Tiger Lily

First of all, I was not a fan of this particular Disney story. Sure, I did see the movie and the cartoon but somehow I never really connected with the story until now.

Some would say it's a story about love but I think the most important part was about growing up. We meet Tiger Lily, a wild and fearless Native girl through the eyes of Tinker Bell. Tink never appealed to me because she always stuck her nose where it didn't belong but in this case I'm grateful for it, otherwise we wouldn't get to see witness this incredible story. Tiger Lily meets Peter Pan by accident and they can't stay away from each other after that. They complete each other perfectly. They are both fearless and strong. Tiger Lily was not used to sharing her feelings and thought with others while Peter can. Because of this she appeared as cold and insensitive even though she cares a lot for the friends,father and the tribe.

Oh,gosh. Let me tell you about Peter. Never in all my 23 years I would thought of saying I like him because everyone knows him as the wild boy he really is but in this novel he shined. He is a true leader and you can see why the Lost Boys look up to him so much. Every girl in the story is in love with him either it is Tiger Lily, Tinker Bell or all the mermaids in the lagoon, even she, who-shall-not-be-named.

Jodi did a wonderful, exquisite job painting us the picture of Neverland. The village of the Native tribe, Lagoon with the mermaids, forests with mysterious beasts and creatures even dinosaurs(Yes, dinosaurs!),rivers where Tiger Lily went to swim with her best friend Pine Sap, the burrow where the Lost Boys lived.

A girl who shall not be named(pst! It's Wendy) did appear later on and I have to say I don't like her at all. Before reading I did thought Peter would forget about Tiger Lily fast but it didn't happen. First love always stays with you and you get a glimpse in his mind through the letter in the end of the book which made me tear up for Tiger Lily who will stay young forever; Peter who finally grows up and Tinker Bell who loves with her little heart.

Never in my life would I have thought that Peter Pan could be a dick.
But for a short time, I really wanted to smack him across the head.

This book is gorgeous. Crafted perfectly with the right mix of magic and suspense, I fell in love with Tiger Lily and her life on Neverland island.

Narrated by frikin Tinkerbell! COME ON! Nothing is better than that!
She has the best inner thoughts and I found myself grinning at more than one of her inner dialogues.

Pine Sap is adorable.

I want to adopt every one of the Lost Boys.

Peter.
Oh, dear Peter. He was so charming, but I like men, not boys, and I could only laugh at his playfulness and pretend that eventually he would grown up. (and he does, somewhat. In the cutest way.)

Ahem, Wendy. No, ma'am. Ill never look at her the same.

I loved to see the pirates story. AWESOME.

It's the writing that takes the cake. Let me show you:

“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.”

“It turned out that my curiosity did not outweigh my courage after all. Sometimes love means not being able to bear seeing the one you love the way they are, when they're not what you hoped for.”

“To love someone was not what she had expected. It was like falling from somewhere high up and breaking in half, and only one person having the secret to the puzzle of putting her back together.”

Tiger Lily is a gem of a book. I went into expecting just anther Peter Pan retelling, but it's SO much more than that. It's really not a retelling at all, but instead something completely new and different.

You might think you know Tiger Lily, Pan, Tink, Wendy, and all of them, but Anderson spins everyone in a new light. Peter is the boy who plays at fearlessness, Tiger Lily is the girl with a hardened heart, and Tinker Bell is the fairy with a heart bigger than herself.

At times I felt it difficult to like Tiger Lily and connect with her because she's just so stoic and hardened by life. I knew she'd had a difficult childhood and life in general, but it didn't help me connect with her. Tinker Bell, however, did. The fact that's the story is told through the eyes of Tink, who cares deeply for Tiger Lily, makes it easier to connect with the story. I loved how completely loyal to Tiger Lily Tink was even though she loved Peter too. Even though Tiger Lily never seemed to notice her. Even though being with humans is no place for a fairy. I mean, it really seemed like everything was against her and yet she stuck by Tiger Lily through everything.

I've hated Peter Pan in pretty much every version I've read. He's selfish, rude, and usually incredibly sexist. Anderson's Pan is so much more, though. I found myself really warmnig up to him. He still wanted to be the best at everything and made a fuss when things didn't go his way, but Anderson added a layer of depth to him as well. You start to understand why Peter acts the way he does.

I thought I might be bored by the way Anderson tells the story of Neverland so realistically. There are Native American tribes on the island, there's no magic pixie dust, and people come to the island by way of ship. I was very skeptical of the fact that there was no “magic,” but Tiger Lily amazed me all the same. I liked reading about the ways of Tiger Lily's tribe, the Sky Eaters. I actually kind of liked thinking of Neverland as a realistic thing.

The Nutshell: Tiger Lily is more than your average Peter Pan retelling. It's full of heart and I'm not going to lie, I teared up at the end despite knowing how it had to turn out. Anderson has created a beautiful “before” story for the life of Peter Pan and Tiger Lily.

Hit

When I first heard about this book I knew I had to have it. I thought both the premise and the cover were beautiful. I always wondered about the stories of the lesser known characters in fairy tales and this was exactly what I was looking for.
My first impression of this book was pure genius. I LOVED Anderson's writing style and the metaphors and similes she used. So many pages that I had to write down and write beside it something like "OMG" or "Awwww so pretty!" Then, because of such amazing writing, the imagery was fantastic! The pictures she gave me in my mind were amazing.
I also loved how connected we get with the characters. All of them, the Lost Boys, Peter, Tiger Lily... This was a little harder because the story is actually written from Tinker Bell's point of view. It's told as she's watching all the events take place. And just as Tinkerbell, there are some events that will bring out every type of emotion in you. Just as I did, you will swoon, cry, and get upset. It will take you on an emotional roller coaster.
Once the romance comes in to play, it is wonderful. They are seriously too cute together. But just as always, nothing is perfect. Some things transpire and all of a sudden their romance they had takes a serious turn.
This story is sooo good. So many things you thought you knew about Peter, you didn't.
Here is a quote to get you to understand what I mean...
“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.”

There are very few books that are able to embed themselves deeply into my heart... and I can honestly say that Tiger Lily's story is one of those.

There are no right words for me to explain to you the emotions I felt while reading this book. This story is raw and beautiful. Tiger Lily is such a strong, loyal, spirited and capable girl, in more ways than one - she can do anything from hunting, climbing and running to being able to hide her emotions and was undaunted by the villagers ridicule and criticism. She cared deeply for her adoptive father, Tik Tok. And though she continually reminded herself that she only puts up with her two so-called friends, Pine Sap and Moon Eye, she cared very much for them too.

When Tiger Lily meets Peter Pan, their worlds collide and tilt over.
Peter Pan was thought to be a myth since none of the villagers had ever seen him.
He was so much more than Tiger Lily ever imagined... The only boy out of the group that had no memories of his childhood. And his only way of protecting 'the boys' and himself was by living in denial and surviving one day at a time. Peter was mesmerizing and enthralling while at the same time impulsive, scattered and broken... and he became Tiger Lily's secret.

And yes, Tiger Lily and Peter Pan's story is told through the eyes of Tinker Bell, sort of. As a fairy, Tink is able to feel what those around her are feeling and at times, she can even feel what they are thinking. And even though she is just a tiny speck of fairy dust who is ignored throughout the majority of their journey and is incapable of communicating with anyone other than other fairies - she does play a major role to their story. It was perfect.

We also meet Captain Hook and Smee. Hook is what I would have expected. But Smee, I was taken by surprised with him. Let's just say that he is the one that people will write horrors about!

And let's not forget Wendy. At first, I wanted to be angry with Wendy. If it wasn't for her, perhaps there would have been a different ending to this story. With her "Englander" and motherly ways, of course she was different from Tiger Lily. But she gave all of the boys hope to being loved and cared for, like the ways that they remembered. The same for Peter, a dream he always dared not to have.
I understand now why the story ends the way that it does.

We've all read Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, and we all know how that ends. No spoilers were told here.

Tiger Lily's story is bittersweet... heartbreaking.
Jodi Lynn Anderson captured Tiger Lily beautifully.
There will never be another more magical story between Peter Pan and Tiger Lily than this one.