Karen’s Magic Review
I downloaded this book without reading the description. I know. I should have read it first and can’t remember why I did now. So each page I turned was a surprise.
What I didn’t expect was that the genre was a bit of everything, scifi/fantasy, horror, romance, urban, detective and a crime mystery.
It made an extremely fascinating plot, nothing was straight forward in this story. Just when you thought you understood it, there was a twist. Gradually, I began to see a Peter Pan connection, and no, this is nothing like that story. I commend the author for her imagination and don’t think I have come across anything like this before.
The main character was called Wendy Darling. Her nemesis’s name was Pan. This was where I started making the connection.
In my #picturestellingstories above, I like to take my time to choose photographs that represent different aspects of the story as I envision it. This first picture on the top left was perfect for the crime factor of the story. A girl goes missing from her bedroom, and all there is to go on is the open window. Moving down, the police station is where Wendy works and she gets to meet her new partner there.
I loved that it was based in Australia, and the at the bottom you will see a clue to that.
The next picture depicts the vineyard, the home of Wendy and her brothers. A wine business that has been passed through the generations. The secrets of the past come back to haunt the family in a way that shocks everyone but the family, when the truth is finally revealed.
Moving up to the vivid colours of the countryside is where the Lost Boys play, and where the story opens with Wendy watching them. A clever beginning because all is not what it seems, as this is Never-Never land.
Finally we come to Wendy’s nemesis whose name is – Pan. I would love to have found a picture of him, but could come nowhere close to finding something similar to what he looked like. Besides, I don’t want to terrify you.
Even though it is a large 375 pages long, it is such a page-turner. Very difficult to put down, and I didn’t want to!
The ending was one that leaves you thoughtful for both what happened to Wendy and how it is a great premise for a follow up. There is also another twist that will make horror fans want more.
The ending although complete, still leaves many questions.
Description
More than 20 years after her abduction at the hands of the elusive Pan, Wendy Darling is all grown up and a successful detective. But when a local girl vanishes in the middle of the night, her past comes rushing back.
Grieving the death of her mother, Detective Darling wants nothing more than to throw herself back into work.
When the Lord Mayor’s daughter, Rosalie, vanishes, she insists on taking the case, triggering memories of her own past abduction.
For years, Wendy struggled with her nonsensical memories of her captor, who she only knows as Pan. Yet the more she uncovers about Rosalie’s disappearance, the more Wendy is convinced her worst nightmare has come true—Pan’s back.
Her fears are confirmed when the girl suddenly reappears and Wendy realises she’s walked straight into Pan’s trap.
Karen J. Mossman 