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"From the national bestselling author of Alice comes a familiar story with a dark hook--a tale about Peter Pan and the friend who became his nemesis, a nemesis who may not be the blackhearted villain Peter says he is ..."-- "On an island lives a boy called Peter and his band of merry lost boys, young forever. That is, unless they get sick or killed by pirates or eaten by crocodiles or unless--inexplicably--they grow old. For some of them do grow old, and nobody knows why. One of these boys is called Jamie, and he was the first boy that Peter ever brought to the island. Jamie's lived there for longer than he can remember, and it's not all fun and games. Peter thinks the boys are replaceable, that if one dies or grows up, he can swap in another from the Other Place, the place where he collects new playmates. Jamie looks out for the boys and takes care of them. He does everything Peter does not. Jamie tries to keep them alive because, to him, they matter. When Peter steals a boy who is too young, Jamie takes the boy under his wing. But Peter won't have that, for nobody will ever take Jamie from him. Ever"--… (more)
User reviews
I kept expecting the story to gain more plot and/or depth and it never really did. It just plods along and ends exactly as you expect it to. The Many Eyed Ones seemed interesting at first and I was excited for our first encounter with them; but even that feel flat for me once it was revealed what they were...it just wasn't that big of a mystery.
Basically the big reveal is that Peter Pan is a cruel forever child, which seems anti-climatic if you think about it. I mean imagine if you were stuck between the ages of 7 to 15 forever; there’s a lot of cruelty and thoughtlessness that happens in those years. Imagine if you are never held accountable for your actions or learn about consequences. I am not saying all kids are cruel, but if you were living in that sort of environment there would be no reason to not be selfish and immature. The whole story seems like...well duh.
Unfortunately there was nothing in the story here that really hooked me and drew me in. It was boring from beginning to end and I almost stopped reading it quite a few times. This is a book I truly could have skipped. I suppose if you worship Peter Pan as a symbol of hope and innocence then this book might floor you, but I have always thought Peter Pan was creepy and cruel so this book was nothing new for me.
Overall this is one I would skip. If you are looking for a dark expansion on the Peter Pan mythos that is interesting and builds an amazing dark world around the Peter Pan story I would recommend checking out Brom's book The Child Thief. That is an amazing book about a darker look at the Peter Pan mythology and history.
I have a weakness for villains but Jamie really doesn't feel like a villain in this story. I really enjoyed seeing Peter Pan, the island, and the other boys from Jamie's point of view. Jamie was the first boy that Peter brought to the island and he is the favorite. He takes care of the others and keeps things in line. For a boy that will never grow up he is really very mature.
Peter wasn't the lovable innocent child that I know from the Disney movie. Not at all. Peter was cunning and thought only of himself. He brings boys to the island so that he will forever have playmates and he wants them all to love him. That doesn't mean that he cares about them all that much because if they die or get hurt he can just go and get more boys. Peter wants things the way that he wants them and he has all of the power on the island so the boys follow his lead.
The story had a lot of exciting moments. I was happy to see the things that I remember from my limited knowledge of Peter Pan including the pirates, the tree, and mermaids. I was also thrilled to see a few surprises along the way. This was definitely not a Disney movie and some of the scenes were actually quite violent. There were plenty of characters to like and a few to hate. Once the book hit the mid-point the action really didn't let up until the final page.
I would recommend this book to others. I thought it was a really well done story with great characters. This is the first book by Christina Henry that I have read but I hope to read more in the future.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via First to Read.
Lost Boy is Jamie’s story. Jamie is the first boy that Peter Pan brought to his island. He is also the defacto father-figure for the other boys, but only because he is the
Everything changes when Peter brings back a boy who is younger than usual. Charlie is only five years old, and takes much of Jamie’s time and attention. Much of the book deals with Peter’s jealousy over Charlie and Jamie’s relationship and the schemes of Peter to separate Jamie from the young boy.
The addition of Nip and Sal bring further complications, of which you will need to read yourself.
And then after many crying jags (mine) – Captain Hook.
Suffice it to say, I will never look at Peter Pan the same again. I am now and forever a Captain Hook fan.
A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher. (A huge thank you to Berkley Publishing Group!)
Rating: 95/100
Buy this book July 4th!
But, in this telling of the tale, Henry writes the "lost boy" tale of Captain Hook, and how he became
Wonderfully written! Engaging. Spell-binding. I didn't want to put the book down!
And for once, you might find yourself rooting for Hook, rather than Pan!
Thoroughly enjoyable with surprise twists and turns on every page.
I give this book five stars,
a BIG thumbs up,
and my recommendation for a fun read!
You can pre-order the book on Amazon.com, the paperback is $9.61 plus shipping and handling, or the Kindle version is $11.99. Be sure to add this to your summer reading fun!
****DISCLAIMER: This book was provided by Amazon Vine in exchange for a fair and impartial review. The book reviewed was a pre-print copy and may not reflect the final printing. All opinions above are solely those of this reviewer and may not reflect the opinion of other reviewers.
Despite my initial reservations, I was quickly sucked into the story of how Jamie, the first and
Received via First to Read.
**content note: abuse, murder**
I adored Henry's Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass inspired novels, and was very excited to discover this book. Sadly, I wasn't grabbed by this one they way I was the first two. There are many good aspects of the story, but in
It is a nasty, destructive, story, with the environment of the island being steadily destroyed along with Jamie's love for and faith in Peter. It is Lord of the Flies, but through the eyes of someone who loves those he is with, and who watches them die, and die and die. Peter's glee in destroying everyone that Jamie comes to love is soul-destroying, both for the reader, and for Jamie.
Oh, and the entire two female characters are also horribly murdered.
Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook is a reimagining of the Peter Pan tale with a harsh edge of reality. Peter Pan is the funloving eternally young boy, but he also has the negative aspects of a child as well. He lies to garner support and cover his horrible actions, not really caring who he hurts. He embodies the callousn and selfish nature of children who simply can't understand another's experience. For instance, lost boys die occasionally and Peter simply goes to the Other Place to get another without a second thought. This is one of a great many examples and it feels accurate on a bigger scale. The island itself is full of dangers. Creatures called the many eyed keep expanding their territory and eat children they encounter. Crocodiles or mermaids or pirates can lead to a swift death. Even disease can cause death. Multiple children have died from infection or some sort of contagion with no medical supplies or treatment available. Neverland is a lot less idyllic here.
Jamie, the very first lost boy, is a pillar of his community, reasonable, sensitive, and loyal. For years, he has seen others come and go. He knows Peter's moods, rules, and manipulations. Through it all, he's the one who takes care of the lost boys, whether it's cheering them up, tending their wounds, stopping fights, teaching them how to survive, and burying their bodies if they don't. Magically lengthy youth doesn't mean immortality for all. Peter is too busy having fun to do any of this and doesn't really care what happens to them. At first, Jamie admires Peter and feels special to be chosen. Over time, he becomes disillusioned and realizes how monstrous Peter can be. I felt Jamie's frustration at Peter's selfish behavior and disregard for consequences, especially regarding a new lost boy who just wanted to bully others and the boy he took too young to take care of himself. The inevitable ending is tragic and went a different way than I expected.
Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook is a takes a dark fantasy version of Peter Pan. I had a couple problems with it. The only girl in the novel dies to give Jamie further angst. If this was supposed to be a horror reimagining, I expected a little more darkness and blood. I also didn't really like the many eyed creatures and found that it didn't really mesh with the rest of Neverland. Other than that, this is a decent retelling with some fun twists and turns.
This is Hook's story, and his version is a little different than Peter's.
He was the very first Lost Boy Peter brought to the magical island, his first friend, and he promised Jamie, as
As Peter brought in more Lost Boys, though, things started to change. It took a very long time before Jamie started to recognize those changes, and what they meant.
Jamie/Hook is no saint, but this isn't the black-hearted villain Peter describes, either. And he has some very real grievances.
Jamie becomes the one who takes care of the younger boys, while Peter pursues his own version of fun with whoever can keep up.
Peter is jealous of the increasing attachment of the other boys to Jamie that results from that.
And Jamie finds that, after more than a hundred seasons on the island, changes are happening to him, and they include him now being taller than Peter, not shorter. Along with the physical changes, his ideas about what's wrong with how Peter treats himself and the other boys are becoming stronger and clearer.
This is a really interesting portrait of a boy with no adult guidance at all trying to grow up. It's very absorbing and satisfying.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
#beatthebacklist
#mountTBR
#LostboyBuddyRead
It is a good book. I felt, personally, that the first part of it dragged on too long: not content with showing us one or two or three awful things Peter did to cause suffering among the boys, Henry shows Peter doing tons of such things. I felt like the first half (or more) of the book was a bit of a slog as a result: I didn't particularly enjoy reading about three-year-old Charlie crying and being threatened and feeling terrified and I was so impatient to get to the part of the book where things start coming unstuck for Peter. That part did come, and I was rewarded for my persistence, but it still felt a bit unsatisfying that a book of less than 300 pages could drag.
Pacing issues aside though, if you like dark retellings and you're suspicious of everything in Peter Pan, this is a good read. (Jun 2019)
I tend to really enjoy Peter Pan stories, moreso as I get older and understand growing up a bit more. This may be my favorite iteration to date; it's demented, horrific and utterly thrilling. I couldn't put it down, I finished it in only a few sittings which
All the Peter Pan lore is here, but it's such a fresh take and makes total sense. The dread is evident on every page and you can't help but hope this will have a happy ending and it has anything but. Sally and Jamie's relationship was genuinely touching and Peter's bloodlust and selfishness isn't all that far off from the original character so it matched wonderfully.
Unfortunately, it ignored a lot of established backstory of Captain Hook and facts about Peter Pan, Neverland, etc. I would not mind ignoring a few things, but it felt too much to me, like the author did not really care about the source material. Maybe this story would have worked better on its own, not as a retelling. Plus, there is an unneccesary romance that just does not fit into the story at all.
Peter finds and brings stray boys to the magical island, but it is Jamie who really looks after them, and sees to their safety. Peter doesn’t really care if a boy dies, he just goes and gets a new one but when he brought Charlie home, Jamie was concerned as firstly Charlie was too young and secondly, from things that Charlie tells him, he had a loving home and a mother. All too soon Peter is bored by Charlie and looking for ways to get rid of him. Peter is also insanely jealous of Jamie, and doesn’t want him spending his time caring for the others.
The author delivers a gruesome story that has a constant feeling of menace. As it builds to an exciting conclusion, we see how Jamie is forced to join the pirates and become the grown-up hunter of Peter Pan rather than the companion. A interesting take on the original story with plenty of violence and gore.
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Loved it. Makes Hook a very sympathetic character, whilst tremaining true to the original book. Clever and dark.