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A review by the_ya_assassin
Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
4.0
*3.5 stars, rounded up*
"You never know what you might find the dark places."
Not gonna lie, this was the perfect read for me right now. I really needed a good retelling. It wasn't my most favorite book, but it wasn't my least favorite either. One big thing is that I've heard this is supposed to be LGBTQ+, but there is literally NOTHING LGBTQ+ about this book besides the author. But I'll be honest and say I'm not a big fan of LGBTQ+ books 'cause I'm not part of the group, but I do read them to broaden my horizons.
Anyways, what y'all want me to talk about is [b:Lost in the Never Woods|39897752|Lost in the Never Woods|Aiden Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1592493557l/39897752._SY75_.jpg|61732549]. This was an okay read. There were a LOT of flaws in the story and characters, but the retelling part was original and I enjoyed it, so here we are. For starters, the worldbuilding was super underdone. The only reason we know where the story takes place is because Wendy, our MC, directly tells us. Despite the actual worldbuilding being subpar, there were a lot of descriptions, which might seem contrary to what I just said. However, these descriptions were of few places in the actual world we were in. This is supposed to be somewhat contemporary, and while I could tell it was in the present (2000's), there wasn't any technology or specifics. It would've added an extra layer of depth in the story had [a:Aiden Thomas|17960047|Aiden Thomas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1623441053p2/17960047.jpg] said like "Iphone X" or something popular that we can associate with an actual year.
In addition to the worldbuilding being nearly nonexistent, the characters were pretty 1-dimensional too. While I WAS hoping Peter and Wendy would get together, they were flat for being the main characters. Although, Wendy did seem to change as the book continued - she grew more independent and braver.
Despite these main problems and little plot (literally, Wendy is just wondering why she can't remember anything or freaking out about SOMETHING), the Peter Pan retelling part was AMAZING. I've heard the theory of who Peter Pan really is many times, but this is the first retelling I have read where it actually happens! I don't many Peter Pan retellings have been written and I think this is actually my first one (my next one will be [b:Straight On Till Morning|43982864|Straight On Till Morning|Liz Braswell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1560939198l/43982864._SY75_.jpg|68379890])! I really enjoyed this one and super happy I picked it up. It was nice and light read. I finally feel like I have gotten out of my reading slump too!
"You never know what you might find the dark places."
Not gonna lie, this was the perfect read for me right now. I really needed a good retelling. It wasn't my most favorite book, but it wasn't my least favorite either. One big thing is that I've heard this is supposed to be LGBTQ+, but there is literally NOTHING LGBTQ+ about this book besides the author. But I'll be honest and say I'm not a big fan of LGBTQ+ books 'cause I'm not part of the group, but I do read them to broaden my horizons.
Anyways, what y'all want me to talk about is [b:Lost in the Never Woods|39897752|Lost in the Never Woods|Aiden Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1592493557l/39897752._SY75_.jpg|61732549]. This was an okay read. There were a LOT of flaws in the story and characters, but the retelling part was original and I enjoyed it, so here we are. For starters, the worldbuilding was super underdone. The only reason we know where the story takes place is because Wendy, our MC, directly tells us. Despite the actual worldbuilding being subpar, there were a lot of descriptions, which might seem contrary to what I just said. However, these descriptions were of few places in the actual world we were in. This is supposed to be somewhat contemporary, and while I could tell it was in the present (2000's), there wasn't any technology or specifics. It would've added an extra layer of depth in the story had [a:Aiden Thomas|17960047|Aiden Thomas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1623441053p2/17960047.jpg] said like "Iphone X" or something popular that we can associate with an actual year.
In addition to the worldbuilding being nearly nonexistent, the characters were pretty 1-dimensional too. While I WAS hoping Peter and Wendy would get together, they were flat for being the main characters. Although, Wendy did seem to change as the book continued - she grew more independent and braver.
Despite these main problems and little plot (literally, Wendy is just wondering why she can't remember anything or freaking out about SOMETHING), the Peter Pan retelling part was AMAZING. I've heard the theory of who Peter Pan really is many times, but this is the first retelling I have read where it actually happens! I don't many Peter Pan retellings have been written and I think this is actually my first one (my next one will be [b:Straight On Till Morning|43982864|Straight On Till Morning|Liz Braswell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1560939198l/43982864._SY75_.jpg|68379890])! I really enjoyed this one and super happy I picked it up. It was nice and light read. I finally feel like I have gotten out of my reading slump too!