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1 star! Spoiler free review!
Unfortunately this book fell flat for me, then tumbled into the dark unknown. I thought it was okay and found myself liking some bits and pieces, but ultimately just waiting for the end to come to say I finished it -- I should've dnf'd maybe?
What I liked (a few small little details):
Peter is SO PETER. Just like the fairytale.
There's a twist about the fairytale (which I don't know if it's how the original Grimm version is) and it made the ending much more intriguing!
I could personally relate to Wendy with her struggles about deciding what medical career she wanted to pursue in college. I felt like Aiden Thomas really captured the internalized fear in Wendy's thoughts.
The shadow was kind of a cool villain, if I'm being generous
What I didn't like (a majority of the book):
Too much unnecessary repetition. If Wendy has a dream, she doesn't need to retell the entire dream to Peter for us. We already lived the dream through Wendy, so I think those parts could have easily been cut out and just changed to some iteration of "and I walked him through this crazy dream I had." Otherwise you're just repeating everything twice -- multiple times!! -- it wasn't just once guys.
The plot was really a bunch of talking and walking. Talking.. and more walking.. It's only been like 2 weeks since I've read this as I'm writing this review and I can barely remember much of book except for like 5 short scenes. That's how much DID NOT happen for the majority of the plot.
It was utterly boring. Until the very very very end when the (we'll refer to it as) "the final battle" happens.
Then there's Wendy dealing with her somewhat mean father?? The family dynamics didn't sit well with me. I personally do not know what it's like to experience this kind of loss, but I just could not stop hating how Wendy's father was acting.
I didn't care about Wendy, I didn't care about her best friend. I didn't care about Peter even... They were just all flat and mediocre characters. Peter was only cool because he was the Peter from the fairytale and had some sparkly magic.
Now... I think I will give Aiden Thomas' books another try. Maybe this just wasn't for me because it was a retelling of sorts and maybe not enough fantasy for a fantasy for me. Maybe it's just this one? I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and read a different book by them in the future!
More for Lost in the Never Woods:
Buy it on Amazon!
Check it out on Goodreads!
If you liked this (Or want a better "Dark YA read"),
then you may like:
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black