A review by emleemay
The Child Thief by Brom

5.0

If the girl could only have spoken to the other boys and girls, the ones that had followed the golden-eyed boy before her, she would have known that there is always something left to lose.

This is a story you know - in a way. You remember how it goes, right? A boy called Peter appears to children and promises to take them to a better place, a place where they will never grow up and never get old. Of course we all know this story. But... what if it wasn't all that it seemed? What if Peter held back dark secrets about the place he takes the children? What if there was a more sinister reason those children never got to grow up?

What I find most surprising is that I never realised how creepy and frightening the basic premise of Peter Pan could be when twisted ever so slightly. Think about it. A mysterious boy of unknown origin creeps through the windows of children's bedrooms and lures them away in the middle of the night. Why was I never completely freaked out by this? Well, now I'm terrified.



The Child Thief is a lengthy, complex, but extremely compelling fantasy that weaves in elements of multiple folklore retellings, Arthurian mythology, historical fact and gorgeously creepy artwork. It should not be mistaken for a young adult novel, it's extremely graphic and disturbing in parts, but beautifully written and tinged with that inescapable sadness reminiscent of the original Peter Pan stories. It's at once a bloody horror story and a lesson in growing up - even the eponymous protagonist of the novel is simultaneously horrifying and endearing.

We are the lost, the wild, the untamable.

In this story, Peter seduces the children who are lost, abused and forgotten - the ones who have nothing left to lose and gladly follow the golden-eyed boy who makes enticing promises. At its core, this is a heartbreaking tale about the abandoned and unloved, and those who don't realise they're loved until it's too late. There are a lot of lessons floating around in this novel, plenty of philosophical musings on life and death. Those who believe this is vastly different from the original Peter Pan have clearly forgotten the darkness of Barrie's stories before the sugar-coated Disney version. I always remember the haunting line Peter says: "To die will be an awfully big adventure."



It is a wonderful retelling for old fans, but it also stands on its own as an intricately-woven fantasy world full of wonder and danger. The characters face multiple threats from faeries, witches, pixies, flesh eaters and - perhaps the most bloodthirsty creatures of all - humans. The ending was sad in the perfect kind of way. I love that Brom has managed to create a main character that is some parts monster and some parts hero, you will probably find yourself wondering at times which he is and deciding that he is in many ways both.

Given the powerful effect this novel had on me and the way that it is completely unlike anything I've ever read before, how could I not give it five stars?

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