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Summary on the back: There is one version of my story that everyone knows. And then there is the truth. This is how it happened. How I went from being Peter Pan's first — and favorite — lost boy to his greatest enemy. Peter brought me to his island because there were no rules and no grownups to make us mind. He brought boys from the Other Place to join in the fun, but Peter's idea of fun is sharper than a pirate's sword. Because it's never been all fun and games on the island. Our neighbors are pirates and monsters. Our toys are knife and stick and rock — the kinds of playthings that bite. Peter promised we would all be young and happy forever.
My thoughts: Lost Boy was exactly what I'd hoped for: a prequel instead of a retelling. This is the Peter I want - cruel, deviously clever, more monster than child, yet seemingly unaware that any of his actions are evil. Jamie is a tragic protagonist, mostly because we know exactly where he'll end up. Here, he's a protective, almost sweet boy, who, unlike Peter, is growing up, albeit very slowly. He's both young and impossibly old, and obviously weary of Peter's endless, increasingly hateful games. His near worship of Peter crumbles into disenchantment and finally hatred as truths about his past are revealed, and Peter spirals more into jealousy and hatred. Jamie serves as the father figure for the lost boys, something Peter resents, none more so than little Charlie who Peter clearly hates and plans to get rid of. The boys each had their own personalities, something a lot of versions tend to not bother with, and Neverland is rich and frightening. I also loved the references to our world as "the other place". The plot is dark, but refrains from too much gore. I live for dark Peter Pan tales, and Lost Boy is more Lord of the Flies than a fairytale. It's very well written, and an excellent emotional balance between a child's and adult's story. I loved how the story builds, without every reaching, the story we know, with hints of what will happen - and the evocative moments, like Jamie losing his hand, were very well done. I would have liked a bit more of Sal, who felt a bit unnecessary as a character except to give Jamie more pain and motivation for his ultimate choice. Overall, Lost Boy was a poignant, often haunting book, and the Hook-focused tale I've been searching for.
Summary on the back: Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair... Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell. Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter. With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.
My thoughts: This book was gorgeous. I haven't found many Peter Pan retellings yet, and none I cared for, so it was a complete delight to find this one. The writing was beautiful, and the plot, although slow moving, was immersive, etched with an aching sense of loss. The narration took a while for me to get used to - it seemed an odd choice at first for Tinkerbell to narrate Tiger Lily's story - but I ended up really enjoying her point of view, partially endearing, partially heart-wrenching, as well as the glimpses into Tinkerbell's past. Tiger Lily was an intriguing, complex character, and I absolutely adored Pine Sap and her relationship with him. Peter was perfect, with the darkness and danger mixed with a sense of loss, much less innocent than most portrayals of him. Wendy was a little more difficult to get into; I usually love her but there was something unnervingly manipulative about her here, that put me off.
Tiger Lily doesn't try to be modern or gritty like so many retellings, only to dive deeper into the original tale, and it succeeds tremendously. It's insightful, touching, and occasionally raw, exploring first - but not final - love, and childhood in a realistic and honest way that tugged on my heart. The world building was brilliant, expanding on the hints of darkness in the original story and building from there - I loved the origin of the Ticking Crocodile! - and the pirates were more complex than in the original story, even if I'm not sure how I feel about Smee being a deranged murderer. I also liked how much more detailed Tiger Lily's tribe was, and how, for the first time, Neverland felt like a real place instead of an imaginary story world. The concept of Neverland's anti-aging properties - people halting aging at a profound event in their lives - was completely fascinating, as well as the idea that it didn't work for the strangers who arrive in ships. The ending was bittersweet - excellent, and surprisingly happy in some aspects - but still painfully sad. And that final letter completely messed me up.
I had some minor quibbles - the background characters, especially the Lost Boys, were slightly underdeveloped and relegated to comic relief, although I really loved the cuteness of Baby, and the book felt on the short side, but the beauty of the prose and the haunting conclusion will definitely stay with me for quite a while.
feeling: 
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fulljukebox: "Cats In The Cradle"-Harry Chapin