Book Review - The Dark Ascension Series: The Lost Ones

About the Book
Before Captain Hook became Never Land’s villain, there were two siblings seeking a home . . . 

In The Dark Ascension Series: The Lost Ones James and Marlene have always felt out of place in their humdrum fishing village, longing to escape the quiet lives their parents envision for them. But when Marlene’s birthday wish transports them both to an unsettling, magical paradise called Never Land, they discover an unexpected alternative: the chance to stay forever with the charismatic Peter and his Lost Boys. 

As the twins delve into the island’s violent secrets, their actions reignite a conflict between the fractured Lost Boys—and for the first time in their lives, James and Marlene find themselves at odds. With a war brewing and their memories slipping away every minute they spend in Never Land, they must choose whether to stay or go. But even if the twins stand together, Never Land--and Peter--won’t allow them to leave so easily. 

How far are James and Marlene willing to go to chart their own destinies? And if the price for freedom is losing their true selves--and each other--is it worth the cost?

 
My Take on the Book
I have always loved the Peter Pan story, and in this story, you get taken behind the scenes to better understand who Captain Hook is (or at least was) and why he is the way he is regarding how he feels about Peter Pan. The story humanizes James Hook as a boy and as a man and lets you see and understand him on a deeper level. In the end, you get to see the decisions that James makes and how this impacts his life and, in the end, turns him into the Captain Hook that you know. The book is a great read and something that really made me rethink and reconsider how I felt about Captain Hook, and it will do the same to you too!

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Book Review - The Dark Ascension Series: The Wicked Ones

About the Book
In The Dark Ascension Series: The Wicked Ones, Drizella and Anastasia only know one thing for certain: they will never end up like their mother, Lady Tremaine. When their father left them as young girls, he took what was left of their family’s fortune and their mother’s dignity with him. A few years and one deceased stepfather later, the only version of Lady Tremaine that Drizella and Anastasia know is a bitter and cruel head of house. Anastasia and Drizella have promised themselves―and each other―that they'll be different. They'll find love, see the world, and never let their hearts go cold.

But both sisters are all too aware of what it can mean when cast into disfavor with their mother, and fueled by Lady Tremaine’s tendencies to pit the daughters against one another, Drizella and Anastasia are locked into a complicated waltz of tenuous sisterhood. On the cusp of the royal debut party―their one chance to impress the Prince and live up to their mother’s expectations―the sisters at last get a glimpse of what life could be like outside of Lady Tremaine’s intentions: Drizella discovering a love of science and Anastasia sparking a secret romance. But never underestimate the power a mother whose greatest talents lie in manipulation, and the sisters may learn that even the cruelest of hearts can spill blood.

This first book in the new Disney Villains Dark Ascension series by National Book Award-winning author Robin Benway explores the complex sibling rivalry between the two wicked stepsisters from Cinderella that turned them into the characters we know today.

 

My Take on the Book

As a Disney fan, I have to say that I love these stories that make you consider characters and stories in a whole new way. In this book, you will get to see characters that you have come to know, love, and despise, such as Drizella & Anastasia, their mother, Lady Tremaine, and, of course, Cinderella.

In this book, you get a brand new story that delves deeper into the lives of the stepsisters and the backstory of who they were in the movie. The book is definitely not a lighthearted tale; while I do not condone the bullying that they did to Cinderella, the author does allow you to see them in a new way and allows you to see how they became the people that you came to know them as.

The plot was easy to follow, and it does interweave well with the overall Cinderella story, too. You get to learn so much about Drizella and Anastasia and gain better insight into their dreams, their wants, and more. In the end, the sisters have some large decisions to make about who they are and who they want to be, and whether they will do what they must do to escape the grasp of their mother.

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