The Never King
Vicious Lost Boys, Book #1
By Nikki St. Crowe
ISBN# 9798420005279
Author’s Website: https://www.nikkistcrowe.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
Most people are excited for their 18th birthday, but not Winnie Darling. Her mom has been telling her for years about how Peter Pan comes to kidnap the Darling women on their 18th birthday. He brings them back eventually, but they are never the same. They come back broken and a bit crazy. Her mom has always been insane so Winnie didn’t believe her until Peter Pan came for her.
Peter Pan is losing his magic; he can no longer fly or do most of the things he used to be able to. And, his island is dying too. His shadow was stolen by a Darling and with it the majority of his magic. So, now he takes the Darling women on their 18th birthday to see if they have inherited the secrets that will reveal where his shadow is. Unfortunately, when the fae queen, Tilly, roots around in their Darlings’ brains, it changes them, damages them. But Peter must continue trying … to save himself, the Lost Boys, and Neverland.
I don’t typically read the re-imagined fairytales, but this one sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try. It did live up to that expectation. I found the dark Peter Pan quite interesting. What I didn’t expect was the sexual focus in this book. Winnie was the daughter of a prostitute who had been sleeping her way through the boys in her high school. And, she found Peter and the Lost Boys and their resolve that they don’t sleep with the Darlings to be a challenge she couldn’t refuse.
Once you get past Winnie trying to bang everything that moves, the book was actually pretty good though. I found the storyline interesting and it put my memory of the traditional Peter Pan story to the test. If you like your fairytales a bit depraved and a lot dark and brooding, you should give this one a try, if you don’t mind the sex that is.
“She needs to know…there are no white knights here.
Just monsters.
And I am the worst one.”
I actually really liked the Lost Boys, especially the twins!
This is a short book and I flew through it! I’ll definitely be picking up the next one in the series soon and taking another trip to Neverland!
