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cedrisc's review against another edition
3.0
Not a bad story of how Captain hook is created, I just didn't love it.
robotnik's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I don't even know what to say.
Retellings have this weird thing they sometimes do where they try going the dark fantasy route but they go at it so hard that they turn into a monster cheesefest and it doesn't have the effect you know the author really, really thought they were invoking. Instead, it's just silly and loses any of the real true darkness the original story had as it bastardizes the absolute shit out of it.
This was not one of those retellings.
Lost Boy was amazing from start to finish. At no point did I feel that sort of bastardization in it, and every bit of darkness was perfectly placed to make the story exactly what it needed to be.
And Peter. Peter Fuckin' Pan. This is the sort of Peter I see some people try to be all witty and suave with but absolutely ruin the things that make him Peter, even sometimes turning him into a teen because, for some reason beyond me, they think "Hot Boy Peter" is a good idea and it's probably the worst idea they ever actually had. But, this one made him darker while keeping the things to him that were Peter. And it was fantastic.
Everything about this book was brutal and heart-breaking and that last few chapters kicked me in the teeth. Bless this book and bless Christine Henry for penning this dark take on the Pan mythos.
Retellings have this weird thing they sometimes do where they try going the dark fantasy route but they go at it so hard that they turn into a monster cheesefest and it doesn't have the effect you know the author really, really thought they were invoking. Instead, it's just silly and loses any of the real true darkness the original story had as it bastardizes the absolute shit out of it.
This was not one of those retellings.
Lost Boy was amazing from start to finish. At no point did I feel that sort of bastardization in it, and every bit of darkness was perfectly placed to make the story exactly what it needed to be.
And Peter. Peter Fuckin' Pan. This is the sort of Peter I see some people try to be all witty and suave with but absolutely ruin the things that make him Peter, even sometimes turning him into a teen because, for some reason beyond me, they think "Hot Boy Peter" is a good idea and it's probably the worst idea they ever actually had. But, this one made him darker while keeping the things to him that were Peter. And it was fantastic.
Everything about this book was brutal and heart-breaking and that last few chapters kicked me in the teeth. Bless this book and bless Christine Henry for penning this dark take on the Pan mythos.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Child death
kasija's review against another edition
3.0
Peter's best friend Jamie is telling his story. Of how Peter finds boys in the other place and lures them to his island by promising them fun and friendship.
The writing isn't fancy, but it surely fits. It took until the last chapter for me to figure out how the story would end. And now I'm curious to read the author's other books of this kind, as the shed a whole new light on these characters we thought we knew.
The writing isn't fancy, but it surely fits. It took until the last chapter for me to figure out how the story would end. And now I'm curious to read the author's other books of this kind, as the shed a whole new light on these characters we thought we knew.
carlyraelehman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nutm3g3's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
th3bookthief's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
trust_your_soul's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jenpaul13's review against another edition
4.0
Peter Pan is a familiar tale of a mischievous boy who never grows up, but with a critical eye toward his behavior in Christina Henry's Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook, the darkness behind his fun, adventuring loving nature is revealed.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Peter brought Jamie to his island where there are no rules and you never grow up so that Jamie could have fun with him, adventuring across the island, battling with pirates, and swimming with mermaids. Over the many years, Peter has brought new boys to the island and Jamie is the one who winds up looking after the boys and caring about their welfare. Through seeing Peter's attitude toward the well-being of the other boys, Jamie's love for Peter begins to wane, especially as Peter's behavior becomes more blatantly lethal in his manipulations, and Jamie slowly realizes that he seems to be growing up little by little. As Jamie tries to prevent harm from coming to the few remaining boys on the island, he comes to face off against Peter, finally assuming a new identity.
An inventive reimagining of Peter Pan, this story sheds a new light on the manipulative boy who never grows up and provides clarity on the origin of the "villainous" Captain Hook. Through showing Peter as Jamie's perspective of him shifts and he becomes more disenchanted with Peter and the island, readers gain a greater understanding that how a character is perceived depends upon numerous factors and how opinions can change over time based on new insight. Dark and gritty, the narrative elicits horrors in the shape of actual monsters and gruesome battles between the pirates and the boys, and even within the ranks of the boys, that demonstrate the monsters buried within each person.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Peter brought Jamie to his island where there are no rules and you never grow up so that Jamie could have fun with him, adventuring across the island, battling with pirates, and swimming with mermaids. Over the many years, Peter has brought new boys to the island and Jamie is the one who winds up looking after the boys and caring about their welfare. Through seeing Peter's attitude toward the well-being of the other boys, Jamie's love for Peter begins to wane, especially as Peter's behavior becomes more blatantly lethal in his manipulations, and Jamie slowly realizes that he seems to be growing up little by little. As Jamie tries to prevent harm from coming to the few remaining boys on the island, he comes to face off against Peter, finally assuming a new identity.
An inventive reimagining of Peter Pan, this story sheds a new light on the manipulative boy who never grows up and provides clarity on the origin of the "villainous" Captain Hook. Through showing Peter as Jamie's perspective of him shifts and he becomes more disenchanted with Peter and the island, readers gain a greater understanding that how a character is perceived depends upon numerous factors and how opinions can change over time based on new insight. Dark and gritty, the narrative elicits horrors in the shape of actual monsters and gruesome battles between the pirates and the boys, and even within the ranks of the boys, that demonstrate the monsters buried within each person.