The title actually confused me for a bit, I spent about half the book thinking it was based off of Midsummer Night's Dream until I made the Peter, Lost Boys, immortality connection. But, this was a great book. ( )

This is one of my favorite book I have read this year. The way the authors mixed the old stories together was amazing. I saw how this story was like Peter Pan and yet its own story. The way it was written made me feel as if I am the characters experiencing each emotion. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in Egyptian folklore and just folklore in general. ( )

I was so excited because I really do love myself a good Peter Pan retelling. However, I was left absolutely bewildered with this novel. I don't want to spoil anything for future readers but I do feel there was something left to be desired about this book. Smashing together two totally different things requires polishing and I don't think there was quite enough of it in this novel. I did find some aspects of the book quite enjoyable, but there were other aspects (such as the aforementioned spoiler I will not disclose) that confused me. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: Myth, fairy tale, contemporary high school drama, and the paranormal combine in a fast-paced and chilling adventure through space and time.

Opening Sentence: All nights come to an end–that is to say, all nights see the break of day.

The Review:

By far my favorite of the Another series for several reasons. Daniel and Dina Nayeri built on the first book of the series but added so much more. Familiarity with the story of Peter Pan definitely added to the enjoyment of this book. The authors were able to take a basic storyline, combine it with their original premise, and turn it into something that is everything the first book was missing. The characters are much more believable, there is mortal peril, and in general, there is just a lot more going on to keep the reader entertained. This book can stand alone apart from the series without losing much understanding, but because there are actual, but somewhat vague, references to the Egyptian myth in Another Faust, the plot for Another Pan seems to make more sense as a whole as part of the series. Although this book was longer in pages, it was a page-turner and did not take long to read.

Peter is, as he should be, the intriguing character of this book. He is so charismatic that he even has an actual following of lost boys, plus Tina, who is loyal to a fault and comes complete with a envy of Wendy. Peter is updated to modern times, and has a fancy cell phone to prove it. He, along with the other characters, is surprisingly believable, even given his youthful demeanor. Although Peter seems perhaps more selfish than he does in the fairy tale, his own upbringing by his “nanny” make his situation seem especially plausible. And this slightly darker version of Peter just seems to fit right into this slightly darker fairy tale of a book.

Wendy and John have some serious flaws, not damning flaws as we saw with the teenagers in Another Faust, but regular, trying to fit in, trying to find romance, trying not to be too nerdy, regular teenager flaws that any and all teenagers have and therefore, we all can relate to. They are also wishing for something more exciting, a way to escape the mundane high school problems, and they find exactly that. What really drives the book is their eagerness to please someone they both look up to as a hero, to the point that they make some pretty stupid choices, just to be a part of something rebellious and fun. Their relationship with their father is definitely relatable and realistic. He is the opposite of cool and the opposite of rebellion, and his children suck up just enough to not get in serious trouble, but go behind his back at every turn. The only part I found slightly annoying is that Wendy and John’s last name is actually Darling and a lot of attention was drawn to that, which made me wish the connection was just a little toned down in that aspect.

In addition to the Peter Pan premise, and keeping in line with Madame Vileroy, who turns out to have many personas and goes by several names, the authors have thrown in a series of Egyptian myths, which miraculously, actually fit into the rest of the story line without compromising the integrity of the rest of the book. Everyone’s past and how they fit into the storyline is explained by the end of the book, which just makes the reader feel like they were a part of this adventure. Everything goes so well together, this time the well-educated authors create something that is delightful for teens and adults alike. There is definitely a creepiness factor to this book. Still not too creepy, but a little creepier than the first book in the series, Another Faust. Without giving anything away, especially the part where the hook comes in, this book gets pretty creepy but without trying too hard. That’s mostly just how Another Pan is in general, it is just superb how the authors did so much without making it seem like it is trying to hard.

Notable Scene:

Wendy and John turned back down the all, toward the exit. as they crept quietly along, Wendy’s eyes kept darting back and forth, trying to spot the source of that feeling of almost being touched. Suddenly, in the shadowy far end of the dark hall, a hooded figure seemed to appear. Someone small, a woman or a girl, glided into their line of vision gracefully, like a witch, then just as quickly disappeared into one of the classrooms. Before the phantom was gone, Wendy thought she saw her turn, and she glimpsed a broken blue eye–like one she thought she had seen somewhere before . . . but where? Maybe on TV? Or on someone she had forgotten, someone unremarkable and small . . . someone easily forgettable in the course of her important daily routines. An eye not quite human. The sight of it made all the blood in Wendy’s body go ice cold, full of jagged edges pricking from the inside. She wanted to scream, but she held back. They stumbled backward into the main corridor toward the barricaded door. ( )

I love a Peter Pan story. Unfortunately, that Peter Pan characters are in this book seems entirely incidental. Also, weren't there THREE Darling siblings--Wendy, John, and Michael? There's a brief explanation of Mom walking out, but Michael never seems to have existed at all.