Children must find not only their happiest fantasies, but their most violent and terrible nightmares. They must face their demons and laugh at them. That is the key to growing up.
Alias Hook
Lisa Jensen
Summary: Meet Captain James Benjamin Hook, a witty, educated Restoration-era privateer cursed to play villain to a pack of malicious little boys in a pointless war that never ends. But everything changes when Stella Parrish, a forbidden grown woman, dreams her way to the Neverland in defiance of Pan's rules. From the glamour of the Fairy Revels, to the secret ceremonies of the First Tribes, to the mysterious underwater temple beneath the Mermaid Lagoon, the magical forces of the Neverland open up for Stella as they never have for Hook. And in the pirate captain himself, she begins to see someone far more complex than the storybook villain.
With Stella's knowledge of folk and fairy tales, she might be Hook's last chance for redemption and release if they can break his curse before Pan and his warrior boys hunt her down and drag Hook back to their never ending game.
My Review: Wow. I enjoyed this one immensely. It was a slow, atmospheric, adult (not in the steamy way) take on Peter Pan from the villain perspective. I thought it was so interesting to reimagine Captain Hook as an actual restoration-era pirate, knowing his backstory, and how he becomes the "villainous" Captain Hook of the story, was so interesting to me. I also really enjoyed Stella as a character.
Recommended age: Adult (thematic elements)
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