DNF

The story is a dark Peter Pan and the lost boys retelling... It was not my cup of tea. I didn't connect with any of the characters, not even the main one, I had a lot of trouble getting in the story... I think it was just not for me, especially as a non native English speaker!

I will not be publishing a review of this book as I DNF'd it and don't want to give a bad review unfairly.

A bit strange and slightly uncomfortable read for me. The main character just did not sit right in the story and her longings did start to grate on me after a while, she just seemed so needy. The setting was quite nice though.

DNF'd around 100 pages in. Could not get along with the story or focus on anything. The darker side was interesting, but it felt a little weird and offputting. Wasn't for me, but thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

The Island of Dreams follows our FMC, Justine, and she travels to and navigates Neverland after she makes a wish to find a good husband who will take her out of living in an asylum. However, when Makbal comes for her friend, she offers to switch places causing her to seal her fate with death.

This was my very first Peter Pan retelling and it was definitely very interesting. There were a few things that stood out to me while I was reading, one of them being the setting of the island. I really enjoyed how the author described all the magical details once Justine arrives, from the mermaids in the lagoon to the pixie village. It was written in a fun and exciting way and made me feel like I was there on the island and going on adventures with the children. They were some of my favorite characters because they were all different and unique in their own ways and really made the story come to life with their innocence. I also really enjoyed learning about them and who they were before they went to Neverland.

However, there were parts of the book that didn’t resonate with me. For starters, I felt confused half of the time I was reading and felt like I didn’t know what was going on, especially the story of the two brothers and how the island came to be. I also didn’t understand how Justine ties into it all. She’s a young lady when she gets taken to Neverland but the constant wanting/begging to be loved by a man was too much for me and although there is supposed to be a romance subplot, I never felt like we got to see it naturally blossom. It all felt too forced.

Tropes:
✨ Peter Pan retelling
✨ Fated mates
✨ Found Family
✨ Two gods at war with each other

Overall, this was an interesting Peter Pan retelling with lots of fun world building and unique side characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Jaye Viner for the eARC!

Peviously read

Dark Peter Pan retelling has some of the things I remember from childhood that makes you already feel acquainted to some of the characters.
Loved the world building it was as if I could see everything and it was a wonderful experience!!
Also the cover is gorgeous and what initially caught my eye. Can't wait for the next one!!

This was an interesting and slightly dark retelling of the Peter Pan story.

I really enjoyed the world building in this take, the magic system and the setting were beautifully lush and worked really well for the tale being told.

Where I feel the story fell slightly short was the characters. It took me far too long to care for them at all, and regardless of the fact that there was a time travel element, I felt like the main character did not remain faithful to the time period she was supposed to hail from, leaving a slightly sour taste. I also realise that the FMC is supposed to be on the cusp of adulthood, however the over the top sexual thoughts were a little distracting from the overall story.

Thank you NetGalley and Jaye Viner for the chance to read this story!

I was pulled into the story when I realized it seemed familiar, with the introduction of the "lost boys." It didn't bother me when, at first, there were no girls, until they boys began calling Justine "Mother" and telling her about other mothers they had. I found myself pulling for Black Hook in the battle between Black Hook and Mac, (the Peter Pan character). I also wanted Justine to choose Black Hook and get out from under the spell of Mac.

I think some of my students would be interested in reading the book to compare and contrast it to Finding Neverland and/or another retelling of Peter Pan's story. I don't know if they would like it on its own. I may have enjoyed it more if I didn't know the original story. I may recommend this to my students, but doubt I will share it with some of my contemporaries. I almost didn't finish it.

I was given the opportunity to read this book by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This one wasn't for me.
. I finished it, but I didn't find myself hopeful that any of the characters would be redeemed nor have a happy ending. I usually enjoy a reimagining of popular works or fairy tales, but I couldn't buy into the story, and it simply wasn't for me. That said. I can see that others will really like this one, and I say if the title, description, or even the cover interest you then give this one a go.

my first time reading a proclaimed Disney retelling and it did not disappoint. this was a beautifully unique take on peter pan, his lost boys and captain hook. the writing was effectively evocative and lyrical albeit redundant at some points but was still very easy to get through as it tells such an interesting and binge-able story. i loved how this wasn’t just diverse for the sake of it but approached all important conversations with depth and empathy. the main characters were just as complex as the world and i had a very fun time with the warped “love triangle” going on. i finished this book a hook sympathizer/ lover. definitely recommend and i can’t wait for the second one!

If you love Peter Pan and want to see a different take on the story, this is the one for you. We see a darker twist on a well known tale.

The book has stunning world building and while I think Viner excels in this, the character development was a little lacking. Maybe I’m later novels we will see more diving into the characters but it felt lackluster and not on purpose.

Great world building and great story! Took just enough time to get into the meat of the story. If you love the tale of Peter Pan and world building, you’ll love this book!

A unique Peter Pan retelling, kind of dark fantasy.
The first part is hard to get through, but it gets good when Justine makes it to the island
My fav character is Black Hook

I am leaving my honest opinion voluntarily and without coercion.

A beautifully imagined Peter Pan retelling with rich world-building and time travel, but uneven pacing and flat characters hold it back.

This Peter Pan retelling promises darkness, rich world-building, time travel, and thoughtful disability representation—and in many ways, it delivers. Justine’s connection to the island and the unique magic system were standout elements for me. The lush, eerie setting and off-beat tone were intriguing, and once the story found its rhythm, I genuinely wanted to see how it would all unfold.

That said, the book didn’t fully captivate me. Despite strong prose and a compelling premise, the character development fell flat. The cast felt bloated with supporting characters who didn’t add much, leaving the story feeling a bit unfinished. Makbal lacked the depth I was hoping for, and the death gods—who should’ve been a highlight—were surprisingly underused. The emotional stakes remained low, and the pacing dragged, making it hard to stay engaged and stretching out my reading time far longer than expected.

Still, there’s a lot to appreciate: the creepy mermaids and Peter Pan, Hook’s backstory, the inventive time travel, the well-thought-out disability representation, and, of course, pirates. Add in a good swashbuckler, and I’ll stick around every time.

Ultimately, this is a beautifully envisioned book with bold ideas—it just didn’t hit all the emotional or narrative marks for me. That said, I feel optimistic that the issues I had with this first installment might be addressed in book two. That’s often the case with series openers, and I’ll definitely be watching to see what Viner dreams up next.

Thank you to Netgalley, CITS, and Jaye Viner for the advanced readers copy of this beautifully magical world.

I have read a lot of Peter Pan retellings over the years and I love when they go to a darker place and have a big twist on the original story. I was really excited to read this one and add it to my list of the greats. I will start with what I loved about it. The world building is absolutely beautiful. Even something as mundane as the house that Justine starts off in is described in a way that makes you feel like you are there. I liked the representation as far as the lost boys went. I also really enjoyed the magic system and the way that the island interacted with the characters. Unfortunately there were a few things that I just couldn't get passed. The characters fell a bit flat for me, I don't feel that there was a whole lot of growth or development in really any of them. There was a lot of what I felt was missing information, regarding the children and how they were chosen and why. Maybe that is an explanation for book two. My real grievance with the story was Justine. There were quite a few placed where she complained about her lack of sex life while on the island. At one point she says that she isn't happy on the island due to her "dissatisfied cooch". The story is set in the late 1890s and it really ruined the era atmosphere for me to the point that I had to put the book down for a few days before I picked it back up again. Unfortunately I will not be continuing with this series. But I appreciate the chance to read this first book.

A retelling of the story of Peter Pan with a twist.

Our FMC, Justine, has hopes of love and marriage and when she sees Makbal (Peter Pan) coming to take someone else, she volunteers to go with him in her place as a chance for possible love. Once she gets to the island, she discovers that the island is broken and must figure out how to repair it.

The beginning of the book was kind of slow and hard to follow at times but around the halfway mark things really pick up and I was hooked. I read the second half of the book in one sitting because I wanted to know what happened and look forward to seeing what happens in book 2.

This is not your run-of-the-mill Peter Pan retelling. I would agree that this is a darker fantasy, but more than a repackaging of a beloved tale, it is a story of people's view and relationship of death.

The warning at the beginning of the book made me a little leery of reading it, but having finished the book, I think that the diversity and representation is very well done. It was woven seamlessly into the plot and didn't seem like an afterthought or "I need to have this and this seems like as good as spot as any."

Sadly, all of the MCs did not resonate with me. Our FMC Justine just felt flat to me—tried as I might, I couldn't find much to help me relate to her so I could have real investment. The two MMCs Mak and Hook were a little more interesting, but nothing really drew me to them. I didn't see much character development, and maybe that's being saved for the second book in the duology. The instalove/obsession was also not my favorite, but then, that tends to be a trope that I do not gravitate toward. The Lost Boys, however, were lovely (the ones that had more lines than others, anyway), and I did quite enjoy parts of the book where they shone.

The world that Jaye Viner created with this retelling is broad and lush, but I think that the tone of the book was what threw me overall. I enjoyed the chapters that gave more insight into the story and history of how we were brought to the main story, and I didn't find those to be an interruption. But I think what threw me off was the seemingly random sexual thoughts that we would come across in the middle of an adventure.

Overall it was an interesting story, but I don't think I'll be reading the second book because I wasn't pulled into the world or pulled to the characters.

Much thanks to NetGalley and Amy Sather for the eARC in exchange for my honest review of this book!

Jaye Viner’s Island of Dreams is a hauntingly beautiful reimagining of Peter Pan. It blends gothic fantasy with emotional depth. This wasn't my childhood Neverland; it was a place where dreams and death intertwine, and growing up is both a curse and a salvation. Justine is a young woman who casts a love spell in a moment of longing. Instead of ensnaring the man she intended, she accidentally binds herself to Mak. Swept away to a version of Neverland that’s equal parts paradise and purgatory, Justine finds herself mothering a band of lost boys, living out a fantasy that slowly reveals its cracks.

Viner paints the island in vivid, dreamlike hues while not shying away from the dark undercurrents. Justine’s journey from passive participant to empowered force is very satisfying and beautifully done. It’s a story about reclaiming your voice, even in a world that wants you to stay silent and small.

I love this retelling, It is similar enough to the Peter Pan I grew up with. Jaye Viner managed to weave an original tail of Found Family, Pirates, Adventure, magic, Fae, and being yourself, fighting, war, death, games and trials.

The ways the pirates were presented was well done, and the disability representation was ok at best, all the character (minus the pirates) kept equating missing a limb to not being whole and missing apart of yourself. As an amputee this is hard, cause when I first lost my leg I found myself feeling broken and not whole, but for the world around the MC to constantly shove this ideology in the MC’s face is not a particular winning point for me.

Most importantly about how sometimes we loose ourselves in the service to others, and about finding and freeing yourself from that situation. Whether it be a mentally abusive partner or family member.

The ending was so magical and romantic, I thought book 1 was wrapping up so eloquently, and BAM… no it’s not, book 2 of the duology will be coming next year.

This was a refreshing Peter Pan retelling with unexpected twists. I loved the focus on the island, the role of mothers, and the complex, frustrating-yet-captivating dynamics between Justine, Mak, and Black Hook. The writing made Justine’s inner world feel immersive, and the fairy’s point of view added a unique, disorienting layer that kept me guessing. I did get a bit confused at times about which point of view I was reading, but overall, it was a wholesome, wonder-filled story with moments that really stuck with me. Definitely recommend it to fans of retellings.

2.5 ⭐ rounded up

I tend to love retellings in almost all forms, but the execution of this left me feeling with a "what did I just read?" feeling rather than anything satisfying. The premise was intriguing and the inclusion or disabilities was nice, but the book had serious commitment issues. It kept bouncing around between vibes like it was speed dating and couldn't make up its mind. It was hard to stay engaged or invested.

One of the most jarring elements was the tonal inconsistency. One moment there were awkward sexual thoughts and the very next paragraph is talking about children. Not sure the mood I was supposed to be in, but it definitely wasn't THAT. It just felt disjointed and uncomfortable rather than meaningful or intentional.

The ending tried to drop a dramatic cliffhanger, but it just felt like the story tripped and fell off the cliff.👀

Overall, this wasn't for me but I hope it finds its people. Thank you for NetGalley, the author, and publisher for allowing me to receive an ARC for my honest opinion.