Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
**2.5-stars rounded up**
Five years ago, Wendy Darling and her two brothers, Michael and John, went missing in the local woods.
Six months later, Wendy was found. She had no memory of her time away, or the fate of her little brothers.
After she returns, the police question her pretty hard, not sure how much of her story they can believe. Perhaps she knows more than she is letting on.
Now in her Senior year of high school, Wendy is working at a hospital and trying to move on with her life, although she is still plagued with thoughts of her brothers.
When children start disappearing again, in ways similar to Wendy and her brothers, all eyes look to her for answers.
She feels no closer to knowing what really happened all those years ago, but something is definitely going on, as the boy she thought lived only in her stories becomes real.
Peter Pan. He is real and he is pleading with Wendy for her help finding his shadow; the villain of this tale.
Lost in the Never Woods was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Sadly, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
The first 10% seemed really promising and the last 10% gave me a conclusion that felt satisfying. However, everything in between was a giant slog.
The tone was quite melancholy and morose. The pace was incredibly slow, the relationships forced and the magical elements felt bland. Not what I was hoping for.
The writing style itself was good. It had a pleasing flow and you can tell that Thomas put a lot of thought into the real world issues discussed; grief, guilt, PTSD, those aspects were well done.
Overall, it just wasn’t what I was hoping for and I never felt connected. With this being said, there is a Reader for every book and vice versa.
So, don’t take my word for it. If the synopsis sounds interesting to you, give it a go. It could end up being your new favorite book!
I will definitely pick up more work from this author in the future. I already own Cemetery Boys and am really excited to get to that one!
