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thehatfam's review against another edition
2.0
I thought this book was going to be like Peter and the Starcatchers, but it wasn't. In fact, I really didn't have the desire to finish the whole thing. It was pretty crude, especially compared to Peter and the Starcatchers. Not a favorite, but it was ok.
britt_uh_knee's review against another edition
2.0
It was an interesting and imaginative read. Wasn't too keen on it myself, and it took me a while to get motivated to get through it.
morgan_haybook's review against another edition
3.0
I'm giving this book a big thumbs up for delivering the story that I wished someone would always write. That pansy peter pan is a pathetic pipsqueek compared to Hook! The biography of this splendid character was given a descent amount of action, heart and fantasy to make it match the Peter Pan classic. Readers should completely ignore historical corelations and just enjoy the story. There are a few elements in this book that I wished were elaborated on more. I expected these loose ends to be explained in the sequel; it's been a few years and no second book has been forthcoming. Yes, this book will be popular with the boys, but us girls out there who secretly root for the villians will be entertained as well.
The book also would make a great gift if it were packaged with the classic for any young reader.
The book also would make a great gift if it were packaged with the classic for any young reader.
danakm's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book a lot more when I was younger but re-reading it wasn't as fun.
ksd1441's review against another edition
2.0
I have been tempted nearly the entire time I've been listening to this book to give it a 1. However, when I pause to think about all the 1-stars I've given and why, I have to bump this up to a 2; because it wasn't as bad as the ones condemned to the bottom of the shelf. That said, it had so much potential, and simply did not deliver. There are only a couple Pros to this story, and the Cons kept beating them down. Let me elaborate (I'll try to balance them out):
Con - Get this... you never even get to Neverland!! That deserve more exclamation points, but I'll hold back. As a prequel to the Peter Pan story, this needs Neverland! But it's only mentioned a handful of times throughout the entire thing, and never realized. It's a dream of James', to find this island where he can rule and be immortal and such, but he doesn't even seem terribly motivated. Or at least not motivated enough. By the end of the story, he has a ship. He's going to try and find the island. Not good enough. We as an audience deserve to see this search. We deserve a conclusion! Not some "Oh, now that I can sail the seas openly and have these bizarre instructions to follow a blue star in Lyra, I think I will." And that's on the last page. Come on. So much wasted time in this piece, so much.
Con - The aforementioned wasted time. This is labeled as the "Adventures of a Notorious Youth." What adventures? He goes to school, gets bullied slightly, plays the longest rugby match in the world, gets a little moony over a Sultana, wastes too much time with that lost cause, and verbally duals multiple people. It was a Snark War. I don't mind a bit of snarkiness. But when dialogue is all snark, it gets old really fast. And it was 90% of the characters, not just James. Ever read a book and wonder how someone managed to say so little with so many words? Yeah.
Pro - Here is basically the sole redeemer of this book. James' character and his growth. He wasn't perfect, and that was a good thing. He came into the school quite a sheltered know-it-all, but being around different types of people helped shape his character and his decisions. He warms while holding onto his inner coldness. And even though some of his decisions were poor ones, he learns from them. He also made a few badass ones, I admit. That whole guillotine thing had me on edge and I liked it! I may not have liked him terribly during the whole Sultana thing. But hey, he never really interacted with girls before, he was allowed to be stupid. And he was not one bit afraid to stand up for what he believed in, and that made him admirable.
Pro - The message of the power of friendship. If James didn't have Jolly Roger in this story, I don't think it would have been acceptable. It gave meaning to both the boy's actions and showed readers how life-changing a good friend can be. James' having someone to rely on, when everybody else didn't even bother to get to know him and read the label of Bastard, gave him something to fight for. And Roger was indeed loyal, if not a bit puppy-ish. They were great friends.
So, even though I feel it could have been a lot better, it could have also been worse. I think I would actually enjoy a sequel to fill in the adventure it was sorely missing. Let's have James find the island. Let's see how he actually became the man we know from Peter Pan. He's such an interesting character, but didn't have the proper moment to shine.
Con - Get this... you never even get to Neverland!! That deserve more exclamation points, but I'll hold back. As a prequel to the Peter Pan story, this needs Neverland! But it's only mentioned a handful of times throughout the entire thing, and never realized. It's a dream of James', to find this island where he can rule and be immortal and such, but he doesn't even seem terribly motivated. Or at least not motivated enough. By the end of the story, he has a ship. He's going to try and find the island. Not good enough. We as an audience deserve to see this search. We deserve a conclusion! Not some "Oh, now that I can sail the seas openly and have these bizarre instructions to follow a blue star in Lyra, I think I will." And that's on the last page. Come on. So much wasted time in this piece, so much.
Con - The aforementioned wasted time. This is labeled as the "Adventures of a Notorious Youth." What adventures? He goes to school, gets bullied slightly, plays the longest rugby match in the world, gets a little moony over a Sultana, wastes too much time with that lost cause, and verbally duals multiple people. It was a Snark War. I don't mind a bit of snarkiness. But when dialogue is all snark, it gets old really fast. And it was 90% of the characters, not just James. Ever read a book and wonder how someone managed to say so little with so many words? Yeah.
Pro - Here is basically the sole redeemer of this book. James' character and his growth. He wasn't perfect, and that was a good thing. He came into the school quite a sheltered know-it-all, but being around different types of people helped shape his character and his decisions. He warms while holding onto his inner coldness. And even though some of his decisions were poor ones, he learns from them. He also made a few badass ones, I admit. That whole guillotine thing had me on edge and I liked it! I may not have liked him terribly during the whole Sultana thing. But hey, he never really interacted with girls before, he was allowed to be stupid. And he was not one bit afraid to stand up for what he believed in, and that made him admirable.
Pro - The message of the power of friendship. If James didn't have Jolly Roger in this story, I don't think it would have been acceptable. It gave meaning to both the boy's actions and showed readers how life-changing a good friend can be. James' having someone to rely on, when everybody else didn't even bother to get to know him and read the label of Bastard, gave him something to fight for. And Roger was indeed loyal, if not a bit puppy-ish. They were great friends.
So, even though I feel it could have been a lot better, it could have also been worse. I think I would actually enjoy a sequel to fill in the adventure it was sorely missing. Let's have James find the island. Let's see how he actually became the man we know from Peter Pan. He's such an interesting character, but didn't have the proper moment to shine.
oh_darling's review against another edition
4.0
So wirklich begeistert hat mich das Buch nicht. Aber ich will es fair und als Jugendbuch bewerten, deswegen vergebe ich an dieser Stelle 4 Sterne.
Die Geschichte ist gut durchdacht und sprachlich recht anspruchsvoll. Hook ist mir pers. zwar keinen Funken sympathischer geworden aber dem Ein oder Anderen dürfte es da sicherlich anders ergehen.
Die Geschichte ist gut durchdacht und sprachlich recht anspruchsvoll. Hook ist mir pers. zwar keinen Funken sympathischer geworden aber dem Ein oder Anderen dürfte es da sicherlich anders ergehen.
nixieish's review against another edition
4.0
What Wicked is to Wizard of Oz, Capt. Hook The Adventures of a Notorious Youth is to Peter Pan. This story follows the life of the man we know as Captain James T. Hook.
The character of James (or, Jas.) is one that you can't help but root for, despite his arrogance. He's a little over cocky and dramatic, but the same is true for the Captain Hook we've seen portrayed in so many different ways. Though a lot of his actions are a little abnormal, he's generally a good guy put through some tough situations while still maintaining 'good form.' A guy you would definitely want to have on your side.
I was, however, a little disappointed with the ending as I was expecting things to play out a little further. Perhaps we will get a sequel?
The character of James (or, Jas.) is one that you can't help but root for, despite his arrogance. He's a little over cocky and dramatic, but the same is true for the Captain Hook we've seen portrayed in so many different ways. Though a lot of his actions are a little abnormal, he's generally a good guy put through some tough situations while still maintaining 'good form.' A guy you would definitely want to have on your side.
I was, however, a little disappointed with the ending as I was expecting things to play out a little further. Perhaps we will get a sequel?
naoms's review against another edition
4.0
"Even the darkest of villains can have a hero's heart."
I really liked this book! Great writing, and I liked how Jolly Roger was worked into the story. And of course I loved the original quotes (however tweaked) that were used in the story, such as =
"Awfully big adventure..."
"My island is right under the second star to its right and then straight on till the morning sun greets you."
I am so glad that in this book the young Hook "was never more sinister than when he was being polite." That is exactly how I'd always pictured him. Once again, great book!
(I could have done without the giant spider Electra, though.) =]
I really liked this book! Great writing, and I liked how Jolly Roger was worked into the story. And of course I loved the original quotes (however tweaked) that were used in the story, such as =
"Awfully big adventure..."
"My island is right under the second star to its right and then straight on till the morning sun greets you."
I am so glad that in this book the young Hook "was never more sinister than when he was being polite." That is exactly how I'd always pictured him. Once again, great book!
(I could have done without the giant spider Electra, though.) =]