have to give it a chance.
This was fun! It had enough elements of the original story to reel you in, but unique enough that it didn’t feel like you were reading the same old, original story. In this version, Peter is trans. He’s escaped to Neverland to finally live as the person he truly is.
Peter’s romance in the book is Captain Hook. (It was everything) You could definitely classify this as an enemies-to-lovers trope. They really don’t like each other at the beginning of the book. Their hatred towards each other and the banter slowly lessens as the book progressed. I really liked how the author showed us how they developed feelings for each other. Nothing was rushed.
While there is a romance, it is not the main focus! This story is filled with adventures. This book has it all: faeries, quests, danger, sword-fighting. Even though this is a shorter book, I thought the characters were really well developed. Peter’s character arc develops fully. He starts out as childish and immature, but by the end you’ll want to be his best friend.
I love that every single character here was neither good or evil. Every character had their flaws and redeeming qualities, I thought it made the story that much enjoyable and realistic. Hook was the best surprise, you thought you knew what you were going to get from him, but the author made sure to deconstruct any preconceived notions you had.
This was a fantastic retelling! I really wish it could have been a full-length novel because there was a lot more that could have been explored in Neverland.
This was one of the first happy books I read with a trans character where they weren’t constantly misgendered and the whole thing wasn’t just trauma pron. So I appreciate this immensely, and this book is dear to my heart.
“Peter Pan’s deadname is Wendy, and he has complicated feels for Captain Hook.”
Peter and Hook, sitting in a tree. Will they kiss? Maybe, but they’ll probably end up stabbing each other and fall down first. Hacking away with swords is basically their idea of foreplay, apparently. To call Peter ‘Mercurial’ is to put things lightly, and Hook, too, matches him beat for beat with his intense personality.
Trapped together, they start to pull the curtains back on the nature of Neverland and each other.
Fantastic Peter Pan retelling. It worked beautifully as a trans story. Poignant and relatable scenes from Peter’s past. The enemies to lovers love story felt realistic and was so enjoyable. It captures the spirit of Pan and Neverland and still put a new and unique twist on the familiar fantasy world. Love this book.
A diffrent twist on a traditional story.
WILL I EVER BE THE SAME AFTER READING THIS BOOK? Probably not. It’s amazing. It’s stunning. It’s beautiful. It’s divine. It’s everything a Peter Pan romance should be. Pls read. I just want the best 4 u
Considering how long I waited to read this (I first heard of it at least a year ago) it was surprisingly short, but still absolutely wonderful. Hook and Peter had great chemistry and the LGBT themes were great, but most of all I loved how this story dealt with the theme of escapism and make-believe which is so dominant in the original Peter Pan. Neverland is a world where you can do things you never could in reality and be anyone you want, but what about the benefits of growing up? What about the joys and sorrows that make life so much more…well, real? And what about responsibility? Peter Darling absolutely captures some of the “Neverland is a place where nothing matters, and that’s both good and bad” theme that is inherent to Peter Pan, and its tone is also lovely, sometimes lyrical and descriptive and sometimes down to earth, always feeling a little bit like a fairy tale.
Basically, I loved it.