The Child Thief by Brom

Have you ever pondered the Peter Pan story? Have you ever wondered if the cute, Disney version of the tale is even remotely close to the original tale? Because we all know it's not and the real story, written by James Matthew Barrie, is gruesome and nowhere near as happy. So is The Child Thief by Brom. This book will make you wonder: Was Peter really happy?
#element-be8e49bf-50fe-4bce-8a48-aca785b09c77 .waddons-blog-image.hideImage { display: none;} The Child Thief is about our hero, Peter! Not Peter Pan, from Disney. This boy's got pointed ears and smiles to make the children happy, even says all the right things to make you follow him anywhere but that's where the similarities end. This boy doesn't fly; he takes you to Avalon, after walking through a soul-sucking mist that consumes all who stray from the path. No, this isn't your Peter.

There's a war going on and the land of Avalon needs warriors (The Lost Boys). For some reason, child warriors. If you follow Peter, you will live forever. Well, actually that's not even true. It may be at a slower rate but you still age and when you're too old...

Brom used many of the finer details from Barrie's first telling of Peter, but The Child Thief is so different, so dark and violent that you won't see the boy flying about in tights ever again! There are creatures from your worst nightmares, the children can become something else too! Then there's a man resembling Captain Hook.

I loved the adventure of it all, especially i how Peter convince the children of New York they needed to follow him. It made the story believable, even if it wasn't. I also found the story deep, emotional and heavy. I didn't compare this to the original story, because it can't be done. This is a Brom tale, though I kept wondering: Will he fly? Can he fly? LOL

I loved this audiobook, especially the narrator. Kirby Heyborne was great and gave the characters personality and depth. Brom's a great storyteller, allowing Heyborne's voice to give me everything I needed to see it all happen. I finished the book faster than expected and honestly wanted more. It wasn't as addicting as Krampus or Lost Gods, but I definitely love Brom's style of writing.

It's good horror. If you're wanting something different, gruesome and fantastical, check out The Child Thief by Brom while I move on to the next read. Cheers!

The Child Thief
Brom
Published August 2009
Harper Voyager Publishigns
Audiobook Runtime: 19 Hours 40 Minutes