This was alright. I had tried on 3 occasions to read this, and ultimately had to switch to an audiobook because it just really didn't hold my attention at all. I didn't connect with, or really like any of the characters, and ultimately just didn't really invest in anything going on. The writing was fine, and so was the premise. I thought this would be something I would absolutely love, but it ended up falling short for me.

Honestly, this is a pretty damn intriguing debut. You've got a Peter Pan reimagining with a dark fantasy and Asian and queer flavorings to the narrative. The author is also insanely good at picking mood setting quotes for each section. Definitely one of my more interesting reads lately.

These Deathless Shores
by P.H. Low
Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: July 9, 2024
Orbit Books
Ages: 17+

Jordan, even though she's a girl, was once a lost boy, using Tink's addictive dust to help disguise herself as her best friend's (Baron) twin so she wouldn't be stuck playing mother to the lost boys. But when her lie was revealed, she ran back to the real world. Now at twenty-two, Jordan, still suffering from the withdrawal from the dust, returns to the island, vowing revenge.


This is a retelling of Peter Pan that is not for readers under the age of 17 because there is a lot of violence, addiction, and other disturbing aspects. Peter isn't the nice and sweet little boy most of us grew up with. In this book, he is malicious, especially when it comes to adults, even if they are or had at one time been a lost boy.

While I really love these types of retelling, those that make you think about your definition of good evil, this kind of fell flat. I didn't care for Jordan that much, and Baron, I get his issues, but he is a very weak character, one, as a Gen X'er, I would call a p^^sy and had no reason to tag along with Jordan, who was basically using him. (If she loved him so much, she should have left him.)

Anyways... This story also lacked depth. The characters and setting weren't described. It was as if the author expected the reader to have read/watched, and were fluent with Peter Pan. So much could have been done with the other characters, especially Tink, but they were all just a copy and paste of each other. Yeah, I get they were side characters, but Tink played an important role, as did the lost boys and the pirates. The only thing that distinguished these characters was their ages.

But on the flip side, the violence was detailed and a little disturbing.

The story also went at a very slow pace due to the repetitiveness of Jordan and Baron's relationship, and I started to skim to get through it.

I didn't hate it, but it still needs a lot of work…

1 Star

A really, really promising signal for a good career for the author but doesn't really land itself as a book. I like the prose, I like the grim but not oppressive tone, but the Peter Pan reworking ends up being a crutch rather than an inspiration. Think the reliance on that well-established story undercuts some of the character development and setting work to the book's detriment.

Haunting, heartwrenching, dark, fullof twists and turns, powerful messages, lines (sometimes blurred and sometimes not) between good and evil, and so much more, "These Deathless Shores" is a re-imagining of "Peter Pan" that is simply impossible to put down.

Firstly, this cover is absolutely captivating and atmospheric. And when thinking about the title, and how it can connect to the original story of "Peter Pan"...CHILLS!

P. H. Low's writing is incredibly atmospheric (I know I just used that word above but it just fits this novel so perfectly!). The language is
fairytale-esque at times, nightmare-esque in others, and the descriptive vividness of each moment is astounding and poignant.

I do not want to say too much about the plot of this novel due to spoilers, but, I will say, this book has so much in it: Jordan, now grown up, is struggling with addiction and withdrawal from the magical dust from her time on the island. She decides to return to Peter Pan for revenge in this darker retelling in the hope of killing him for what he has done to her and others. This book delves into and explores many powerful themes: mental health, gender, addiction, growing up when one doesn't feel ready, power, corruption, good vs. evil depending on who is telling the story, and so much more becoming the origin story of Captain Hook in this adaptation.

I recommend this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the e-ARC of this novel, and to Orbit Books for sending me a finished copy as well! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Please Note: This novel deals with some extremely heavy topics.

This book, unique and fascinating. I could never see anything coming. The author did really good with creating any characters in a unique storyline. I enjoyed the plot and all of the small element created in this book. I also found that the twist interns war, well placed in well-timed. The main characters in this book or characters that stuck with me after reading, and I hope that we get more within this universe.

Any Peter Pan fans out there? because this is the book for you especially if you like villains as this sees us with a reimagined story of Captain Hook. The author mixes this tale that we all know so much, a fantastical world with our Lost children and makes it even more dark and twisty.

These Deathless Shores by P. H. Low is an intriguing and dark Peter Pan retelling that pulled me in right away. The world-building is rich, and the characters are complex, each with their own very unique struggles and ambitions. It was definitely giving me "dark side of the moon" vibes regarding Peter Pan - he is quite violent in this retelling but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was not expecting such a dark tale, and I would not recommend it for those faint of heart. The mix of action, magic, and political intrigue really kept things interesting, and I appreciated how the story delved into themes of power and survival. If you're into epic fantasy and don't mind violence, I would highly suggest picking this one up! Excited to read more from this author.

A BIG thank you to NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to read These Deathless Shores for free in exchange for an honest review.

This isn't really what I was expecting out of a horror/fantasy-mix retelling of Peter Pan. The plot, relationships, and overall setting felt very surface level to me. I couldn't get attached to any of the characters because we ended up knowing so little about them. I can barely even recall getting physical descriptions for anyone. I enjoyed the story for what it is, but it really felt like there was a lot missing and too much fighting/death with no real backstory or emotion.

Thank you NetGalley, Orbit Books, and P.H. Low for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thoughts:

I’ll keep this brief - it was disappointing, lacking, a snooze-fest, had a questionable romance, was unnecessarily long, and had unlikable characters.

I wanted to enjoy this for the premise and representation given in this book alone, but it was a major let down in pretty much everything.

Paperback/Hardcover/Audiobook/E-book:

E-book

Pace:

Slow/Medium

Cover thoughts:

Pretty! Fairytale-like!

Triggers:

Death, Addiction, Violence, Injury/Gore, Suicidal Thoughts, Misogyny, Sexism, Ableism, Abuse, Toxic Relationships, etc.

When I first started reading this book, I was under the impression that it was going to be a dark origin story of Captain Hook. As an avid reader and huge fan of Peter Pan, this seemed like it would be the perfect read for me. However, the pacing of the book, the convoluted world-building, and the completely unlikeable characters all around did not save the well-written prose nor the foundational premise.

Jordan was previously a Lost Boy living on an enchanted and protected island with Peter Pan, pirates, and of course the other Lost Boys, one of whom was her childhood friend Baron. Now back at home, the two of them decide to venture forth and revisit their childhood island in search of Dust to help quell Jordan's drug addiction. Once back on the island, the two quickly fall back into old habits of sword fighting and bloody violence, only this time they are on the side of the pirates.

Now, I can take flawed characters and I love a good villain origin story, however this book wasn't it. The characters were unlikeable from the start and I truly did not care what happened to them. Both their friendship, romance, and all the relationships on the island were extremely toxic. I also had issues with the worldbuilding, as I could not quite picture what the island was supposed to look like or how large or small it was for that matter. The magic was not well explained with mentions of glamour, flight, and healing through the use of Dust, but I could not quite understand if it was just Peter who never grew up or if the others chose to age and eventually leave or become pirates. Too much violence and a confusing plot line almost made this one a DNF for me. The ending was tied up too prettily and did not match the vibe of the other 99% of the novel which was very very dark.

I did like the disability rep and wish that more books had main characters who accepted themselves as they were born.

This book would be more geared towards fans of Lord of the Flies and Cormac McCarthy. It is not for the feint hearted. Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit, and P.H. Low for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

These Deathless Shores is a genderbent Captain Hook retelling that follows Jordan, a former Lost Boy, who is exiled to the ‘Outside’ once she gets her first period and is exposed as a girl. When the drug she is using to stave off withdrawal begins to stop working, she convinces her best friend and fellow Lost Boy to return to the island to overthrow Peter and regain control of the Dust supply.

There was great representation in this book including mental illness, limb differences, visual impairment and LGBTQ+ rep. Please make sure to read the full list of trigger warnings as there is a very heavy list of them and descriptions are quite graphic.

Low’s prose was beautiful, but I struggled to find a meaningful purpose for Jordan’s return to the island besides gaining control of Dust, which took away from my enjoyment of the story. While the content of this book wasn’t for me, I really enjoyed PH Low’s writing style and I look forward to reading their future works.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

While the tone is consistently dark and eerie, there's a strange beauty in the way Low depicts even the grimmest of moments. The book’s themes—death, rebirth, and the cyclical nature of violence—are balanced with moments of tenderness and introspection.

For fans of dark fantasy, speculative fiction, or those who appreciate literary, introspective storytelling. P.H. Low has crafted a haunting, thought-provoking work that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading. Recommended for anyone looking for something both chilling and deeply poetic.

I wish I could find the words for how good this book was. Honestly, can you go wrong with a retelling? Can you go wrong taking inspiration from well-loved stories and folklore? No. This was excellent.

What child doesn’t enjoy the story of Peter Pan? I can remember watching the movie as a kid and seeing the musical with Cathy Rigby. I’m even seeing a new stage production of the musical later in 2024. These Deathless Shores by P.H. Low immediately grabbed my attention. Lost Boy—who’s actually a girl—turned Captain Hook? Sign me up. I enjoyed These Deathless Shores; however, there was A LOT that I didn’t, which is why I can’t give it a very good review. The plot was fine but predictable. The worldbuilding was lackluster, and Low left me with so many questions. I didn’t like the characters, especially Jordan. Maybe that was the point. Maybe we were supposed to find her redeemable, but I didn’t like her. Overall, These Deathless Shores had such potential, but for me, anyway, it fell flat.

LGBTQ elements – Present but not overwhelming. I don’t want it to be in my face. Have a character or two not be straight, fine with me. But please don’t make that the main point of the whole story. Don’t preach it to me. I have the same issues with romance novels, in general: Give me a plot outside of the feelings.

For Peter Pan and Tink playing such major roles in the story—Jordan wanting to steal Tink for the Dust—I didn’t know what they looked like. I didn’t know what many of the characters looked like, and I like descriptions, please and thank you! Which, speaking of Peter, he’s a stereotypical villain: You know nothing about him besides he has minion Lost Boys under his spell, and he enjoys killing people. That’s about it. Nothing about his personality. At all. Just maniacal laughter. I also didn’t like the book’s focus on drugs and addiction. It turned out to be a very unique take on Tinkerbell’s “fairy dust,” but…Low centralized the entire story around addiction. The highs and deepest lows of it. And Jordan only wanted to feed that addiction, it felt like, not rid herself of it. Which, maybe that’s true of most addicts—they often don’t get help till they’ve faced tragedy, or someone else forces them. All of the Lost Boys are violent, sadistic drug addicts who take great joy in committing acts of violence.

I disliked the romances. Jordan takes advantage of Baron time and time and time again, and yet he keeps allowing her back into his life. Talk about an unhealthy relationship. Maybe this is supposed to show that Jordan can be forgiven. No. It just shows Baron as a punching bag. And Tier and Chay, what on this earth? This was “love at first sight” and then some. This relationship had no substance. Tier gives Chay his jacket, and Peter Pan doesn’t ask questions? The Lost Boys don’t ask questions?

And speaking of Chay, why did she want to stay so desperately? Peter Pan and the rest of the boys treat her like crap. She cooks, cleans, mends, and tells stories. And this entire time, she’s starving herself so she doesn’t get her period, which is seen as the end of the world.

This brings me to one of my biggest qualms: Look, I’m a woman. I understand how crummy our bodily functions can be. But These Deathless Shores frames getting a period as death incarnate. And I’m sorry, I already have to deal with it once a month, I don’t want to have to read about it. And be reminded about it. It’s part of life. P.H. Low kept bringing it up in different ways. Every time we talked about it, I wanted to toss the book out the window, and I didn’t want to read it anymore.

I finished These Deathless Shores by P.H. Low. But I didn’t like it.

Maybe this isn’t for me, I have tried to get into it. And I truly thought I was going to love this. And I just can’t but I hope this finds the right audience <3

A dark take on Peter Pan and the origin of Captain Hook was something I was immediately excited about.

While I was interested in Jordan's story and her potential dynamic with a malicious Peter, the side characters and subplots were pretty flat and ended up bogging down the book. And the relationship between her and Baron felt so shoehorned and disingenuous. Then, the rushed and cheesy ending did not match the rest of the story.

The book felt like it had good bones but just needed more refining.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for the eARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was super excited to read this book and was unfortunately letdown a bit by it. It had the bones for what I enjoy in a story, but the actual meat of it didn’t work for me. The descriptions of key characters was lacking, the romances felt contrived and forced, and the ending wrapped up a little too nicely in my opinion.

The writing itself was still really well done and I thought the representation was good so I will try other books by this author.

Wow, I loved this book. PH Low's first novel is a deeply dark retelling of Peter Pan and it is so powerful. I truly fell in love with the (deeply) flawed characters of this book, who undergo traumas both real and fantastical (seriously, check your trigger warnings!) as they grapple with the idea of being grown up. What a wonderfully unique take on an age-old story. I would definitely read more by this author.

I was gifted this e-ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I loved it so much that I bought it immediately after finishing it because I need a physical copy for my bookshelf.