Peter Darling

TW: Misgendering, dead name usage, suicide attempt

This is an ownvoices trans gay retelling of Peter Pan and just knowing that made me very excited to read it. To tell you all the truth, I actually know nothing much about the story of Peter Pan other than the little I watched on Once Upon A Time, so I wont be able to give any comparisons to the original.

Peter is back in Neverland again after growing up because he couldn't keep on living a lie at his London home. His family continuously refers to him using his dead name/birth identity and never even try to understand him. He tries very hard to live the way they want, to make them happy but he is so miserable that even death feels better. But when he gets the chance to come back, he grabs the opportunity with both hands. Neverland is where he feels truly comfortable in his body.

First half of the book has a lot of skirmishes between Peter and Hook – they each just look for ways to start a fight, almost like they don't want to be away from each other long. There is very subtle underlying attraction that we can feel but the two of them take their own sweet time to arrive at that conclusion. Almost fatal injuries and isolation in a cave force them to acknowledge their feelings – the reason they are always fighting is because it's the only tangible feeling they have to hold on to. But once they do realise that they actually adore each other, there are some very sweet romantic moments followed by a fair amount of angst. Both of them have to decide if they are prepared to leave the dream of Neverland and step together into the real world.

At about 200 pages, this book is very short but the author does a great job developing a believable enemies-to-lovers romance without making it feel like instalove. The island of Neverland, its terrain and creatures, the faeries and Peter's brand of magic is presented fairly well but the shorter length prevents from going into any details. I also would have loved to know more about the backstory of Ernest or even about Hook's first love but we never get the chance to explore all these facets. However, the story is still fully realized, with well written characters and an interesting plot.

I especially fell in love with the ending of the story – it was so adorable and I just wanted to read more about Peter and James's life together. This is a beautiful story of identity, loneliness and love and I would recommend it to anyone who loves fairy tales.

The story took a while to find its footing but once the romance plot started, it got really good! I am very unsure how I feel about the ending but I adored Hook!

This is probably one of the best books I have ever read.

Peter Darling is a trans, queer retelling of Peter Pan where Peter is the son of the Darlings, and, after ten years, returns to Neverland to find everything is different.
This book was so incredible. The worldbuilding was brilliant; I really liked the way the fairies had been imagined to be more like insects than the typical fairies we're used to. The way Neverland operated as well, bending to the will of Peter (and Hook) was also intruiging and very well-written.

This book touched on so many interesting topics, such as toxic masculinity in trans men, and I found everything it touched to be handled so caringly and with respect and realism.
Peter himself was not a very nice character to begin with, but I still enjoyed reading about him, and his change in character was gradual and sweet.
I found some of the other characters to be a bit lacking, such as the Lost Boys, though that makes sense after the fabrication of the world, how it bends to Peter's will, is revealed. In a way, this, as well as later descriptions of the world after it becomes snowy actually make the world feel quite sad and empty, though no doubt this is intentional, to clearly demonstrate how unreal it all is.

While the other characters lacked depth, this was very much made up for with the character of Hook. He was a fun antagonist and even better love interest, humorous and enjoyable alongside Peter. Their bonding felt realistic, using the forced proximity trope in the cave, and I enjoyed how the world took a step back as the romance between Peter and Hook was prioritised, further adding to the atmosphere of them being the only real people in all of Neverland.
I also really liked the presentation of queerness, especially in a historical setting such as this. The contrast between Hook's comfort in his sexuality and Peter's realisation and both of their denials about their feelings towards one another were very entertaining and interesting.

Possibly the most important thing about this book for me was Peter's transness. His sureness and insistence, how he runs away to Neverland and refuses to return, making the world turn cold and snowy, and eventually returning with Hook, or, James, to his world and being able to be comfortable with his own body, rather than the pretend one created for him in Neverland. This book allowed space for trans pain that I haven't experienced in other trans books. It was so raw and genuine and I was able to connect with Peter and his transness in a very deep manner. I'm glad that Peter didn't stay in Neverland with his faux male body, and returned to our world, able to be happy with the one he already had. It made me reevaluate my beliefs and desires about my own transness and I cried a