2021 is apparently going to be the year of Peter Pan retellings, and I’m not mad about it. In Lost in the Never Woods, Thomas puts their own dark spin on the beloved fairytale. We’re all familiar with the boy who never grows up and the magical Neverland. In this retelling, things are far more somber. We follow Wendy Darling, who lives in a small town where children go missing in the local woods, something sinister lurking and preying on the innocent. It’s been five years since Wendy herself disappeared into those woods with her two younger brothers, but she’s the only one who’s ever returned. Trying to outrun what haunts her, Wendy nearly runs over an unconscious boy in the middle of the road on her birthday, only to realise that the boy is someone she knows. Peter, a boy she’d convinced herself she’d only met in her dreams. When Peter asks for Wendy’s help to find the lost children, she agrees, but to find them, she will have to face what’s been waiting for her in the woods and her repressed memories of her own kidnapping.
I have quite mixed feelings about Lost in the Never Woods. While I appreciated the story once I finished it, I had a hard time getting through the majority of the novel. The characters are engaging and fleshed out enough with Peter in particular being very close to the original version, and there are some side plots that enrich the story, but my biggest issue was the pacing, which was so slow that I often put the book down because nothing was happening. Wendy seems proactive, always making plans or trying to get a move on with things, but for the first two-thirds of the book, nothing really happens, there is just a lot of talk about what should. It’s a long build-up for the big showdown of reveals that is dealt with fairly quickly, but definitely brings the drama and “gasp” moments you wait the whole novel for.
And I will say this: the plot twists in Thomas’ novel were outstanding. I’ve been known to predict a few plot twists in my time, but the ones in Lost in the Never Woods completely blindsided me without feeling like they came out of nowhere, if that makes sense. You can go back through the story and see clues here and there that lead up to the big reveals. Once you get to the plot twists, the slow pacing of the entire novel also makes sense, but it’s tough sludging your way before understanding why the pacing was necessary.
I know you shouldn’t compare works from an author with each other, but I’ve seen a lot of reviewers point out their ambivalent feelings after having loved Cemetery Boys and feeling somewhat let down by Lost in the Never Woods. I certainly see their point as Cemetery Boys is quite different in its subject matter, its originality and its execution. Here, the focus lies less on identity, queer culture, and reconciliation, and more on grief, loss, and guilt. But I also think that, if you go into this book without any preconceived notions about what it will end up being, chances are good that you’ll find another favourite of the year with Lost in the Never Woods. Thomas shines here with the same elements that have made their debut such a sound success with the dark vibes, the haunting aesthetic of the setting and flawed characters that you can’t help but root for, even when they mess up. And the depiction of grief certainly brings something new to the table.
With Lost in the Never Woods, Thomas delivers a dark and atmospheric Peter Pan retelling with a haunting depiction of grief and twists that will make you gasp out loud.
Lost in the Never Woods is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 23rd 2021.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
When children go missing, people want answers. When children go missing in the small coastal town of Astoria, people look to Wendy for answers.
It’s been five years since Wendy and her two brothers went missing in the woods, but when the town’s children start to disappear, the questions surrounding her brothers’ mysterious circumstances are brought back into light. Attempting to flee her past, Wendy almost runs over an unconscious boy lying in the middle of the road, and gets pulled into the mystery haunting the town.
Peter, a boy she thought lived only in her stories, claims that if they don’t do something, the missing children will meet the same fate as her brothers. In order to find them and rescue the missing kids, Wendy must confront what’s waiting for her in the woods.
