One of This Year’s Hottest New YA Series — GoodreadsWhen the world doesn’t want you to be who you are, you must become more yourselfthan you knew you could be.London. 1789. More than anything in the world, Wendy Darling wants to be the captain of a ship, but women aren’t allowed in the Royal Navy. When she learns the Home Office is accepting a handful of women into its ranks, she jumps at the … accepting a handful of women into its ranks, she jumps at the chance, joining the fight against the most formidable threat England has ever faced. Magic.
But the secret service isn’t exactly what she hoped. Accompanied by a reimagined cast of the original Peter Pan, Wendy soon discovers that her dreams are as far away as ever, that choosing sides isn’t as simple as she thought, and that the only man who isn’t blinded by her gender … might be her nation’s greatest enemy.
Praise for The Wendy, by Erin Michelle Sky & Steven Brown:
“All the markings of a classic … captivating and delightful.” — Lydia Sherrer, USA TODAY Bestselling Author of Love, Lies & Hocus Pocus
“This is a strong retelling of Peter Pan, with an empowered female protagonist who carves her own path. Wendy’s sharp wit is truly impressive.” — School Library Journal
“From page one right up to the end, The Wendy held me enthralled.” — Readers’ Favorite
“WOW! Just WOW! I think this is my favorite book of 2018 so far! It was amazing, amazing, amazing. – E.J. Hill, Letters to You
“(P)ick it up and begin a great adventure! I DARE YOU!!! If you think you know the story of Wendy, Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, you will find that you never did, until now! You will not regret the time you give to this most entertaining tale of Peter, Windy and all of the others, from Captain “Hook” to Smee, to Nana and the lads. Five stars is not enough! Straight on until morning!!! – Caius Fabius, Goodreads
Fans of Brigid Kemmerer’s A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Gena Showalter’s The Evil Queen and Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone will love the rip-rollicking adventure, fantasy and historical elements of The Tales of the Wendy by Dragon Authors Steven Brown and Erin Michelle Sky.
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The Wendy is a delight—beautifully written and funny. Loosely based on characters created by J.M. Barrie, I sensed a bit of Dickens in the troubled upbringing of a modern girl named Wendy Darling who was just not at home in the eighteenth century. It seems men were not kind to women back then, the majority seeing them as suited for nothing more than matrimony and motherhood—if they had to be put up with at all. Then, this headstrong girl with grand ideas of captaining a ship enters the stage, and not only are the Neanderthals incensed at her boldness but astonished that she has skills.
For those who enjoy fantasy with their historical fiction, I highly recommend this book. It’s perfect for kids and highly entertaining for adults. A real gem.
When I stumbled upon this book by pure coincidence a few weeks ago, I was immediately struck by the cover art. To be perfectly honest, that was probably 75% of the reason why I decided to give the story a try. I know, I know – don’t judge a book by its cover and all that. But I can’t help myself. I’m an artist. I love pretty pictures, and I especially love pretty book covers. I mean, that’s the entire point of a cover anyway, isn’t it? To draw people in? And fortunately, this book is far more than just a pretty cover.
The story is a retelling of Peter Pan that centers on protagonist Wendy Darling, reimagined here as an orphan with big dreams of adventure who eventually ends up working for England’s military in the fight against magical forces. Facing rigid societal gender expectations at every turn, Wendy is often severely underestimated, which she uses to her advantage on more than one occasion. Captain James Hook proves to be a worthy adversary for our heroine, and the constant battle of wills between them as each character attempts to out-manipulate the other makes for a fun read. Other important characters from J. M. Barrie’s classic tale also make significant appearances throughout the story, including Peter Pan himself, Tinker Bell, John, Michael, and even loyal canine companion Nana. The story draws on enough familiar elements from the original to feel recognizable while introducing its own unique concepts to create a balanced, well-crafted retelling that keeps readers engaged from the very first page.
All elements of the writing itself are excellent. The story moves along at a brisk pace without slowing down for dry, unnecessary descriptions, yet I never had any problems imagining exactly where I was or what was happening. You can tell that a lot of historical research and careful attention to detail went into creating the setting. One of my favorite things about the book was how the narrator felt like a character in their own right, with a keen wit and a sharp sense of humor that added something extra special to the story. I’m always a little wary of 3rd-person omniscient narrators, but it was done so exceptionally well here, and in such a way that the story couldn’t have been the same without it.
I’m so grateful I found this book. It completely captivated me. I read it in less than 24 hours, and it was a joy every step of the way. Honesty, my only complaint is that I have no idea how long I’ll have to wait for the next book, and I want more now. I can already tell this is going to become one of my new favorite series.
”Young women were supposed to be sweet and innocent, and Wendy was both of those things. But standing before them today… she was the beacon of courage you followed into battle.”
I am not going to lie to you, but usually fantasy novels that are geared to feminism annoy me a lot. They’re always overdone, they always make fun of females who choose simpler lives, or choose to dress pretty or not kill for a living. Usually when feminism is one of the star factors in a fantasy novel, it’s always dragged in your face, shoved down your throat. They usually banter that to be feminist you must be unforgiving and brutal and bloody. The Wendy is anything but this kind of feminism, this story held me at the utmost respect for Wendy, for feminism, and sometimes even had me hollering in anger when people bantered her for her gender.
Wendy Darling is my spirit animal in this story. She proves that a woman can be strong, cunning, and determined but still be “feminine”. She is kind, she is beautiful, she does not spit on dresses or on women that choose to be cooks or wives, but she is also badass as fuck. She can fight, strategize, and make all the smart moves.
The writing in this book was witty and amusing, and the plot was easy to follow and entertaining. The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is just because I’m not too into the recycling of other stories, I wish this would have been a tale of its own instead of a Peter Pan retelling. But that’s just me being nit picky.
I loved this story, it was inspiring and mysterious. I loved Peter Pan, he literally made me swoon, and I honestly secretly hope him & Wendy are going to get together to be honest.
I’m intrigued and excited for the next book, I cannot wait to follow these remarkable characters to Neverland.
A great twist on the Peter Pan story. Wendy is a strong female in a time when those are not appreciated. She gives the storyline heart and makes you want to follow along.
Lots of fun, showing how what we think of as history can be quite contorted, using the classic Peter Pan as the contortion with The Wendy as reality.
Great retelling of Peter Pan. Perfect for 4th grade and up. Definitely will purchase for my school library.
What a marvelous retelling of Peter Pan. The most extraordinary thing about this novel was the tone and voice of the novel. The third-person omniscient voice had such a beautiful tone, filled with nostalgia and warmth that it fills the reader with joy. It was so reminiscent of JM Barrie’s classic work and even captured some of the levity found in the movies. The tone works so well with the pacing of the novel to grab and captivate the reader. It is not a very fast-paced novel as it focuses on building up the new origins of Wendy Darling and the world she is in, so that tone is essential for the storytelling to keep the reader engaged.
As far as character development goes, Wendy was exceptional. The author was able to capture Barrie’s essence of Wendy, that mature seriousness as well as that love of adventure that makes her such a great character. Wendy faces many hurdles in this novel, and everything together pushes her. As a woman, her dreams seem unattainable, and yet nothing breaks her spirit. Oh, the cleverness of these authors to make Wendy oh so very clever, it makes her such a joy to read and follow on this adventure.
The way the authors also thought to bring in the other characters was quite ingenious. They fit into the story perfectly and balance each other out quite well. From Hook to John and Michael to Peter and Tinker Bell, these characters were developed so well and balance each other out wonderfully. There is such fun and powerful imagination that went into constructing and adapting these characters to this novel.
The Wendy is a steadily paced novel with such a wonderful atmosphere to it as well as great character dynamics.
Peter Pan, turned upside down. Really. The whole tale from a totally new point of view, and it works wonderfully
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an arc of this book.
I have really enjoyed this retelling of the classic fairy tale Peter Pan. I love fairy tale retteling and wasn’t dissapointed by this one.
Wendy will do anything to realize her goal wish is to become a captain something thats not really possible cause she’s a girl and girl can’t sail ship. But she won’t let this stop for achiving her dream.
An enjoyable adventure with a twist on a classic tale.
I really enjoyed the reimaging of this world. I also really felt like I understood the characters and motivation beyond just the normal boy-girl drive that many books in this genre fall into. I am happy that it kept with the original dynamic of the peter pan tales, but expanded the world to a more grown up and time appropriate.
Summary: I recommend you read this action packed and thoughtful book if you are in to this genre, written in a ‘historical (early 1900’s) style’ and recasting a classic in its own unique way. And pulling it off better than I thought.
Novel story line, action-packed set in an interesting fantasy land that is as familiar as Peter Pan but unexpectedly different, as if we had heard only the simple bed-side version of Peter Pan, not the real story. This makes it rather creepy, but dry humor relieves the tension. If you don’t have a dry sense of humor you will appreciate the book less.
The writing style is a bit complex with droplets of wry humor and irony, the story good enough to hook me in.
The elocution definitely harks back to older fiction and the story remains pleasantly unpredictable. I enjoyed the mental as well as the physical challenges encountered, also the ethical principles and social commentaries presented in various forms, some of which were brilliant. This book actually made me go buy an unexpurgated Peter Pan book (original text) to compare.
It’s a good read although the humor fades or becomes a bit repetitive, mostly due to the literary format of the book. On my scale of 1=awful to 5=the likes of Stephen King, Tolkien, et al: a tenuous 4. I don’t hand many of those out. A 3 or above from me is a solidly good rating. This was at least that, plus the author had the audacity to re-visit a classic, and pulled it off much better than I had anticipated.
Wow. A great read with interesting characters and a twisting, turning plot to keep you engaged to the end and wanting more.
The telling of The Wendy was great. Knowing who the characters were but seeing them in a different light was intriguing. Could not put it down.
Beautifully crafted story with colorful characters and mystery at every corner. One of those books you can fully escape into and still feel inside its magical world even when you’ve finished reading. The Wendy is a wonderfully optimistic female lead, fighting bravely with humble, tenderhearted kindness and wit. Pan is a bit darker than his Disney portrayal, but just as alluring. Bravo!
I had never thought about Peter Pan being anything but what is portrayed in the book and movie. This was a new twist to an old story.
Wendy is a wonderful heroine in this unpredictable story. A great addition to the Pan legacy.
It is an interesting twist on the Peter Pan story. Can’t wait for the next book.
Just packed with awesome characters, this one was a great flipto original story. Highly recommend thirsty one!
It was a fun take on the story of Peter Pan. I enjoyed it and I am looking forward to book 2.