A review by eatingfiction
Heartless by H.G. Parry

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I only wish I had read this alone and curled up in my reading chair, so I could openly weep. Instead I had to finish my lunch break and go back to my customer service job as if I hadn't just been utterly torn apart.

Peter Pan has long been a favourite of mine and I'll eat up any retelling that promises to do something interesting with the original tale -- or, in a case such as this, is written by a favourite author. H.G. Parry is a brilliant writer, as she proves again in this novella. As she tells the story of James, a young Captain Hook, she paints a world that dances between grimy and magical with just the right echoes of the original J.M. Barrie story.

Heartless is haunting, charming, frightening, and lovely. It's painful and inevitable in the way a good prequel is. It's a magical and tragical love letter to Peter Pan. Any fan will eat this up, and I highly recommend you do.

I can't wait to read it again. 
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