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ellipsiscool's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. I loved it so much that when I was finished I wanted to start over and go on the journey again.
Peter Pan is one of my favorite books. I love anything to do with it AND I love classic villains, but I was both excited and skeptical of this before starting it. Treading on someone's childhood is a dangerous thing.
That being said, wow, I did not want this book to be over! It's a fantastic adult take on the classic Peter Pan story from the perspective of Captain Hook. It takes place after the events of the original soryLisa Jensen is a wonderful writer of characters and visuals. Her Captain Hook is superbly written with all the nuances of a real person struggling with the odds placed before him. What if the Captain dreaded the monotony of every day life in the Neverland, never growing older, never being loved and dealing with the wrathful, immature cruelty of the boys who force him to parley?
But Peter Pan is not all he is thought to be either. I always thought him to be a much darker character than most remember him as, mischievous, devious, and deeply sad. Never growing up isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Peter Pan is one of my favorite books. I love anything to do with it AND I love classic villains, but I was both excited and skeptical of this before starting it. Treading on someone's childhood is a dangerous thing.
That being said, wow, I did not want this book to be over! It's a fantastic adult take on the classic Peter Pan story from the perspective of Captain Hook. It takes place after the events of the original soryLisa Jensen is a wonderful writer of characters and visuals. Her Captain Hook is superbly written with all the nuances of a real person struggling with the odds placed before him. What if the Captain dreaded the monotony of every day life in the Neverland, never growing older, never being loved and dealing with the wrathful, immature cruelty of the boys who force him to parley?
But Peter Pan is not all he is thought to be either. I always thought him to be a much darker character than most remember him as, mischievous, devious, and deeply sad. Never growing up isn't all it's cracked up to be.
melsyo's review against another edition
5.0
AMAZING!!! That is all I need to say. Loved this book and had an impossible time putting it down.
geekwayne's review against another edition
5.0
'Alias Hook' takes a familiar story and spins it on its head. We've seen it before and sometimes it doesn't work so well, but I kind of loved this book.
The story begins in Neverland with Captain Hook falling in the water about to be eaten by a crocodile. Only he isn't. He alone is spared of his crew, and this is his cruel existence. To get a new crew and watch them be murdered by Peter Pan and his boys. It's been happening for a couple centuries, and Hook is in agony.
But something new has happened that Pan doesn't know about. In a world where he knows and controls all, something unexpected has happened. Will this be what Hook needs to escape?
This in not a fairytale for children by any means, but it is a sort of fairytale for adults. We find out about Hook's past as James Benjamin Hookbridge and the actions that got him where he is. We learn that fairytales and flying are fine for children, but there are finer things for grownups. I've loved the story of Peter Pan since I was a child, and I loved this interesting perspective on it with a pirate weary of fighting and death and just wanting a way to escape.
I received a review copy of this ebook from St. Martin's Press, Thomas Dunne Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this great book.
The story begins in Neverland with Captain Hook falling in the water about to be eaten by a crocodile. Only he isn't. He alone is spared of his crew, and this is his cruel existence. To get a new crew and watch them be murdered by Peter Pan and his boys. It's been happening for a couple centuries, and Hook is in agony.
But something new has happened that Pan doesn't know about. In a world where he knows and controls all, something unexpected has happened. Will this be what Hook needs to escape?
This in not a fairytale for children by any means, but it is a sort of fairytale for adults. We find out about Hook's past as James Benjamin Hookbridge and the actions that got him where he is. We learn that fairytales and flying are fine for children, but there are finer things for grownups. I've loved the story of Peter Pan since I was a child, and I loved this interesting perspective on it with a pirate weary of fighting and death and just wanting a way to escape.
I received a review copy of this ebook from St. Martin's Press, Thomas Dunne Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this great book.
arthurian's review against another edition
4.0
** contains spoilers **
This is the 3rd Peter Pan and Captain Hook related book I've read this year, and judging by my tbr list I believe it won't be the last.
I really loved reading this book and read the last 200 pages in a day, so obviously I think the storyline was brilliant and the writing style was very elegant, and original. I am not sure if the ending was better with that unexpected (at least for me) addition/twist or would have been better with the good ol' fairytale ending but it is probably the former. There's always some undecipherable allure of the idea of soul-mates. But I think what makes this book great is its redemption arc and how believable it feels. A former villain with a more likable past wouldn't have had the same power over the readers.
This is the 3rd Peter Pan and Captain Hook related book I've read this year, and judging by my tbr list I believe it won't be the last.
I really loved reading this book and read the last 200 pages in a day, so obviously I think the storyline was brilliant and the writing style was very elegant, and original. I am not sure if the ending was better with that unexpected (at least for me) addition/twist or would have been better with the good ol' fairytale ending but it is probably the former. There's always some undecipherable allure of the idea of soul-mates. But I think what makes this book great is its redemption arc and how believable it feels. A former villain with a more likable past wouldn't have had the same power over the readers.
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
vidhi26p's review against another edition
3.0
“This book ends, as books must do, but there’s always more to the story.”
3.5 Stars
I loved the perspective and premise of this story, one of the best I’ve come across. There’s always two sides to the story and this novel really takes that take for a spin. I loved it, I loved the beginning of this novel, I loved the mystery, magic, and intrigue. But I did start losing interest about halfway through. It felt a little too stretched out, a little less engaging.
The magic of the novel didn’t feel sustained throughout the entire piece, diminishing my relationship with it for a bit, but not enough that I won’t look back on this fondly.
3.5 Stars
I loved the perspective and premise of this story, one of the best I’ve come across. There’s always two sides to the story and this novel really takes that take for a spin. I loved it, I loved the beginning of this novel, I loved the mystery, magic, and intrigue. But I did start losing interest about halfway through. It felt a little too stretched out, a little less engaging.
The magic of the novel didn’t feel sustained throughout the entire piece, diminishing my relationship with it for a bit, but not enough that I won’t look back on this fondly.
beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
I really like the idea of this book. I like many readers can remember growing up reading the story of Peter Pan and watching the movies. Of course Peter was the hero and Hook the evil villain. So again this is why this book sounded appealing that the idea that Hook is not the evil villain but maybe the hero.
I liked the beginning of the story. Neverland is not the same place I remember. It is darker. Even Peter and the Lost Boys are tougher. However I agree with other readers that the pacing of the story and how it progresses is slow. So it does make reading the book a little harder to want to stick with it but the characters are good and help to tell the story. While this is more of an adult twist on the story, it felt more like that then the fun upbeat story that I remember. Not that I am say this story needed to be light as the darker side was cool. I just wished that the darker side was just as memorizing to me as I had built it up to be in my head. The author can write a good story though.
I liked the beginning of the story. Neverland is not the same place I remember. It is darker. Even Peter and the Lost Boys are tougher. However I agree with other readers that the pacing of the story and how it progresses is slow. So it does make reading the book a little harder to want to stick with it but the characters are good and help to tell the story. While this is more of an adult twist on the story, it felt more like that then the fun upbeat story that I remember. Not that I am say this story needed to be light as the darker side was cool. I just wished that the darker side was just as memorizing to me as I had built it up to be in my head. The author can write a good story though.
desert_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5