Review: Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen

Summary

Meet Captain James Benjamin Hook, a witty, educated Restoration-era privateer cursed to play villain to a pack of malicious little boys in a pointless war that never ends. But everything changes when Stella Parrish, a forbidden grown woman, dreams her way to the Neverland in defiance of Pan’s rules. From the glamour of the Fairy Revels, to the secret ceremonies of the First Tribes, to the mysterious underwater temple beneath the Mermaid Lagoon, the magical forces of the Neverland open up for Stella as they never have for Hook. And in the pirate captain himself, she begins to see someone far more complex than the storybook villain.

With Stella’s knowledge of folk and fairy tales, she might be Hook’s last chance for redemption and release if they can break his curse before Pan and his warrior boys hunt her down and drag Hook back to their neverending game.

My thoughts

In short: I freaking loved this book!
Hook is such an interesting and unique character and reading this book felt just like watching another episode of Once Upon a Time, which is exactly what I wanted this book to be like.

I LOVE pirates. I’m a huge fan of The Pirates of the Caribbean and always get excited when a book has pirates in it. And since I started watching the TV show Once Upon a Time I am a fan of Hook too. Back when I was a child, I always thought of him as the bad guy because of the Peter Pan movie. Him becoming part of OUAT was the first time I actually thought about him again and if he really is the bad guy (I really need to read the original Peter Pan story^^). Ever since I’m fascinated with this famous literary figure and was excited that Alias Hook was going to tell his very own story.

Alias Hook is such a unique, fresh and interesting insight into a character we all think we know. There is so much more to Lisa Jensen’s Hook than what we usually get. I was surprised what a heartbreaking but also wonderful story this is. Reading about how Hook got to Neverland in the first place, why he is Pan’s enemy, how he lost his hand and if he ever makes it out of Neverland was not only interesting and thrilling but also shocking and fueled my hate for Pan. Especially the event when Hook looses his hand was an eye opener for me but the whole story in general pictures perfectly who really is the bad guy in Neverland.

For me, characters are the most important part of the story and Lisa Jensen nailed it! I instantly loved Hook. He was exactly how I wanted him to be like and even better. This is a story about finding yourself and forgiving yourself for things you did in the past. This Hook has a heartbreaking story to tell. It killed me to see that he was standing in his own way, that he didn’t realize that he doesn’t have to be the bad guy.
She did not only do a great job on Hook though. Just as fascinating as Hook was reading about Peter Pan. Getting to know his motives, learning more about him and why he is capable of the things he does, seeing what drives him into playing these wicked games made for a thrilling read. I also loved to get to know Hook’s crew and feared for their lives everytime the Lost Boys thought it was time for a fight again. And that’s not all. There are a bunch of other interesting characters living in Neverland.

I’m still amazed what a vivid, detailed world Lisa Jensen created around the story of Peter Pan, what an imaginative, twisted tail she spun around it. I still haven’t read the original story but I would imagine that Lisa Jensen added a whole bunch of new ideas and details to it, at least with Hook’s background and by adding a grown up female to the picture. This story opens the eye and shows that our childhood villain actually isn’t that bad and shows what Peter Pan is really like. It was shocking to see what that child is capable of and heartbreaking to see Hook think so low of himself. Alias Hook is now a new favorite retelling of mine and I hope we get to read more wonderful stories like this by Lisa Jensen.