Book Review: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Title: Tiger Lily
Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Publication Date: July 3, 2012
Format: ebook
Links: Goodreads - Barnes & Noble - Amazon
Synopsis: 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. (via Goodreads)

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My Review

I am seriously just sitting here right now trying to figure out how to accurately review Tiger Lily. There are just so many feelings behind it, how am I supposed to capture all of that in a short review?! Ah, well…here’s to trying, right?!

Tiger Lily is presented as a retelling of Peter Pan but it follows Tiger Lily, rather than Peter himself. The story is told from Tinker Bell’s point of view and it follows Tiger Lily as she discovers who she is as a young woman in Neverland and as she mingles with Peter and his Lost Boys. Of course, Wendy Darling makes an appearance and when she does, Tiger Lily’s entire world seems to change. Tiger Lily captures the bliss and the heartbreak of growing into a woman and everything that comes with it.

When I first found out that Tiger Lily was written from Tinker Bell’s point of view, I was a bit nervous. Tink is my favorite character both in the Disney movie and in J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. However, I came to love Tink even more through Anderson’s interpretation of her character. Tink is one of Tiger Lily’s most loyal friends, following Tiger Lily around and trying to protect her as best she can. Plus, who better to tell a story than a little faerie who observes all?

Tiger Lily is all at once everything I’m not and everything that I am. I remember being exactly like Tiger Lily at one point. A girl lost, trying to figure out what to do with her life. Through the course of the book, Tiger Lily goes through so many things that could either make or break her. Jodi Lynn Anderson did a great job with writing a strong, female character.

I, of course, cannot forget my darling Peter Pan. Peter is every bit of the lost boy that you know and love. He’s rambunctious, a bit careless, and playful but underneath all of that, Anderson captures the essence of who he really is, just a boy who is a little frightened and unsure. I think I fell in love with Peter more while reading this book and I didn’t even think that was possible.

Supporting characters were amazing as well! Even if they seemed like super minor characters, each one had his or her own story and background. One that you could imagine for yourself.

I’m also going to hate myself for saying this but I couldn’t find myself hating Wendy. Ok, well, I could, but also I could see myself in Wendy Darling. I’ve never liked Wendy Darling but I could sympathize with her. I could understand why she did the things she did. I got her…and that usually never happens!

It’s really hard to pinpoint just one thing that I really liked about the book because I liked everything. The story itself was beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time. There were times when I just had to put the book down simply because I couldn’t go on…it was too hard! I felt that the meaning of the story also extended past just a re-telling of Peter Pan and love and what not. I love how it touched on themes of growing up, womanhood, society and gender norms, and loss.

If there is anything that I am critical about, I’d have to admit that I was a bit bored in the beginning of the book. I wanted so badly to just dive in and enjoy the book, I was a little worried when that wasn’t my immediate reaction. However, as I pushed through, I got so into it that I couldn’t even imagine putting the book down and when I had to, I would do so grudgingly.

There are so many good things about this book. How well written it is. How heartbreaking it is. The characters. The entire world of Neverland and how it showcases it’s dark side. The pirates, the lost boys, the tribes, the mermaids. Everything about it is just lovely. I would have to say that Tiger Lily is officially one of my favorite books of all time. And that is saying something because I’m the kind of girl who can never choose favorites when it comes to books!