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A review by themermaddie
Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry
5.0
you know i LOVE a retelling that flips the original, and this one is truly the cream of the crop. a dark and brutally gory captain hook origin story, i could not put this down and read it all in one sitting. henry's writing is beautiful and full of prose, and young jamie's narrative voice is spellbinding.
i loved this book SO much. the characterisation of all the boys, of peter, and the way the decades all bleed together in jamie's mind is amazing. it's surprisingly bloody, a welcome creative decision that emphasises the brutality of peter's lackadaisical approach to the boys he brings to the island. peter is made SUCH a villain in this retelling in a way that makes complete sense, and he makes a truly great antagonist. the way jamie narrates the story is very fable-like and so full of horrible foreshadowing that filled me with dread every step of the way, and i loved all his little observations on the nature of growing up, at once so bittersweet and still longing for the impossibility of adulthood OR childhood.
THIS is how you do a dark retelling. Lost Boy is sure to be a timeless classic.
i loved this book SO much. the characterisation of all the boys, of peter, and the way the decades all bleed together in jamie's mind is amazing. it's surprisingly bloody, a welcome creative decision that emphasises the brutality of peter's lackadaisical approach to the boys he brings to the island. peter is made SUCH a villain in this retelling in a way that makes complete sense, and he makes a truly great antagonist. the way jamie narrates the story is very fable-like and so full of horrible foreshadowing that filled me with dread every step of the way, and i loved all his little observations on the nature of growing up, at once so bittersweet and still longing for the impossibility of adulthood OR childhood.
THIS is how you do a dark retelling. Lost Boy is sure to be a timeless classic.