"His was the smile that made her feel that if he weren't destined for piracy, she might have been very much at risk of falling in love with him."
synopsis
Once a year Wendy journeys from London to visit her family in the seaside village of Devon. The sea that once brought her joy is now a reminder of the dark past she runs from. On her journey home she meets the devastatingly handsome and witty Captain James Hooke. It's a shame really that Captain Hooke is destined for piracy, as all sailors are, for there is nothing Wendy Darling loathes more than Naval men and Pirates.
thoughts & feelings
Peter Pan has always been my favorite fairy tale. Forget princesses, I was all about the fairies when I was little. My love for Peter Pan has only grown with time and I have made a point to collect fairy tale remakes based on J.M. Barrie's novel. This past December I was gifted Wendy's Pirates in a book exchange. I had never heard of this novella before and was ecstatic to have another retelling on my shelf.
Although short, this novella packs a punch and manages to get in almost all of the key information from the original Peter Pan story. I loved seeing all of my favorite characters and places tied into the story in new and creative ways. Rebecca Varnell even managed to use phrases like "second start to the right and straight on until morning" in a natural way. Each time a small detail popped up it was like seeing an "Easter Egg" in a Disney movie.
I truly loved Rebecca Varnell's take on the classic Peter Pan. I love how she developed the characters but still had them reflect pieces of the original fairy tale personalities. For example, Peter is still a young orphan boy full of curiosity and longing for adventure. However, we also get to see a vulnerable and hesitant side to Peter.
There is so much more I want to say but I don't want to give anything away. Just trust me and add this to your shelf of books to buy or read...or both. This is definitely one you don't want to miss.
book tags
Steam Level: clean
Language: clean
Trigger Warnings: death of a family member, desertion
book information
Title: Wendy's Pirates
Author: Rebecca Varnell
Rating: 5/5