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Thanks to NetGalley and Red Adept Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
200 Pages
Synopsis: On the anniversary of her mother’s death, fourteen-year-old Madge Darling’s grandmother suffers a heart attack. With the overbearing Grandma Wendy in the hospital, Madge runs away to Chicago, intent on tracking down a woman she believes is actually her mother.
On her way to the Windy City, a boy named Peter Pan lures Madge to Neverland, a magical place where children can remain young forever. While Pan plays puppet master in a twisted game only he understands, Madge discovers the disturbing price of Peter Pan’s eternal youth.
All Darling Children is the latest to retell the classic tale of Barrie’s Peter Pan and while I had some issues with it, I did find it to be one of the more imaginative interpretations I’ve read. Let me get the negatives out of the way first. My first problem is the time period this storyline is set in. The original book is set in the early 1900s. The time this is set in is the late 1990s or early 2000s. That would make Madge’s Grandma Wendy (and yes, she’s the THAT Wendy) well over 100 years old! While she has some health issues, they’re more in line with someone, say in their seventies or eighties. The same problem applies to Madge’s Uncle Michael, who seems more middle-aged. Also, Madge’s missing mother, Jane seems to be Michael’s sister, which really makes no sense. And then there’s John and the question of whatever happened to him. For some odd reason Monroe decided to completely write him out of the story. I was left pretty confused by these inconsistencies. What saves this book though is Madge and Neverland. I loved Madge’s spunk and stubborn determination to find out what really happened to her mother. This spirit also serves her well in dealing with the psychotic Pan. I’m not sure why but in every retelling I’ve read, authors seem to love turning him into a nasty piece of work. Not that I have a problem with that mind you. I never liked Peter Pan (the character), even as a child. And in this story he’s no different. He’s basically a murderous narcissist who is quite capable of committing all sorts of atrocities. The way he treats the Lost Boys is appalling, and his “enemies” even worse. Tiger Lily is featured predominantly and I loved how her character was developed. And of course no Pan retelling is complete without Captain James Hook. While he’s no saint in this, the author shows a different side of him that I quite enjoyed. He has a wry sense of humor that actually had me liking him even though his motives are quite often murky. Neverland itself is wonderfully described with all these sinister undertones to its paradise-like surface. The story is fast-paced and filled with plenty of suspense and tension. Overall, All Darling Children is a flawed yet still fairly decent horror-filled take on the literary classic. I think older teens and adults who enjoyed the original Peter Pan, might find this interesting.
yourdaughtersbookshelf said:
This sounds like my kind of re-telling, flaws aside. Maybe Wendy’s (and crew) visit to Neverland slowed down their aging… 😀
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
See, that’s something I could have bought! But nothing like that is ever even implied, at least not that I caught anyway. Still, once Madge is actually in Neverland, things get more interesting. You’ll have to let me know what you think if you read it!💁🏻
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ambroseandelsie said:
Maybe the author assumed that people would get that Neverland slowed down the aging process. So, she didn’t bother outright stating it?? By the way, I so love that cover picture. It’s a photo story prompt waiting to happen. 😆
It does sound like an intriguing book. 🙂
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Could be, but IMHO you need to at least hint at this. Plus, Michael being the brother of Madge’s mother Jane doesn’t make sense either. And then there’s the missing John… The whole thing to me was just too muddled. It makes me feel slightly better that quite a few reviewers on Goodreads commented that they were also confused. But as I said, once Madge is in Neverland I definitely enjoyed it more. That cover is beautiful isn’t it? If you decide to try it I hope you enjoy it!💁🏻
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yourdaughtersbookshelf said:
You know I will! 😀
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JJAzar said:
Hook is a cool character. Alternate takes on heroes can provide for interesting reading, but I find alternate takes on villains to be all the more fascinating.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I absolutely agree J.J. And it’s funny because I think this is the 3rd or 4th Peter Pan retelling that has fashioned Pan into a much darker personality.🤔
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JJAzar said:
There are plenty of great stories out there, but sometimes the sheer quantity of remakes can get out of hand.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Yeah. I think unless something truly spectacular comes along, this will be the last Peter Pan retelling I read. Onward and upward!😊
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Jay said:
Sounds interesting, but when you’re dealing with such well-known source material, you really do need to be careful about details. Change what you like, but don’t think we won’t notice!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
EXACTLY Jay!😊
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Lekeisha The Booknerd said:
*groans* While I’m sure this book isn’t all that bad, I just can’t see myself loving this based on your negatives. I love Peter Pan. I love reimaginings also. I don’t think this one is for me, though. Great review!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Lekeisha! It wasn’t the worst, but when you start a book and almost immediately become confused, that kind of stays with you throughout the story.😕
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Carrie said:
Another that I have on my shelf too waiting to get to it. I love Peter Pan retellings so maybe I’ll like it a bit more but I’m also worried it may end up one of those more of the same old same old feel books too.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Oh! I can’t wait to hear what you make of it Carrie!💁🏻
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Carrie said:
I hope to get to it soon…. maybe. LOL
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beetleypete said:
Re-telling these old classics is not unlike re-making great films. I am just left wondering ‘Why?’
Best wishes, Pete.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I know retelling have gotten popular in the publishing world, and I’ve seen some that work out great and others, not so much.
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wordsandotherbeasts said:
Great review! I’m not sure how I feel about this retelling though. I loved Peter Pan when I was little and used to dress up as him, so I think reading a retelling where he’s a murderous narcissist might ruin my childhood for me! Otherwise I would have been so excited to read this haha.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
PLEASE DONT READ IT AND BE TRAUMATIZED!😱
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wordsandotherbeasts said:
Hahaha I definitely won’t traumatise myself now thanks to your review! 😂
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Phew!
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Transhaan said:
Murderous narcissist. Hahahahahah This is definitely not the type of retelling I expected, but it does sound quite interesting.
– Lashaan
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
This is the third or fourth retelling I’ve read where authors have made him a villain. I used to feel I was the odd one out in being kind of creeped out by him as a kid, but methinks I’m not the only one!
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Transhaan said:
I haven’t ready any retellings of the classic story yet, but man does that sound oddly hilarious! 😛
– Lashaan
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
It’s decidedly twisted!😏
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TeacherofYA said:
I’ve noticed what you’re saying about Pan retellings: they make Pan out to be an ass, and Hook out to be the hero. And while that is original the first time or two, I wouldn’t mind a retelling where Pan isn’t the bad guy now! Lol!
But this one looks interesting and I haven’t heard of it before, so I’m adding it to the TBR! Thanks for the review!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Sorry I’m just replying now, but you were in my spam folder.😕 Anyway, I’m glad you’re intrigued by this one and I’d love to hear your thoughts if you do read it.💁🏻
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TeacherofYA said:
I know! I tried to tell people, but last time I wrote a post and it was a pain…this time I went straight to Askimet, especially since some people I talked to didn’t even know they had a Spam folder!
It should be fixed now…but thank you for freeing me! I really hope it doesn’t happen again. Argh. 😑
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I had to do the same thing back in November, so I can completely emphasize!😕
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TeacherofYA said:
Good to know it’s not just me!
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