Lost Girl: Neverwood Chronicles, Book 1

Lost Girl, by Chanda Hahn, is based on the story of Peter Pan. Although the world of Neverland has seen many reinterpretations, spinoffs, prequels, and sequels by a number of authors, Hahn creates a refreshingly new world that balances the fantasy with an inspired reality.The novel is laced with inspirations drawn from the original story. Wendy encounters a dog named Nana, and she briefly stays in an attic bedroom. Other elements are more subtle, like when she finds a fountain in the middle of the park. The fountain has a light that bathes it in a pool of light, a clear reference to the fountain in the story.The Lost Boys are an interesting portrayal, as is Neverwood. New Lost Boys blend with old ones, and their differing powers make them just as intriguing as Peter. The choice to turn them into an army is clever and refreshing, allowing the story to take a very modern feel while giving appreciative nods to the original. In a particularly touching moment, Wendy reads a story to Tootles, who expresses a desire for Wendy to stay and be his mother.Tink stands out among the cast of characters. She carries an affinity with technology that is a clear allusion to the source material. One of her tools is a bell that censors when she swears, a clever plot device that allows her to be as profane as a mature character without adding profanity to the narrative.Collectively the book brings the magic of Neverland into a sharp reality. Although it’s undeniably a children’s book, there are many themes that will resonate with adults. Wendy is seventeen, and the interactions she displays are more mature than traditional portrayals of the character. Other characters are insightful and clever, and each appearance by traditional characters is exciting. In a landscape clogged with mundane, repetitive, fantasy, Lost Girl is a refreshing take on a magical tale.

Chanda Hahn is by far my most favorite author. I have read and loved all of her books, but this one is one of my favorites! I love Peter so much, his character and personality is so relatable and cute.*SPOILER ALERT*I did not really like the ending to this book tho. The entire book, the lost boys and Peter and Tink were trying to get Wendy to remember them and Neverland. Not to mention get her to stay in Never wood with them and train her to fight Morphlings just for her to forget all of it?! And honestly it was extremely unexpected but still I got really mad cuz Peter was finally happy and he just lost her, again. I'm nervous that the next book won't be as interesting cuz it'll just be repeating what Wendy learned last time, or be the entire story from Peter's view since it is called Lost Boy. But who knows, Chanda Hahn might blow my mind like she always does❤

‘Lost Girl’ is a well-written page-turner and brilliant re-imagining of the Peter Pan tale we all know and love. All the classic elements are present, each with a new spin.For the first seven chapters, readers follow Wendy as a child, locked in the Neverland Institution on an island, fearful of the Red Skulls who force the doctors to run further experiments on the children. Wendy is slow to make friends in her captivity, but the one she calls Boy, with green eyes and auburn hair, she knows she can trust.Seven years later, Wendy has been adopted by George and Mary, has become an older sister to their son John, and has made a life for herself in high school. All this despite the nightmares and shadows that seem to haunt her. When the shape-shifting shadows attack in public, and Wendy can no longer fight what she sees and pretend that she is normal, she runs away from home to avoid being institutionalized again. Instead, she falls in with Peter, Tink, and the Lost Boys at their Neverwood Academy hideout, in an awkward dance of secrets versus trust.Rumor has it the sequel, ‘Lost Boy’ will be published very soon. Get your copy of ‘Lost Girl’ while it’s on sale!

If I could give this a 2.5 stars, that's more accurate to where I think it lands (between "It was OK" and "I liked it", on Goodreads' scale). It's an interesting premise, taking the tale of Peter Pan and its author out of their historic context, putting them into a more meta-dystopian science fiction setting that's close to modern day, and drawing a lot of parallels. I was amused by the amount of small nods to details, both of the original store and the Disney adaptation, that the author was able to fit into the tale. Some of those were contrived, but a lot of them were clever. However, interesting premise aside, I found the story lacked emotional investment. The characters were shallow and rushed, and a lot of the development was based on an assumption of knowing them from the original text (which was disappointing, because it ran counter to the originality of having Wendy be more than a maternal figure, having Tink be a mechanical genius, and other surprising new twists to the characters). So I found myself open to being surprised, but then presented with stock characters with a lot of blanks I was expected to fill in on my own. That wasn't helped by the telling-over-showing approach to character reaction that happened, and the sheer amount of things that happen to the characters in this story seem to force the reader past any vulnerable non-tension moments where we could've gotten a peek inside the driving force behind those characters. So overall I found myself disappointed and more willing to skim through the story than be invested.

I seem to have read a bunch of books later that seem to be "young adult", featuring a seventeen year old girl who is an orphan, and who discovers she has superpowers, and ends up in a home for similar teenages with fantastic facilities. Is that a genre?In fairness this was one of the better ones, and the author does bring the characters to life.It draws on Peter Pan in a bizarre way (the Disney version at that, I suspect), with many characters having the same names. Not really sure why, to be honest, and could have been annoying, but wasn't.

Loved this.I wasnt sure what to expect from this book as i didnt read the description before i bought it but i loved everything about it and as soon as i had finished it i bought lost boy and im loving that book too and once im done with that book im going back through all of this authors books and purchasing them all.

This is a fantastic twist on the well know childhood story of Peter Pan... Chanda you've done it again you've captured me into a fast pace world with lots of twists and turns can't wait for the next book

Loved this retelling of Peter Pan. Wendy is an experiment that escaped from a lab. She has no memorise of her time being there.The formatting could have been better and in some places it could have done with a bit more explanation but all in all a good tale.

This book deserves five stars. A really good read. A new spin on a well loved old story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it can be enjoyed by anyone of any age that loves to read a good story I can't wait to read the next book.