Shadow is the final installment in the Wendy Darling saga. Wendy teams up with Captain Hook to bring down Peter Pan and his shadow because they're ruining Neverland. I really enjoy Peter Pan retellings and this trilogy is worth the read. It started out stronger than it ended but I liked seeing Wendy, John and Michael live out their dreams.

This third and final instalment was an epic read that I couldn't put down. A Peter Pan retelling with a dark twist - this is a series that if you haven't read yet - I urge you to do so asap!

Wendy is now back with Peter and plotting to end his evil reign over Neverland. But with the arrival of her love, Booth - Peter’s new hostage and plaything - she must tread carefully if she is to save everyone she loves and cares about. 

Yet as the shadow tightens its hold over Peter, she finds herself befriending a creature long declared her enemy. Tinkerbell. Now Wendy must use all her cunning to get to the truth of Peter’s beginnings, because only by uncovering Peter’s past can she hope to save the boy, and Neverland, from the shadow's nefarious plans. But Wendy will have to sacrifice much if she is to win the day…

I adored this final book so so much. Wendy went through a lot of growth during book two, and now in this story you see her put those hard earned skills to use. She is very different to the girl we met in book one, and at last has found the courage to fight back against Peter Pan.

Yet even now Wendy continues to face difficult choices and grow as a character. She reunited with a lot of the cast we met in previous books, many of whom also needed to overcome their own challenges which made this story quite emotional and I actually teared up in places. 

Neverland was also explored more throughly and overall I just love the vision that Colleen Oakes brought to life. Her Peter Pan retelling throughly captured my imagination and after devouring her Queen of Hearts Series as well, she has now become an auto buy author for me!

I honestly couldn't gush about this series more. This book ended in such a good way and my mind is still spinning from the conclusion.

5 stars!

This is the conclusion of this wonderful retelling that paints never land and the much beloved Peter Pan as much darker then the story we all grew up loving.  Peter is being controlled by a dark spirt called the shadow and has made him mean and evil to those he loves.  To the point where he has driven Wendy and her younger brother into the teaming up with Captain Hook.   Wendy is desperate to cure never land of this evil power and with any luck save both the boys she loves booth and pan.  I was on the edge of my seat the entire story.

What a finale! What a story!

With this final book, this dark, character-rich tale the tales continues and ends as strongly as ever, the elements introduced wonderfully worked into a tale of redemption and triumph. The pacing is perfect and the book is absolutely gripping; I got through the whole book in 2-3 hours!

It's hard to speak of the story without spoilers, but I will say that the character development, relationships, and plot direction all played out marvelously. The whole book was wholly satisfying and I'm so happy to have found this trilogy and to have at last finished this tale that I started in 2016. For a book this short, the pages are bursting with story, and it stands as a true testament to Colleen Oake's skills as a writer as details and plot threads all come together.

I give the whole series my love and a 5/5 rating. Absolutely thrilling ride that's dark enough to tantalize and resonate, but doesn't go overboard nor bridge into an area of red-flag problematic. The author approached things very well. I could probably discuss some things at length, but even with those nitpicks, the story performed very well and leaves off on a good note.

I would give this book and series a few general warnings for the darker tone; there is a good deal of death and violence and fleeting references to other types of crimes and in this book there is a sexual scene that, while not particular fade to black, is short and presented very poetically without explicit detail, more focusing on the emotional connection aspect and treating the moment as loving and romantic, not erotic. I definitely enjoyed this series a lot and found it to be the best Peter and Wendy retelling I've seen yet.

Also, I was given a free copy of this for the purpose of review by NetGalley last year, but I also purchased a paperback copy for myself, so this fact doesn't affect my review in the slightest!

I love re-tellings and Peter Pan re-tellings, in particular, are ones I'm always in the look out for. After receiving an e-arc of this third book in the Wendy Darling installments I immediately bought and read 1 and 2 back to back. 

I loved the concept of this story right from the start, the 'road' the author takes by using well-known and loved elements of the original Peter Pan story. Throughout the first two books, there was much I loved and definitely some things I didn't feel as strongly about what happened. I was so excited to continue reading the story and book 3, the final installment, was, thankfully, not a disappointment. 

The story-line progress is well done and I really liked the character developments of each and every single one of them, whether I'm talking about the characters I love or the ones I hate like Peter. I think it requires quite a talent to write unlikeable characters like Peter and you love them for the fact that they're so believable and unlikeable haha. I love good-written 'villains' and the author does a great job on the villain in this story. 

The build-up towards the end is well-written and it had me hooked until the very last page. After all, it's what you've been waiting to read, right? the Ending of it all... I really loved reading this trilogy in general, and I think it got a really well-written final installment and I couldn't be happier about that. Final installments are so difficult to review I think and I always try not to set my hopes too high since beforehand in order to not get disappointed. 

Thankfully, this one didn't disappoint and I overall felt like it was a really great book. If you loved the first two books, then this one is going to be right up your alley. It's intense, emotional, enthralling and addictive and it made me feel all the feels. A solid 4/4.5 stars.

Great finale! Peter Pan retellings have always been my favorite and this series took it to new levels. The third book was full of high stakes and it kept you breathless till the end.

Shadow, the third and final book in this take on Peter Pan, is much more adult based on the situations, language and situations. Poor Wendy is abused in so many ways because Peter Pan is psychotic. But even though she suffers, she is still strong, and has a plan. You cheer her on as she tries to take down Peter Pan, and rescue her one true love- Booth. Also the relationship with John, which was very strained and heartbreaking is resolved in a satisfactory manner.

The writing is very rich and bold, with so many characters to keep track of. The spin on Captain Hook is very well done, including why Peter may or may not be so evil. Fairies play a big part here, and the battles that turns into war is very descriptive and lifelike. The steps Oakes has taken to show Wendy as a seemingly silly girl of means to a mature young woman, based on her experience with Peter, and her relationship with Booth (They do have one moment of intimacy that is the final step into transforming her into a real woman) is well done. Also Wendy's HEA may surprise some readers because of the final decision on her future, and that of her brothers.

Shadow didn't make me breathless as the first book in this trilogy, but it did a fine job nevertheless. 

Fans of the Peter Pan myth, and that of Wendy Darling will be satisfied with Colleen Oakes' take on a beloved children's tale.

Many thanks to Colleen Oakes, Spark Press, and Netgalley for this third volume in the Wendy Darling series in exchange for an unbiased review.

We continue the saga with book three Shadow. Wendy continues to battle her attraction to the psychopath, Peter, as well as repair her relationship with her brother, John. Booth is a constant helpmeet and reminder of home, but Wendy finds her true fortitude in these pages and wages war against the one soul who keeps them trapped on the god foresaken island. Mermaids, pirates, fairies all come to her aid. 
This was the perfect ending to this trilogy. We get to watch the characters mature and make some challenging choices while still experiencing a fairy tale.

This was a quick, fun read with an ending that left me feeling satisfied. I was glad to dive back into the world of Wendy Darling and wasted no time in seeing all the characters off on their adventures. Hook is still my favorite by far. I feel like the mermaid story may have been rushed or cut off at the end. I wanted to know more about the orphans, too. There were little plot points that left me asking, "But what about?" Regardless, the major characters had their stories ties up nicely.

Not my favorite book; however, I do love books about the stories I loved as a child.

"Pirates, pirates in a row, Waiting for the wind to blow. As they sit and dream of love, Death comes from high above." 


Colleen Oakes has a way with retelling some of the most beloved and albeit not commonly retold stories from our childhoods. I loved the Wendy Darling series, but Queen of Hearts is my favorite.

In the last book in this series, Wendy finds herself behind enemy lines. She has to convince Peter that she still loves him, in order to get close to Tink and figuring out how to defeat the Shadow that possesses Peter and is slowly killing Neverland. What Wendy doesn't count on is the fact that Peter has kidnapped Booth to use against her. Now Wendy needs to figure out how to save Neverland, her brothers, and Booth before it's too late.

I enjoyed seeing Wendy mature in this last book and full grasp what needed to be done but also doing things that made her happy as well. Booth was a fun character that was just a great supportive partner and that made me happy for Wendy. The Pirates are still essential the best part of Neverland. It was a sad ending with many losses but with a few great heartwarming moments.

4 stars

This was an epic conclusion to the Wendy Darling series. I really love this series! Wendy is such a strong character! I love how the author put a spin on Neverland and Peter Pan! This is one of my favorite series of all time! This is a must read! I encourage all readers to buckle up and enjoy the ride!

The exciting and incredible conclusion to the WENDY DARLING series will leave you breathless. I cannot recommend this book and series highly enough. An incredible mix of adventure, romance, danger, laughter, and tears that will take a reader's heart and put it through an emotional blender. Readers will never look at the tale of PETER PAN the same way again. Definitely recommend.

Shadow by Colleen Oakes picks up right where Seas left off. Wendy has just returned to Pan Island armed with a plan that she and her ally, Captain Hook, came up with. She has to convince Peter that she still loves him so that she can steal his pipes. Then she has to get Tink to teach her the song to call the shadow from Peter so she can destroy it and save Neverland from the war that is brewing.

The plan gets altered a little bit when Wendy arrives back to Pan Island to discover that Booth, the boy from London that she loves, is Peter's prisoner. Now she has to get the pipes, the information she needs from Tink, Booth AND John and escape Pan Island.

I want to say that this is probably my favorite installment in this series. I don't remember a lot about what has gone on in the previous books, but this book seems to have the highest stakes and the most action. If Wendy's plan doesn't work, she stands to lose everything. Her brothers, the boy she loves, the Lost Boys she has come to love, and any chance she might ever have to make it back home to London.

Wendy is as brave as ever in this book. She is determined to save Neverland, and even Peter. She puts herself in harm's way over and over again for these people that she barely knows.

Through this whole series I have pretty much hated John. But I loved that he and Wendy kind of repaired their relationship in this book. Even if he is a brat, he's still Wendy's little brother and she loves him. He's still kind of a brat in this book, but you understand his feelings more and I didn't actually hate him in this one.

Booth is a character that we haven't really since since Wendy was taken from London in book one. I really like Booth and I really like Wendy and Booth together. But I felt like their relationship in this book was too easy. 

John flies back to London and kidnaps Booth, brings him to Neverland where Peter holds him prisoner and he has to watch Peter and Wendy be all lovey-dovey and listen to Wendy say such horrible things about him. Then he pretty much just accepts her apology and explanation at face value? I just feel like there should have been more work involved to make their relationship work again.

Something else I would have liked in this book would have been more interaction between Wendy and Captain Hook and his crew. I feel like their reunion left a lot to be desired for me after all that they went through together in book two. I don't know. I just felt like there could have been more with the pirates.

Then we have the ending. It isn't a bad ending. There's nothing wrong with it, it isn't disappointing. I just don't know how I feel about it! Nothing that happened is totally unexpected from this story, but it isn't really a happy ending. I feel like after everything that happened to EVERYONE in this story, they should have gotten at least a semi-happy ending!!

Overall, I really enjoyed this series. It had a fun twist on a classic fairytale. If you're a fan of Peter Pan, I think that you would like this series. If you like pirate stories you would probably like this series as well.

I apologize but I did not have time to read this book before the publication date.  No review

At the beginning of this series, Wendy and her brothers were whisked away by the wild, magical Peter Pan to Neverland; a fantastical land of turquoise seas, glimmering beaches, mermaids, pirates and freedom. However, Wendy soon discovered all was not as it seemed and she was forced to take shelter with the dreaded Captain Hook. Together they have hatched a dangerous plan to bring down the blood-crazed Peter for good, but it will involve Wendy returning to Pan Island and the clutches of Peter. The fate of her brothers, her beloved Booth and the whole of Neverland is in her hands.

It was wonderful to see this interesting re-imagining from the point-of-view of Wendy, and she was again joined by a host of colourful characters, including: the adorable Michael; the thoroughly dislikeable John; the big-hearted Smith (Smee!) and, my personal favourite, the infamous Captain Hook. While I haven’t always ‘liked’ Colleen Oakes’ re-imagined characters I do think they are realistic and much better fleshed out than in J M Barrie’s original tale. I also loved being able to delve deeper into the settings too, which Oakes’ brought vividly to life through her beautiful descriptions.

Sadly I did have a small issue with some of the language used in this final instalment – considering the main protagonists are meant to be from Edwardian London. There was the more harmless use of the Americanised ‘toy store’ instead of toy shop, but then there was the far more dubious use of ‘f*nny’ … Now, I believe in America this is slang for ‘ass’ or ‘bottom’. Here in the UK though, it means a much more intimate part of a lady! Fortunately, Oakes weaved such a wonderful tale of adventure, danger, magic and love with so many twists and turns, that the small slips in language didn’t majorly affect my overall enjoyment. Plus what an ending – I didn’t see that coming!

Overall, I thought Wendy Darling, Volume 3: Shadow was another enjoyable fantasy adventure and a satisfying end to this interesting re-imagining of Peter Pan.

This book is full of action, adventure and romance. The world building in this book was phenomenal  with well developed characters and a flowing story-line that wrapped up this series rather nicely.  In my opinion, it's this books is the best of the three in this series!

3.5 Stars

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Ms. Oaks, Sparks Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Wendy Darling: Shadow (Wendy Darling #3) by Colleen Oakes

I have thoroughly enjoyed the "Wendy Darling" series, which also included Volume 1: Stars (previously reviewed here) and Volume 2: Seas (reviewed here). How did Shadow finish out the story?

Wendy Darling: Shadow front cover (SparkPress)

THE PLOT: Volume 3 picks up where Seas left off. Wendy has returned to the Lost Boys, trying to make Peter believe she loves him and gain his forgiveness for leaving. She needs to be there long enough to get information from Tink and steal Peter's pipes, both needed to control the Shadow, the destructive force behind Peter's power.

 Her task is complicated by the capture of Booth, her gentle true love from London, thanks to her combative brother John. With Booth under Peter's control, Wendy has to fight for his release from Neverland along with the freedom of both her brothers.
 
Alone with Peter, without the aid of her friend Captain Hook or much assistance from a hostile Tink, Wendy will have to rely on herself to rescue her loved ones and free Neverland from Peter and the Shadow.
MY TWO CENTS: First, let me say that this book has a lot more action than Volume 2 did. Don't get me wrong, I liked Seas, but it was a lot of setup and building toward the climax. Now that we're here, stuff is happening. In contrast to Seas, Hook's role here is fairly limited. We do get a big dose of Peter, who was mostly missing from Seas.

Of course, we knew all along that this is a more obvious Wendy coming-of-age story than the original Peter Pan. This Wendy is in her late teens and already had a love interest before Peter. Peter makes no secret of what he wants from Wendy.  We definitely see a more adult Wendy emerge in this volume; she's grabbing adulthood, and the responsibilities that come with it, with both hands.

Wendy is mostly released from Peter's thrall now, especially with the reality of a captured Booth staring her in the face. While she has a battle plan, there's a part of her that will take whatever happiness she can just in case it doesn't work out.

I also found that this book wasn't very predictable. I had a pretty definite idea of how things would play out, and I was wrong quite a bit. I wonder if other readers would agree with me, or do you see this ending coming?

COVER NOTES: I've mentioned before how very much I love these covers. I was wrong in thinking that we might see Wendy's face on this final cover, but I don't have a problem with that. I much prefer "faceless" covers that leave the details to the reader's imagination than a model who doesn't match my idea of the character. We do, however, get Wendy standing strong for the first time, which is appropriate. I'm buying a set of these books to have the matched set in hard copy because I think they're worthy of my precious limited shelf space.

BOTTOM LINE: I really liked this whole series, and found Shadow fairly unpredictable. I'm really gratified when the series finale doesn't trip the finish line. I would recommend this series to fans of fairy tale retellings.

TEACUP RATING: Four-and-a-half out of five teacups.

ON SALE DATE: Available in paperback and eformats on July 18, 2017.

NEXT UP FROM THIS AUTHOR: The third book in the "Red Queen" series, War of the Cards, will be released November 7, 2017. I really need to start reading this series.

Note: Review is based on ARCs provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

" 'Wendy, you'll be the last thing I ever love.'
I'll be the last thing you every love because I'm going to defeat you, Peter Pan, one kiss at a time."

Absolutely in love with this book! Amazing ending to a series that took my breath away. I got angry, I laughed, and I cried, more than I'm willing to admit. Oakes catered to the classic tale of Peter Pan while also taking us on an adventure to the darker, more sinister parts of Neverland. One of the aspects of this book that made it ring true was the way that she seamlessly wove in famous quotes from the original story, fitting them in perfectly with her own story line. This is undoubtedly going to be one of those stories that I re-read on a regular basis. Here's to a beautiful fairy tale with a simultaneously tragic and wonderful end.

‘You know that place between sleep and awake, that place where you still remember dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you. That’s where I’ll be waiting.’ – Peter Pan


What a rip-roaring, fast-paced, and action-packed conclusion to the Wendy Darling trilogy – not that I expected anything less from Colleen Oakes. Shadow picks up where Seas finished, with Wendy back with Peter Pan and someone much more unexpected, trying to bring him and the murderous Shadow that resides within him down, aided by an unexpectedly loveable Hook (seriously, Hook is such a babe). 

I won’t go into the plot too much – there is too much risk of spoilers, especially with the story being full of moves and countermoves – but the focus is on Wendy finding a way to defeat the murderous Shadow that Peter controls, that she can see and sense lurking within him. I can’t get over the amazing character development that Wendy undergoes, she is so different from the girl we meet in Stars, she is, more than ever, a powerful and brave young woman who is fiercely loyal to those she loves. She was by far favourite character and, alongside Hook, has been the star of this series. Peter remains dastardly, becoming more obsessed with waging war against Hook by any means possible, yet still has that strange allure; you know he’s done and is doing terrible things, yet the mischievous boy who never grew up is still there (although I was glad of some redemption for him, in my opinion anyway).

The action and suspense throughout was relentless – I spent the entire book trying to figure out what was going to happen and how everything would play out, trying to outthink Oakes’ plot twists, which proved to be practically impossible. There are so many different games being played by different characters that you can never quite tell where their allegiance lies – pirates, mermaids, and lost boys alike have different agendas, and they all must decide what they believe in when Hook and Peter face each other. My heart was racing until the very end, and I won’t deny that the ending all but destroyed me. I think it was a magnificent way to finish and I had SO MANY FEELINGS (read it and you’ll see why). 

Peter Pan will always be one of my favourite stories and this series is a wonderful addition to the plethora of retellings and reimaginings of a classic and beloved story. Oakes took the story in an unexpected direction but I loved every moment of it and can't wait to see what she writes next..