Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Publisher: HarperTeen

Released: July 3rd, 2012

Pages: 292

Cover: 5/5 stars

Plot: 4.5/5 stars

"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." 
- Chapter one, page three of Tiger Lily

Tiger Lily is the story of the girl with a crow feather in her hair and the seemingly fearless boy she could run away with. I was enthralled by the promise of Neverland, a magical place where no one grows old. This book has a story that captured my heart almost immediately. As I got tangled in the words, time around me would grow at a standstill because there would be nothing more I'd rather do than finish this story. Like The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab, I felt like I could be lost in the world forever and wouldn't mind a bit.

I think above all, Tiger Lily made this book one of my favorites. She's an outcast, even in her own tribe, and her heart hardened over the years. She's careful and precise, fearless to me. Tiger Lily is a character completely out of the ordinary, so unlike any I've encountered. Despite their infamous reputation, she let Peter and the lost boys in and for a while it felt like she could escape when she was with them. All I wanted was for her to be happy, and I suppose she did. Even though the book didn't quite follow the story that most of us are used to ( the classic Disney movie), I knew how it was going to end. Tiger Lily doesn't get Peter, because we all know about the Wendy bird that one day fell into their lives.

Peter is a curious character. Fearless but afraid. I never really thought he was anything special before, but I began to let him in slowly like Tiger Lily. He's such an interesting character, and it was hard to predict exactly what he would do. Even though he would never finish his carvings, they were so precisely placed around his room. He's gentle with Tiger Lily yet once killed a pirate in the book with no hesitation.

Tiger Lily is a really good book, maybe not for everyone, but I'll always hold something dear for it. I adored the writing, the story, and the characters. I can't say that this book is traditional, because for one the characters I loved were so different. It broke my heart a little bit and I didn't regret it at all.

- Palak