All Darling Children

In this wicked, wicked retelling of Peter Pan, Madge is looking for the woman she believes is her real mother. Her grandmother, Wendy, a fierce and formidable woman has been sidelined by a heart attack and lies in the hospital. This is Madge’s chance to escape, her chance to uncover the real story about what happened to her mother. On the way to Chicago, Madge meets a boy named Peter Pan. He whisks her off to Neverland, a place where children never grow old. But this is not the Neverland you remember, it’s a dangerous, violent place and Wendy learns that Peter Pan is willing to do anything to remain a child forever. Interwoven with Madge’s story, are entries from Wendy’s diary, and the story of what really happened in Neverland and what happened when she returned. I always thought Peter Pan was a creepy story! Monroe brings the old story crashing down to reveal a dark, malevolent Neverland, a place where the term Lost Boys is oh, so appropriate

The Great God "Pan" As A Sinister, Malevolent Narcissist

This is the ultimate book for anyone who, like me, thinks that J. M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" is a creepy book loaded with disturbing undercurrents. If you harbor fond memories of the Disney Peter Pan or of Mary Martin's happy zippy Peter Pan, then be warned. This book moves us from the pagan pastoral, natural, and seductive God Pan to the post-Christian demonic Pan, with a vengeance.

I'll try to avoid plot spoilers while getting across a more impressionistic sense of the book. So, think "Lord of the Flies" meets a handbook about recovering from domestic partner abuse. Or, think about that Twilight Zone episode, ("It's A Good Life"), in which Billy Mumy can disappear anyone who displeases him, just by thinking them away. The plots aren't the same, but the general sense of dread, fear and loathing is.

The author does a magnificent job of redrawing all of the Barrie characters as victims of Pan and of Neverland. There have been a number of books recently that reposition Hook as a sympathetic figure, and indeed Hook emerges here as a noble, if wryly detached, figure. So, too, are Tiger Lilly, the Redmen, the pirates, and even the Lost Boys, reimagined. The conflict revolves around Pan and three generations of Darling women, with Wendy just the tip of the generational iceberg, but with her brothers Michael and John always present figures as well.

This is a violent book that doesn't shy away from the grim and gruesome. Indeed, with a central character who is basically a psychotic, manipulative and dangerously unbalanced madman it's pretty hard to see how the book could have been constructed otherwise. That said, though, this is not simply a slasher or horror story. The tale is carefully crafted; the suspense ratchets up precisely, and the pacing alternates among the rueful, the sad, action, heartbreaking loss, despair, courage, and touches of both light and dark. There are both effective set pieces and recurring themes that drive the book forward as secrets are revealed and the past is uncovered, so it's also a bit of a mystery. The one thing it assuredly is not, though, is a happy theme park romp.

At bottom, Peter Pan is such a conflicted and unusual character, and the whole idea of Neverland is so unbalanced and vaguely disquieting, it makes sense that someone decided finally to pull out all of the stops. Well, this is it, and it's a ripper.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I am always intrigued by retellings of fairy tales so when I saw that this was all about Peter Pan and Neverland my interest was captured and what a dark, twisted, fun read it has been!

I've always thought the character of Peter Pan was one of the most complicated and this reworking just adds to the complex and evil character that he really seems to be! This is based around the Darling children, mainly Madge who is a very unhappy teenager under the rule of Grandma Wendy. She tries many times to run away but is always thwarted, but one night she manages to break free and is determined to head to Chicago where she is sure her mother Jane is, despite her Grandma telling her she was dead. But she soon ends up a long way from Chicago and is immersed in the world of Neverland that seems to attract all the generations of Darling children

The Darling link with Neverland and Pan is fully explored in this dark adventure, and the current story is also littered with extracts from Wendys' diary of her time in Neverland and how her time there was definitely no Disney fairy story!

All the favourite characters are involved in this story -Hook, Smee, The Lost Boys - and I really loved the fresh approach to the story and how you are often left wondering just who to trust and believe as many of the characters have such dark sides! There is violence and swearing so be warned if you are easily offended by such goings on!

A fabulously entertaining read!

Very few dark re-tellings actually live up to the dark part for me. Let me warn you now; All Darling Children is dark. It’s brutal and hateful and absolutely wondrous. I’ve never been a fan of Peter Pan or of the subsequent re-tellings. However this not only has done away with my Pan aversion; it’s easily one of the best re-tellings I’ve ever read.

Our protagonist is Madge; she’s a tough orphan who lives with her Grandma Wendy. Wendy keeps her prisoner in her own home, thwarting Madge’s multiple attempts to escape to find her Mother (whom she doesn’t believe is really dead, as Wendy always told her). Madge is a great heroine in that she isn’t perfect. She’s stubborn and headstrong but she’s also inherently good – the perfect combination for a girl willing to do anything to take down Pan.

If you’re a Peter / Wendy fan this probably isn’t the book for you. I always preferred a bad guy so my interest always gravitated towards Hook – who is featured here in a new and interesting way; neither good nor bad but still playing a part. I also loved the way Tiger Lily was written – a brave and fearless warrior who is trying to balance keeping her people alive with the need to stand up to Pan.

This isn’t for the faint-hearted. The writing is perfect; the simplicity with which Monroe tells the story suits the brutality of the subject matter perfectly. However there are some scenes which will probably make you squirm. No taboo is sacred and that’s probably what made me love the book so much. However if you have triggers it’s probably best to tread with caution.

This is a must read for fans of retellings – if not for all the reasons above then most certainly for that ending. Pass the fairy dust Katrina Monroe – because I’m hooked.

Ok, so I almost didn't read it, dismissing it as a YA novel, but then again I wasn't able to resist a twist on my all time favorite stories and I'm glad I didn't, because this was kind of awesome. Sort of YA at first maybe, but definitely not as the book progresses, it's a story about kids, but it may be too dark for kids...like all the best fairy tales, at least in their original renderings. Monroe reimagines Neverland in a distinctively sinister light and its most famous resident ever more so as a young charming lethal sociopath, obsessed with the eponymous Darling children. Disturbing in the best possible way, with love, revenge and a notable feminist twist, this was tons of fun to read. I'm not sure the ages of the Darling women works logistically, especially Wendy's, but that really isn't all that salient in the book where so many things did work. Very enjoyable, particularly for fans of the original. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

I'm sure most of us have read, or heard of the story of Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up. Well, this is the adaptation of that story. Except this story has a surprising twist. Yes, it is interesting, yes, it will keep you on the edge of your seat. This read takes you to Neverland with lost boys, Tiger Lily, and Hook and his comrades. Oh yes, they are there. This is a scary story about how it really could be.
Who knew it could be so evil. Who knew what the lost boys, and Pan himself could have such dark sides.
A very intriguing side of a story we've heard. Be prepared to be taken on an incredible journey.
Unique, interesting, pure genius.
5 Stars

I didn't know what to expect with this book and what I got was something so dark it totally turned the way I thought about Peter Pan. Gone was the friendly but rather lost little boy and in flies this dark and threatening character.
Madge lives with her grandmother Wendy who keeps her locked away and will not tell her anything about her mother so when Wendy is taken to hospital Madge takes her chance to go find her mother who she has been told is dead but she doesn't believe that. Pan then glides in and takes her to Neverland but not the sweet place we all know and love this is a dark and mysterious place. The characters are all there Hook , Smee and Tiger Lily but not they way they are in the disney film. I felt a bit unsure the whole way through as it was hard to imagine the characters so 'lord of the flies' but it was worth a read and it was well written with a totally fresh look at the story.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy of the book.

Peter Pan is a story all of us have heard of, read or watched on the TV but this book puts a whole new spin on the fairy tale. What is the secret behind Peter's immortality?
Wendy is now an old lady and bringing up her rebellious granddaughter Madge, Uncle Michael is an alcoholic and no help to any one and it all seems to stem back to the secrets of Neverland. Something Madge has never heard of until she meets the boy Peter.
Read the story as you've never done before and its certainly not a fairy tale to read to your children.

Madge Darling has never been happy living with her grandmother Wendy. She has tried to run away before but is sent back to her grandmother's cold unwelcoming house. She doesn't believe that her mother is dead, and desperately wants to find her. Madge makes her escape one night when she has been left alone with her drunken uncle Michael but is whisked away by Peter Pan with a promise to take her to her mother. Will she find the truth in Neverland? Or is the truth in Grandmother Wendy's diary? Katrina Monroe has envisioned and brought to life a dark and savage Peter Pan that is indeed a far cry from the innocent Disney version.

All Darling Children asks the question: what if something corrupted the 'boy-who-never-grew-up'? Peter Pan is one of my favorite fairy tales and it has featured in quite a few beautiful re-tellings. But, All Darling Children is a masterful, twisted take on a literary classic. I loved this for its horror filled examination of the spiritual cost of eternal youth and the strong female lead.

If you like twisted fairy tale re-tellings, you may love All Darling Children. I know I did.

Did you find the story of Peter Pan strange, and slightly creepy? Did you find his games to be weird? Did you wonder why anyone would want to never grow up? Then this book will appeal to you as not quite so much a retelling, but an extending of the story of Peter Pan and his island of lost boys.

In this telling, the daughter of Jane is taken away to Neverland, but not totally willingly, and so she is not happy with this. And her grandmother, Wendy, has been trying to keep this from happening her entire life, but we what we think of as why is not really why.

This is a dark version of Peter, and yet true to the original story. Giving too much away, I feel, spoils it, but I feel this is quite a good extension of the story, and wraps some things up. I would recommend it to those who loved the original, and those, like me, who thought there was something not quite right with Peter Pan.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

All Darling Children by Katrina Monroe was received direct from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The book starts out at a quick pace and rarely lets up, leaving the reader to wonder what is really going on with this teenage girl and her grandmother and what exactly do they have to do with the Peter Pan story. While you will visit Neverland, it is not one you want your small children to visit "as seen in movies". This book is never bogged down with useless dialogue and if you like Peter Pan stories but thought it should be darker, this is for you.

4 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Redadept for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.
This book had me intrigued from the synopsis. I loved all the Peter Pan tales when I was little.
However, forget Disney, this book is way, way darker.
Some years from when we last Peter Pan. Wendy is a grandmother to Madge whom she keeps locked away and withholds any information about her mother, Wendy has tried to convince Madge that her mother is dead although Madge does not believe this is the case. So, when Wendy must go into hospital, Madge ceases the opportunity to find her mother.
Whilst on the ‘hunt’ for her mother. Peter Pan swoops in and whisks her of two Neverland. It is not the place that Disney painted for us, it is so much darker.
An interesting twist on an old children’s story although this one is for adults.

All Darling Children is a fresh look at the Peter Pan story. However, this is far from a Disney version of the story. It’s more like Peter Pan meets Lord of the Flies, with Peter taking a page from the Jeffrey Dahmer playbook. This book grabs hold of you and will not let go. Although the story is disturbing, you are drawn in so thoroughly that you don’t want to put it down because you’ve got to find out what happens in the end. I felt like a rubbernecker passing the scene of an accident, pretending not to look but staring in abhorrent fascination at the gore nonetheless. And this story does not lack for gore!

The story follows Madge, who is living with her grandmother, Wendy Darling. Remember Wendy from the original J.M. Barrie Peter Pan story? Madge is 14 years old and keeps trying to run away, hoping to get to Chicago, where she thinks her mother is living. One night, Madge runs away only to be picked up by a strange boy named Peter Pan who promises to take her to her mother. They travel to Neverland by flying using pixie dust. Madge, being a modern, urban teenager, is skeptical of the whole thing at first.

In Neverland, she meets the Lost Boys and their home in a tree. She meets one of them, named Slightly, and he becomes her ally in Neverland. She gradually learns more about the dysfunctional island and the way Peter, as the leader, runs things.

The boys hunt a boar and they serve it for dinner, but boar is not the only thing on the menu in Neverland. Pan also cuts the boys down to size so that they fit into their beds, which are carved into the wood of their tree home. If a boy doesn’t fit, he gets fingers or limbs lopped off so he fits, much like Procrustes did in Greek mythology. The Lost Boys who are killed in battle with the Red Men are butchered by Pan and fed to the unsuspecting others that night for dinner. It gives “mystery meat” a whole new meaning.

Madge goes hunting boars and manages to kill one, only to find that it was a Lost Boy wearing a pig costume. And yes, he’s really dead. He gets fed to the mermaids the next day. Need I repeat that is NOT the Disney version of the story? This twisted Peter Pan tale is closer to Steven King than Disney.

Madge wants to go home, which is no surprise after what she experiences in this place. She gets some help from the ghost of Captain Hook, who Pan has killed prior to Madge’s arrival. Hook lost his hand in this story too, but it wasn’t a crocodile. Pan cut off his hand and fed it to the crocs. This is before Pan and the Lost Boys killed the entire crew of pirates on his ship. Gruesome stuff. When Madge runs off into the forest and is found by the Red Men, Pan wants vengeance. Not on Madge, but on the Red Men who helped her.

Will Madge make her way home? If she does, what will she find there? Will Grandma Wendy ever be a loving parent to her? The story has many twists and turns, many of them a bit gory. Madge eventually does what she needs to do, but the end leaves you hanging a bit. It is open for interpretation as to what happens next to the remaining characters. I found the ending with Michael and Peter a bit disturbing, given what Peter is shown previously to be capable of. Madge makes a huge decision, but we don’t see how it all turns out. Maybe there is a sequel planned.

The writing is solid and the story told at a nice fast pace. Settings are described well and the dialog is not overly wordy. This is a well-written story. I found many elements to be disturbing, but overall it wasn’t much more violent than many of the murder mysteries being published these days. There are some gruesome horror elements to the story that may leave you feeling queasy though. I think it was most disturbing to me since the characters are children. Children who never grow up and who remain small for hundreds of years, but still children.

It’s not a book I would recommend for younger readers. Teens and adults are the most appropriate audience for this one, I think.

Reading this book, I alternated in equal parts between enthusiasm, surprise, boredom and disappointment. The original concept of the story immediately got me 'hooked': what if Peter Pan was not really such a nice guy, but a boy with a very malignant streak?

What surprised me was that the main character, Peter Pan, remained flat as a pancake throughout the whole novel. While Madge was just OK, Slightly, kind of Pan's second in command, was so beautifully and vividly portrayed that I immediately fell in love with him. But my absolute favorite was Captain Hook, who was not at all the villain he used to be originally.

The island was described with enough detail to make it come to life before my mind's eye, and the story had enough twists to hold my attention, but there were several passages that felt unnecessary and dragging along. However, the ending managed to placate me for any weak parts.

(Lengthened review to come shortly... Stay tuned...)

All darling children by Katrina Monroe is a horror and sci-fi and fantasy read.
All boys grow up, except one.
On the tenth anniversary of her mother's death, fourteen-year-old Madge Darling’s grandmother suffers a heart attack. With the overbearing Grandma Wendy in the hospital, Madge runs away to Chicago, intent on tracking down a woman she believes is actually her mother.
On her way to the Windy City, a boy named Peter Pan lures Madge to Neverland, a magical place where children can remain young forever. While Pan plays puppet master in a twisted game only he understands, Madge discovers the disturbing price of Peter Pan's eternal youth.
Very enjoyable read with great characters. I loved Made. She was my favourite character. Little slow in places. 4*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.

The author and I must’ve had very similar thoughts while reading Peter Pan because this book was exactly what I have been wanting from a Peter Pan inspired story. To be fair, this was the first book inspired by the original that I’ve ever read, but to also be fair, most of the ones I’ve come across are all “Peter is awesome!” and seem to be based on the Disney version, and that’s not what I want to read.

See, I was shocked when I read Peter Pan for the first time by how terrifying Peter’s character was. The original story has a lot of darkness in it, and Peter does horrible things, like maim and kill his own boys, so I loved that Katrina Monroe actually used the darker side of Peter’s character for her version of him and referenced a lot of those horrifying things.

Also awesome was that Hook was a good guy! Well, kind of. He was still a pirate who probably did plenty of bad things in his time, but even he didn’t condone the slaughter of innocents just for fun. I loved his character in the original, so it made me happy to see he wasn’t villainized, even though he didn’t play very much of a part this time. I also liked how the author stayed true to the story by *SPOILER ALERT (not for this book, but for the original)* making Hook a ghost, since this one took place after he was killed. *END SPOILER ALERT*

Another great thing, Madge had a much more realistic and suitable reaction to a strange boy showing up and talking about flying and pixie dust and Neverland than Wendy did. She thought he was just a whackadoo and wanted him to leave her alone. And then her happy thoughts (since you need to think happy thoughts to fly) were about punching him lol.

Madge was, however, a little too mature, jaded, and street-smart for her age. It’s not entirely impossible for a 14-year-old to already know things about the horrors of the world, depending on their life, but I’m not sure her strictly sheltered life with her grandma would’ve given her that kind of knowledge. I also felt like the depths of the characters were never really explored, but that was something I could overlook since I don’t think that was really the point. It was more of a plot-driven book.

One other issue I had was that I noticed a few logic flaws. *SPOILER ALERT* (How did Hook help Madge get off of Skull Rock if he was incorporeal and incapable of touching anything? How did no one in the city notice a flying ship above their heads? How did the ship fly period, since Madge replaced Peter’s pixie dust with shell powder? Why did Jane go back and abandon Madge when she was the one who refused to let Wendy send her to an orphanage?) *END SPOILER ALERT*

One last thing to note, the author really didn’t romanticize anything in this book. Everything was very gritty and realistically disgusting and disturbing. Even though the protagonist is 14, this is not something I’d consider a YA book (and it’s not listed as one). That’s not a bad thing at all though, just something to take into consideration.

So to summarize, a dark story based on the original rather than the Disney version was what I wanted, and I’m happy to say that was exactly what I got!

All the Darling Children
Imagine if Peter Pan were real. Imagine All the Darling Children had been abducted by a boy who refuse to grow up. Imagine a very dark place called Neverland where you can only leave if Peter lets you, and that never happens.
The grim new novel about the eternal child will make you feel very differently and very non-Disney about the land where pirates, lost boys and Red Indians roam.
Madge is fourteen. She very definitely wants to grow up. Living with her repressive Grandmother she seizes every chance to run away and find her mother in the city. She is caught every time until one day her grandmother has a heart -attack. Madge is brought home by her Uncle Michael but he’s got a few problems of her own and she escapes his custody only to be taken by Pan to Neverland. Peter Pan tells her that her mother jane is there so how can Madge resist the fairy dust and flight to another world.
All is not well in the land where no one ever grows up or changes. Madge quickly realises the horror of the Lost Boys existence and how Pan orders their lives or deaths. The once proud pirate Captain Hook has been reduced to a shadow of his former self, a mourning spirit with little chance to influence the world and only accompanied by First mate Smee. Proud Tiger Lily tries to keep the Red Men safe from Pan’s desire for complete dominance.
This ain’t no fairy tale.
All the Darling Children is a great, focused story on the helplessness of being a child where the grownups are in charge just because they are older not wiser. When Madge escapes, she is running into growing up and making decisions over life and death. She becomes the grown up and must deal with the consequences. Peter has no redeeming features and the depiction of Neverland is as a harsh and unforgiving place. There is no joy in this eternal childhood. Much more lord of the Flies than a delightful island escape. With quite powerful themes this book is an intense look at the inherent dangers of the man-child and a good adventure story. I can see why Peter’s mum locked the window now.

I have never before thought of Peter Pan as terrifying but have fun trying to sleep easy after reading this one. For people who love the original, I'm not sure how well you'll take this retelling but I promise, it's so good (though really creepy). Monroe has redefined Pan as a psychopath and the terrors he inflicts on the people of Neverland will make you see this magical world in a whole new light. Rather than innocently enticing children to fly away with him, Pan has created a life for himself that depends on these newcomers to support his, often violent, habits.

There are still recognizable traits from the Neverland we all know that makes this story so inviting (before it sinks its teeth in!). The imagery especially was incredible! The author has so much creativity at her disposal in imagining this setting, and despite the dark content she created a really beautiful world.

The issues around aging are also at the heart of this novel, though with a much darker twist. While in the children's book this is a playful aspect of Pan, the boy who never ages, the dark Pan is obsessed with staying young and will do anything to retain his youth.

I do want to mention that the content may be too much for some. While I don't believe there were any particularly gory scenes, there is a lot of violence, even if just hinted at, and themes of abuse and sexual assault underlie much of the story's background.

One of the perhaps less important aspects of the book, but which really improved my reading of it, was how the different perspectives were broken up. I don't want to give away who we heard from as that might be too spoilery but each was introduced with their own font and a tagline of sorts so it was easy to keep track of who was speaking.

The original aspects of the story are all still there, but in a different context. I really don't know that I can ever think of Peter Pan again without Monroe's version creeping in, and I mean that as the highest compliment.

Fourteen year old Madge Darling has been living with her grandmother Wendy for the last ten years since her mother’s death. But Madge doesn’t believe that her mother actually died fourteen years ago, she believes that her mother is alive and well and living in Chicago. Madge has the idea to try to run away to find her mother but gets caught and brought back to her grandmother.

Grandma Wendy however ends up having a heart attack and staying in the hospital. While her grandmother is away Madge again tries to head to the Windy City to find her mother but ends up meeting a boy named Peter Pan who lures her to a place called Neverland. While in Neverland Madge uncovers some disturbing secrets about the place, the family and Peter Pan.

All Darling Children is a twisted retelling of the classic story of Peter Pan. This version is a bit more horror and as some others before it centers around a more evil version of Peter than the one in the original tale. There are all the characters that you are used to knowing from Peter Pan but with a more horror twist to the story.

I have to say I’m a sucker for anything Peter Pan and have read quite a lot of different versions. While a more evil Peter isn’t new the author did an OK job coming up with her own story in this version. However I didn’t rate this one very high due to it having a lot of inconsistencies involved with not only the characters descriptions/personalites but even some of the action in the story. If a huge fan of retellings or Peter Pan I’d still say give it a shot but don’t pay too close attention to the details or it may leave you scratching your head.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.