Hook & Jill

I wrote a full review over at SFF Book Review.

As a long-time fan of the original Peter Pan, I love reading alternate versions, retellings, sequels, prequels, spin-off and what have you. This book promised a dark tale where Wendy wants to grow up and ends up with Hook - it's not a spoiler, it's the book's title!

It's the getting there that comprises the bulk of this story. Wendy, wanting to grow up and live her own romance, feels herself drawn more and more to the dark and well-mannered pirate captain, and away from the eternal boy who has always owned her heart. Hook's plotting manipulates almost all of the characters and pushes them in the direction he wants them to. Following them was fascinating, not only because they grow up but because they each grow up in a different way.

In Wendy's case, it has a lot to do with sexuality and I should warn those of you who want their books “clean”. There is a fair bit of sex in this story, although usually very subtly hinted at or described in a way that makes it obvious only to those who know what to look for (maybe I'm just filthy-minded...).

I loved the idea and the incredible atmosphere but there was one thing that put me off. Andrea Jones' writing style was a severe case of trying too hard. It could have been poetic, except every paragraph tries to be so poetic that it oversaturates and ends up clunky. For a book with not too many pages, it took me a while to finish and I usually struggled with the dialogue and the clunky descriptions, had to re-read entire pages because of logical mistakes - all things that could be remedied by a nice edit.

Which is why I'll read the second in the series - and also because I'm curious to see where the author leads our heroine, now that there are literally all the oceans of the world open to her.

6,5/10 - Quite good read.