ARC Review--Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

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.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Peaches comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.

I received this ARC at the Romantic Times Booklover's Convention via the Goody Room for review

Going into this the first thing I have to say, which I did do myself, is to totally put Disney's Peter Pan out of your head! It will do you no good to think of it, because one way or another a story will be ruined, either Disney or this one. And both were INCREDIBLE! So don't think of that story or any other Peter Pan story for that matter. This is something new!

Much like Gregory Maguire's spin on several fairy tales--besides Wizard of Oz--Jodi Lynn Anderson takes a new spin on Peter Pan, bringing the story into a different light. Tiger Lily follows her version of the story, in a way.

Most surprisingly this story is told not by Tiger Lily, but by Tinker Bell. Tinker Bell was actually Tiger Lily's faery before she met Peter Pan. Everything about the traditional Peter Pan story is challenged here. True, in Neverland people don't age once they reach a certain point in their life. So some may stay forever 15, or in the case of one man, Giant, he aged to 50 til he suddenly stopped aging for life. It's different for everyone.

Tiger Lily is a bit of an outcast in her village. Her story is kind of sad. She wasn't a real girly girl, and her companions sort of mocked her. Then when the crows came to protect her, they feared her. She has it rough. Then when she goes to rescue an English man who came to Neverland, everyone is mad and scared of her even more. The English have what they call the "aging disease" and by helping him heal, Tiger Lily gets herself into a pickle. The outcome is that she is forced to marry Giant, the 50 year old man, because of a long ago promise.

I really can't get into every detail, but this story was just beautiful! I don't know what else to say. We truly do get a different kind of story here in Neverland. There's no flying, sadly. Instead the lost boys swing from trees with a system of pulleys. And people do come to Neverland via ship, so it's not necessarily impossible to get to. 

Captain Hook and his pirates are there as well. Smee actually has a more prominent role in the novel instead. And he is seriously a creepy dude! Totally not like any other Smee I've come across before.

Peter himself is just Peter! He's a fun boy wanting to have fun. Tiger Lily's tribe first believes him to be dangerous and he sorta is, but in a different way. Peter is still a heartbreaker and still a child. Although he is not as adamant as to never grow up.

The love between Tiger Lily and Peter was a sweet thing, I should also note that this Peter seems to be stuck at 16, so the romance is sweet with Tiger Lily and not awkward or anything since Peter Pan was like 12 maybe in other versions.

Of course everything starts to change in Neverland when more Englanders come. Wendy among them. Wendy isn't the sweet Disney girl either, although she isn't intentionally cruel either. Tiger Lily's life begins changing dramatically. Nothing is constant anymore.

I really can't say more without giving away the entire storyline. Only that this was truly a fabulous book! It was a pretty emotional read too. I love retellings of fairy tales because I like the new spin to old favorites. It doesn't ruin the old fave story either, this is just something new. And it was pretty heart wrenching too. All kinds of emotions, just like Tiger Lily in a way.

By the ending I can say I was smiling, but there might have been a few tears as well. A fabulous read! This is truly a must read if you've ever saw a Peter Pan movie or read a Peter Pan story. No matter which version of course! Tiger Lily is truly magical!

Overall rating 5/5 stars

Tiger Lily releases July 3, 2012

And on a side note, I have to recommend seeing the SyFy mini series Neverland! It's a different take on Peter Pan as well, sort of the origin story. But with FLYING! And Tiger Lily was there as well! ;)