This book was such an eerie and unique retelling of Peter Pan. In a sea of Hook and other villains retellings and reimaginings, this one definitely climbs to the top.

I really enjoyed the dark twist on Peter Pan. When I first started reading the book, it was hard for me to get through because the style of the book felt really childish. However, I realized as I kept reading that this was the author's goal. It really impressed me how the writing and wording became more mature as Jaime's perspective of Peter changed. I also found it interesting how Peter's "games" affected Jaime and the rest of the boys as they began to see him for who he really is. That being said, I really don't feel that the book should be considered a horror novel. Sure, the many-eyed are a bit creepy but the weren't any actual scary parts. The most horrific thing about it was the excessive amounts of blood, which was just absolutely unnecessary. I would call it more of a thriller/mystery but I still really enjoyed the book.

I received my finished copy from the publisher, but this does not influence my review of this book in anyway.

You better stop reading this if you aren’t into dark retellings because this is quite possibly the darkest one ever. Lost Boy tells the true story of the infamous Captain Hook and how he came to be the villain in Never-never land, sworn to make Peter Pan’s life miserable. And how it exactly happened will definitely make you question your childhood.
In this story we have Jamie, Peter’s first and best Lost Boy, taken from the Other Place and into the island because of an undesirable childhood. In the island, along with thirteen other boys, they play all day and have fun in the island, enjoying the eternal youth they mysteriously acquire from believing wholeheartedly in Peter. But their island is more dangerous than you think, they have the Many-eyed, gigantic flesh-eating spiders, and the pirates that come to the island looking for the fountain of youth. The boys’ idea of play is by raiding and battling the pirates - to the death.
And from this, stems all the events that happened that will make you sit on your tush for hours, eager to turn the pages because you just need to know what happens next. I certainly did. It wouldn’t do to read it in more than one sitting or else you won’t experience it the full impact of it. It was gloriously bloody and in your face, and it has changed my idea of Peter Pan, the boy who’ll never grow up. The narrative is fast-paced and has a deep underlying tension that mirrors the events that are happening in the island. Jamie, the narrator, has a voice that is of a fourteen year old, but speaks with a tone belying his age, and quite literally, because he is hundreds of years old and has lived in the island the longest, second only to Peter himself. It only has 292 pages, but it was an avalanche of a novel, and when I got to the ending where I found out precisely why Jamie became Captain Hook I was left breathless until the very last word written. It was that unexpected.
If I have anything negative to say, it was that Jamie started out skeptical in the beginning. He tells us about his doubt and growing distrust of Peter and his actions from the get-go. I think it would have been even more impactful if he began believing wholeheartedly in the island and everything in it so we get to see it all go downhill from there. Still, it had the desired effect on me and I highly recommend it to anyone who dares.

*ARC recebida através do Netgalley em troca de uma opinião honesta*

Se tem um personagem que eu nunca gostei desde pequena é do Peter Pan. Esse babado de querer ser sempre criança nunca colou comigo. Creio que se deve ao fato que o que eu mais queria quando criança era ser gente grande (Atualmente, tem dias que penso o quão iludida eu era).

Em Lost Boy, temos uma releitura de Peter Pan, contada pelo seu eterno nêmesis, Capitão Gancho. Mas nem sempre foi assim. Antes de se tornar o maior inimigo de Peter, Capitão Gancho era um menino chamado Jamie, o primeiro Menino Perdido que Peter escolheu e seu melhor amigo.

Peter vai dizer que sou vilão, que eu o enganei, que nunca fui seu amigo.
Mas já falei. Peter mente.
Isso foi o que realmente aconteceu.*

Ao longo da história, Jamie vai conhecendo a verdadeira personalidade de Peter: super psicopata, que não se importa com ninguém a não ser com ele mesmo. Ao ver esse outro lado de Peter, por boa parte Jamie fica em conflito com sua lealdade. Por ter sido o primeiro menino que Peter levou para a Terra do Nunca, Jamie via nele mais um amigo; via como sua família. Como Peter sempre dizia: Jamie era o mais especial.

Eu tinha estado com Peter por mais tempo do que eu estive no Outro Lugar, mais do que eu poderia contar, de qualquer maneira. As estações não passaram aqui e os dias não tinham significado. Eu estaria aqui para sempre. Eu nunca cresceria

Gostei muito como Christina desenvolveu essa mudança de sentimentos de Jamie para com Peter. Imagina como seria se a pessoa que você mais ama no mundo começasse a mostrar a verdadeira face e essa face é a de um psicopata? Esse amor que havia entre Peter e Jamie não era nada do tipo carnal, na minha opinião. Esse amor que Jamie sentia por Peter é aquele amor que se sente por um amigo super querido. (Eu vi assim, mas vi reviews que interpretaram esse amor de outra maneira. Então vai de quem lê)

Uma vez eu era jovem e jovem para sempre e sempre, até eu não era mais.
Uma vez que amei um menino chamado Peter Pan*

Jamie é um protagonista que é difícil você não simpatizar com ele. Quando ele começa a perceber que Peter não está nem aí se os meninos estão vivos ou não, Jamie toma esse papel de "pai" para si e faz de tudo para proteger os meninos das "brincadeiras" de Peter. Já fica aquela dorzinha no coração por saber qual será o futuro de Jamie, apesar de ter sido interessante ver como um garoto doce e preocupado com seus amigos se transformou no temível Capitão Gancho.

Peter precisava ser o herói, então alguém precisava ser vilão*

Os personagens secundários são formados pelos Meninos Perdidos de Peter. Alguns tem mais destaques como Sally e Charlie por motivos deles estarem ligados a essa mudança de sentimento de Jamie. Apesar deles não terem sido bastante aprofundados, como Jamie foi, suas participações não deixam a desejar.

Se você está imaginado que seja uma releitura fofinha, bem... esse não é seu livro. Achei bem ousado da autora colocar algumas cenas um tanto violentas que envolvam as crianças. Nada muito gráfico e super descritivo, mas o suficiente para ilustrar os acontecimentos. Com isso, ela atingiu seu propósito de mostrar que a diversão que Peter tanto prometeu aos meninos estava envolvida no que ele tinha em mente para essas crianças. Ou seja, no fim das contas, só importava a diversão que Peter tinha.

(Peter) nos convidou para lá, nos prometeu que seríamos jovens e felizes para sempre. Então nós eramos. A menos que adoecêssemos, ou morrêssemos, ou se fossemos levados pelos piratas.*

Como falei no começo, nunca fui fã de Peter Pan e só aumentou depois que o personagem apareceu em Once Upon A Time. Em vários momentos, achei a personalidade dos dois bem parecidas.

Os últimos capítulos são de tirar o fôlego e aumentar o ódio pelo Peter Pan. Em certas partes fiquei com o coração na mão e com vontade de colocar todo mundo num potinho para proteger das maldades dessa criança maluca. São nesses capítulos que o futuro de Jamie é decidido. É bem perceptível a mudança do comportamento dele se comparado com os capítulos iniciais. O final foi de partir o coração.

Peter queria que eu continuasse um menino, mas Peter, no fim das contas, que me fez um homem.*

Lost Boy é uma releitura um tanto sangrenta do menino que não queria crescer, contada pelo seu arqui-inimigo, que uma vez foi seu melhor amigo.

* Traduções feitas por mim

Have you ever wondered about the story behind Captain Hook? When I finished this book, all I could say was, “Wow!” If you’re used to thinking that Peter Pan was a good boy, this story might give you a bit of a shock. This dark and bloody book is not one you want to share with your children.

The first sentence of the book told me that this wasn’t the same Disney Peter Pan that I grew up watching and reading about. That fun-loving image of him is forever gone from my mind. Peter Pan might have been a boy, but he was not innocent and full of fun.

How did he populate his island? He would steal children off the streets and take them to live with him, promising them a life of fun away from grownups. And they will never grow up themselves but will always stay young.

But Peter kept secrets, and Peter lied. He never tells them about the monsters, the crocodile pond, or the pirates before taking them there. He doesn’t fill them in on all the fighting they will do and the blood they will shed. And he definitely doesn’t let them know that one day, their blood might be shed as well.

Boys will be boys, and the island was full of boys that didn’t like to bathe. And some of the boys who had been with him a while. I imagine that wherever they were, it would stink.

This story is told through the eyes of the very first boy that Peter Pan took, Jamie. Jamie is the one who cares for the others that Peter brings to his island. Jamie is known for cutting off one of the hands of each pirate he fights. Everything is great until Jamie quits believing in Peter and starts to grow up.

But Jamie can never leave the island, and the island won’t allow Peter to die.

I read reviews on Amazon where people did not like this book and said it was a waste of time. I’m not sure what book they read, but it couldn’t have been the same one that I just finished. Lost Boy hooked me on the very first sentence— Sometimes I dreamed of blood. During the two days it took me to finish this book, it was a struggle to take a break from reading it for any reason.

Those of you who are the least bit curious about where Captain Hook came from will love this book. Lovers of tales that are dark don’t want to miss this one.

Favorite Sentences:
I’d never been able to tell if they hated to wash because Peter did or because they liked feeling the bugs in their hair. (NOTE: This sentence made me cringe.)

He was a worm inside the sweet fruit, and when you found a worm, you tossed it to the ground and stomped on it.

No matter how many times we fought there, or how much blood was spilled, the rock remained white and smooth.

The moon was full, like it always was on the island, watching with its cold, cold eyes.

New Words Learned:
mummers – people that wear masks or fantastic costumes while merrymaking or taking part in a pantomime

pupilless – This word is an adjective that means not having pupils. I had to look this one up even though the meaning was obvious. To my surprise, it really is a word.

About the Author:
Christina Henry is the author of the Chronicles of Alice books, Alice and Red Queen (The Chronicles of Alice), a dark and twisted take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, as well as Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook, an origin story of Captain Hook from Peter Pan.

She is also the author of the national bestselling Black Wings series (Black Wings, Black Night, Black Howl, Black Lament, Black City, Black Heart, and Black Spring) featuring Agent of Death Madeline Black and her popcorn-loving gargoyle Beezle.

She enjoys running long distances, reading anything she can get her hands on and watching movies with samurai, zombie,s and/or subtitles in her spare time. She lives in Chicago with her husband and son.

You can visit her on the web at www.christinahenry.net, facebook.com/authorChristinaHenry, twitter.com/C_Henry_Author, and www.goodreads.com/CHenryAuthor.

I loved this original take on the Peter Pan tale. I'm a fan of taking legends or old fairytales and giving them a slightly darker, Grimm-esque twist. A nice addition to Henry's previous Alice title. I think Henry knows how to woo with the fairytales.

A long time ago I started Christina Henry's Black Wings series so I knew I already enjoyed her writing. In fact, I should probably pick those books back up soon. I also own her Alice duology. However, none of this prepared me for how much I would love "Lost Boy." 

As anyone would imagine from the title and cover, this is a sort of Peter Pan retelling. I've never read the original story, and on the whole, never cared much for Peter Pan, but I was drawn to the idea of a dark imagining of the tale - one where the reader might find out who the actual bad guy of the story is - Peter or Jamie (who eventually becomes Captain Hook). Peter and his lost boys inhabit the tropical island and Jamie, whom he rescued from abuse as a young lad, has been his best and longest companion. The boys on the island don't always live long lives despite never growing up so Peter ends up adding to the group on a pretty regular basis. He eventually brings a 5 year-old Charlie to the island and that's where the problems start. Charlie is very young and is not the playmate Peter expected. Jamie takes Charlie under his wing and protects him, as he does many of the boys and Peter's jealous side starts to show more and more. He doesn't want anyone else to have Jamie's attention and the reader soon discovers he'll do whatever it takes to keep Jamie to himself.

This book has a little of everything one comes to expect from a Peter Pan tale. There are giant spiders, pirates, fairies, crocodiles and mermaids. Although I've seen some people feel the tale started out slowly, it immediately swept me in and was just the dark tale my soul was craving. Henry creates deep and complex characters and her imagination takes Neverland to a whole new level. I've always been taken by Captain Hook and this book solidifies him as one of my favorite heroes - and yes, I mean hero (not villain). 

If you love dark tales and especially if you've never been a huge fan or Peter, definitely consider picking up "Lost Boy" and losing yourself in her tale. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

*Book provided by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review* 

3 star. 
I liked this book. Somethings more, somethings less. 
I like how this book sound more "Lord of the Flies" than Peter Pan. 
I always love Hook, maybe Once Upon a Time, in the last few years made me love him too much but I always wonder why he hate Peter so much. 
I love Jaimie, maybe he's the things I like most in this book but sometimes the book was too much boring, nothing special happens until the end. 
It remind me a lot "Tiger Lily", maybe because Peter act like an as***le in both of them.. 
I really want to read a book about "adult" Hook right now!

This book ruined my life in the best way.

Christina Henry's novel imagines that James Cook wasn't originally a villain. Once, James was a boy named Jamie, and he was Peter Pan's first playmate. His most beloved one.

But after years and years and years of living with Peter, Jamie has aged in some ways -- not physically, but mentally. He sees the arbitrary, insane cruelty of Peter Pan -- someone who yearns only for fun, but whose idea of fun includes real bloodshed and death -- and Jamie eventually tires of it.

I haven't actually read any of Barrie's original work on Peter Pan, but am familiar with the story as portrayed by Disney and popular culture. Henry's take is so achingly good, because when you get down to it, there is something horrifically vicious in Peter's behavior and world. Jamie -- who wants nothing more than to just love Peter as he once did, and be loved in return -- is all of us, yearning for innocence but unable to stop witnessing the truth.

What else can I say without revealing too much? I just loved this book; I read it in about a day and half, literally waving off people to keep reading (although, given that there's a very sweet, tender young child in this story, I did also spend lots of time squishing my toddler). It's gruesome, but not gory; horrifying but not horror. It's just wonderful -- a chilly take on a beloved story (my catnip!) -- and I'm going back to inhale all of Henry's previous books.

Lost Boy is the origin story of Captain Hook. The story takes us back to Peter Pan’s island and his band of lost boys. It is told from the point of view of Peter’s very first and most favorite lost boy and the story takes quite a darker turn than the original Peter Pan.
I enjoyed this book so much! While I didn’t feel much of a connection with any of the side characters, I still really loved this read. It was definitely more story driven, but it worked for me.
I’m also a huge fan of darkness, and wow, Lost Boy had plenty of that! This is not a fluffy Peter Pan retelling, but rather one in which the villain we all thought we knew might actually be the good guy. If you love villain backstories, you absolutely need to read this one!

This book was good. Not super great, but still enjoyable. I really liked reading about the backstory of Captain Hook because I don't like it is a story that is every really told, and it was really interesting. This book shines a whole new light on Peter Pan. Some fans may not appreciate it at all, but I thought it was a nice twist. I would still recommend this one for anyone interested in reading about a twist in a childhood favorite, and how a villain came to be.

This review and others posted over at <a href="http://milliebotreads.wordpress.com/"><b>my blog.</b></a>

I don’t know what to say about this book. I was incredibly bored the whole time and none of the characters or events had any impact on me.

I wanted to love this book – I love Hook-centric stories and the idea that he was once one of Peter’s playmates until their friendship turned sour is an intriguing one. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t do it for me. James was bland – he was a nice orphan boy who’d grown up idolizing Peter but quickly realized the monster he’d become. He’s the mother hen to all the other lost boys and he’s tough enough to stand up for himself. His love for Peter fades fast and I think had he clung to that childhood friendship they’d once had, maybe it would have been more interesting?

None of the other lost boys made any impact on me. There was a pair of twins, a five-year-old, a girl, the mean one, and a handful of others that were quickly killed so as not to take too much time away from the Peter/James plot.

Peter was dry and underdeveloped. I think he was what anyone might imagine as the playful boy who never wants to grow up gone a little sinister. I didn’t really dislike him (don’t get me wrong, I didn’t like him either), so if he was supposed to be the true villain, I wasn’t feeling it.

The island was dull too. There was pirates cove, which the gang didn’t really venture into, the tree where the boys lived and some field where the “Many-Eyed” dwelled (giant spiders? I guess???), oh and the rock where the boys kill each other for sport. Maybe that bit sounds interesting, but when it actually happened I was just as bored there as I was throughout the story.

I thought I’d love this story, but it just didn’t do it for me. I just want to go read Alias Hook again instead. If you’re looking for a dark Hook origin story like I was, I would consider looking elsewhere. I do enjoy the minimalist cover art though!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The nitty-gritty: A dark retelling of Peter Pan, steeped in loss and heartbreak, with thrilling action and lots of surprises.

I'm not usually a fast reader, but I literally DEVOURED this book in a 24-hour period! Most of us are familiar with the original story of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up, who loved adventure and was mortal enemies with Captain James Hook. Christina Henry takes the familiar characters and gives everything a twist. In Lost Boy, Peter Pan is the villain and Hook—or Jamie as he’s known in this story—is the innocent, lured to the island with promises that he will stay young forever, promises that turn out to be nothing but prettily disguised lies. There are lots of Peter Pan retellings out there, and a fair amount of those tell the story of Hook, but this is going to be a hard one to beat.

The story is told by Jamie, who was lured away from home by a boy named Peter many, many years ago. Now Jamie lives with Peter and the other boys on an island, and he’s still the same age he was when he arrived, even though “one hundred and fifty seasons” have passed. Peter and his boys spend their days playing and going on adventures, including raiding the pirates in the nearby cove. But it isn’t all fun and games. Peter has an unhealthy love of blood sport, and has created an event called Battle, where boys can settle their disagreements in a “fight to the death” match, a sport that Peter loves to watch, but never participates in himself.

Jamie has taken on the role of protector of a very young boy named Charlie, taken from his mum on one of Peter’s excursions to the Other Place. One of the biggest threats on the island are the giant spider-like monsters called the Many-Eyed, who mostly keep to the forest, but on occasion venture too close to the boys. Peter has many rules, but the most important one is that no one is allowed to hurt or kill a Many-Eyed. Jamie has never understood this rule, until one day he is forced to break it in order to save Charlie.

In an instant, all their lives are changed. And even worse, Jamie realizes that Peter has been keeping secrets from him. And telling lies…

There is so much that I loved about this story! First, this is ALL about the characters and their motivations. Yes, the familiar trappings of Peter Pan are present, but they are mostly off-stage. We all know that Jamie will eventually become Captain Hook, and so pirates do play a part in this story. However, we never actually get to meet the pirates, or even take part in the raids. The reader only hears about these things after the fact, and I was actually OK with that. Likewise, there are mermaids in the story, and even Tinkerbell makes a quick appearance, but these elements are only discussed in an off-hand way. Some readers may wish that the pirates and mermaids were bigger parts of the story, but then it wouldn’t have been THIS story.

Instead, Henry focuses on her characters, especially Peter and Jamie, who are as opposite as can be. Peter is a wonderfully drawn character with psychopathic tendencies, a boy whose sole happiness lies in the amount of mischief and mayhem he can create. He is by turns cruel and charismatic, dangerous and happy-go-lucky, petulant and cunning. He has spent his life on the island literally kidnapping young boys and bringing them back to serve as entertainment. This is at times a bloody and violent tale, and Peter revels in that violence. When a boy dies, he simply shrugs his shoulders and sets out to the Other Place to find a new boy. He terrified me, and I hated him, so kudos to the author for making me feel that way!

On the other side of the coin is Jamie, who feels protective of the other boys and has learned how to read Peter’s various mood swings. In other words, he keeps the peace, which is especially hard as he’s starting to see past the shiny veneer Peter wears and into his true heart. Jamie is a particularly effective fighter, especially when it comes to the pirates. He’s even come up with a signature “move” whenever he beats one of the pirates in a skirmish, a story element that delighted me, since it cleverly ties into story behind Hook’s missing hand (and also relates to the book cover).

I wasn’t surprised to find the theme of childhood and growing up part of Lost Boy, since this is, after all, a Peter Pan story. Henry did a great job of showing us the carefree moments of childhood, the irresistible idea of staying a child forever, and then tempering that idea with the realities of growing up and having to shoulder responsibility. I loved when Jamie realizes that indeed he is growing up (although very slowly). He sometimes feels his bones stretch, and he even wakes up one day with stubble on his chin. Henry even explains to some extent why the boys don’t grow any older, and so when Jamie starts to change it was both heartbreaking and inevitable.

And because this story is character driven, there are lots of emotional moments. In a very short number of pages, Henry manages to make the reader care deeply for the “lost boys.” In fact, I felt bad for every creature that had to deal with Peter, even the monstrous ones! My only negative is that the last part of Lost Boy felt rushed. Henry introduces a new character named Sal late in the story—a character with some very cool surprises—and I honestly wanted more. But by the end, Henry has brought us full circle to the familiar beginning of the original tale, and for me, it felt just right.

For any reader who loves great storytelling, this dark tale is a highly additive treat.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.

Since I was a little tyke, my favorite story has always been Peter Pan. I was such a tomboy growing up. I played sports and spent the majority of my time around boys playing in the mud and holding my own against them. The stories of lost boys and eventually Wendy Darling and her brothers finding themselves on a magical island with pirates, a tribe of natives and mermaids appealed to me and my sense of adventure. I wanted to be a lost boy. Even more so, I wanted to be Wendy bird.

Lost Boy is not one of the stories that I grew up wishing to find myself among the lost boys rough housing and playing games. It follows the adolescence of Jamie, otherwise known to the rest of us as Captain James Hook. Through his eyes, we are told how he found himself on the island and how he grew to hate the boy who never grows up.

I love retellings and subtle adaptations of the stories I loved as a kid. I’ve always been a sucker for the villain too, so I jumped at the opportunity to read this book. From the very beginning, I found myself siding with Jamie and his responsible yet tough ways. From his viewpoint, Peter doesn’t come off at the fun-loving boy of my childhood dreams. He’s cruel, calculating and his jealousy is even worse than Tink’s. All Jamie cares about is keeping the lost boys alive and well, safe from the blood shedding games of Peter, but Peter has no time or sympathy for his coddling. Peter’s boys are wonderful too. From little Charlie to the twins who wail on each other every chance they can. I became so invested in each one of them and their safety.

Lost Boy is the perfect beginning to the story we already know, but one that opens our eyes and minds to what Captain Hook’s real feelings are.

I have to beg your forgiveness, lovelies. This is the first review I have actually written up in a while, and I am a little bit rusty. However, I couldn’t have picked a better book to be my first after a bit of a hiatus from reviewing due to health issues. Lost Boy by Christina Henry is a real gem!

So, a bit of a disclaimer. I have never actually read the J.M. Barrie original. I know, I know! Bad bookworm. But I find that I get a little overwhelmed when I read classics and originals. So, for now I have skipped it. But, I really love fairy tales, and I have a lot of fond memories of spending time at my grandparents’ house, reading many different treasuries of classic fairy tales. Back when Christina Henry wrote Alice and Red Queen, I jumped on the opportunity to read a dark re-imagining of the stories I loved as a kid. And when I saw she was writing Lost Boy, I had to read it, too! Not to mention, look how amazing that cover is. And the UK version is even more so.

Because all I know of Peter Pan is the Disney story, and a little bit of the stage musical, I had no serious attachments to the story or the characters as they were. If you do, and you don’t want those attachments ruined, I recommend steering clear of Lost Boy. You won’t feel the same about Peter and his boys after you read it!

Characters:

We see some real growth and change in a few of the characters. While the main characters (namely Jamie and Peter) are very well fleshed out, the other characters were a little one-dimensional for me. I love sweeping casts, and especially with how things went in Part III onward, I would have loved to know a little bit more about the supporting cast of boys.

Plot and Pacing:

Lost Boy started out a little slow for me, but by Part II (of IV), it was really picking up, and I didn’t want to put it down. The core plot of Lost Boy is really magnificent, as it tells a story that isn’t often explored – the origin of the villain. And if the villain has just cause for becoming a villain, is he truly a villain?

Lost Boy was billed as a horror story on NetGalley, but I feel like it sits more comfortably in the dark fantasy genre. Where Henry’s previous two retellings had a very prevalent core of fear and suspense, I feel like Lost Boy was lacking in that department. However, it did keep the graphic violence that Henry writes so very well.

Setting and Worldbuilding:

The interesting thing about derivative works is that some of the work is done for you, while you get to reinterpret other aspects completely. While Henry’s Neverland (or as she calls it, Peter’s island) is not as lush and full as the world she created in Alice and Red Queen, it was still a lovely setting for the story. The one thing I was really missing was any mention of Tiger Lily and her “Picaninny” tribe. It would have infused some much-needed diversity into the story, as all of the boys Peter brings to his island (as well as the pirates) were described as being white.

I would also love to have seen a little more description of the Other Place, maybe via what the boys were wearing when they were brought to the island. We know Jamie has been there a long time, but if the new boys were wearing jeans and neon windbreakers as opposed to Jamie’s more 1800’s inspired wear, it would give a better sense of time passing. I understand why she didn’t do so, as it might have damaged the fantasy aspects of the book… but it would still have been interesting.

Final Notes:

Christina Henry is a glorious wordsmith, and Lost Boy is no exception. My few beefs with it are that it lacks a diverse narrative, the supporting characters could have used some extra love, and the worldbuilding was not as striking as in her previous work. That said, this re-telling of Peter Pan is sure to stand the test of time as a dark fantasy favorite.

Content/Trigger Warnings:

Lost Boy contains some graphic violence and gore, specifically against children. As such, it may be triggering to some readers.
Furthermore, this is not a Young Adult book, though the main cast is of a younger age.

Who Should Read This Book:

Readers who are a fan of bloody battles, fairy tale re-imaginings, and dark fantasy are likely to love Lost Boy by Christina Henry.

We all desire to be someone's "best" or "the favorite".  But what if being that person comes at a cost of the person that you could have been?  While forever casting a shadow of villainy on the person that you have been forced to become.

Such has been the case for Captain Hook for as long as there has been a story of Peter Pan.
But who was Captain Hook before?
How did he come to be a part of Peter's often told tale?
Is he really the villain of this story?  Or could there be another story here?
A story left to languish unheard.  A story that if told forever change the way that we view everything that we ever thought we knew about the legendary Peter Pan. 

Classic literature will never be the same, at least not if authoress Christina Henry has anything to say about it.
And...
Her retelling of the classic Peter Pan, from the vantage point of its resident evil, Captain Hook, more than proves that Miss Henry has a lot to say indeed.

Readers are introduced not to the man that is Captain Hook.  But to Jamie, the boy he was before.
And...
The shadowy memory of a murder.
A murder that took place far away from Neverland.
A murder that works to bring Jamie face to face with his end, and Hook's forever.
A murder that serves as one of the many penances paid by a boy whose only sin was that he dared to grow up.
Get ready to question everything that you thought you knew about Peter Pan, Neverland, and the legend of Captain Hook.
As you discover the untold truth.

                              WRITTEN IN BLOOD!

Wildly imaginative and wonderfully inventive, Lost Boy twisted the long-standing characters of Pan and Hook from the classic tale to give a new origin story, one of how two friends became the life-long enemies they're famously known as. With skill and finesse, Henry's storytelling easily transported me to a wild island where boys never aged, one where they could never leave, and where the true side of the boy that led them all shone through.

Henry brilliantly wove a tale with an underlying of darkness, expertly showing the slow progression of insanity that was Peter Pan and the depravities of the island. With rich detail and vivid characters, there was no fear in showing the unbridled side to boys when left to their own devices and how susceptible they were to attention. It was poignantly bloodied, but incredibly moving and emotional. Every moment of the story carried with it a deeper meaning, crossing reality with make believe and jealousy with love. And Jamie, before he took to his famous moniker, was at the center of it all as Pan's favorite token from the Other Land, the longest on the island. His character was deeply rooted and clearly written, flickering between his devotion to the Lost Boys and his love for the boy who brought him there. It became impossible to not be wrapped up in him.

Lost Boy was darkly clever, intricate in every way, and so different from any version before it, but brilliant nonetheless. Words cannot express how much I adored this version, how easily it fit into the character we've always  known, and how its effect alludes explanation. If you're looking to be thrilled and charmed and twisted, I can not recommend this tale enough.

After Christina Henry’s masterful retelling of Alice in Wonderland, she brings her talent to J.M. Barres’ story of Peter Pan, subverting the tale into a darker frame as we see Peter Pan through the eyes of his greatest enemy and former best friend…Captain Hook.

“Peter will say I’m a villain, that I wronged him, that I never was his friend. But I told you already. Peter lies. This is what really happened.”

Jamie, the narrator of the story, is one of the first Lost Boys and Peter Pan’s best friend.  Though he looks to be between eight and twelve, he is in reality 100 plus years old and he has slowly grown disillusioned with his endless childhood and the burdens placed on him by Peter’s callousness, irresponsibility, and perpetually need for adoration.

“I had been with Peter longer than I’d been in the Other Place, longer than I could count, anyway.”

Jamie assumes responsibility for the boys Peter brings over from the Other Place though Peter insults him by frequently comparing him to the dreaded grown up for babying and mothering the boys. It doesn’t take long for Jamie and the others to realize that never growing up doesn’t mean immortality. Neverland is an island of adventure of unseen dangers with pirates, crocodiles, sharks, mermaids, and other vicious beings inhabiting the landscape.

“The island takes them and chews them up.“

And when the boys succumb to death one by one (through illness or other methods), Jamie is the one who buries and mourns him. When Peter lures an orphaned five-year-old to the island against Jamie’s advice, Jamie finds himself in the role of protector when Peter grows jealous of Charlie and seeks to permanently get rid of him.

“I stared after him, felt the familiar mix of love and worship and frustration that I often felt with Peter. You couldn’t change him. He didn’t want to be changed. That was why he lived on the island in the first place.”

Fans of Disney’s or Barres’ versions of Peter Pan will be hard pressed to conjure up the usual feeling of nostalgia over their childhood favorite with this version. Though this is a story filled with the magic and mayhem of childhood fantasies, it is also a story of murder, madness, and violence. Henry keeps the story fresh and energetic with diabolical twists and turns to keep us guessing. Dynamic characterization and narration bring the story to life as Henry shows us how Captain Hook came to be and why.

“Peter needed to be the hero, so somebody needed to be a villain.”

In here,  Peter Pan is a narcissistic sociopath who uses the island of Neverland and the fear of growing old to entice children into joining him in his never ending quest for adventure and excitement. But as always, promises from the devil come at a high price. 

“To Peter, all children were replaceable (except for himself). When he lost one here on the island he would go get a new one, preferable an unwanted one, because then the boy didn’t miss the Other Place so much and he was happy to be here and to do what Peter wanted.”

There is a Lord of the Flies feeling in here as Jamie gives voice to the rot and anger festering underneath the surface of Peter and the island. Peter encourages the violence and bloodshed of the their games and it’s only after Jamie rips aside the last remaining vestiges of his childhood does he learn exactly why.  Peter’s final and most brutal betrayal of Jamie combined with Henry’s subtle nods towards Wendy and Tinkerbell floods the story with anticipation and sorrow as Henry prepares us for the end.

“Peter will never let me go. If I’m not to be his playmate and friend, then I am to be his playmate and enemy. He brought me to this island and he swore I would never leave and so I haven’t.”

Once again, Henry takes readers on an adventure of epic and horrific proportions as she reinvents a childhood classic using our own fears and desires. Her smooth prose and firm writing hooked me up instantly and held me hostage to the very end. I am firmly team Captain Hook and I hope there will be a sequel.

Grade: B+

Experience Unexpected Darkness in Neverland with Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook
Anissa Gooch

Captain Hook is a bad guy. Peter Pan is a good guy. This is what we know, whether our education comes from Disney’s beloved Peter Pan of 1953; 1991’s Hook, in which the title character is played with dastardly relish by Dustin Hoffman; or J. M. Barrie’s plays and novels of the early 20th century, in which the character of Peter Pan was created. Regardless of the origin of our knowledge, this is what we all know.

Or, should I say, that is what we knew. Christina Henry’s novel Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook turns that basic knowledge on its head in the most compelling and darkly delightful way.

Who were the Lost Boys, the boys that were already established in Peter’s Neverland before he brought Wendy, John, and Michael Darling to visit? How did they get there, how did they live, and why don’t they ever grow up? Henry takes on these questions and more as she weaves a tale of darkness and suspense in which the reader both knows the outcome and also cannot possibly know the outcome, drawing out the anticipation right up until the very last page.

Though Lost Boy shares a setting with a beloved children’s classic, one thing should be made abundantly clear: this is not a children’s novel. It is, in fact, a psychological thriller, horror story, and fantasy tale that digs deep into the nature of Neverland, a wild and often terrifying island where the established rules of life and death are turned on their heads and the dominant personality is that of a little boy who refuses to grow up and is unable to experience love. Just describing it in that way will make many readers wonder how they ever could have missed what Henry’s novel makes so obvious: Neverland is a dark place where dark things happen to people.

Lost Boy is not the first time that Christina Henry has put a dark spin on a children’s classic. In her Chronicles of Alice series—which has two installments so far, Alice and Red Queen—Alice’s adventures in Wonderland get a similar gritty treatment. However, the author’s current endeavor features an exploration of an established literary villain that forays into a world previously dominated by Gregory Maguire, who has written many such novels (most notably Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the basis for the Broadway musical). But where Maguire’s story lines sometimes meander and become mired in political minutiae, Lost Boy is focused and action driven while simultaneously delving deep into the sometimes painful realizations that accompany a boy’s unwilling maturity into adulthood.

Henry’s island of Neverland and boasts most of the features that readers will remember from other versions of the Peter Pan story; the pirates, the mermaids, and even the Lost Boys’ tree are all there. One notable absence, however, is the culturally problematic tribe of “Red Indians,” a feature of the original Peter Pan story that is full of deeply racist stereotypes. They are thankfully replaced with a much more universally acceptable enemy: giant, many-legged, bloodthirsty creatures that are never quite identified as giant spiders, though that is certainly where my imagination took me (to my somewhat shivering and delicious horror).

We experience the world through the eyes of Jamie, Peter Pan’s first and favorite companion in Neverland and the self-proclaimed protector of the Lost Boys. While Peter starts fights with pirates and takes the boys on dangerous adventures, it’s Jamie who makes sure they are fed and taken care of as best he can, considering Peter’s love for violent play. As the novel unfolds and Peter spirals further out of control, Jamie attempts to mitigate the dangers the situation, ultimately facing down Peter in a final confrontation that leads to a transformation into Captain Hook.

Though that may sound like a major spoiler, it’s not—the reader knows from the beginning (from the title page, even) how Jamie’s story will ultimately lead into the events of the Peter Pan mythology. But Christina Henry keeps readers guessing about other facets of the story by weaving other vibrant personalities into the world she’s imagined. She uses these personalities to maintain the sense of mystery as the reader cannot be sure of the fate of these other endearing characters once the story has concluded. Indeed, she manages to keep up the suspense right up until the last chapter, with twists and turns that kept this reader glued to the pages.

One thing I can promise: once you experience Lost Boy, you will never view the singing, flying, happy-go-lucky Peter Pan of stage and screen in the quite the same way ever again.