Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry

43 reviews

juliezantopoulos's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was the dark Hook origin story/Peter Pan retelling that I didn't know I wanted but for sure did. I adore Peter Pan retellings (much more than the original) and this one was gory, and brutal, and heartbreaking. I loved it! I have yet to see a Peter Pan retelling that paints Peter in a positive light, and this one sure didn't. I loved the spin and even though the story itself was harrowing it spoke to trauma, loss, grief, and family. It didn't shy away from difficult topics, abuse, or violence, but that's the way life is sometimes. This one isn't for the faint of heart or those who want a retelling with faeries and lighthearted games...you won't find that here. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Physical abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Bullying, and Child abuse

amanda_t's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Very, VERY dark. As someone who absolutely loves the Peter Pan story, I was not a huge fan of this version of Peter for obvious reasons. But I can't deny that this book absolutely gripped me and pulled on my heartstrings and I couldn't put it down! I have my own ideas of Peter's character, and this was most certainly not it. But despite it being much more gruesome than I would like, the writing was really beautiful. I absolutely fell in love with Jamie. The lore about how the island works and the flying element just didn't feel right to me, but the writing of Jamie's character and the writing style itself was just phenomenal. If you love it when classic tales are twisted into dark, terrifying things, you would love this book. If, like me, you're a tad squeamish and you prefer your tales a little closer to the original, maybe pass. Honestly, it hurts me a little to think that some people may read this book, and now will always think of Peter Pan as a darker story than it was ever intended. ALSO absolutely look at the content warnings before reading! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Violence, and Gore

Moderate: Animal death and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Domestic abuse

keen's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Blood, Death, Violence, Child death, and Grief

Moderate: Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Kidnapping