cornerfolds
Written on Jan 3, 2016
Not too long ago I went on something of a Hook binge. I just couldn't get enough of Captain Hook and his tortured, complex self. First I read Never, Never (amazing, by the way), then a ton of fanfiction (I have no shame)! Then I came across this adult Hook retelling and got really, super excited! I don't review a ton of adult fiction on the blog, but I felt like I could definitely get into a Captain Hook retelling that could also go into some more adult territory...
Hook & Jill is something of a coming of age story with Wendy as the main character. In Neverland with her brothers, she has taken on her familiar motherly role with the lost boys. But Wendy is growing up, despite Peter's best efforts, and she's looking for someone to share her adult life with her. She wants that person to be Peter (obviously, Tink isn't cool with this), but he's too firmly set on never growing up. Just across the island is Captain Hook and his pirates. Is it any surprise that they would become involved? Obviously, Peter isn't cool with this.
I really enjoyed this retelling of Peter, Wendy, and Hook! Each of the characters were complex and had familiar storylines, but there were also plenty of unique elements to the fairytale to keep it interesting. Like several other retellings I've come across (and even the original to some extent), Peter is more of a dark, twisted character than the Disney version portrays. A lot of this is owed to his child-like nature, but he's also just really disturbing in general. Tink's jealous side also comes out a lot more in this retelling. I've honestly never been able to stand her character, even in my childhood, and this book made me dislike her even more and she made me quite uncomfortable at times. That isn't entirely a bad thing, though!
There were also some great new characters, Rowan being my favorite! His relationship with Slightly was a great addition to the story! And then there's Hook himself. This book definitely did not disappoint in making Hook's character even more complex and dashing! That isn't to say he did not maintain his dark and manipulative traits, because he most certainly still is something of a villain.
The world building of Hook & Jill was also really fantastic! Obviously, Andrea Jones had a really amazing starting point for Neverland, but she managed to add even more new, beautiful places and make the old ones come to life.
While I did really enjoy Hook & Jill, there were also things I didn't completely love. Although I enjoyed Wendy's story, I found it hard to identify with her at times. I certainly understand wanting to grow up and be seen as an adult, but I had a hard time getting on board with her desire to be a pirate. I do understand why it might be necessary in order to have her end up with Captain Hook. I also found myself becoming a little confused a couple times about what was going on and had to go back to double check. The book also dragged in a few places and I did find myself putting it down when the action lagged, although that tends to happen with a lot of books so I can't really fault this one in particular.
Overall, I liked Hook & Jill a lot! I love getting to read new takes on this classic tale. This was my first dive into adult retellings and I definitely was not disappointed! It wasn't perfect, but it was an enjoyable read that I think most Peter Pan fans will enjoy. I definitely do plan to read the second part of this series!