Book: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn AndersonGenre: Fantasy/ Fairy Tale Retelling
Rating:★★★★☆
For: Classic Double Challenge
From: Bought for Kindle
Guys, I wasn't sure about this one at first! It was a little hard for me to get into and I wasn't sure I'd stick with it. I felt like there was a lot of telling and no showing, and I wasn't sure I cared about anyone at all, not Tink, not Tiger Lily, not Tik Tok.
But then.... something happened and it all changed and I suddenly became very invested and once I picked it up again, I finished it in just a day or two and then couldn't stop thinking about it!
How strange is that for a reaction to a book? I'm not sure what's going on here!!
So the first bit that was a little boring for me was all the world setting, letting us know that everything was from Tinker Bell's point of view as she follows Tiger Lily around. There was much setting establishment going on, and it seemed to take forever. During this time, Tiger Lily rescues some dude from a ship wreck and her whole village is aghast and appalled. And I wasn't sure what this dude had to do with anything.
But then, finally, we get to Peter Pan. And I think that's when things start getting interesting, and things start happening and things start becoming a bit more crazy.
It was fun to see the familiar characters we know put into this different (and yet familiar) setting. Peter Pan does lead a gang of lost boys, they are on the run from Captain Hook, everyone fears them, though they really are quite harmless. Tiger Lily strikes up a friendship with them, even though it's pretty much forbidden for her to do so and so of course the sparks fly between her and Peter Pan, which causes all sorts of problems back home. And course there are crocodiles and deadly mermaids and an island that contains them all!
And then Wendy comes and ruins everything. And the dude that Tiger Lily has rescued gets better and really ruins everything. And of course Captain Hook... he always ruins everything. (Even though.. why do I always feel sorry for him?)
Well, and so I got used to the lyrical style of this book and ended up loving it. I loved the re-telling that it was and found it all to be quite... dare I say it... poignant! Yep. That's what it was indeed.
(And now I need to go finish the original book, where a book mark has been half way through it for years now!)
Bottom line: A really awesome and fascinating retelling of the classic Peter Pan story.
Other Reviews:
The ending, as I said, is heartbreaking, but also happy. From Annette's Book Spot
It’s been weeks since I closed Tiger Lily with one of the most content sighs I’ve had all year, and yet I’m still struggling to find the words to describe something so beautiful in its story, characters, and words. From Book Harbinger
At it's heart, it's a story of first love, and Anderson captures all the turbulence of that perfectly. From Book Nut
And if this Tinker Bell was a little more serious than I expected and this Tiger Lily a little more unbridled and fierce, well, that only made me love them more. From Angieville
The writing is powerful and lyrical and even though it didn't end how I necessarily wanted it to, I believed it, and that really matters. From The Book Nest
I recently read a book like that... couldn't get into it in the beginning, but out of nowhere it grabbed me and didn't let go. It was almost like reading two different books.
ReplyDeleteCheapthrills: It's weird and cool, when that happens.
DeleteI hadn't realized anyone had done any spinoff stories of Peter Pan. This sounds like fun!
ReplyDeleteLisa: I recommend, though I know that some people have not really liked it. So try it and see!
DeleteWould you say the ending of this book was more happy or more sad? This is the second positive review I've read and I'm thinking of giving it a try, but am far less interested if it has a sad ending!
ReplyDeleteDD: Good question! I think, more happy. Ish. But things don't work out perfectly either. But... just read it!
DeleteSuey, I'm so happy it kicked in for you partway through. I think I know what you mean. It's all so . . . different for awhile. And you don't know how you feel about things. And then it just suddenly means so very much.
ReplyDeleteAngie: Exactly! Gah, it was weird how it flipped me from one side to the other so fast!
DeleteI went through the EXACT same process when I read this. I was like...this is ok..it's nice but nothing...and then I finished it and I couldn't stop thinking about it for WEEKS. My mind was like....whaaaat just happened?
ReplyDeleteElizabeth: I love it! Yeah, somehow it grabbed the emotions, that's for sure.
DeleteHi Suey,
ReplyDeleteI saw your post on the Paris sewers...would you recommend this? Did it smell?
Pat
Pat: I loved it just because I'm such a huge Les Mis fan and imagining Jean Valjean doing his thing down there was cool. BUT, yes, it did smell, pretty bad. And there wasn't a whole lot to the "tour". We did it because it was covered on our museum pass, but had we just gone and paid the money straight up? I think we would have felt it to not be worth it.
DeleteI didn't know if I liked the book or not after finishing, but I also couldn't stop thinking about it. I loved a lot of things about it, and I loved how unique it was and the writing was awesome! I'm glad you finally go into it.
ReplyDeleteI like fairy tale retellings, especially ones that show the story from a different point of view or a minor character's perspective. This one looks really interesting!
ReplyDelete