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Tiger Lily

by Jodi Lynn Anderson (Goodreads Author)

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 4,251 ratings · 1,170 reviews

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily receives special protections from the spiritual forces of Neverland, but then she meets her tribe's most dangerous enemy--Peter Pan--and falls in love with him.

Hardcover, 292 pages

Published July 3rd 2012 by HarperTeen

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Apr 04, 2013 Emily May rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Emily May by: Crowinator

Shelves: ya-na, fantasy, 2012, fave-ya, coverly-love

Edit 04/04/2013: I read this almost a year ago now and it still haunts me in the best possible way. So I just wanted to share this song with you because it reminds me of this book so much.

.............................................................................

"Sometimes I think that maybe we are just stories. Like we may as well just be words on a page, because we're only what we've done and what we are going to do."

Everything about the appearance and description of this book it seems is...more

147 likes · like · see review

Dec 26, 2012 Krys rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Blech!

Shelves: fantasy, medium-length-book, retelling, young-adult, fairy-pixie-themed, first-person-narrative, mermaids-sirens-selkies, seafaring-pirates, third-person-narrative, arcs-i-no-longer-have, read-in-2012, need-to-finish-did-not-finish, stand-alone

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Tiger Lily is a much anticipated young adult release coming out by NYT bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson. I had not heard of it until a copy showed up in my ARCs from Harpercollins. However, the premise immediately intrigued me - a retelling of Peter Pan focusing on Tiger Lily of the Indian tribe? Yes! And with one fell swoop it was placed in the priority pile. Today finally afforded me the chance and, what's more important, the mood to read it. So I cracked it opened and prepared to be amaz...more
Tiger Lily is a much anticipated young adult release coming out by NYT bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson. I had not heard of it until a copy showed up in my ARCs from Harpercollins. However, the premise immediately intrigued me - a retelling of Peter Pan focusing on Tiger Lily of the Indian tribe? Yes! And with one fell swoop it was placed in the priority pile. Today finally afforded me the chance and, what's more important, the mood to read it. So I cracked it opened and prepared to be amazed.

For the record, I love Peter Pan with a big, giant, throbbing heart of love. It's one of my favourite books from my childhood. It's something I've read a lot, and it's inspired a future book related tattoo (that I will get when I can afford to). I love Peter Pan. He was my first literary boyfriend after all... him and his thimble kisses.

This book was a disappointment in so many ways. Frankly, I can't say how I really feel about it without offending some people in the mix... so I'm going to tone it down a bit from my initial angry, swearing, hate-filled rant. I have only ever been so thoroughly offended by two other classic retellings in quite the same way as I am with this book... like, to the point where I slammed the book shut in annoyed frustration and just declared outright that I was done. This is the third one ever to hit my STOP button with such unmitigated force. Wow, this one was so not for me.

* Spoilers ahead for those of you who are looking forward to this.. you may want to stop reading *

I'm going to presume that you all know the plot of Peter Pan, so I'll spare you the recap. This one follows Tiger Lily of the native tribe as she grows up and befriends Pan and the Lost Boys. Where this differs from the original is in the fact that the boys and Pan are not magic in the least, and seem to be growing up on the island of Neverland. The Pirates also appear to be aging. Whether this aging problem is explained elsewhere in the book I couldn't tell you, because I didn't finish the last 150 pages. These details were the first indicators that I would be unhappy with this book.

Aging? In Neverland? What?!

So where else did it fail? Well, there's the shoddy narration from Tinkerbell, the non-speaking fairy. The story is told in observances from her, which is fine and good, but she frequently switches POVs from third person (when she is talking about Tiger Lily and other characters) to first person (when she is talking about herself). These switches confused me and I lost sight of who the book was about in these intervals. I would actually forget that Tink was narrating until she suddenly had something occur to herself that distracted me from the story at hand... and then I would mistake her voice for Tiger Lily. It would have been better served if she had stuck to one point of view throughout the entire book because this technique just seemed haphazard and unwieldy.

So, what sealed the deal - the handling of the details from that book to this one... The "turning Peter Pan into a YA romance book" factor... I'm thinking specifically of the kiss. The infamous, beautiful kiss scene that we all know and love from the original story; the kiss that Wendy gives to Peter which he mistakes for a thimble. Well, at one point in the book Peter kisses Tiger Lily... a full, on the mouth, lingering, make-out scene worthy of any YA contemporary ... and that's where I shut the book. I could not in any way disassociate what was happening with what I already know about Pan... sweet and innocent Peter who doesn't know kisses from thimbles and wouldn't be able to execute one if his life depended on it... and here he is snogging Tiger Lily? Wrong, it's just wrong... wrong like in March by Geraldine Brooks where Mr. March cheats ON MARMEE OF ALL PEOPLE... wrong like in Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys where the psycho-sexual/culture judgmental relationship between the two is what drove Bertha mad... bull. Plain and simple. I didn't buy it in those two books and I'm not buying it now... Turning Peter into a non-magic, hormone driven 15 year old? Wrong. Just wrong.

So, clearly I disconnected. I think that is obvious. Retellings are always fraught with peril but in this case it was SO different than what I was expecting and SO not what I wanted it to be. The tone of the novel was not doing anything for me up until that point so it was very easy to put it down. Perhaps the fault lies in me? Perhaps I expect too much and shouldn't... part of that "favourite book" syndrome. Retellings of certain things have got to be really..damn... good... in order to get away with revisiting certain stories. This, however, did not work. It didn't work as a YA book and it has no place in Peter Pan fandom at all. I can't have this book ruin for me what is otherwise a perfect reading experience.

1 out of 5 stars. The only thing redemptive about this book at all is Tiger Lily's transgendered adoptive father, Tik tok... and that's the only reason it gets a star at all.

- review courtesy of www.bibliopunkk.net (less)

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Jun 03, 2012 Julianna Helms rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: tout le monde

Recommended to Julianna by: Brooke

Shelves: own-arc, bam-covers, best-boys, books-that-made-me-niagara-falls, favorites-all-time, re-read-status, recent-favorites, starred-reviews, mind-boggling-brilliant

**Thank you, THANK YOU, HarperTeen, for giving me this ARC. <3**

Actual, full review: Original is here on my blog.(Note: due to copy-and-paste, formatting and links have been lost. Except for one of them that I manually linked.)

starred review.

I devoured this book the way a starved man engulfs food.

Tiger Lily has this addictive quality to it, kind of like a drug. It's beautiful and sad and terrible and heartbreaking; it's merciless and benign and desperate and raw. It's feral: words that spill...more **Thank you, THANK YOU, HarperTeen, for giving me this ARC. <3**

Actual, full review: Original is here on my blog.(Note: due to copy-and-paste, formatting and links have been lost. Except for one of them that I manually linked.)

starred review.

I devoured this book the way a starved man engulfs food.

Tiger Lily has this addictive quality to it, kind of like a drug. It's beautiful and sad and terrible and heartbreaking; it's merciless and benign and desperate and raw. It's feral: words that spill out in this incredibly gripping formation, hidden surprises waiting to spring and shock. I highly doubt I have the right words to describe just how amazing this book was, but I will try. That's all I can guarantee.

I'm a restless person. I always have to be doing something, and I often don't do the same thing twice. I'm kind of like Peter Pan. It's why I never read a book again right after I finish it, but immediately upon completing Tiger Lily, I had this irresistible urge to drown myself in Jodi's words again and again: I can't get enough of it. I was crippled by this book; I read in class, in the car, everywhere, and it is so predatory it almost made me cry in class. I don't even know how. Quite honestly, I have a strong suspicion that this is now my favorite book--of ever and ever and ever and ever.

The characters--mostly Peter--sliced through me with a canyon's depth.

This is the Peter Pan I swoon over so badly it's not even funny. This Peter is broken, but he's trying to mend himself and he doesn't want to be broken, so of course he'll lie--to himself, to others, but... mostly himself. That's what made me just stop: at one point, I just had to set the book down and bury my head somewhere. Probably in a heap of tissues. I fell in love with Peter the way Tiger Lily did, and the moment you get to see him past everything--his exterior, his defenseless self--it's like having someone very, very carefully cut your heart out. It hurts, obviously, but it's also defeating. I think that's what made me love this book so much; I guess I'm just a masochist for being such a sucker of bittersweet love stories. Peter Pan is a bewitching boy; I think this song describes my feelings about Peter much better than I can. Of course, now that I've spent so much time on Peter Pan, I've totally neglected Tiger Lily and Tinker Bell, our unexpected narrator who actually turned out to be vital to the plot. I'm sure you're all asleep now, so I'll sum up these two and everyone else in the book in a sentence: the characters in this book are all independent--they are wild, but so in very many different ways--yet at one point or another, the decision was dependence, or nothing at all. It's astounding the choices we all make, to see them reflected in these characters so real they were like people burning through the pages.

Keep living through Happily Ever Afters; we can just watch them eventually fade. But Tiger Lily does something else: we don't live through the Happily Ever After. We live through the true stories crackling against its wishful disguise.(less)

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Oct 04, 2012 Victoria rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those who want to read a meaningful book about first love

Shelves: faeries, fairytales, fantasy, cover-i-love, young-adult, kick-ass-heroines, 2012-favorites, leaves-awesomeness-behind, books-i-really-like, heroines-i-love-and-respect, treasure-keeps, heartfelt-and-inspirational, lovely-writing, best-endings, books-reviewed

“Let me tell you something straight off. This is a love story, but not like any you've ever heard. The boy and the girl are far from innocent. Dear lives are lost. And good doesn't win.”

You know there are some books that you first took a glimpse of it and thought it was going to okay, but then when you delve into the story, it was better than what you expected and then overcome all your expectations? Tiger Lily was one of those kind of books that suprised me--in a very good way. Tiger Lily was j...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Before. This is the before. Before the infamous Wendy, there was Tiger Lily. This is her story.

3.5 stars. Expect the unexpected. This is not Peter Pan as you know it. This is Tiger Lily as seen through the eyes of Tinker Bell.

At first, I wasn't sure what to make of a story being told about one person while using the voice of another person (okay, little flying pixie bug thingamajig). It took me several chapters to warm up to the style of writing. I couldn't get past the fact that Tink was flyin...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Mimi Valentine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, gorgeous-covers, pure-awesomeness, reviewed

"Let me tell you something straight off. This is a love story, but not like any you've heard. The boy and girl are far from innocent. Dear lives are lost. And good doesn't win. In some places, there is something ultimately good about endings. In Neverland, that is not the case..." -Tinker Bell

I grew up loving Disney's version of Peter Pan, wishing I could move to Neverland and never grow old. But this book only makes me love it infinitely MORE!

This book is told, not from Tiger Lily's point of v...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Audrey Hepburn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-5-stars, 2013-awesome-books, 2013-favorites, awesome-heroines, awesome-protagonist, beautiful, drama-adventure, library-books, my-2013-book-reviews, fairytale, romance, sad-books, young-adult

See it in my blog: http://audreyhepburnbooks.wordpress.com/

I have always liked the Peter Pan Stories and the movies. When I first saw the cartoon 1953 Peter Pan movie and then the second part of the movie with Wendy's daughter and then the human version of the movie, I just immediately fell in love with the story. I just knew that the Peter Pan and I were a match.For days I would think about the movie and pretend with my sister that we were these girls that got stranded in the ocean and Peter...more See it in my blog: http://audreyhepburnbooks.wordpress.com/

I have always liked the Peter Pan Stories and the movies. When I first saw the cartoon 1953 Peter Pan movie and then the second part of the movie with Wendy's daughter and then the human version of the movie, I just immediately fell in love with the story. I just knew that the Peter Pan and I were a match.For days I would think about the movie and pretend with my sister that we were these girls that got stranded in the ocean and Peter Pan,the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell would come and save us and we would stay young forever. Of course I never thought that there would be another version of the famous Peter Pan story, that Peter Pan would have another lover besides Wendy. So when I found this book you could imagine how I was: HAPPY!!

The first time I saw this book was in my classroom. One of my classmates had it and I saw the mysterious attractive cover and I asked her" what is that book about?" and she says "Oh this piece of Crap" *Gasp*
So I just stare at her because you never call books crap because they are treasure. But since I hadn't read this book at that time, I couldn't defend it. But she made a mistake, like my friend Lottie said:"If I was in your class I would of walked over to her and throw some pretzels in her face. Tiger Lily=beautiful." And I totally agree with her.

This book was beautiful in every way. I am so happy to be writing this. I have to say this book mesmerized me in every imaginable way. I loved the way it was written, the characters, the plot, and it was original and captivating in very way.

The romance between Tiger Lily and Peter Pan was beautiful and sad. It was very tragic and beautiful it made my heart ache. This book really made me sad and broke my heart but in a beautiful way I cant explain. To this day I am still recovering from the tragic, sad, beautiful ending. It just ripped my heart out and made me cry.

I JUST loved how this book was written so that Tinker Bell was the one who was narrating the story. I just loved her kindness toward Tiger Lily and protection. It was really captivating. I loved Tinker Bell. She was one of my favorite characters.

I loved how the author made Peter Pan. He was so simple and understanding, his feelings honestly true, and his life story so sad. I loved the interactions between him and Tiger Lily, both equally damaged, tender footed characters who suffered much in their lives. Tiger Lily is trapped in her mean community where nobody accepts that she is different. Peter Pan’s parents are unknown to him, and he was never brought up in a family who raised and loved him. In addition, it was fascinating to read about their relationships with Wendy, The Lost Boys, Tick Tock, Smee and Captain Hook. I was really in love with Tik Tok's character. He was just so wise and beautiful. I was surprised with how Captain Hook was so nice and not such a villain and so mean. I actually liked him. I loved the Lost Boys and Tinker bell. In other words: this book had beautiful characters who were strong and not weak and each had a story or background that made them different and unique in their own way.

One of the things I liked was the setting. It was very describing and amazing. And I have to put what Leanne wrote because I found myself thinking just like her:"The setting was enthralling and magical, taking elements of the Peter Pan tale and re-envisioning it in an entirely atmospheric Neverland world. In all honestly, I wish it were more detailed, yet there is one thing that was undeniable- Jodi Lynn Anderson brought Neverland to life. I fell in love with Neverland as a child, and to this day I still adore it. If I could visit Neverland for a day, believe me, I would… " That is exactly how I felt.

Now about the book. At the beginning I was a little bored and wasn't getting into the story but as it went on and got beautiful and sad I just started loving and just had to give it 5 stars.

In conclusion . When I finished the book I cried. The ending was so beautiful and honest my heart sunk and ached and realized the reality and what Peter pan chose. When I finished it I laid down and hugged the book and imagined myself in that world thats was so magical.

This was a truly gorgeous, original, beautiful book. I loved it and I recommend it to everyone. I am very happy that Tiger Lily was written. This book will always be remembered by me.
(less)

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May 29, 2012 Margot rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: advance-copies, fantasy, kindle, young-adult, 2012-read, epic-reads, romance, book-boyfriends

When I first saw Tiger Lily hidden among all the other Harper Teen galleys, I was like, "Oh what the shit is this? A retelling of Peter Pan? NOOO!!!". Then I picked it up and read the back summary and thought, "Nooo!!! It's a love triangle with Peter, Tiger Lily and Wendy? NOOOOOO!!!" Then I actually started reading the book and I realized "Holy $%@&! This is really amazing and not at all what I expected." And thus began my relationship with Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson.

This story, told...more When I first saw Tiger Lily hidden among all the other Harper Teen galleys, I was like, "Oh what the shit is this? A retelling of Peter Pan? NOOO!!!". Then I picked it up and read the back summary and thought, "Nooo!!! It's a love triangle with Peter, Tiger Lily and Wendy? NOOOOOO!!!" Then I actually started reading the book and I realized "Holy $%@&! This is really amazing and not at all what I expected." And thus began my relationship with Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson.

This story, told from the POV of Tinkerbell, is so unique, sensitive, touching, remarkable and unforgettable. It isn't so much a retelling as it is a re-imagining. While Jodi Lynn certainly kept some of the original storyline in terms of the relationships, personality traits and characters, the entire plot line is completely original. But this book isn't a plot based story. In my opinion it truly is a character study and a beautiful coming-of-age story mixed with a lot of social commentary.

I don't want to talk about the plot, because I don't want to give anything away, so instead I want to talk about the writing. Jodi Lynn is so tender with her words and her characters. Since it's told from Tinkerbell's POV who is mute, it's a unique "fly on the wall" type of set up, but given that Tink is a faerie and therefore can really "get inside someone's head" and understand their emotions, we are given a bit more insight into the characters than we normally would with this kind of POV.

Tink was always my favorite character in the original Disney movie, and Jodi Lynn's version makes me love her even more. But the focus, obviously, is on Tiger Lily. Luckily, I had almost completely forgotten her role in the Disney movie (sorry, but I haven't read the original story yet) so it was nice going into this story sort of unbiased as to who Tiger Lily is.

Tiger Lily is such a believably flawed character. I have absolutely nothing in common with her, yet I completely identified with her. With her struggle to fit in, accept who she is as as a woman and apart of this community she has grown up in, and of course her relationship with Peter.

While Tiger Lily is certainly one of the best parts of this story, it really is all the subtle social commentary that I found myself attracted to the most. Jodi touches on sexual identity, religion, identity all with grace and sensitivity. I like that all those bits are in this story, something I see a lot of young adult novels shy away from.

Overall this is a bittersweet story that I absolutely adored. I apologize if my review seems all over the place. It's hard to pinpoint what exactly I love about this story, but I highly recommend it to EVERYONE. It's so refreshing to read a standalone novel in today's world of trilogy and epic series. This is a quiet, beautiful novel and one I am surely not to forget anytime soon. (less)

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Jul 14, 2012 fяσzєη rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: covergasm, all-time-faves, 2012-faves, amazing-authors, believable-romance, books-i-want-to-marry, creatively-original, faves, faeries, heroines-i-adore, made-me-smile, my-emotions-i-cannot, masterpiece, wish-i-could-write-like-that, fairytale-retellings

Absolutely beautiful.

I'll refer you to Emily May's review of this book because, really, I can't top that. Plus, it says everything I want to say about this book.

7 likes · like · see review

Jul 11, 2012 Keertana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kick-ass-heroines, teary-eyed-reads, beautiful-prose, books-that-linger

4.5/5 Stars

If you’ve ever wanted to visit Neverland, all you’d have to do is pick up a copy of Tiger Lily and immerse yourself in the rich world of pirates, natives, faeries, and the lost boys that Anderson has created so vividly. In many ways, reading Tiger Lily is much like being sprinkled with faerie dust yourself – magical, unbelievable, and emotionally touching. I’ll admit that I only picked up this novel because of its beautiful cover – honestly, how do you resist that? – but I found...more 4.5/5 Stars

If you’ve ever wanted to visit Neverland, all you’d have to do is pick up a copy of Tiger Lily and immerse yourself in the rich world of pirates, natives, faeries, and the lost boys that Anderson has created so vividly. In many ways, reading Tiger Lily is much like being sprinkled with faerie dust yourself – magical, unbelievable, and emotionally touching. I’ll admit that I only picked up this novel because of its beautiful cover – honestly, how do you resist that? – but I found that it was so much more than its synopsis gave it credit for. There have been more than a fair share of mis-marketed novels over the past few years, and although Tiger Lily had the necessary components to thrill most of the blogging community, I originally thought of it as being just another cheesy fairytale love story. I have never been more glad to admit that I was wrong – very much so.

Tiger Lily, the adopted daughter of Tik-Tok, the shaman in the Sky Eaters tribe, is one of the loneliest girls in the world. She has had a reputation of being cursed precede her as she has grown up and struggles to fit in with the tribe that shuns her. Furthermore, she is forced to marry Giant, a brute who mistreats her at every opportunity, against her will. Thus, when Tiger Lily stumbles upon Peter Pan and the Lost Boys one fateful day in the forest, she cannot help but be drawn to this boy who seems to be almost as lonely as she is. Yet, as Tiger Lily will soon find out, first love isn’t all romantic and beautiful as it may seem – it is filled with pain, anger, betrayal, loss and, most importantly, dark change.

Tiger Lily is narrated from Tinker Bell’s point of view – a perspective which I found not only added creativity to this original tale, but also shedded a relatively unbiased light on this story. Furthermore, Tink has access to more than simply Tiger Lily’s side of this tale, making it a multi-faceted romance. Her narration is well-paced, entertaining, and emotionally poignant. I never expected a novel about Neverland to be so dark, painfully sad, or heart-wrenching, but it was. In many ways, that only made me love it even more. We are told from the start that this isn’t a happy love story, yet Anderson writes in such a way that we hope against all hope that Tiger Lily and Peter can still be together. I found that their romance was displayed to us in such a way that we saw it evolve into something deeper, but we also saw the cracks in it.

That, more than anything else, is why I loved this story so much. If this novel were told from Tiger Lily’s POV, I’m sure we would have gotten an extremely biased interpretation of her relationship with Peter. However, with Tink as the narrator, we are able to see just how imperfect these two are and while we cannot help but love their romance, we are able to analyze and see it falling apart too. In many ways, Tiger Lily is a novel about first love, but it is also a novel about hope for future loves as well. While it explores the maniac, crazy, and often hormonal madness of a first love, it also presents us with a bittersweet lesson of what it means to truly love, live, and move on. I admired Anderson for her realistic ending and although many readers may be saddened by it, I found myself liking it all the more for its truth.

Tiger Lily and Peter’s romance aside, I found that I was surprised by the many other themes in this story as well. For one, I found that the villains we are familiar with such as Captain Hook and Smee are truly explored in depth. We are given insight into what makes them the way they are and are able to understand them better for it. Furthermore, this novel revolves around change, not only in Tiger Lily, but within her village as well. It gives us a closer look into how ideals such as Christianity were spread into Native American tribes and enables us to see just how judgmental our world is compared to the more primitive times. In addition, I found the suicide in this novel to be most heart-breaking. I think it was the one aspect of this story that brought tears to my eyes and I thoroughly sympathized with Tiger Lily’s tough situation. I think it was handled very gracefully as well in the story and its impact on Tiger Lily was especially well developed.

All in all, I found Tiger Lily to be unexpected. While I was expecting a cute romance, I instead found a deep, provocative, and thoughtful tale. I loved seeing this story from Anderson’s new perspective and it has renewed in me a greater love of the world J.M. Barrie originally created. Moreover, I admired Anderson’s writing skill in displaying each character’s strengths, weaknesses, and changes throughout the ordeals she put them through. I’ve fallen in love with this story – its realistic quality, its morals, and its characters. While its ending may not have been quite what readers may have wanted, it remains true to the world as we know it, proving that life goes on and continues in the most bittersweet of ways.

You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.(less)

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Dec 04, 2012 Jean rated it 2 of 5 stars

This was a difficult book for me. I've been fascinated by Tiger Lily, as a character, since youth, and the idea of a book based from her point of view? Fantastic! But the book itself is a mixed bag. You know the expression, 'Too many chefs ruin the soup?' Too many ingredients can as well, as this book shows off too well.

When you begin to realize that it's gimmick layered upon gimmick... Well, I came to terms with it, but that's when I started to see just what was bothering me about it. Don't get...more This was a difficult book for me. I've been fascinated by Tiger Lily, as a character, since youth, and the idea of a book based from her point of view? Fantastic! But the book itself is a mixed bag. You know the expression, 'Too many chefs ruin the soup?' Too many ingredients can as well, as this book shows off too well.

When you begin to realize that it's gimmick layered upon gimmick... Well, I came to terms with it, but that's when I started to see just what was bothering me about it. Don't get me wrong: The book is beautifully written, the reason it very nearly got three stars out of me, and contains some fabulous characterization and reinterpretation of characters like Hook and Peter.

Problem the first: The narration. In first person from Tinkerbell's POV, you often forget that it's not third person since it's largely just observations of Lily and Peter until Tink will put in a jarring comment about drowning in a dew drop or eating a lightning bug or some other whimsy equally as out of tone with some of the darker elements of the book. One is left wondering: couldn't it have just been in omnipotent third person narration. I suppose it was meant to develop Tink, but it just made me wish she'd go away, and that I knew more of what Lily was actually thinking.

Second problem: The book is about Lily, but we actually get very little insight into her as a person. We know that she's Not Like Other Girls, which makes her Important, and Better. But with a reserved personality, a narrator outside of Lily's own mind can't bring any complexity to her whatsoever other than showing her as distant, or mentioning that her mood was dark or conflicted. In the end, I didn't learn very much about her, nor did she seem particularly compelling, to have an entire book written about her.

And am I the only one who sees a problem in relating the tribe seen in Barrie's work with actually Native Americans, especially since this book takes place on an Island close to England? It's always been a thin line to walk with the source material, but making it purely Native culture shows off more glaring inaccuracies and stereotypes than going with something more ambiguous would have done. And, wait, they're fantastic and sexually liberated because they accept a transsexual man as their shaman, but still force Lily into a marriage with a dumb, sexually abusive man not of her choosing? Hm, there seem to be discrepancies here.

Third: Re-imagining Neverland. It takes on more of a real, grounded appearance and life here, with the characters coming and going from England, and most of them having arrived by shipwreck. If a book only sought to re-imagine Neverland, it would have been a long and grueling task to convince the reader to go along with it, but here the author just throws it in and expects it to be accepted. This was, curiously, also in my opinion the strong point of the book.

Fourth: Romance. Yes, let's age both Peter and Lily up so instead of playmates, they can paw at each other like a stereotypical YA couple. It brought down even the fantastic characterization of Peter, IMO, and felt out of place within the thematic elements of the rest of the novel.

Fifth: Oh, female complications. This book allegedly takes an enlightened point of view on the complications that arise when characters mix. And yet Wendy is still frivolous and silly, and the other girls are still pitted against her, though Tink has to point out that, obviously, she's not jealous, that's just Wendy projecting her own high sense of self-worth, she's really just rooting for Lily, who's by far superior because she's fierce and a fighter etc. etc. Not Like Other Girls, Tomboy vs. Girlie Girl, all of these unpleasant tropes were in full force.

So, what did I like? The Victorian setting is fabulous (for characters like Hook and Smee, who are meant to be timeless; I'm aware that the other characters ARE Victorian), as is the very dark characterization of the pirates, and the modernized ADHD personality of Peter. The prose is beautiful but economic. All of which leads me to sadly conclude that this book could have been so much more, a mini-masterpiece, if it had avoided more of the YA cliches and tropes that it so easily fell into.(less)

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Nov 04, 2012 Annabel ♥ rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Every girl in the entire world.

Recommended to Annabel ♥ by: Erika

Shelves: adore, cover-love, love-the-writing, all-time-fav-s, idea-is-genius, romance, amazingness, i-cried-or-almost-cried, inspiring, review, no-shit-heroines, writer-is-amazingg, why-didn-t-i-read-this-earlier, wish-i-were-in-this-book, ya-books-that-i-love, five-stars

This review is also posted on Leopard Kitty Books

I am crying right now. This was an amazing story. I'm in love.

I've always found it incredibly difficult to choose a favorite book. I have read so many awesome books in my lifetime that it is impossible to pick just one that was my absolute favorite. But here, I have a winner. The story of Tiger Lily takes the top slot on my favorite books.

I loved everything about it. I have not one complaint. I warn you, if you read this book, you will cry loud...more This review is also posted on Leopard Kitty Books

I am crying right now. This was an amazing story. I'm in love.

I've always found it incredibly difficult to choose a favorite book. I have read so many awesome books in my lifetime that it is impossible to pick just one that was my absolute favorite. But here, I have a winner. The story of Tiger Lily takes the top slot on my favorite books.

I loved everything about it. I have not one complaint. I warn you, if you read this book, you will cry loudly. It is heartbreaking and beautiful, and definitely one of the most thought-provoking, beautifully written things I have ever touched. My life will never ever be the same after reading this book. I'm more impressed than I could ever tell you in plain words. This book, in short, has touched my heart in a way that a book has never had before.

I don't know if my love for this book has anything to do with my unconditional love for faeries for many years, but I loved Tinker Bell. I'd never thought of Tinker Bell in such ways before. She was a generous narrator, talking little about herself and more about Tiger Lily. I loved the snippets of Tinker Bell's personality, and something about her made me feel like crying every time she talked about herself. She was so lonely, so selfless, and something about that made me sad.

From the age of six all the way to the age of nine or ten, I would go into the woods right behind my house and search for faeries and faerie houses. I'd make them out of branches, weeds, sticks, grass, leaves, and anything I could find. I used to sing for the faeries to come, and sprinkle cinnamon along the path, because I'd heard faeries were attracted to the smell of cinnamon. All day long, I'd sit there in the woods until my fingers got near frostbitten, singing for the faeries and sprinkling a path of cinnamon along the gravelly road. Needless to say, the faeries never came, but I truly believed that one day they would come. This book brought back nostalgic memories of those days, and for a few seconds in the book, I felt like I wanted to be right there, I wanted to be Tiger Lily, sitting there peacefully with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell fluttering around us.

For a while, it seemed as though everything was damn near perfect (minus, of course, Tiger Lily's unavoidable upcoming marriage to a grotesque creature Giant). But then, of course, there is pain, like there is pain in every well written story. Wendy Darling, a beautiful, sweet girl from England threatens to take away all Tiger Lily's love for Peter, and soon everything falls downhill after she arrives. Tiger Lily loses herself and never really gets brought back to normal. She marries Pine Sap after the mysterious death of the Giant, who though she is happy with, brings sadness every time she thinks of Peter.

About three fourths of the way through the book, I realized I was truly on the verge of tears. I could place myself right there in Tiger Lily's shoes, imagining what it would be like if my true love abandoned me for a girl who is everything that I am not, if I had to marry someone I didn't love, if my life suddenly seemed to burn around the edges like Tiger Lily's did.

Though the ending of this book wasn't exactly happy, it had the sad-smile kind of thing that you get in good books. You're crying, but you're happy at the same time. You feel unbelievably sad, but happy at the same time. Happy at the same time. This was what this book was about for me.

This is a book of pain, love, loss, but most of all, genius and perfection. My life will truly never be the same after reading this book. It was an amazing, amazing story. My new favorite book . (less)

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Apr 17, 2013 Paul Decker rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Find this review and more at The AP Book Club

My video review, where craft up a "Tiger Lily" inspired headdress can be found here:http://youtu.be/1lBwE23_tyQ

"Tiger Lily" is a very well written retelling/prequel of the Peter Pan story. It follows Tiger Lily and is narrated by Tinker Bell. Tinker Bell can't talk, but she can feel people around her's feelings. I like that Anderson chose Tinker Bell's perspective. The reader gets to jump around the island of Neverland, seeing the pirates, Tiger Lily'...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Talia rated it 4 of 5 stars

First off, i was so lucky to win an ARC of Tiger Lilly! I waited a really long time to write this review because I have such mixed feelings about this. The thing is, Tiger Lily was beautiful. The story was beautiful, the writing was gorgeous, and the characters were perfect. But I am one of those people who hate when a person takes a beloved story (like Peter Pan) and changes it. I don’t mean little changes that don’t mess up the entire plot. I love retellings! But the author changed the most cr...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Tiara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: imaginative-retelling, fantasy, magical-realism, young-adult, romance, favorites

First, I should say if you want a sweet, innocent Peter Pan story, this story isn't for you. This is nowhere near as dark as Brom's The Child Thief, but while Brom's book focuses on presenting Neverland as a very gray place where all sides do their evil in the name of some "greater good," this is a story about first loves, betrayal, yearning, and heartache mixed in with a bit of action. I think this book and The Child Thief are the only two Peter Pan retellings that have elicited such a strong e...more First, I should say if you want a sweet, innocent Peter Pan story, this story isn't for you. This is nowhere near as dark as Brom's The Child Thief, but while Brom's book focuses on presenting Neverland as a very gray place where all sides do their evil in the name of some "greater good," this is a story about first loves, betrayal, yearning, and heartache mixed in with a bit of action. I think this book and The Child Thief are the only two Peter Pan retellings that have elicited such a strong emotional response from me. I wouldn't even try to write this review before I could stop tearing up about this story.

This story toes the thin line between magic and magic realism. While there are magical things in the stories like mermaids and fairies, many other "magical elements" have more practical reasoning behind them. One example being the belief that the lost boys fly being attributed to an elaborate rope system they've made in the treetops.

Neverland turns out to be an island nestled away in the Atlantic, protected by a treacherous sea that sinks many of the ships that dare to tread too close to Neverland, reminding me a little of the Tristanian Islanders. However, a few stragglers make it to shore from time to time. Most of them die of exposure or by some terror that lives in the forest. Other Englishmen that make it to shore are often cut down by Captain Hook and his ragtag group of pirates who hate their fellow countrymen. But even though most of the inhabitants there have a peaceful existence together on that island (however, peace between the pirates and natives is tenuous at best), they all fear the lost boys who most people never see. They only whisper about their evil deeds, but Tiger Lily learns better.

It is true that people on Neverland didn't age, but it seems that it seems mostly something that happens to the native people and beings on Neverland. It was never fully explained why it happened, but the people on the island aged until a monumental event happened in their life and caused their bodies to stop aging beyond that point and they never moved beyond that physically and perhaps even a bit mentally if we're to judge by Tiger Lily's actions even some 80 years after the events that changed her. And sometimes that meant children out-aged their parents and grandparents. It seemed like the island granted this "gift" to the natives, but not to the outsiders such as Captain Hook. The natives fear catching the "aging disease" from them. However, this could be indicative that nothing of extreme importance has happened to them or if it has, it happened in their lives before Neverland.

I'll be honest, while I did like the idea of a life changing event causing people to stop aging in response, as if this exact moment was the moment they were to remember forever, I don't know if I think it was well executed in the story. It came off a little dubious at best to me. Fortunately, it wasn't something that was talked about much in the story after the initial explanation. There was also bits of the storytelling that seemed a little out of place, and there were a few other places where something should've been explored a little more or explained a little better. But that didn't detract from the story for me.

The story is told through Tink's eyes. Fairies have evolved to be mute, but they learn to observe and listen to the feelings of others, giving them the uncanny ability to be able to look inside others and see all their innermost workings. Unlike her incarntations in other works, Tink is seldom acknowledged by humans, but still she clings to Tiger Lily, hitching rides in her hair or on her clothes as she watches a bittersweet love story unfold between Peter and Tiger Lily, a story that is set into motion when Tiger Lily begins to care for a shipwrecked Englishman who made it to their shores, an event that not only changes her, but her whole village. Tink falls in love with Peter herself, but knowing he can never be hers, she roots for Tiger Lily's love to flourish with Peter because she cares about them both.

Their love does and it doesn't flourish like most first loves. Lack of understanding what the other needs, the newness of a new love, works for and against Tiger Lily and Peter. Tiger Lily, who is an outsider in her own tribe rather than a princess (but still someone of status since the shaman is her adoptive father), has a hard time showing strong emotion even if she feels it intensely. She feels that she has to be as good as Peter, as fast as Peter, as strong as Peter, or he'll outrun her grasp and leave her because she's not his equal. Peter is a swell of emotions and inconsistencies who needs reassurance, who needs to know that she can love all of him, assurances Tiger Lily is unable to give due to not understanding the new feelings she's having, assurances that are given easily by Wendy when she arrives on the island.

As the story wears on it seems as if some of the magic begins to fade. More and more, wondrous creatures and things begin to retreat to safety. The mermaids swim deep within the ocean where they can't be found. Tink's own people move deep in the swamps where men fear to tread. Even people's perception of Tink, and even her perception of herself starts to relegate her to nothing more than a mere bug. All these things are responses to a changing world that magic no longer plays a part in. The world has been conquered, all except Neverland.

Tink warns in the beginning that the tale would not end happily ever after, so I expected something completely heartbreaking. However, I think the story ended in a way that was best for both Peter and Tiger Lily. What happened between Peter and Tiger Lily is painful yes, but what their lives become after that shows they both needed something different as much as they needed each other. Peter's decision also seemed to be a mix of sacrifice as well. He loved the lost boys. He worried about them, even though Tiger Lily was the only person to ever know that. He made a point earlier in the story that he wasn't a good role model, but that he tried to shield them by being carefree. So, I do believe part of his decision was for them to have something better as well. Despite it all, it doesn't mean that Tiger Lily and Peter stopped loving each other. They see each other in everything and will love each other forever, but every love is different. Every love fulfills a person in different ways. Love makes you do things you'd never expect. (less)

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Apr 01, 2012 Misty marked it as to-read

Shelves: literary, juvenile-ya, own, gift, thanks-liz

This. This sounds effing awesome.

17 likes · like · see review

Jul 03, 2012 All Things Urban Fantasy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-by-julia, first-reads

I finished TIGER LILY with a gasp a goosebumps, head over heels in love with the characters and world that Anderson created. I was hesitant to start it, Tiger Lily was always a character that fired my imagination, but even my childhood daydreams couldn’t quite fit her happily ever after into the myth. In TIGER LILY, Jodi Lynn Anderson has given me the Peter Pan story I’ve always dreamed of, gorgeously written, intimate, and inspired.

As I read TIGER LILY my mind’s eye kept flashing to Disney’s cl...more I finished TIGER LILY with a gasp a goosebumps, head over heels in love with the characters and world that Anderson created. I was hesitant to start it, Tiger Lily was always a character that fired my imagination, but even my childhood daydreams couldn’t quite fit her happily ever after into the myth. In TIGER LILY, Jodi Lynn Anderson has given me the Peter Pan story I’ve always dreamed of, gorgeously written, intimate, and inspired.

As I read TIGER LILY my mind’s eye kept flashing to Disney’s clean, happy drawings, making Anderson’s beautiful descriptions and realism all the more wonderful. While I expected to love Tiger Lily, her strength and solitary nature were more than I imagined. Seeing her alongside Peter, with his bravado and loneliness and charisma, made it apparent that their young love was both fierce and flawed. I had not expected Tinker Bell as a narrator, but Anderson saves her from the vain Disney portrayal. It is this Tink, alien and empathetic and charming, that will live on in my memory. Even Anderson’s pirates, human and frightening and murderous, have drowned out the all the bumbling Smees and bombastic Hooks of the past. The people in TIGER LILY still struggle with the human issues of loss and acceptance, identity and bullying, young love and friendship. Her Neverland, still magical yet nestled into the shores of our mundane world, seems somehow all the more fantastic for its closeness. The list of details and gorgeous characters could just go on and on, Anderson has made all parts of this world uniquely and beautifully her own.

With the dark, dreamy narrative of TIGER LILY fresh in my mind, I wish I could write a review that would do this fairy tale justice. The best Neverland I’ve ever visited, the best fairy tale I’ve read all year, and characters that are both magical and utterly human. I’m so glad I took a chance and read this book. Anderson has breathed a new, teenaged life into the spirit of Tiger Lily without ever betraying the youthful hopes and dreams invested I once in her.

Sexual Content: Oblique references to rape, kissing.(less)

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Aug 11, 2012 Blythe marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-plans, judge-a-book-by-the-cover, highly-anticipating-2012

Guess who now owns a copy of this book?

Guess.

Keep guessing.

(view spoiler)

9 likes · like · see review

Jul 05, 2012 Lolly's rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon-vine, fantasy, young-adult, romantic-fantasy

4.5 stars

I've got a confession to make. Well, two confessions, actually, one big and one small. The first, small confession is: This is the first book I've read written by Jodi Lynn Anderson. I've heard of her 'Peaches' series, probably read a blurb or two about one of the books, but none of them have ever made it to my “To Read” shelves. However, my big confession is this: I've never read the original Peter Pan (under any of its titles) by J.M. Barrie. *waits for the inevitable public castigati...more 4.5 stars

I've got a confession to make. Well, two confessions, actually, one big and one small. The first, small confession is: This is the first book I've read written by Jodi Lynn Anderson. I've heard of her 'Peaches' series, probably read a blurb or two about one of the books, but none of them have ever made it to my “To Read” shelves. However, my big confession is this: I've never read the original Peter Pan (under any of its titles) by J.M. Barrie. *waits for the inevitable public castigation* I know, I know, it's terrible of me; they're those books I've always meant to read yet somehow seem to get put off by something else. (Hey, I just found out the two books are free for my Kindle! Woo-hoo! I've snapped those puppies up, right quick.) I've seen the Disney version (yeah, I know how Disney tends to twist around a story), but that was probably about two decades ago (yeesh!). I've seen the 2003 film 'Peter Pan', which I thought was really good (then again, I'm a sucker for Jason Isaacs), 'Finding Neverland', which was maudlin, but come on, it's Johnny Depp, and, yes, I've seen 'Hook' (and liked it! So there). I've read the revamped novels written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (well, the first one anyway) and I recently saw the Syfy miniseries 'Neverland' which I thought was rather interesting. Wow, that's a lot of Peter Pan crap I've seen without having read the original story. Weird. Anyway, so without having taken in Barrie's version, I still have a general idea of what he was trying to express and the ambiguity he used while doing so (heck, he never even really described what Peter looked like; it's other authors and adapters who have fleshed out 'the boy who wouldn't grow up'). What I remember most from mulling over all the different adaptations I've seen and the faint memories of the Disney film is the rather shoddy treatment Tiger Lily always seemed to receive. When she was around before Wendy, she was the bee's knees; when Wendy came, Tiger Lily became an afterthought, a second-rate time filler who became unnecessary next to Wendy's English-rose daintiness. What a crock! Which is why Jodi Lynn Anderson's latest novel has finally come to my attention. I've always had a thing for the underdog and the idea of telling such a classic tale from Tiger Lily's perspective, a character who is probably the patron saint of those undervalued characters, intrigued the heck out of me.

Tiger Lily, the novel, is quite haunting. It's a story told through the eyes of another, rather neglected Peter Pan character, Tinker Bell, and, as Tink tells us right at the beginning, it's a story in which good doesn't win, the girl and boy aren't innocent, and lives are lost. When we meet Tiger Lily, the girl, she's rather awkward and stand-offish, a girl who not only doesn't quite fit into her tribe, the Sky Eaters, she also doesn't quite fit into her skin. The adopted daughter of the tribe's shaman, Tik Tok, who found her under the flower for which he named her, Tiger Lily has grown up rather wild, more animal than human, more boy than girl. The only thing Tiger Lily was afraid of was Pan, the leader of the lost boys and a figure of fright for all the Sky Eaters. Until one day, when Tiger Lily lets down her guard, she's captured by Pan... and finds that more than just her body has been captured by the feral youth. As the story progresses, the lure of Peter Pan grows stronger, tempting Tiger Lily away from her friends, her tribe, and, eventually, even her sense of self. Though many ultimately suffer as a result of her neglect, tragically, it's Tik Tok who suffers the most, and it's only until it's too late that Tiger Lily returns to herself, stronger, wiser, and sadder, and attempts to mend what's been broken.

All the original story elements are there, including how the crocodile got the clock, but seen through the eyes of Tinker Bell, the classic story takes on a new and entirely fresh perspective. What really makes the story resonate is the romance between Tiger Lily and Peter Pan; it explains so much and seems so... right. So much so that when Wendy arrives, you feel Tiger Lily's pain and confusion, and her anger. Even though you know how the story does and should end, as events unfold, you still want things to end differently. You want Peter to stay in Neverland, to end up with Tiger Lily. Tiger Lily, the book, is beautiful and sad and entrancing, and it lets Tiger Lily, the character, live and breath and be more than a simple two-dimensional cartoon. As a story, the novel flows at a perfect pace, with just the right amount of drama and tension and action, in just the right places. The narrative comes alive with deft descriptions and settings, and the dialogue is evocative of each character's individuality: Peter Pan's energy and impatience come through as choppy, almost abrupt sentences; Tiger Lily's reticence and almost predatory stillness is shown in her careful way of speaking. The romance between them is shown in awkward and touching moments, moments which feel real through the spontaneity of Peter's kiss on Tiger Lily's neck or the way she holds onto him, his scent, his wildness, his fragility, even as she knows she must give him up. It's those aching moments of reality which make their romance that much more lyrical... and so heartbreaking. Watching the story unfold through Tinker Bell's eyes, you might imagine, would make scenes feel distant, less intimate. Yet it's the exact opposite: By having Tink's emotions color the narrative, everything is that much deeper, richer. At the beginning of the novel, Tink's affection for Tiger Lily adds warmth to a character who, had she been the narrator, would most likely come off as cold and distant. That affection for Tiger Lily lasts throughout the novel, even after Tiger Lily and Tink meet Peter Pan and Tink herself falls in love with Peter, her emotions towards Tiger Lily thereafter warring between devotion and jealousy. In a way, Tink acts as first Tiger Lily's, then, to a certain degree, Peter's advocate, not quite apologizing for why they do the things they do or act the way they act, but instead showing us the underlying reasons for those behaviors and asking the reader to understand them and, in some cases, to forgive them. This doesn't stop her, though, from acting as an external conscience for Tiger Lily and Peter; since she can't talk (a facet of fairy evolution which Tink explains early on), she tries to stop their bad behavior by stinging them, biting them, tugging at their clothes, and doing anything else a little bug like her is capable of doing. As a result, Tink is more than just a narrator, she's an active participant in the story; along the way, we learn just as much about Tinker Bell and her history as we do the others.

Judging by this novel, it's no wonder Anderson's 'Peaches' series is so popular and acclaimed.

See more of my reviews at: http://lollyslibrary.blogspot.com/(less)

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Mar 28, 2012 Martha marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Recommended to Martha by: Maddz

I've never wanted anything more.

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Dec 20, 2012 Katrina Welsh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: colour-me-surprised, favorites, wishlist

Find more reviews at I Have Lived a Thousand Lives

Tiger Lily left me speechless. Actually, no. That's a lie. I had speech alright. It just ended up being garbled and unrecognizable mutterings because sobs and cries of anguish were raking through my body. Thanks, Anderson. And to think, I was this close to not finishing the book.

Let me make this clear. I was planning on DNF-ing, not because it was a bad book, but because it was so damn good.

Wait, Katrina. Did you just say you weren't going to fi...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Hannah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: absolute-favorite-books, books-i-reccomend, fairytale, favorites, romance-3, fantasy, relatable-books, books-that-made-me-cry

Let me tell you straight off. This is a love story, but not like any you've ever heard. The boy and the girl are far from innocent. Dear lives are lost. And good doesn't win. In some places, there is something good about endings. In Neverland, that is not the case.

I have always loved the story of Peter Pan. The story of the boy who never grew up and the wonderful place called Neverland mesmerized me from the very first time that I heard it as a little girl. To live forever as a child was/is one...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Alyssa (Books Take You Places) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, own

Originally reviewed at Books Take You Places.

“Let me tell you something straight off. This is a love story, but not like any you’ve heard. The boy and girl are far from innocent. Dear lives are lost. And good doesn’t win. In some places, there is something ultimately good about endings. In Neverland, that is not the case…”

I have never been a huge fan of Peter Pan. I like the premise and sure, Hook is one of my favorite movies of all time but there were always pieces missing for me in the story....more

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Jul 09, 2012 Tt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Find more of my reviews here Tt@NeverEndingStories

“You have to be careful who you meet. You can’t unmeet them.”

This dark and chilling story is told from the Point of view of Tinker Bell. It is the story of Tiger Lily the supporting character from the classic movie Peter Pan. In this romance we get to witness how Peter Pan and the Lost boys came to be, what could have happened before Peter met Wendy, how Tiger Lily was Peter's first love, and all the unanswered questions the movie left out.

"I'm...more Find more of my reviews here Tt@NeverEndingStories

“You have to be careful who you meet. You can’t unmeet them.”

This dark and chilling story is told from the Point of view of Tinker Bell. It is the story of Tiger Lily the supporting character from the classic movie Peter Pan. In this romance we get to witness how Peter Pan and the Lost boys came to be, what could have happened before Peter met Wendy, how Tiger Lily was Peter's first love, and all the unanswered questions the movie left out.

"I'm not myself."
"You can never say that.
You're just a piece of yourself right now that you don't like."

This book was interesting from the first page. It starts off with "Let me tell you something straight off. This is a love story, but not like any you've heard." And as you read on you would think the author is going one way but then she takes you into this dark-fantasy and that’s when things started to get pretty interesting. The author took this classic story and created something that would make you almost believe this is the prequel to the movie Peter Pan.

I loved the originality that this story portrays even though you’re familiar with the story and the characters and you think you may know how it's going to end. The author puts a raw spin on the story and all the characters so they seem more real and believable, but as I continued to read I came to the realization that I didn't know these characters like I thought I did. I also liked how the story was told through Tinker Bell’s eyes. She is so well known but in the movie she really didn't play that big of a part but in this book she has an enormous voice in telling the story.

All in all this was a great read. If you love the Disney story you will love this story with its dark and twisted characters. The storyline was very well thought out; the pacing was great and all the characters had depth and complexity that went beyond my expectations. Tinker Bell was the key that kept the story alive with her snarky commentary and the author did a wonderful job of telling Tiger Lily's story.
(less)

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Jul 18, 2012 Beatriz Lins rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cried-my-eyes-out, fiction, mixed-feelings, quick-read, romance, sweet, unexpected-endings, ya, mythology

Tiger Lily was one of the books I was most looking forward to in July. I mean, seriously, a book about Tiger Lily and Peter Pan? The synopsis looked interesting enough, and after watching the book trailer, I was eager to get my hands on this novel. I've always been a fan of Peter Pan, and though it always made me happy to see Peter with Wendy, a love story with Tiger Lily, of all people, was a differente experience altogether.

Jodi Lynn Anderson took a lot of risks in this book. Not only because...more Tiger Lily was one of the books I was most looking forward to in July. I mean, seriously, a book about Tiger Lily and Peter Pan? The synopsis looked interesting enough, and after watching the book trailer, I was eager to get my hands on this novel. I've always been a fan of Peter Pan, and though it always made me happy to see Peter with Wendy, a love story with Tiger Lily, of all people, was a differente experience altogether.

Jodi Lynn Anderson took a lot of risks in this book. Not only because of the romance, the setting, and the mythology behind it, but because of the narration, as well. Tiger Lily is narrated by Tinkerbell, our most beloved faery, and while I found that curious, and more than a little weird, her point of view was perfect. Tink isn't an active character, exactly, but she's not entirely passive either. She likes to watch what happens around her, and her sensibility about other people's emotions let us know exactly what Tiger Lily was feeling (most of the times, that is). The writing is unique, filled with observations, and Tink's thoughts on the matter. It fit the book perfectly, and though I didn't like it at first, the narration grew on me.

Since most of what happens is told instead of shown to us, the story is slow-paced, which can be pretty boring, if you don't like the characters and the setting itself. However, the descriptions were enthralling, even without action scenes or anything significantly fast-paced, and that made me appreciate all the details in Neverland, as well as the characters' personality. Speaking of the characters, they're unique, just like everything else in this novel. Tiger Lily herself was a mystery to me during the whole story, and though her quiet behavior grew on me, and I found myself loving her more and more, I still didn't quite understand her. Peter Pan was just as criptic, but for once, this didn't anger me. When their feelings for each other deepened, so did my love for them. It was a delicate balance, but it worked.

I can't say I loved this novel, but I did like it. Perhaps it's because I didn't connect with the characters the way I use to when a read a stand-alone, perhaps it's because of the heart-breaking ending, but I enjoyed the story, overall. Tiger Lily is a quick read, and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves Peter Pan, and a light, yet full of meaning, love story. Jodi Lynn Anderson is a talented author, and I look forward to more of her work in the future.

Note: This review also appears on my blog.(less)

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Jul 25, 2012 Rayne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-july, faeries, fantasy, favorites, kickass-heroine, love-triangle, immortals, romance, stand-alone-novel, young-adult, retellings, 2012-favorites

I spent the majority of my reading experience with this book completely sure that I was going to give it 3 stars because of how frustrating some characters and circumstances were and how infuriating and unfair it all seemed. But when the ending came along, I had to move past my anger and see the book as it was. And it is beautiful and simply brilliant. I loved Tinkerbell's perspective and the heart-breaking reality behind the circumstances, because not everything goes according to plan and not e...more I spent the majority of my reading experience with this book completely sure that I was going to give it 3 stars because of how frustrating some characters and circumstances were and how infuriating and unfair it all seemed. But when the ending came along, I had to move past my anger and see the book as it was. And it is beautiful and simply brilliant. I loved Tinkerbell's perspective and the heart-breaking reality behind the circumstances, because not everything goes according to plan and not everyone lives up to be the good heroes we want them to be. The book got slow at points and some characters needed a bit more time to fully develop but, overall, this book is simply fantastic.

Review originally posted at http://www.mycutebookshelf.com/2012/0...

What I feel for Tiger Lily is erratic, ever-shifting and slightly schizophrenic. I started the book really immersed in the story, liking it very much, even if not exactly loving it. Then, about half-way through, my eyes began to narrow in dislike and my interest started to dwindle. A bit farther, I was begrudgingly appreciating the book, but sure it would never make it to my favorites. And then came the ending and everything utterly changed. It took a few pages short of the ending for me to realize that I absolutely loved everything about this book. It is heart-breaking, beautiful and painfully realistic. Because love doesn't always have a happy ending and heroes are not always pure. Because things don't always go as planned, we all not all entirely good and we all make mistakes, but life has this way of always working out, for better or worse.

This book is told from Tinkerbell's perspective, which I thought it was simply brilliant. Her narrative is simply beautiful, even if it lulls at points and drags at others. Tinkerbell's voice is genuine, honest, sassy, even snarky and jealous at points, and entirely real. I jumped into the book not remembering that it was her voice the one to tell us the story, and while at first it was confusing, it ended up working fantastically. Tiger Lily herself is a bit of a mystery throughout the book, but Tinkerbell's observations brought her sharply to life. Tiger Lily is a complicated character. There's a quiet strength to her, a subtle power around her that makes her interesting, but that she chooses to accept and comply with the terrible things thrown at her is simply confusing, which ends up making her a very unforgettable character. Peter is endearing in his childishness, and even though I didn't see much chemistry between the two, I completely understood their attraction thanks for Tinkerbell's insightful narration. Their relationship was complicated and challenging, but it worked, because it was the union of two lonely people that needed each other desperately.

Not many other characters had as much of a chance to develop in the story and I was sad about that. But the book is full of unforgettable and unique characters that tug at your heart, particularly Tik Tok and Moon Eye. But there's also a lot of complicated bad guys, some not even bad guys in the traditional sense of the word. That's something I deeply loved about this book, the contradicting, ambiguous morality of some of the characters. One might be doing something considered good, but end up doing bad. One might do a bad thing, but coincidentally end up doing something good. It translates to the characters and their natures as well. A strong character doesn't necessarily mean that they will not let anyone walk over them or that they will make their own rules; sometimes strength manifests itself in other ways. A true friend is not perfectly loyal or not envious or always in agreement with you, and someone may truly love you, yet end up hurting you and that doesn't make their love any less real or their friendship any less honest.

This book is not exactly a thrilling ride. Like I said before, it drags a bit and most of the story is passive, the pace rather slow, but that is mostly due to the fact that things in the story unfold naturally by themselves and with a certain degree of realism that adds up to the effect of the raw and heart-breaking ending. The world-building is fantastic and the writing breath-taking. It was quite difficult to tear myself from the book, as slow as I claimed it got at points. The pulsing emotion behind the characters, the narrative, the very core of the book, was riveting and impossible to resist and that's what carries the whole book, because let me tell you, this is hardly a pretty story, but it works. It is bittersweet and terrible and beautiful. This book is simply marvelous, because a book that makes me feel so much and so many polarizing emotions and ends up lodging itself in my head despite having gone through several other books afterward, can be nothing short of amazing.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Jul 05, 2012 Nafiza rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-for-review, 2012, favourites, books-i-own, recommend-to-friends

I liked this in the way you like things that take your heart and twist it tightly. And painfully.

*clears throat* Here we go:

I don’t know if I’m ready to write a review of this book. Then again, I don’t know if I ever will so let me put on my big girl pants and get on with it.

The novel is narrated from Tinkerbell’s perspective and before I continue, I must point out a sticking point here. Tink says she has no language (by which I think she meant she can’t talk) but she is TALKING or rather narra...more I liked this in the way you like things that take your heart and twist it tightly. And painfully.

*clears throat* Here we go:

I don’t know if I’m ready to write a review of this book. Then again, I don’t know if I ever will so let me put on my big girl pants and get on with it.

The novel is narrated from Tinkerbell’s perspective and before I continue, I must point out a sticking point here. Tink says she has no language (by which I think she meant she can’t talk) but she is TALKING or rather narrating to us which belies her assertion that she has no language. She also talks about her father telling her to stay away from the Lost Boys again indicating that the fairies communicate in their own way. So I think that the author may need to make it more specific that she couldn’t talk to humans or that she had no language for the humans or whatnot rather than making the sweeping comment that fairies have no “language” when clearly they do.

That said, Tiger Lily is such a beautiful book. Obviously the readers are already acquainted with Never Land but Anderson builds the world so exquisitely that you can almost smell the damp earth in the forest, hear the sound of the waves hitting the surf and envision the burrow where the Lost Boys tumble around like puppies. Her characterizations are also spot on. Tiger Lily is written as an almost feral girl, at one with the nature she revels in. Her life in all its twists may try to break her but she has more pride, more strength than to let it. She is perhaps one of the most compelling heroines I have read this year. Her relationship with Peter Pan who is also as broken and as beautiful as she is is the kind of romances you secretly read about and yearn for. I never thought I’d hate Wendy but I think in this book, I did. I hated her a lot. Tiger Lily’s heartbreak is exquisitely written and I mean it is so well written that you can’t stop reading even as your heart cracks and breaks. There is this otherworldly sense about the book; it almost feels as though you are peeking into the past and you cannot breathe too loud lest you scare the characters away. The plotting, pacing and the bittersweet ending are, again, exquisitely rendered.

Tiger Lily is a beautiful reimagining of Peter Pan and The Never Land. Anderson gives the story more depth and more dimension. She makes it richer both with her narration and her additions to the classic. I truly recommend it.(less)

16 likes · like · see review

Jun 25, 2012 Erica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-fantasy-reading-challenge

Peter Pan is a tale that I have always loved. With its magic and light-heartedness it has always captivated me. I have been waiting for another retelling of Peter Pan to cross my path and I was so excited when this one did. While it didn't live up to all my expectations for it, I still enjoyed Tiger Lily and the unique point of view it offered on the classic everyone loves.

First off, Tiger Lily is told from Tinkerbell's point of view. HOW COOL IS THAT? I absolutely loved getting inside Tink's h...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 01, 2012 Robbin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-literature, favorites, arc

Oh, my. This is one of the rare books that has an expected but unexpected ending that may leave you in tears. And the ending is possibly one of the most beautiful things you will ever read. Once this book comes out in July, I highly recommend this book. It's like finding that one piece of fanfiction that ends so perfectly that you're actually glad it ended, because if it went on, it would just be ruined. After you read "Tiger Lily", you'll never be able to watch the old Disney classic film the s...more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 05, 2013 Kate rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, young-adult

This is going to be one of those complicated reviews in which I try to pin the tail on the donkey of my thoughts and end up poking out someone’s eye. All reviews are the reviewer’s subjective opinion of the book and a commentary on their own personal reading experience. I know that. But. I feel the need to add the caveat to my review of Tiger Lily that some of my main feelings about this book have more to do with my personal opinions and reactions to some of the themes of the novel than to the b...more

3 likes · like · see review

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About Jodi Lynn Anderson

I write books about vaguely magical peach orchards, resorts in the afterlife, enigmatic island princesses beloved by Tinkerbell, and...civics! I was an awkward and strange child who kept lots of secrets. Now I live with a sweet Basenji dog named Peanut who loves to eat shoes, and a sweet husband who is good at all the things I'm bad at, like being organized and thinking things through. I've loved...more

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Quotes from Tiger Lily

“Sometimes I think that maybe we are just stories. Like we may as well just be words on a page, because we're only what we've done and what we are going to do.” — 186 people liked it

“Did you know I always thought you were braver than me? Did you ever guess that that was why I was so afraid? It wasn't that I only loved some of you. But I wondered if you could ever love more than some of me.

I knew I'd miss you. But the surprising thing is, you never leave me. I never forget a thing. Every kind of love, it seems, is the only one. It doesn't happen twice. And I never expected that you could have a broken heart and love with it too, so much that it doesn't seem broken at all. I know young people look at me and think my youth seems so far away, but it's all around me, and you're all around me. Tiger Lily, do you think magic exists if it can be explained? I can explain why I loved you, I can explain the theory of evolution that tells me why mermaids live in Neverland and nowhere else. But it still feels magic.

The lost boys all stood at our wedding. Does it seem odd to you that they could have stood at a wedding that wasn't yours and mine? It does to me. and I'm sorry for it, and for a lot, and I also wouldn't change it.

It is so quiet here. Even with all the trains and the streets and the people. It's nothing like the jungle. The boys have grown. Everything has grown. Do you think you will ever grow? I hope not. I like to think that even if I change and fade away, some other people won't.

I like to think that one day after I die, at least one small particle of me - of all the particles that will spread everywhere - will float all the way to Neverland, and be part of a flower or something like that, like that poet said, the one that your Tik Tok loved. I like to think that nothing's final, and that everyone gets to be together even when it looks like they don't, that it all works out even when all the evidence seems to say something else, that you and I are always young in the woods, and that I'll see you sometime again, even if it's not with any kind of eyes I know of or understand. I wouldn't be surprised if that is the way things go after all - that all things end happy. Even for you and Tik Tok. and for you and me.

Always,
Your Peter

P.S. Please give my love to Tink. She was always such a funny little bug.” — 163 people liked it

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