Review: Another Pan

John and Wendy Darling are students at the prestigious Marlowe School for the rich, fabulous, and special - and being neither rich nor fabulous nor particularly special, they are only allowed to attend because their father is a teacher there.  John is determined to spend the year reinventing himself as a cool guy, not just a scrawny dweeb.  Wendy just wants to get a job, do well in school, and stay with her steady (if unexciting) boyfriend Connor.


Both their plans are derailed with the arrival of Peter.  The new RA, Peter is dangerous, sexy, exciting: everything Wendy secretly wants and everything John secretly wants to be.  Peter has come searching for an ancient Egyptian book, a book housed at Marlowe, a book which can open a gate to the underworld.  Peter wants the secret to eternal life.  The Dark Lady wants to corrupt the human world.  John wants an adventure, and he's convinced the underworld will make him cooler.  Wendy just wants things back to normal - and she wants Peter to look at her the way he looks at his sidekick Tina...


Entertainment: ★★★★


It was confusing, but really exciting, and I loved both the ties to Egyptian mythology and history, and the Peter Pan story.


Plot: ★★


Frankly I spent the first half of the book with only a vague understanding of what on earth was going on.  Maybe the first two-thirds.  The plot gets bonus points for being exciting and fast-paced and interesting, but loses a lot for being just too confusing.


Characters: ★★★★★


Okay, Peter is officially my favorite character ever.  First of all, I loved how he was updated for a modern story - his LBs (Lost Boys, but shortened for texting) have become a network of teenagers from all around the world.  Peter is constantly clued in to everything that goes on, everywhere.  Also, as a character, he was just plain badass.  I loved reading about him.


Otherwise, I thought the twist on the crocodile was clever and amusing.  I thought John was both relatable and a little pitiable, a very rare character type.  The villain was actually rather creepy.  Also, did I mention that I loved Peter?


Writing: ★★★

It was, overall, pretty well written.

End Result: four stars.  A good book, definitely worth your time.