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For some time now, I've been on the lookout for retellings of any sort. I love them to death and cannot seem to resist them. Retellings of classics, retellings of fairy tales -- you name it, I want to read it. One retelling that I've been dying for is a good retelling of Peter Pan. I want a fresh take on Neverland, something that surprises me and gives me some darkness, but that also maybe retains some of the sparkle of the original. These are big shoes to fill, but hey. I can dream.
Now, Alias Hook is not technically a retelling of Peter Pan. It's more like a continuation of the original fairy tale, an expansion, a reimagining of what Neverland is all about.
Alias Hook is told from Hook's (James Hookbridge's) perspective, and paints a very different picture from the Hook we all know. Hook has been trapped in Neverland for 200 years, fighting the same unwinnable fight over and over. Hook's curse is that, somehow, he can't be killed. But his crews die off and are replaced with new ones (previous Lost Boys who dream themselves back after they grow up), time and time again.
Hook's "present-day" narration is interspersed with flashbacks to his past, when we learn that he grew up a gentleman, fond of music and building toy ships. He becomes a privateer, but after a series of unfortunate events (what, I don't want to give any details away!), he takes to piracy, and eventually finds himself in Neverland -- where he's faced with failure after failure, fight after fight, and let's just say time hasn't been very kind to him.
Is it any wonder I so often tried to kill him? Would not his death break the enchantment of this awful place and release us both? But I can never best him. He flies. He has youth and innocence on his side, and the heartlessness that comes with them. I have only heartlessness, and it is never, ever enough.
I really liked the first 30-40% of the book, where we learn about Hook's past, and see his "descent" into piracy before coming to Neverland. He's very aptly painted as a sympathetic villain, and I definitely have a soft spot for those types of characters. I was never bored, and found all the backstory really interesting and believable, for the most part. It's darker, and not YA-type material, and I enjoyed it as a change of pace from my "norm" of YA retellings.
Even though Hook is the main character and protagonist of Alias Hook, Peter Pan - oftentimes portrayed as Hook's "opposite" - isn't made to feel like a complete villain himself, which I found surprising and interesting. Yes, Pan is Hook's nemesis and he's definitely not the shining innocent hero of the fairy tales, but there's some depth and complexity and "grey areas" explored which I appreciated (and actually would've liked to see more of).
My issues, however, started when Stella Parrish, a governess from 1950's London, arrives in Neverland. I was all for a bit of romance for Hook, and was really looking forward to seeing how Stella could change him, and how they would figure out a way to escape Neverland together. Stella shows up about 20% into to the book, and from there until about 60%, I quite liked her and Hook's interactions. Stella wasn't the most interesting character ever; I didn't dislike her, really, but she did come across as a bit flat. And by 60%, I hadn't felt any chemistry between her and Hook - maybe it was a slow burn, would I would've been totally on board with. ...But nope, that wasn't it.
At that point, they jumped straight from "allies" to "in love", and from there on out, I just couldn't understand why. They became that "I don't want to live without you" sort of couple, which is all well and good when there's some kind of buildup. I just felt like their feelings dropped from the sky out of nowhere, which made it feel forced and unbelievable to me. Which was especially unfortunate, because this totally undermined Hook's character development for me - yes, Stella changed him, but when I never saw any real chemistry or depth of feeling between them, the reasons for that change never made sense.
Now, maybe all this could've been overlooked, or at least less of a prominent issue, had the plot in the last 40% of Alias Hook been as interesting and compelling as the first 60%. Unfortunately, the last half was just... really, really not my thing. So many things are packed into the last sections of the book, it felt to me like the characters were going in circles trying and then failing and then trying again to find a way out of Neverland. It didn't feel like a build-up to a climactic and satisfying ending - it felt like one of those fairground rides that spins you in horizontal circles and it's fun for a while, but then you just want it to be over, and getting off is the best part. =S
Argh, that sounds so harsh, but that's really the best way to explain how I felt. The last 40% felt endless, and it could've been shortened immensely in order reach a resolution sooner. And while those sections could have been shortened, I felt like the epilogue could've actually been expanded a bit, because where we're left is a little too open-ended for my liking - but maybe that's just my preference for loose ends to be tied up, especially in a standalone.
In conclusion...
For the most part, I liked this book. I really enjoyed the picture we got of Hook as a sympathetic villain, and all of the flashbacks to his past were really interesting. Where things fell apart for me were in his and Stella's relationship, and while I was ultimately satisfied with where things ended up, I would've liked a tighter resolution and a bit more of a solid, not-open-ended conclusion.
I'd still recommend checking out Alias Hook if you're a fan of Peter Pan/Hook and are looking for a more adult take on the fairy tale.
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There were books involved...