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A review by agriffin
Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry
5.0
"Lost Boy" was everything I had hoped it would be. When I read Henry's debut novel, "Alice", I was unable to put it down. The combination of mystery and darkness that was tied to a lot of relatable motivations and emotions, gripped me from the very first chapter.
As a lot of Hook origin stories go, Peter Pan is the bad guy. However, Henry seemed to take it a step further and really turned Pan into a cruel and heartless monster. His motivations and actions were so appalling that many times, I found myself gapping at the pages in shock and outrage. On the other hand, Jaime (aka Hook), was very relatable to me. There were many times when he acted as a provider, that reminded me of being an older sibling. The fear of growing up and facing the truth of things from a new, informed perspective, speaks to any adult reader. Who doesn't believe that being a kid will be fun forever? That rules are overrated? And who doesn't grow up at some point when faced with the harshness of reality? Jaime's struggle to accept Peter as he is and grow up, was one of my favorite aspects of the novel.
I hesitate to say this as "horror" filled as Henry's previous novels, as I feel like this lacks some of the gore I read in "Alice" (I didn't see that level in gore in "Red Queen", either). However, Peter Pan is truly horrifying in this retelling. And he's not so far from people we see in everyday in life. So, I will say this book is haunting more than horrifying. And it's a truly thought provoking look at growing up and reality.
So for anyone who enjoyed "Alice", loves a fairytale retelling that is more dark and gritty, or just adores Christina Henry's work in general, you should pick this up.
As a lot of Hook origin stories go, Peter Pan is the bad guy. However, Henry seemed to take it a step further and really turned Pan into a cruel and heartless monster. His motivations and actions were so appalling that many times, I found myself gapping at the pages in shock and outrage. On the other hand, Jaime (aka Hook), was very relatable to me. There were many times when he acted as a provider, that reminded me of being an older sibling. The fear of growing up and facing the truth of things from a new, informed perspective, speaks to any adult reader. Who doesn't believe that being a kid will be fun forever? That rules are overrated? And who doesn't grow up at some point when faced with the harshness of reality? Jaime's struggle to accept Peter as he is and grow up, was one of my favorite aspects of the novel.
I hesitate to say this as "horror" filled as Henry's previous novels, as I feel like this lacks some of the gore I read in "Alice" (I didn't see that level in gore in "Red Queen", either). However, Peter Pan is truly horrifying in this retelling. And he's not so far from people we see in everyday in life. So, I will say this book is haunting more than horrifying. And it's a truly thought provoking look at growing up and reality.
So for anyone who enjoyed "Alice", loves a fairytale retelling that is more dark and gritty, or just adores Christina Henry's work in general, you should pick this up.