Sunday 1 May 2016

Book Review: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson


Read: April 28-30   Verdict: 5 Stars


Tiger Lily is a retelling of Peter Pan, told through the eyes of Tinkerbell but focusing on the life of Tiger Lily, the girl who knew Peter before Wendy. Tiger Lily is a strong, independent spirit and her tale is one that really strikes you in the heart.

"I am only a faerie. I don't have grand ideas, or grand dreams, or long for grand freedoms like people do. But I wanted to be part of their dreams too, even if I was only a flea riding on their tails."


I loved this. The imaginings of the different tribes on Neverland, Tick Tok and his beautiful hair and dress, Pine Sap and his bird calls, Tiger Lily and her spirit and Peter Pan and his Lost Boys. This was a great reimagining of Neverland as an unexplored island somewhere in the Atlantic, somewhere where everyone stops ageing at some point on their lives. I really loved Tinkerbell's voice throughout and how she was more tiger Lily's fairy that Peter's but that she loved Peter in her own special way.

"How can I describe Peter's face, the pieces of him that stick to my heart? Peter sometimes looked aloof and distant; sometimes his face was open and soft as a bruise."

There were some cute and lovely fairy moments from Tink, like the way she was stuck if she dropped in water, fairy bites being more painful than wasp stings and of course just general fairy thoughts.

"I was carrying a raindrop to keep in a little hole in the wood, so I could drink from it at my leisure. But each raindrop I lifted kept falling apart. Water is so delicate."

There was some beautiful moments in this book and at times the language and the style of writing blew me away, There were some mature moments in the book that oen wouldn't normally associate with Peter Pan, such as Smee's obsessions, Peter's kisses and Giant's stalking of Moon Eyes.

There were times that Peter was explained so Pan like, it was just magical and wonderful and so the Peter Pan we all love.

"Maybe the way he seemed to vibrate made her stillness seem less glaring, and Peter seemed calmer."

I always love the Lost Boys in stories. Boys who secretly want to be taken care of yet at the same time they're independent and wild, almost feral in their ferociousness to be themselves. Throughout Tiger Lily, there was a tinge of loneliness from every character. Peter, the Lost Boys, Tick Tok, even Captain Hook.

"Finally, Nibs took Tootles's hand and they slow-danced, each leaning against the other, like rag dolls. The twins soon did the same. It was proof of their loneliness for other people that they were willing to lean on each other so much."


There are some powerful moments in this book about Tick Tok in particular and, what I can only call, his gender fluidity and how it was so accepted at first but was then whispered about and shunned when a stranger came and began to make it bad thing. There was something about Tick Tok that really touched me and I think his story in particular is one of the strongest points in this book.

This just a beautiful book, filled with beautiful words. I highly recommend to anyone who loves a Peter Pan retelling, or anything to do with magic, belonging and finding someone to fit in with.



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