Thursday, October 16, 2014

Review: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

From Goodreads: Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair ... Tiger Lily. When fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan deep in the forbidden woods of Neverland, the two form a bond that's impossible to break, but also impossible to hold on to. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. However, when Wendy Darling, a girl who is everything Tiger Lily is not, arrives on the island, Tiger Lily discovers how far she is willing to go to keep Peter with her, and in Neverland. Told from the perspective of tiny, fairy-sized Tinkerbell, Tiger Lily is the breathtaking story of budding romance, letting go and the pains of growing up.

My Rating: 4 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson was a book I probably wouldn’t have read if it wasn’t for the book blogging community that put it on my radar. A retelling of Peter Pan narrated from the perspective of Tinkerbell, this story focuses largely on Tiger Lily and features a less innocent Peter.

I really liked the idea of having Tinkerbell be the narrator of this book because as a fairy, she could understand the thoughtz and emotions of everybody around her. So, you got more insight into all the characters. It also led to Tinkerbell being a more rounded character herself instead of just being a fairy who’s in love with Peter Pan.

Other characters that I liked included Tiger Lily, a girl struggling to hold on to her freedom while trying to find a place for herself within her tribe, Pine Sap, the boy who accepts Tiger Lily just the way she is, and Tik Tok, Tiger Lily’s adopted father. Sadly, I didn’t find Peter’s story as captivating – he came off as clingy and manipulative instead – and didn’t really feel like I got to know Wendy very well because she entered the story so late. Poor Wendy also wasn’t portrayed in a very favourable light, which wasn’t surprising.

What I loved about Tiger Lily though was that it was grounded in reality. In Anderson’s story then, Neverland is a magical island that some Englanders like Captain Hook were able to find. As a result, you get to see how the European travellers affected the Indigenous population. For example, the native Neverlanders worry about the aging disease brought by Englanders, which is why the Sky Eaters agree, as a tribe, to let Phillip die. Meanwhile, after being nursed back to health by Tiger Lily, Phillip begins trying to get the Sky Eaters to give up their religion and traditions and start assimilating to more European ways of living.  

A very different retelling from the Disney version of Peter Pan, Tiger Lily was released by HarperTeen in July 2012. 

Comments About the Cover: I like the colours used. 

6 comments:

  1. One of the best parts of blogging for me is picking up books I would never have otherwise tried if not for the recommendations of fellow bloggers. Glad this one turned out to be a winner Z!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh I loved this book, Z, but it broke my heart many times. I definitely agree that it's a different, darker version of the story. I didn't really like Peter Pan but Tiger Lilly stole the show for me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great point re: the realism--the author did a really great job with that. I ended up loving this one too, and I didn't expect to. And in SPITE OF the terrible things she says about Wendy.

    Btw, I understand where you were coming from in the messaging you got from RUIN AND RISING. (I just finished a couple of days ago.) I had similar thoughts about that, but I loved other parts of it so much that those overrode the quibbles.


    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

    ReplyDelete
  4. Awesome review!
    I love how blogging helps you pick up books you never thought you would read!
    Chelsea :P http://abooktastic.blogspot.co.nz/

    ReplyDelete
  5. I loooooooooved this book so much I can't even explain. It made me cry like a baby (although that's probably because I'd just gotten out of a 4-year relationship and it just hit the right chords #eh)

    Glad you enjoyed it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. It's awesome that you ventured out and read something that you wouldn't ordinarily read-and ended up liking it! This is a favorite of mine, although it has its faults. Also loved the idea of Tinkerbell narrating.

    ReplyDelete

I love comments and will reply back via either email or stopping by your blog. Please note that this is an award-free zone.