But I do admit I was going to be very disappointed if it was about Peter Pan asking Wendy to ...
349392
I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.

I did not know what to expect from this book when I started reading it. All I knew was the title. But I do admit I was going to be very disappointed if it was about Peter Pan asking Wendy to sew his shadow back on. Fortunately this was not about Peters shadow. I really liked the way this world was set up to deal with death. The Grim Reaper took souls to The Glory and the Shadowwalkers escorted people to the Eternal Darkness. When things go terribly wrong, the 2 opposing forces join together to overcome the forces of evil. This story was very well written and easy to follow with some romance thrown in to keep things from getting too intense. I will certainly be looking for the next in the series.
2091429
Not to be rude, but I have to say first that this was the first story by Suzanne Brockmann that I had read. I was confused. I had no idea why Adam was so obsessed with Robin, or who Sam was and so on.. So, it was not a smooth ride for me, being puzzled with some names which were written in a way like I should have known them but really, I did not. Like stuck in a family reunion, and not knowing more than 20 close relatives whom I should know.

I did not understand nor appreciate Adam's rejection of Tony. I did not know why Adam should, since that Tony sounded like too much of a good catch. Should there be a fag hag to slap him awake?

Tony's sudden coming-out to his SEAL mates was unbelievable. It did not feel right. As the matter continued, it did not touch the important issues of his coming-out either. And I felt that there were way too many mates to remember for a short story.

I know I sound negative here, but there are good points about this book too. Just that right now, my head is buzzling with more questions than satisfaction.
619744
This is not the typical rhyming Pete the Cat book. I was rather disappointed about this. It is a lift-the-flap book, which the kids loved. I just wish it were typical Pete the Cat.
4900446
Lost Voices was a dark and weird book to me.  I mean, I like the idea of there being something lovely for children who are abused but to me, this version of the mermaid isn't so lovely.  It's revenge-like.  I understand that these children have a hateful view of adults, but I don't think the murders are necessary.

And I didn't really care about any of the mermaids.  And after their pasts, I wanted to care but I just didn't.  Luce needed to do more instead of just hiding away in her cave.  She either needed to become the queen or defend Catarina more.  Instead, she didn't really do anything.  The only real emotion I felt was hatred for the newest mermaid Anais (and by the way, we never did find out what happened in her life to make her change into a mermaid).

I don't know.  I don't always have to read happy, light stories, but if they aren't happy then I want to feel for the characters.  And this one was just dark without getting any emotion out of me.
4137181
So I have a fundamental problem that I inevitably run into when reading anything Peter Pan related: I want Wendy and Peter to fall in love and fly off happily into the sunset together to live a magical, lovely life. Im gonna let you guess how often that happens.

That being said, Wendy Darling is actually a fairly good read for someone who ships Peter and Wendy. As long as you go into it knowing that you probably won't like the ending (because lets be honest, its impossible to have a happy ending for Peter and Wendy that stays true to the spirit of the original story), youll probably be fine.

Anyway, theres so much going for Wendy Darling. When the Darlings first set eyes on Neverland, I remember thinking now heres a Peter Pan movie I would love to watch. Colleen Oakes does a gorgeous job painting a downright mystical and magical and heres every Peter Pan fantasy I had as a child setting for us in her descriptions of Pan Island, a giant tree where Peter and his Lost Boys reside. I think thats where the true strength of this novel lies: in its colorful descriptions. You really feel like you can see the landscape and the tree houses and the magic that lives in every cell of the place.

And then theres Peter.

Colleen Oakes has aged Peter slightly so that he is around 16; hes still mischievous, misguided, rash, stubbornall the childish aspects you would expect. But this is also a very romanticized version of Pan. Wendy is inescapably drawn to him, and sparks fly between the two from the moment they meet in the Darlings nursery in London. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), Wendy has another suitor in London that has her heart. But through Peters magic, she begins to forget about the other boy, instead focusing on the boy king of Neverland. Wendy, being the grownup that she really is, starts noticing that she doesnt remember where she came from, doesnt really remember anything before Peter brought her and her brothers to Neverland.

Speaking of her brothers, John is a real jerk to Wendy. Michael is as adorable as can be, but John really turns on Wendy when they arrive in Neverland. The other Lost Boys are a mix of likable and cruel, wild things growing up without any rules (except for arbitrary ones made up by Peter when he has a whim). Peter is, for the most part, a likable and respected leader, but when it comes down to it, Wendy sees that he cares more for adventure and his own pleasures than he does for the Lost Boys. Even Tink, who is a little terrifying and a lot sad is not someone that Peter seems to truly care for. Obviously he has a certain level of affection for the fairy, but Tinks hurts go deep, and Peter doesnt seem to notice.

I knew things were going downhill once we passed the halfway point. I knew things were going to get dicey. I knew there could be no Happily Ever After for Peter and Wendy. That didn't really prepare me for the violence of the shift in Neverland itself when Peter doesnt get his way in all things.

Colleen Oakes leaves us with a hearty cliffhanger; it was rather jolting honestly. We were in the middle of action, and then all of the sudden, it was over. I thought that surely there must be more (and of course there will be a sequel, so Im not wrong). But poor Wendy has quite the journey ahead of her before she can make it back safely to her beloved nursery in London.

Wendy Darling is filled to the brim with magic, romance, sword fighting, and descriptions that will paint a gorgeous picture in your mind of a Neverland that feels so real you can almost taste it. I suppose Ill keep my fingers crossed for that happily ever after for Peter and Wendy. Who knows? Anythings possible in Neverland.

To see this review with fun visual aids, check it out on my blog, www(dot)ramblingsonreadings(dot)com
303460
This was disappointing. I thought it was going to be like the one in the movie, where you stick your fingers through. There's finger puppets but there's no hole in the book to push finger puppets through. The stories the same. I didn't want to send back, but not happy.
3481350
Now I'm no Harry Potter Fan, but I got this movie for my kids, and they were very disappointing. The one night I have custody of my kids I just wanted to watch a movie with them, but they just kept saying ridiculous things such as "That's not Harry Potter, that's Katniss" Well I got something to tell you kids, that's life. You find something you love, you cherish it, buy it a house for it, spend time with its parents, and next thing you know you walk in on it sleeping with your brother in your own bed. Needless to say, between its drug addiction, and its lack of job, the custody agreement is ridiculous, but I guess that is what we have to get used to in Obama's America.

But nonetheless, the directing was great, Jenifer Lopez plays the part of Harry very well, very true to the book, and although it was sad, it was nice to see Phillip Seymour Hoffman in one last role.
110247
it has the wrong title on this book.  Its all about Wendy and the Lost Boys don't show up until the very end of the book.  Disappointing
424761
This was supposed to be a very special surprise gift for my sister's baby shower. Little mermaid was always her favorite movie and I was the child with 4-5 of the classic Disney spinning figurine music boxes and countless other music boxes. I thought this would be the perfect sentimental gift from me to my first niece. I even paid for the expedited shipping to ensure that it would arrive in time because the standard shipping delivery range was too broad.
When the package arrived I opened it with high hopes only to immediately spot paint issues: the coloring for Ariel's hairline is not exact, flounder had a smudge that looked like it had been attempted to cover up and there was a blue paint dot on one of ariel's cheeks under her eye. She didn't spin right, in fact she barely moved at all. The tune is way too fast and honestly there are a few notes that are just completely wrong. It sounds like the music is skipping, repeating certain sections that certainly don't go with the original song. And even if you really wind it up, it doesn't last very long at all.
The old Disney music figurines I had were flawless ceramic pieces, so either Disney has gotten sloppy and cheap or this isn't authentic despite the imprint on the side which said "Disney China." I have submitted a return and refund request.
2245300
I won't write a synopsis, I'm sure there will be hundreds of people who will after this review.

My family and I all love the Harry potter stories. They are rich and enjoyable. I find myself anticipating the release of Deathly Hallows. But the movies, I'm sad to say, have recently been lacking, and that continues with this one. It seemed to begin with Prisoner of Azkaban. After watching the interviews, and discovering how Cuaron cheated by having the kids write essays on their characters instead of reading the book, I was very disappointed and the butchery of the story for the sake of time and 'Hollywood' THEN made sense. They seem to be leaving things out, important things to the story. What happened to SPEW? What happened to Hermione knitting hats? These things may not have seemed important to the over all story as portrayed in the movie, but these little touches add depth and colour to the world of Harry Potter. they could have shortened the battle with the dragon in Goblet, perhaps put in a couple of two or three minute spots about SPEW, but they chose to go for the action instead of the human touches to these stories. My daughter plans to take me to see Order of The Phoenix for my birthday. And I'm sad to say, I'm only partially looking forward to it at this point, I keep hoping that they will pull it back together.

What makes this movie worth while?  Not much. The acting is still topnotch from a lot of the actors, but it seems more like they're reading from cue boards than acting anymore.

What makes this movie stink? I outlined it above. The only reason I purchased the DVD was because my daughter adores the characters.
719099
Basically, this is just a bad remake of the famous story, offering nothing new while wrecking the charm inherent in the original.  This time it's Wendy's sourpuss daughter Jane who gets to visit Never Land, pouting and complaining all the way.  She doesn't believe in fairies yet is easily duped by Hook.  Apparently, she has selective difficulty dealing with `reality' (flying pirates are one thing, fairies quite another?).  This nasty little brat wrings all the joy out of the story, leveling it with her uncompromising bitterness, which she abruptly loses while no one is watching.  This is a dreary addition to the collection of Never Land movies.  Set during the war, which it deals with in an offhand fashion, the story drudges its way from London to Never Land.  Hook is as wily as ever, with his faithful nitwit sidekick Mr. Smee, but the famous crocodile is missing, no reason given for its disappearance.  It's replaced by an octopus (that makes for a poor substitute).  I all but hated this film at times.  It might have been passable had they not included Jane.  At least they kept Tinker Bell as the psychotic fairy she was in the original, but she has an abrupt change of heart towards the end, which entirely ruins the dynamic.
This is insufferable twaddle.
3443560
Who would want to find Neverland, just so they can never grow up like Peter Pan what a childish name for a movie. Johnny Depp is too good to be playing in boring movies like this.
2230139
It pains me to have to give a Pooh movie 1 star but I did not like this one at all. First off its more abOut Rabbit than Roo. Secondly and mostly Rabbit is mean and nasty in this movie. Instead of being his normal cranky self he's down right hateful. I love Winnie the Pooh and how my 3 year old boys love and know all the characters but Rabbit's character not only makes you dislike him but fear him. I do wish the real reason had been included. I'm not big on movies that omit the true reason behind Christmas or  Easter but unfortunately I've come to expect that. I just wish they hadn't made Rabbit so nasty. I don't plan on letting my boys watch this one again. I don't want them to dislike Rabbit's character or think that's how one behaves when upset. I thought about buying this one but decided to rent it instead. Glad I didn't buy it.
675531
I had high hopes for this book after reading the synopsis months ago, but I knew there was going to be complications.

First of all, the only character that I really liked in the entire book was Jeff, and not just because he was gay (although, I wish he wasn't). People say that many authour's nowadays are putting gay character's in their stories now, I agree to that because many books I have read in the past have best friends who turn out to be gay. I'm not against people or character's that are gay in stories, but it always turns out the best person in any book is the best friend and that is because he (yes, he, because the gay best friends are always guy's) is always there for the heroine. I do not know how he may keep up with the heroine, it is always a mystery to me.

Next, the models...

Drew, Colin and Liam. The Modelteer's! It is true that in every scene they turn up in, they are always together, fused together by the cliche hip. I think there is one scene where it is just one of them in the entire book. I really appreciate and can understand that they all care about each other and are practically brother's, but they do not need to be with each other 24/7. I wouldn't be surprised if they all went to the restroom together.

And Pandora AKA Dora. It is true when most people say once they heard the name Dora, Dora the Explorer theme song plays in your head. I haven't watched Dora the Explorer in years, but as soon as the heroine's name was said, it all came back to me in a rush and I just wasn't sure if I could get through the book. I know it wasn't intentional and Dora is just a name but it is so very hard not to think of our amigo, Dora!

Now, who can tell me what else might happen next?

Does the girl pine for all the male HAWT bod? Yes!
Does the girl feel overly insecure being around said HAWT bod models? Yes!
Does the girl become rather stupid and self conscience about all the model's getting female attention and let's one particular girl throw doubt in her face and make her feel unworthy and ends up leaving? Three times YES!

Throughout the entire book we are all trying to figure out which of the three model's are after Dora. Truly, it wasn't much a surprise when you find out who it was. If you have read up to the first meeting of one of the model's then you will know who she end's up with by the end.

Oh, and did I mention about Dora's 'gift'? Especially her mother's 'gift' and the mysterious Henry that just so happen's to know everything there is to know about Dora and the model's. I wasn't sure if this book was supposed to be fantasy or a romance, but it was definitely not a romantic comedy. It was corny and cheesy at best.
4191023
I went to see this movie at midnight the day it came out. I read the book and was addicted to it. After staying awake until 4 in the morning on a school night and being so disappointed with the movie, I was not very happy.
Here are the things I was displeased with.
1) (MOST IMPORTANTLY) Where the heck was Saruman/Sharky?! He is my favorite freaking character and they left him out!!! I'm aware that they are going to put him in the extended version dvd... but still. I was really mad.
2) The left out the entire part at the end where Saruman captures the shire and cuts all of the trees down. So mad!
3) This wasn't as big a deal to me as my first two rants were... but still; I didn't like the whole happy ending. I don't know about anyone else who read the book, but I was kind of depressed after reading it.
(...) If you want to be totally amazed, read the book and don't be a lazy-bum.(...) <3
also: If you happened to not like my review b/c I didn't give the movie five stars.... well, then you probably didn't read the book. SO ANGRY!!!
3963382
I enjoyed "Eye of the Beholder", Darcy's first book, so much that I couldn't wait for this one to be published.  From the title, I was expecting a new take on Sleeping Beauty.  Didn't get that...other than the main character being trapped in a tower and his fiancee having to rescue him.  I found both the main characters rather wishy-washy and whiny, and hard to like. There was no magic, either, which I was hoping for...isn't that what a fairy tale includes? The biggest turn-off, however, was the author's inclusion of a sex scene.  Once I hit that, that finished the book for me.  One of the the reasons I enjoy fantasy is not having to put up with that kind of stuff, and I was really disappointed to find a totally unneccessary scene added in there.  What ever happened to letting the reader's imagination supply the details?
All in all, I was so disappointed in this that I probably won't read any more of Darcy's books.  No magic, a sex scene, and wimpy characters...the kiss of death.
2603072
Not what I was expecting, so I was a bit disappointed.