Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Alias Hook

Drop EVERYTHING you are doing, and get your credit card out immediately. Don't worry, I'll wait.

Now open up Barnes & Noble (or Amazon if that's your choice) and order this. Right now. You won't ever regret it and you will want to hug me long time. Like beyond that moment where it gets super awkward and weird.

Alias Hook - Lisa Jensen
Alias Hook
"Every child knows how the story ends. The wicked pirate captain is flung overboard, caught in the jaws of the monster crocodile who drags him down to a watery grave. But it was not yet my time to die. It's my fate to be trapped here forever, in a nightmare of childhood fancy, with that infernal, eternal boy."

Meet Captain James Benjamin Hook, a witty, educated Restoration-era privateer cursed to play villain to a pack of malicious little boys in a pointless war that never ends. But everything changes when Stella Parrish, a forbidden grown woman, dreams her way to the Neverland in defiance of Pan’s rules. From the glamour of the Fairy Revels, to the secret ceremonies of the First Tribes, to the mysterious underwater temple beneath the Mermaid Lagoon, the magical forces of the Neverland open up for Stella as they never have for Hook. And in the pirate captain himself, she begins to see someone far more complex than the storybook villain. 

With Stella’s knowledge of folk and fairy tales, she might be Hook’s last chance for redemption and release if they can break his curse before Pan and his warrior boys hunt her down and drag Hook back to their never ending game. Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen is a beautifully and romantically written adult fairy tale.


I can't even... I can't even tell you how much I absolutely LOVED this book. This book is everything. It's just, it's just so damn good. I'll be honest and tell you that as a child I never really loved the story of Peter Pan and his bizarre Neverland. I found it terrifying and I always thought Peter was a bit of a nut job. Even as a kid, I just knew he wasn't right and there was something really creepy about him stealing boys from bedrooms and trying to kill things and people. It felt wrong. Even as I grew older and I read the story to my children, and watched the movie, it felt even more wrong. It's just crazy to think that's a beloved story we share with children. So when I was offered to read this ARC, I was ALL OVER IT because to me, this is what the story of Neverland is. 

We have Peter, who is kind of a sadistic serial killer here, and we have Hook, who through misguided choices and revenge, lands himself in Neverland seemingly forever. Until Stella Parrish comes, who Hook assumes is a misguided Wendy, and suddenly Stella and Hook are on the journey together to figure out how to leave Neverland. Every single thing you read about in the original fairy tale is here: the mermaids, the Indians, the fairies, the crocodile, the lost boys, the pirates, the boat, it's all there. But what you get in this story versus the original is a really complex storyline about Hook- his past and his present. We learn all about him and you feel so sorry for him. You just want him to get the hell out of Neverland. 

And I stinking loved Stella. I loved Hook a lot too, but Stella is perfect. She's just... everything that this story needed. The journey of those two and them fighting and outwitting Peter is just so great, I had a hard time putting it down. Then, unexpectedly it turns into a kind of romance. AND IT'S SO GOOD. It's so stinking perfect and I squealed, and my husband rolled his eyes because he's used to my random squealing, but it's so great. It's a total love story and I never saw it coming but it completely all makes sense in the end and of COURSE that's how you get out of Neverland (once it's revealed), of course. Why had I not ever thought of that myself?? 

Seriously. There are few books in my life that I buy multiple copies of for gifts or books that I will not shut up about and I will always pipe up when someone wants something to read, and this will be on my top 10. Maybe even top 5 list and that's serious, folks. It's serious. I loved this book so much I didn't want it to end, I kind of want a sequel because I'm selfish but I'm totally OK if there isn't one because it ends beautifully anyways, and everyone who normally gets books from me are probably going to get this for Christmas, so - spoiler there, act surprised. 

The book goes on sale on July 8th and you need to just get it immediately. I want to see this baby hit the top of the charts so I can say I told you so because it's so beautiful. It's so much better than I wanted it to be and I honest to goats hugged my book for awhile afterwards, like a baby. I just love it so much. 

2 comments:

Brenda said...

Awesome review--and because of your review, I'm getin' this book!

SpiritPhoenix said...

Sounds interesting. I will trust you and have already pre-ordered her book.