Book #36 for 2022: Peter Darling by Austin Chant - Book Bingo: P
Peter Darling by Austin Chant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a sequel to Peter Pan, but writer Austin Chant gives it an LGBTQ+ twist.
So, Peter has spent ten years living with the Darling family in London, before returning to Neverland; Captain Hook is alive, and he's also gay, and in a relationship with his new first mate. There are also hints that Peter may have a crush on one of the "lost boys" in his band, although it is not made explicit.
So, the conflict between the Lost Boys and the pirates continues, until an incident leaves Peter and Hook trapped in a cavern, and forced to put their differences aside to help them escape.
Overall, this was an enjoyable book, although it was easy to tell that the book was heading towards a Pan/Hook romance. At the same time it didn't feel like a cheesy, cliched slash fan fiction, like lots that can be found on the internet. There were a number of flashbacks to Peter's life with the Darlings, and most of the time they came along a bit unexpectedly, so I had to read very carefully. This did lead to an extra LGBTQ+ twist that I wasn't expecting.
It was also interesting to see how the book developed Captain Hook's character by not having him seem like an outright villain, but also suggesting that the Lost Boys were equally responsible for all the trouble that occurred during the original novel.
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This ticks off the letter P for the 2022 ljbookbingo challenge.
Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam (M.C. Beaton)
Big Panda and Tiny Dragon (James Norbury)
Crawling Horror (Edited by Daisy Butcher and Janette Leaf)
Desperation (Stephen King)
Every Contact Leaves a Trace (Elanor Dymott)
Facebook: The Inside Story (Steven Levy)
G
House with No Doors (Jeff Noon)
I
J
Knife Edge (Malorie Blackman)
L
Mindset (Dr. Carol S. Dweck)
N
O
Peter Darling (Austin Chant)
Q
Round the World in Eighty Days (Jules Verne)
Survivors (Marcus Blakeston & Mark Astronaut)
The Truth is Out There (Thomas Bertonneau and Kim Paffenroth)
U
V
Wyntertide (Andrew Caldecott)
X
Y
Zoo City (Lauren Beukes)