Review of Lost in the Never Woods–A Dark Peter Pan

What if Wendy’s brothers never came back from Neverland? Aiden Thomas, celebrated author of Cemetery Boys, is back with a dark and spooky twist on Peter Pan! Lost in the Never Woods is a YA fantasy novel that takes on one of the most iconic characters in children’s literature to explore the themes of trauma and grief. It comes out tomorrow, March 23.

Five years ago, Wendy and her brothers went missing. They found Wendy wandering the woods six months later with no memory of what had happened, but John and Michael were never seen again. Now eighteen years old, all Wendy wants to do is go off to college and become someone other than the pitiful kid with the tragic backstory and broken family. But when children in her small town start to disappear again, Wendy can’t help reliving the past. Especially once she meets the boy she thought lived only in her childhood stories. But Peter Pan is real, and he needs Wendy’s help. Together, they might be able to save these kids from meeting the same fate as her brothers, but in order to confront the darkness, Wendy will have to face the parts of her past she’s been hiding from.

Lost in the Never Woods takes on a classic Gothic trope: the doppelganger. Peter has come to Wendy because she is the one person who has found and reattached his shadow before. His shadow has gone rogue once again, and this time it’s taking on more and more of a life of its own. The shadow is Peter’s dark side—both literally and figuratively. A dark version of Peter, the shadow has black hair to Peter’s bright auburn, black eyes to Peter’s brilliant blue, and a twisted smile where Peter’s is kind. But this contrast doesn’t end with their physical characteristics. Where Peter’s role is to spread joy and fun and bring comfort to Lost Ones, his shadow feeds off of negative emotions like fear, guilt, and grief. As the shadow gets stronger, Peter gets weaker—losing both his magic and his eternal youth. But Peter and Wendy can’t defeat the shadow until they’ve confronted the darkest parts of themselves: the mistakes they’ve made, the lies they’ve told, and the guilt they feel.

There are quite a few other dark themes and tropes in the story, but to even name them would give away too big of a spoiler for the second half of the book. I will say this: Aiden Thomas has a particularly unique take on the character of Peter Pan that connects him to other mythological figures. And their interpretation of Neverland will make you view the original story in a whole new way.

If you’re ready to see the dark side of a childhood classic, pick up a copy of Lost in the Never Woods! Find it on shelves tomorrow at your favorite local retailer, or preorder it online now and support indie bookstores and The Gothic Library in the process using this Bookshop.org affiliate link. Once you’ve read it, let me know what you think in the comments—but try to be respectful of your fellow readers and avoid major spoilers!