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

adventurous dark sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I had a hard time figuring out what rating to give this book. The writing was well done and I was interested enough that I didn't DNF it. However, the whole time I read it I didn't quite like it, maybe because it's just not my jam. It was brutal, violent, and certainly dark, but not what I would call horror. Lost Boy was very Lord of the Flies - esque, a book all these years later I look back on with strong dislike. 

I didn't feel like I had time to emotionally connect with the lost boys but still found it hard to listen to the details of their gruesome deaths. The pacing was also hard for me. It took a while to get going, then most of the fast-paced action involved graphic violence. I liked the ending but it felt rushed and I was left thinking, "Wait, that was it?" 

The book did a fine job showing why Hook hates Peter Pan so much (in this prequel at least which doesn't rely heavily on the original story of Peter Pan), but it painted Peter in a purely evil light. I hoped there would be more shades to him rather than a completely selfish, conniving, unhinged, uncaring jerk. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings