Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Title: Tiger Lily
Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Series: N/A

On Neverland, where mermaids and pirates pose a threat to all, nothing is more dangerous than the boy Peter Pan and the lost boys. At fifteen Tiger Lily is a bold and fierce creature. To her tribe, the Sky Eaters, she is wild and reckless. When an Englander is shipwrecked on the island, the tribe, afraid of the aging disease he carries, refuses to help him, but Tiger Lily has other ideas. Tiger Lily’s decision will alter her tribe forever and bring her face to face with the enigmatic Peter Pan.

“Still, the longer I was around her, the more I could see the colors of her mind and the recesses of her heart. There was a beast in there. But there was also a girl who was afraid of being a beast, and who wondered if other people had beasts in their hearts too.”

Jodi Lynn Anderson’s Tiger Lily is simply bewitching. The beauty, sadness, and depth of the characters is poignantly written and at times I stopped reading because I was stunned by Anderson’s writing. A retelling of Peter Pan, told through the tiny eyes of Tinker Bell, this book tells the story of the fearless Tiger Lily. Caught between wanting to be strong and knowing her independence isolates her, Tiger Lily struggles to be who she is while trying to appease those around her. Peter Pan, unperturbed and whimsical, represents the kind of freedom Tiger Lily will never have. She is as much drawn to him as he is to her. For Peter, Tiger Lily’s strength is something to behold. Childlike in many ways, Peter has fleeting moments when you see the careless facade give way to something deeper.

Dangerous creatures inhabit Neverland, no more so than the pirates bent on riding the island of Peter Pan. As violent and hot as Hook’s temper burns, it is Smee’s odd fascination with Tiger Lily that is the most unnerving. A murderous and twisted man, Smee has other ideas than simply helping Hook kill Peter Pan. An unconventional foe, the Englander, Phillip, posses a different kind of threat to the Sky Eaters, one that Tiger Lily feels powerless to stop.

Never has Neverland been so enchanting and wistful, charming and sad. Tiger Lily beautifully captures the romantic notion of never growing up, forever caught in the bliss of childhood, but at the same time addresses the tragedy of such a fate. Narrated by Tinker Bell, blessed with knowing a person’s thoughts but too tiny to do anything to stop the evil that threatens those she cares about, Tiger Lily is a delicately written tale of fear and heartache, but also of love and acceptance.

Rating: 5/5

★★★★★