Book Review: Peter Darling by Austin Chant

Title: Peter Darling
Author: Austin Chant
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Publication Date: 15 February 2017
Pages: 140
Format: eBook - EPUB
Genre: LGBT/Fantasy
Source: ARC via NetGalley

Buy from Less Than Three Press


Ten years ago, Peter Pan left Neverland to grow up, leaving behind his adolescent dreams of boyhood and resigning himself to life as Wendy Darling. Growing up, however, has only made him realize how inescapable his identity as a man is.

But when he returns to Neverland, everything has changed: the Lost Boys have become men, and the war games they once played are now real and deadly. Even more shocking is the attraction Peter never knew he could feel for his old rival, Captain Hook—and the realization that he no longer knows which of them is the real villain. (Goodreads Synopsis)


I absolutely loved the concept behind Peter Darling; it was an original and inspiring approach to reinventing the classic tale. The main difficulty I had was that I struggled to like Peter. It's clear that his past and the truth behind his escape to Neverland are the reasons for his behaviour, but even so, for the first half of the story, I found him obnoxious. Luckily, James Hook was a delightful character, and as he interacted more with Peter, I grew to like Peter more too. Overall the tale was engaging and the ending satisfying, so I am giving the book four stars. A delightful LGBT retelling of a well-known story, it make me want to both reread the original book and watch the film Hook, which I loved as a child.