Nikki St Crowe’s, ‘The Dark One’, a deliciously dark, reverse harem erotic tale is the second installment in the fantasy trilogy of ‘The Vicious Lost Boys.’
This dark re-envisioning of Peter and Wennie exhibits enemies to lovers’ troops in the most exciting way.
In this book, you can expect lots of hate kissing, bickering, action, jealousy, revenge, and extremely possessive vibes like, ‘Lay your finger on her, I’ll kill you.’
So if you are a fan of hot, ruthless, morally gray love interests then ‘The Dark one and the lost boys’ is your way to go.
Part 1: Book Review of ‘The Dark One’
The story of ‘The Dark One’ picks up right after ‘The Never King’ ended.
The interesting saga of this mysterious fantasy started with Peter Pan, the broody king who was trying to reclaim the shadow that was taken away from him by Tinkerbell.
To achieve his goal, he was keenly desperate to enter Hook’s land as it was the only way left for him to get back his powers and change Neverland into the way that it once was.
As soon as the venture started, the tension between Peter and frenemy Captain Hook and Fae increased.
The evil intentions of Captain Hook were evident when he didn’t want Peter to have his powers back and it was shown that it was him who wanted to steal his shadow.
But unfortunately, it was only possible if he could solve the mystery to claim it.
On the other hand, we got a little more information about the twins Kash, Bash, and even Vane.
To be honest, the story of the twins stole the show for me. Their struggle and dilemma for choosing between the loyalty they had for Peter and their birthright were tremendously written.
Not to forget the depiction of their pain throughout the story, it was heart-rending.
Even Van’s past was equally painstaking.
Oh, man! It was excruciating.
Meanwhile, Winnie, the female protagonist of this story entered like a gusty wind into the lives of lost boys.
She was everything that the boys thought they never needed. Hail to the author, Nikki for showing a stupendous progression in Winnie’s character.
I loved every moment when she decided to stay in Neverland and was finally ready to stand and claim everything which she believed was her own.
The way she started getting fearless and confident around the boys was another proud moment to witness in this story.
On top of that it was enthralling to read about her spicy escapades with the boys. Moreover, the way she supported Peter to accomplish his mission was a roller coaster ride.
Despite so much plotting and rivalry between Peter Pan and his frenemies, he succeeded.
Although at times, the plot was much more predictable. I didn’t mind that.
Furthermore, ‘The Dark One’ had a lot of steamy sex scenes with which the author managed to raise the heat and whisked us away to a different Neverland.
Overall I enjoyed the book, as it had the perfect mix of friendship, loyalty, betrayal, lust, and action.
Trust me, I can’t wait to get my hands on its next part. All thanks to the author’s epic cliffhanger.
Part 2: Story Plot and the Characters of ‘The Dark One’
Story Plot of ‘The Dark One’
‘The Dark one’ is a dark twisted reverse harem retelling of Peter Pan.
The story started right after ‘Never Kings’ ended.
Peter was struggling to find his shadow to get his powers back so that he would turn Neverland the way it was back then.
In between the author unfolded the mysteries and the back stories of the twins (Kas & Bash) and even Vane.
Meanwhile, Wennie decided to stay in Neverland and finally learned to stand and claim what she believed as her own.
So many hot and steamy encounters between Wennie and the boys were combined with the actions by the author in the best possible way.
At last, despite so much plotting and rivalry between the Pan and his frenemies Captain Hook, and Fae, he got his shadow back.
Characters of ‘The Dark One’
1. Winnie Darling
An eighteen years old girl, with brown hair and green eyes, was a distant relative of Wendy Darling who got kidnapped by Peter Pan.
Initially, she was helpless and felt agonized while remembering her mother, Mary’s words.
Mary (who was a prostitute) told her how Peter Pan will come on her eighteenth birthday and break her.
As the story progressed, I got to see a tremendous progression in her character.
From someone who felt alone and powerless all her life, she turned into someone who knew what she wanted and was ready to claim what hat she believed was her own.
I loved the part where it was shown that she was no longer afraid of Peter Pan and the lost boys which made them confused.
She was the one who knew what she wanted. I liked her character better as the story progressed.
2. Peter Pan & the lost boys
You will either love or hate the male characters of this story. There is nothing in between.
Although among the four boys, you will surely get to hate Peter and Vane initially, especially the latter one more.
But as soon as their background stories will start to reveal, you will feel the opposite.
Peter Pan
Peter Pan, the king, musing, and just so delicious.
In ‘The Dark One’ his rivalry with Captain Hook and Fray was one of the main plots.
He was the one who kidnapped Wennie Darling but I still loved his and Winnie’s dynamics.
It was so fun to witness how he started feeling for someone whom he said he would never touch.
Vane
Vane was one of the most interesting characters in this book.
Although we got to know the bits of his painful past, there’s still a lot more that’s left to got unveiled in the next part.
Since the time Wennie laid her eyes on him, I found him and their chemistry compelling.
Although his friendship with Peter is one of the best things for me in this series.
It would be a lie if I will say that I am not excited as well as nervous to see how their bond will stand up once the crocodile will arrive.
Twins – Kas & Bash
One of my favorite characters – is Kas and Bash.
The twins were undoubtedly mischievous, and notorious but their curiosity always land them in trouble.
In this series, their background story and their loyalty toward Peter stole the whole show.
It was so sad to see how they felt pain throughout the series was so heartbreaking.
