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Wendy, Darling #2
Hooked
MP3 CD Format A dark, gorgeous reimagining about what happened to Captain Hook after Neverland from the bestselling author of Wendy, Darling --filled with eerie suspense and heart-breaking anguish Once invited, always welcome.
Once invited, never free. Captain James Hook, the immortal pirate of Neverland, has died a thousand times. Drowned, stabbed by Peter Pan's sword, eaten by the beast swimming below the depths, yet James was resurrected every time by one boy's dark imagination. Until he found a door in the sky, an escape. And he took the chance no matter the cost. Now in London twenty-two years later, Peter Pan's monster has found Captain Hook again, intent on revenge. But a chance encounter leads James to another survivor of Neverland. Wendy Darling, now a grown woman, is the only one who knows how dark a shadow Neverland casts, no matter how far you run. To vanquish Pan's monster once and for all, Hook must play the villain one last time ... Exploring themes of grief, survivor's guilt and healing broken bonds, Hooked is a modern-day Peter Pan story, perfect for fans of retellings, Christina Henry, and V.E. Schwab.
Once invited, never free. Captain James Hook, the immortal pirate of Neverland, has died a thousand times. Drowned, stabbed by Peter Pan's sword, eaten by the beast swimming below the depths, yet James was resurrected every time by one boy's dark imagination. Until he found a door in the sky, an escape. And he took the chance no matter the cost. Now in London twenty-two years later, Peter Pan's monster has found Captain Hook again, intent on revenge. But a chance encounter leads James to another survivor of Neverland. Wendy Darling, now a grown woman, is the only one who knows how dark a shadow Neverland casts, no matter how far you run. To vanquish Pan's monster once and for all, Hook must play the villain one last time ... Exploring themes of grief, survivor's guilt and healing broken bonds, Hooked is a modern-day Peter Pan story, perfect for fans of retellings, Christina Henry, and V.E. Schwab.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published July 12, 2022
140 people are currently reading
4713 people want to read
About the author
A.C. Wise
161 books409 followersA.C. Wise's fiction has appeared in publications such as Uncanny, Shimmer, and Tor.com, among other places. She had two collections published with Lethe Press, and a novella published by Broken Eye Books. Her debut novel, Wendy, Darling, is out from Titan Books n June 2021, and a new collection, The Ghost Sequences, is forthcoming from Undertow Books in October 2021. Her work has won the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, as well as being a two-time Nebula finalist, a two-time Sunburst finalist, an Aurora finalist, and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. In addition to her fiction, she contributes review columns to the Book Smugglers and Apex Magazine, and has been a finalist for the Ignyte Award in the Critics category.
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November 16, 2022Source of book: NetGalley (thank you)
Relevant disclaimers: None
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.
And remember: I am not here to judge your drag, I mean your book. Books are art and art is subjective. These are just my personal thoughts. They are not meant to be taken as broader commentary on the general quality of the work. Believe me, I have not enjoyed many an excellent book, and my individual lack of enjoyment has not made any of those books less excellent or (more relevantly) less successful.
Further disclaimer: Readers, please stop accusing me of trying to take down “my competition” because I wrote a review you didn’t like. This is complete nonsense. Firstly, writing isn’t a competitive sport. Secondly, I only publish reviews of books in the subgenre where I’m best known (queer romcom) if they’re glowing. And finally: taking time out of my life to read an entire book, then write a detailed review about it that some people on GR will look at would be a profoundly inefficient and ineffective way to damage the careers of other authors. If you can’t credit me with simply being a person who loves books and likes talking about them, at least credit me with enough common sense to be a better villain.
*******************************************
I wasn’t sure how I felt about this for most of the book, but I think I’ve come down on the side of ‘intriguing’. It’s not exactly re-telling … perhaps re-working is a better word here … of the whole Peter Pan / Neverland thing - and I’m actually a little vague on the details because there’s a previous book by the same author, called Wendy Darling, in which (as far as I can tell) a grown-up Wendy returns to Neverland to rescue her daughter, Jane. I didn’t feel I needed to have read the previous book (I am here for queer Hook, and queer Hook alone) but I suspect it would have deepened my understanding of the world and helped involve me more in the story of Wendy and her family. Since, um, in all honesty, I didn't care enough about them to allow the full story of Hooked to cohere (which is very much on me, rather than the book).
In any case, the premise here seems to be that Peter Pan (reduced in this book to a piece of himself partly manifested in a crocodile-like monster, as a consequence of Wendy’s actions in the previous story) is some kind of … malicious immortal child spirit thing? For whom Neverland is a personal playground. Hook (or James) was simply someone who had the misfortune to be claimed by Neverland and, once there, was fashioned or re-fashioned by Peter into his perfect antagonist: someone powerful and compelling and frightening against whom Peter would always triumph.
The book has a dreamlike quality, possibly because one of its primary characters is constantly off his head, moving between the past and the present, Neverland and Victorian/Edwardian London, where James is attempting to drown his memories of Neverland and Hook in opium and alcohol, while mourning the death of his lover (an original character, as far as I can tell, the ship’s surgeon, Samuel who Hook/James meets first in Neverland and then escapes with). Hook’s narrative intersects with Wendy and Jane’s when Jane’s friend and roommate is murdered by the monster from Neverland.
This is not what you’d call a happy take on the source material. But it did kind of work for me. Maybe because I’ve never quite been able to resolve what I think about Peter Pan in general. Like most things written for children in the Victorian period, it’s not exactly difficult to make it dark as fuck but there is, I think, still something kind of haunting about it? I think perhaps (Victoria-era racism aside) it’s a text that easily bears the weight of allegory beyond anything that could likely have been intended. I mean, there’s already plenty of scope to think about adulthood, desire, the dangerous appeal of both innocence and corruption, but you can also easily layer queerness, sexuality, identity as a whole over a messed up Victorian dude’s reckoning with mortality.
I also can’t deny that the part of me that has always felt helplessly attracted to? … reflected by? the character of Hook (eaten by a crocodile while worrying if I’ve been ill-mannered strikes me as the kind of demise I may well come to) is secretly looking for a fantastical romp where queer immortal pirates wear red coats and kiss each other against a bloody sunset. But there’s also part of me that understands that such a story doesn’t necessarily flow from the original text. However he was made, Hook is a villain. And while that doesn’t inherently mean he *couldn’t* have a kissy-kissy happy ending … I also feel it would have required a completely different approach to the source material. And I don't want to find Hooked lacking for not being something it was never intended to be.
As a love story with a non-happy ending, I felt it was affecting on a linguistic and thematic level more than in what you might call genre romance terms. Hook’s lover, Samuel, isn’t precisely overflowing with personality: he’s essentially just a good, sweet, compassionate person in all the ways Hook/James isn’t. In some ways, the most interesting part of their relationship—the way it was built in Neverland, despite Hook forgetting himself every time he dies at Pan’s hands, which is often—is the one that is most glossed over, and I would honestly have loved to 'see' this part of their relationship rather than just the fragments of it we get. Nevertheless, I was still invested and I found I did care, mainly because I was caught up in the book’s take on Hook as, ultimately, a man unable to rise above his own worst impulses, half-enthralled to the toxic power of being Hook versus the compromises—the vulnerability—that accompanies being James. I’ve never actually been a fictional pirate (SADLY), but it’s nevertheless a take on identity that speaks to me.
Mainly, though, this …uh … hooked me (apologies) on the strength of the writing, which spins from cruelty to beauty, much as Neverland does:
Basically, even when parts of the story itself didn’t grip me (sorry Jane, sorry Wendy) I stayed for Hook and I stayed for the gorgeous wordings, and that turned out to be more than enough.
Relevant disclaimers: None
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.
And remember: I am not here to judge your drag, I mean your book. Books are art and art is subjective. These are just my personal thoughts. They are not meant to be taken as broader commentary on the general quality of the work. Believe me, I have not enjoyed many an excellent book, and my individual lack of enjoyment has not made any of those books less excellent or (more relevantly) less successful.
Further disclaimer: Readers, please stop accusing me of trying to take down “my competition” because I wrote a review you didn’t like. This is complete nonsense. Firstly, writing isn’t a competitive sport. Secondly, I only publish reviews of books in the subgenre where I’m best known (queer romcom) if they’re glowing. And finally: taking time out of my life to read an entire book, then write a detailed review about it that some people on GR will look at would be a profoundly inefficient and ineffective way to damage the careers of other authors. If you can’t credit me with simply being a person who loves books and likes talking about them, at least credit me with enough common sense to be a better villain.
*******************************************
I wasn’t sure how I felt about this for most of the book, but I think I’ve come down on the side of ‘intriguing’. It’s not exactly re-telling … perhaps re-working is a better word here … of the whole Peter Pan / Neverland thing - and I’m actually a little vague on the details because there’s a previous book by the same author, called Wendy Darling, in which (as far as I can tell) a grown-up Wendy returns to Neverland to rescue her daughter, Jane. I didn’t feel I needed to have read the previous book (I am here for queer Hook, and queer Hook alone) but I suspect it would have deepened my understanding of the world and helped involve me more in the story of Wendy and her family. Since, um, in all honesty, I didn't care enough about them to allow the full story of Hooked to cohere (which is very much on me, rather than the book).
In any case, the premise here seems to be that Peter Pan (reduced in this book to a piece of himself partly manifested in a crocodile-like monster, as a consequence of Wendy’s actions in the previous story) is some kind of … malicious immortal child spirit thing? For whom Neverland is a personal playground. Hook (or James) was simply someone who had the misfortune to be claimed by Neverland and, once there, was fashioned or re-fashioned by Peter into his perfect antagonist: someone powerful and compelling and frightening against whom Peter would always triumph.
The book has a dreamlike quality, possibly because one of its primary characters is constantly off his head, moving between the past and the present, Neverland and Victorian/Edwardian London, where James is attempting to drown his memories of Neverland and Hook in opium and alcohol, while mourning the death of his lover (an original character, as far as I can tell, the ship’s surgeon, Samuel who Hook/James meets first in Neverland and then escapes with). Hook’s narrative intersects with Wendy and Jane’s when Jane’s friend and roommate is murdered by the monster from Neverland.
This is not what you’d call a happy take on the source material. But it did kind of work for me. Maybe because I’ve never quite been able to resolve what I think about Peter Pan in general. Like most things written for children in the Victorian period, it’s not exactly difficult to make it dark as fuck but there is, I think, still something kind of haunting about it? I think perhaps (Victoria-era racism aside) it’s a text that easily bears the weight of allegory beyond anything that could likely have been intended. I mean, there’s already plenty of scope to think about adulthood, desire, the dangerous appeal of both innocence and corruption, but you can also easily layer queerness, sexuality, identity as a whole over a messed up Victorian dude’s reckoning with mortality.
I also can’t deny that the part of me that has always felt helplessly attracted to? … reflected by? the character of Hook (eaten by a crocodile while worrying if I’ve been ill-mannered strikes me as the kind of demise I may well come to) is secretly looking for a fantastical romp where queer immortal pirates wear red coats and kiss each other against a bloody sunset. But there’s also part of me that understands that such a story doesn’t necessarily flow from the original text. However he was made, Hook is a villain. And while that doesn’t inherently mean he *couldn’t* have a kissy-kissy happy ending … I also feel it would have required a completely different approach to the source material. And I don't want to find Hooked lacking for not being something it was never intended to be.
As a love story with a non-happy ending, I felt it was affecting on a linguistic and thematic level more than in what you might call genre romance terms. Hook’s lover, Samuel, isn’t precisely overflowing with personality: he’s essentially just a good, sweet, compassionate person in all the ways Hook/James isn’t. In some ways, the most interesting part of their relationship—the way it was built in Neverland, despite Hook forgetting himself every time he dies at Pan’s hands, which is often—is the one that is most glossed over, and I would honestly have loved to 'see' this part of their relationship rather than just the fragments of it we get. Nevertheless, I was still invested and I found I did care, mainly because I was caught up in the book’s take on Hook as, ultimately, a man unable to rise above his own worst impulses, half-enthralled to the toxic power of being Hook versus the compromises—the vulnerability—that accompanies being James. I’ve never actually been a fictional pirate (SADLY), but it’s nevertheless a take on identity that speaks to me.
Mainly, though, this …uh … hooked me (apologies) on the strength of the writing, which spins from cruelty to beauty, much as Neverland does:
Luminous shapes, hundreds of them, glide below the surface of the water. Jellyfish, but they look like rogue stars, streaming across an ocean of night, headed for the distant horizon to spill off the edge of the world
Basically, even when parts of the story itself didn’t grip me (sorry Jane, sorry Wendy) I stayed for Hook and I stayed for the gorgeous wordings, and that turned out to be more than enough.
dnf
May 26, 2023DNF @ page 224
I didn’t enjoy this at all compared to Wendy Darling. I found Jane’s character annoying and the whole plot mainly focuses on Pan’s monster/shadow it didn’t seem to move fast enough for me.
I liked the parts with James and Samuel, but the time jumps weren’t great either. I kept losing myself and therefore got jerked out of the story.
I found I was forcing myself to read on, and there are just too many other books.
Library copy available for pick up
I didn’t enjoy this at all compared to Wendy Darling. I found Jane’s character annoying and the whole plot mainly focuses on Pan’s monster/shadow it didn’t seem to move fast enough for me.
I liked the parts with James and Samuel, but the time jumps weren’t great either. I kept losing myself and therefore got jerked out of the story.
I found I was forcing myself to read on, and there are just too many other books.
Library copy available for pick up
July 7, 2022
Hooked is a very unique and socially modern retelling of Peter Pan. It switches throughout a few POV's and timelines, so if possible I would recommend reading it in one sitting to avoid unnecessary confusion. That being said, the way that the story is told, though occasionally confusing, is very interesting. I absolutely love this authors writing style and the dark and whimsical atmosphere she created. Lastly, as advertised, this is a feminist take on Peter Pan. And while I enjoyed the feminist themes in this book and explorations of darker topics such as survivors guilt, where this book really excelled for me was in its reframing of typical "good" and "bad" characters. Most fairy tales have very simple structures and are some kind of a parable, so the characters tend to be very cut and dry "good" or "bad". Because of this, I think the best way to do a fairytale retelling is to completely redefine those notions, which this book does. Overall, while I do wish I had read Wendy, Darling before this for a little more context, I'm really glad I picked this book up and would absolutely recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review
Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review
June 30, 2022
USUALLY I LOVE A PETER PAN RETELLING, BUT THIS DIDN'T THRILL ME
I should have been madly in love with this book. I should have been over the moon to get the story of Captain Hook. I should have been the biggest fan. It was in the cards, for heaven's sake. But it just didn't come together for me. I cannot exactly pinpoint was didn't work for me. Perhaps it was the shifting POVs? Or perhaps the many, many timelines that wove into each other, back and forth. Or perhaps it was the characters that never really truly came alive for me. Might just be a mixture of all of it. Sadly, I was not a fan even though I really wanted to be.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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Blog Post: 10 Criminally Underrated YA Books with an LGBTQ Twist
I should have been madly in love with this book. I should have been over the moon to get the story of Captain Hook. I should have been the biggest fan. It was in the cards, for heaven's sake. But it just didn't come together for me. I cannot exactly pinpoint was didn't work for me. Perhaps it was the shifting POVs? Or perhaps the many, many timelines that wove into each other, back and forth. Or perhaps it was the characters that never really truly came alive for me. Might just be a mixture of all of it. Sadly, I was not a fan even though I really wanted to be.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Follow me for more book loving content!
Blog ✨ Facebook ✨ Instagram ✨ Twitter
Blog Post: 10 Criminally Underrated YA Books with an LGBTQ Twist
October 26, 2022
Overview
👍 Queer romance
🆗 fairytale retelling
👍 lyrical
🆗 slow burn story
🆗 Multi POV
Hooked is the second in AC Wise alternative Pan universe. I didn't love their first but as I am contractually obligated to read any Peter Pan retelling, I did attempt this.
This book is very pretty to read and tackles some cool themes. James Hook has escaped Neverland and managed to survive in the outside world for some time. He was essentially kidnapped and stripped of his identity to be a plaything for Peter. The story tackles how deep the loss of identify might be for the character; the pain of being remade in the image of another abusive individual. It also has a really lovely romance between Hook and Samuel, the ship's medic.
While the themes are well explored and the book has moments of great beauty, I didn't love the book as a whole. It has multiple POVs and that wasn't always great. The non James POVs of Wendy and her daughter Jane felt a bit shoehorned. Though I liked both of their characters, I found I didn't care for their narrative outside of their relationship with James. This relationship was very cool, but a bit underused.
If you love retellings, this is a very mature one and has a lot of great qualities if you are okay with a slow and sometimes clunky story. I do think the concept has been executed better even though Hooked has some shining moments that stand a cut above reflections from other anti hero Hook tales.
👍 Queer romance
🆗 fairytale retelling
👍 lyrical
🆗 slow burn story
🆗 Multi POV
Hooked is the second in AC Wise alternative Pan universe. I didn't love their first but as I am contractually obligated to read any Peter Pan retelling, I did attempt this.
This book is very pretty to read and tackles some cool themes. James Hook has escaped Neverland and managed to survive in the outside world for some time. He was essentially kidnapped and stripped of his identity to be a plaything for Peter. The story tackles how deep the loss of identify might be for the character; the pain of being remade in the image of another abusive individual. It also has a really lovely romance between Hook and Samuel, the ship's medic.
While the themes are well explored and the book has moments of great beauty, I didn't love the book as a whole. It has multiple POVs and that wasn't always great. The non James POVs of Wendy and her daughter Jane felt a bit shoehorned. Though I liked both of their characters, I found I didn't care for their narrative outside of their relationship with James. This relationship was very cool, but a bit underused.
If you love retellings, this is a very mature one and has a lot of great qualities if you are okay with a slow and sometimes clunky story. I do think the concept has been executed better even though Hooked has some shining moments that stand a cut above reflections from other anti hero Hook tales.
Read
June 5, 2024DNF 23%.
Zastanawiałam się, dlaczego nie mogę kompletnie nie mogę się wgryźć w tą historię, a tu się okazuje, że to jest drugi tom... Ale szczerze mówiąc nie zainteresowało mnie to na tyle, żebym miała ochotę ogarniać pierwszy tom i od nowa słuchać tej części. Nie jestem też fanką bajki o Piotrusiu Panie, ale chciałam dać szansę. Te 23% nie były złe, ale nie a sensu się męczyć, skoro wiem, że nie zostaniemy przyjaciółmi i nie ma we mnie zainteresowania.
Zastanawiałam się, dlaczego nie mogę kompletnie nie mogę się wgryźć w tą historię, a tu się okazuje, że to jest drugi tom... Ale szczerze mówiąc nie zainteresowało mnie to na tyle, żebym miała ochotę ogarniać pierwszy tom i od nowa słuchać tej części. Nie jestem też fanką bajki o Piotrusiu Panie, ale chciałam dać szansę. Te 23% nie były złe, ale nie a sensu się męczyć, skoro wiem, że nie zostaniemy przyjaciółmi i nie ma we mnie zainteresowania.
July 18, 2023
Hm. Definitely enjoyed but there was something off I can’t quite put my finger on? Think if I hadn’t read Lost Boy by Miss Henry first I would have enjoyed a lot more but still a good, dark, twisted retelling of Neverland ✨
July 21, 2022
I wanted to be hooked by this book. I was (mostly). I enjoyed that I saw a different side to Neverland. Hook's backstory was very interesting. But, it lost me a bit in the last few chapters because a lot was going on.
It has a great premise overall but I am left feeling confused, partly due to the shifting narratives and timelines. I understand A.C. Wise has also written another Peter Pan retelling (Wendy, Darling) and it wasn't clear to me if Hooked was meant to be a standalone or a follow up. Maybe it would have been better if I'd read the other one first?
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this title. This was my honest review.
It has a great premise overall but I am left feeling confused, partly due to the shifting narratives and timelines. I understand A.C. Wise has also written another Peter Pan retelling (Wendy, Darling) and it wasn't clear to me if Hooked was meant to be a standalone or a follow up. Maybe it would have been better if I'd read the other one first?
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this title. This was my honest review.
July 23, 2022
3.5 Stars
Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book via Edelweiss. This has not influenced my review.*
A queer, somewhat surreal "sequel," both beautiful and sad at times.
Hook is one of my favorite literary characters, and I am always looking for more books about him. And this one created such an interesting dichotomy between Hook, the confident, cruel, dominant pirate captain of the past, and James, the normal man with an aging body, a drug addiction, and a well of grief. It felt like it could believably be his character, and it also felt believable in general.
I didn’t realize when I requested this that it would be queer (mlm), so that was a pleasant surprise! I’ll be honest, pairing Hook with Wendy or Tiger Lily never really works for me, but with one of his pirates? That just feels right. This is not a romance though; their relationship was beautiful but had its difficulties and is told to us through flashbacks and memories, since that’s all it is now (not a spoiler).
This was a haunting take on Neverland. Haunting in its portrayal, but it also seemed to haunt the characters, never really letting them go, always calling out to them.
The vibe was sort of surreal and unsettling. Time was flexible. Times and realities layered upon each other. The characters were unreliable narrators because they felt and saw things, but were they real? Were they ghosts? Were they tricks of Neverland? Were they imagined visions from the minds of traumatized people?
The story itself… The cover, though beautiful, doesn’t fit. It shows a dashing Captain Hook and Peter flying through the sky, and it all looks very swashbuckling. But in the book, there is no Peter. Hook is an old man. Neverland is broken, and only a small portion of time takes place there. And the story is, as I said, somewhat surreal, also sad, more about grief and trauma and trying to move on from a past that won’t let go than adventure. Most of it is slow-paced and internal (characters dealing with feelings), but there are bouts of action, though even those moments are more about the internal struggles and intensity than the physical movements.
I saw some reviews that said you should read “Wendy, Darling” first, others that said you didn’t need to. I decided not to because I just wasn’t interested. I came here for Hook. In fact, I would’ve enjoyed this even more if it had been more focused on him with less about Jane and Wendy, but perhaps there were some loose ends the author still needed to tie up and that readers of the previous book will appreciate. I didn’t have any trouble understanding anything though, so my familiarity with the original J.M. Barrie book was enough (this author’s version does seem more based on the original than the Disney version, from how Peter was talked about).
Overall, this was a somewhat surreal and haunting Peter Pan sequel with a realistic look at grief and trauma and a sad but believable portrayal of the Captain Hook—James—I know and love.
*Rating: 3.5 Stars // Read Date: 2022 // Format: Ebook via TTS*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes Peter Pan "sequels," Captain Hook, depictions of grief and trauma, and somewhat surreal stories.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book via Edelweiss. This has not influenced my review.*
A queer, somewhat surreal "sequel," both beautiful and sad at times.
Hook is one of my favorite literary characters, and I am always looking for more books about him. And this one created such an interesting dichotomy between Hook, the confident, cruel, dominant pirate captain of the past, and James, the normal man with an aging body, a drug addiction, and a well of grief. It felt like it could believably be his character, and it also felt believable in general.
I didn’t realize when I requested this that it would be queer (mlm), so that was a pleasant surprise! I’ll be honest, pairing Hook with Wendy or Tiger Lily never really works for me, but with one of his pirates? That just feels right. This is not a romance though; their relationship was beautiful but had its difficulties and is told to us through flashbacks and memories, since that’s all it is now (not a spoiler).
This was a haunting take on Neverland. Haunting in its portrayal, but it also seemed to haunt the characters, never really letting them go, always calling out to them.
The vibe was sort of surreal and unsettling. Time was flexible. Times and realities layered upon each other. The characters were unreliable narrators because they felt and saw things, but were they real? Were they ghosts? Were they tricks of Neverland? Were they imagined visions from the minds of traumatized people?
The story itself… The cover, though beautiful, doesn’t fit. It shows a dashing Captain Hook and Peter flying through the sky, and it all looks very swashbuckling. But in the book, there is no Peter. Hook is an old man. Neverland is broken, and only a small portion of time takes place there. And the story is, as I said, somewhat surreal, also sad, more about grief and trauma and trying to move on from a past that won’t let go than adventure. Most of it is slow-paced and internal (characters dealing with feelings), but there are bouts of action, though even those moments are more about the internal struggles and intensity than the physical movements.
I saw some reviews that said you should read “Wendy, Darling” first, others that said you didn’t need to. I decided not to because I just wasn’t interested. I came here for Hook. In fact, I would’ve enjoyed this even more if it had been more focused on him with less about Jane and Wendy, but perhaps there were some loose ends the author still needed to tie up and that readers of the previous book will appreciate. I didn’t have any trouble understanding anything though, so my familiarity with the original J.M. Barrie book was enough (this author’s version does seem more based on the original than the Disney version, from how Peter was talked about).
Overall, this was a somewhat surreal and haunting Peter Pan sequel with a realistic look at grief and trauma and a sad but believable portrayal of the Captain Hook—James—I know and love.
*Rating: 3.5 Stars // Read Date: 2022 // Format: Ebook via TTS*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes Peter Pan "sequels," Captain Hook, depictions of grief and trauma, and somewhat surreal stories.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
May 2, 2025
3.5, good story, made me tear up a couple times, but had many repetitive descriptions. especially after reading it for three straight days, the repetition got to be a bit much.
November 26, 2024
Tolle Fortsetzung und düstere Geschichte zu Hooks Leben nach Nimmerland.
July 7, 2022
Queer Captain Hook? Sign me THE HELL UP 🌈
I seriously enjoyed this retelling. Personally I breezed through it in about 3 days, and it’s a seriously cozy, action packed read with a depth I wasn’t expecting.
I grew up in the seaside village where the original Peter Pan author lived, so the books here are very much a huge part of the town history. It’s also a fairly conservative village and I’m one of hardly any gay folk residing here (village life, am I right?) Anyhow, I cannot explain how much it means to not only have a feminist retelling, but a retelling with queer rep.
I think you occasionally find books that heal a little of your inner child and this is one of them for myself as a member of the queer community.
I also fell in love with the character of Jane, it’s awesome to see women in that time achieving and with backbone and sass. So often historically, women are written as incredibly demure and I think often people forget many were incredibly ‘rebellious’ and forthright, as well as contributing to workforces. It’s awesome to see women in this time period taking absolutely NO SHIT. Jane will 100% kick each and every ass.
Rep wise Hook (James) is MLM, and we do have an MLM central relationship in this novel, though the focus is shared between Hook, Jane and Wendy primarily.
The story follows on from the first novel, and whilst this novel still makes sense without reading the first, you’ll be getting some MAJOR spoilers for the first so definitely read them in order.
One thing I would have loved was a more central focus on their time back in Neverland, this was only a small portion of the novel. And at times the pacing was a bit stilted.
I loved that this was so hauntingly bleak, there was creepiness and fear laying around every page and I really loved having a more villainous take on Peter Pan.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc E-copy, I will probs be buying both myself and a family member a copy of this one (totally awesome read)
TWS (that I noticed) listed below (skip if you don’t want any spoilers)
Tw// Drowning, Gore, Gore involving eyes, mentions of drugs and alcohol, death, dead body described, misogyny, sex hinted at (FTB) , mentions of slurs, Canabalism (non descriptive), strangulation.
I seriously enjoyed this retelling. Personally I breezed through it in about 3 days, and it’s a seriously cozy, action packed read with a depth I wasn’t expecting.
I grew up in the seaside village where the original Peter Pan author lived, so the books here are very much a huge part of the town history. It’s also a fairly conservative village and I’m one of hardly any gay folk residing here (village life, am I right?) Anyhow, I cannot explain how much it means to not only have a feminist retelling, but a retelling with queer rep.
I think you occasionally find books that heal a little of your inner child and this is one of them for myself as a member of the queer community.
I also fell in love with the character of Jane, it’s awesome to see women in that time achieving and with backbone and sass. So often historically, women are written as incredibly demure and I think often people forget many were incredibly ‘rebellious’ and forthright, as well as contributing to workforces. It’s awesome to see women in this time period taking absolutely NO SHIT. Jane will 100% kick each and every ass.
Rep wise Hook (James) is MLM, and we do have an MLM central relationship in this novel, though the focus is shared between Hook, Jane and Wendy primarily.
The story follows on from the first novel, and whilst this novel still makes sense without reading the first, you’ll be getting some MAJOR spoilers for the first so definitely read them in order.
One thing I would have loved was a more central focus on their time back in Neverland, this was only a small portion of the novel. And at times the pacing was a bit stilted.
I loved that this was so hauntingly bleak, there was creepiness and fear laying around every page and I really loved having a more villainous take on Peter Pan.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc E-copy, I will probs be buying both myself and a family member a copy of this one (totally awesome read)
TWS (that I noticed) listed below (skip if you don’t want any spoilers)
Tw// Drowning, Gore, Gore involving eyes, mentions of drugs and alcohol, death, dead body described, misogyny, sex hinted at (FTB) , mentions of slurs, Canabalism (non descriptive), strangulation.
July 31, 2022
There are a lot of Peter Pan retellings out there at the moment, this one in particular stands out because it focuses more on Captain Hook and what happens to him after Neverland. It’s a prequel of sorts to the author’s previous novel, Wendy Darling. Although I have read both novels it is not completely necessary as both work well as standalone novels. However, having that little bit of extra knowledge gained in the first novel does help to set the scene. Hooked is a dark retelling and, although a little unsettling at times, I enjoyed the dark and eerie atmosphere the author created. Here Peter Pan is the villain and we see an entirely different side to Hook, who has an extremely interesting back story. Upon his return to London, Captain Hook is known simply as James. He will always come across as a villain but during the course of story I began to empathise with him and found myself rooting for his character. The glimpse into his sexuality is unexpected and the brief relationship he has in the storyline is incredibly emotional and heart wrenching.
Wendy does not feature significantly in this book, but her daughter, Jane, does. Jane is training to be a doctor in and era which is male dominated and a woman with a career is shunned. I loved the author’s portrayal of Jane and her strength and determination to succeed. She is also quite a troubled soul having never quite got over her time in Neverland and the loss of a very dear friend. She returns to Neverland in an attempt to put things right.
I didn’t have any problems with the switches of points of view or timelines, which some readers have suggested are confusing. I picked up on the author’s writing style in her previous novel and again no problems for me here. Hooked is well written, creative and unique. It is not a light-hearted retelling, some of the themes are dark, however, I found it compelling and completely fascinating, not knowing what to expect next.
TWISTED IN PAGES BLOG
TWISTED IN PAGES ON INSTAGRAM
Thank you so much to the publisher for the gifted proof {AD: Gifted ARC}
Wendy does not feature significantly in this book, but her daughter, Jane, does. Jane is training to be a doctor in and era which is male dominated and a woman with a career is shunned. I loved the author’s portrayal of Jane and her strength and determination to succeed. She is also quite a troubled soul having never quite got over her time in Neverland and the loss of a very dear friend. She returns to Neverland in an attempt to put things right.
I didn’t have any problems with the switches of points of view or timelines, which some readers have suggested are confusing. I picked up on the author’s writing style in her previous novel and again no problems for me here. Hooked is well written, creative and unique. It is not a light-hearted retelling, some of the themes are dark, however, I found it compelling and completely fascinating, not knowing what to expect next.
TWISTED IN PAGES BLOG
TWISTED IN PAGES ON INSTAGRAM
Thank you so much to the publisher for the gifted proof {AD: Gifted ARC}
July 4, 2022
First off I would say that, although not marketed as a sequel to Wendy, Darling per se, it would help to have read that book first as there are many references to characters and events that took place in that earlier work in Hooked. However, I would then go on to say that I preferred Hooked to Wendy, Darling. I liked Wendy, Darling and gave it 4.5 stars, but Hooked just appealed to me more, I think because I found Hook/James a more gripping character than the Wendy/Jane combination. A.C Wise has created a compelling narrative of his background and his love-hate relationship with Neverland which made him highly relatable and interesting. I was 'hooked' right from the opening chapter and my attention held until the end. If you like Peter Pan and enjoy retellings that put a darker spin on the story then definitely check out Wendy, Darling and Hooked.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 25, 2022
I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley
actual rating: 2.5
It's been quite awhile since I read any retellings like this so I thought I would give this one a try but I just never really managed to get invested in it. I think maybe there was just a bit too much going with having it be about Hook AND Wendy AND her daughter or maybe it was just that none of the characters ever really jumped off the page in the way I wanted but this one just wasn't for me. Rounding up to three stars because it was technically well written and there isn't necessarily anything wrong with it, just more of a personal preference thing on my end.
actual rating: 2.5
It's been quite awhile since I read any retellings like this so I thought I would give this one a try but I just never really managed to get invested in it. I think maybe there was just a bit too much going with having it be about Hook AND Wendy AND her daughter or maybe it was just that none of the characters ever really jumped off the page in the way I wanted but this one just wasn't for me. Rounding up to three stars because it was technically well written and there isn't necessarily anything wrong with it, just more of a personal preference thing on my end.
July 29, 2022
"Hooked" is a hard book to review because it took me a little longer to get into, but it really got me towards the end… so 3-4 stars.
"Hooked" was really not the book I was expecting. Since it’s marketed as the story of what happened to Captain Hook after Neverland, I assumed it was a standalone set in the same universe as "Wendy, Darling" when in fact it reads much more like a sequel. Wendy and Jane are both main characters in this book and there are a lot of references to their experiences from "Wendy, Darling" that are relevant to the main plot. As someone who came into "Hooked" without reading "Wendy, Darling" I definitely feel like there was enough explanation of the events to not feel like I was missing a big part of the story, but I lacked all of the emotional attachment that would come from reading about it in detail as the characters were experiencing it.
The other unexpected thing about "Hooked" for me was that it had so little action. I was expecting Hook to travel to Neverland fairly early on to fight and kill the beast, but that’s not at all the direction the story takes. "Hooked" focuses a lot more on the emotional than the physical in order to explore themes such as PTSD, survivor’s guilt, and grief. The story was beautifully written, but it did take me a while to get into it.
I also had no idea going into this book that Captain Hook was gay, but I really enjoyed that element to the story and the relationship that they shared. I would have loved to see more of it.
Overall, "Hooked" was not at all what I was expecting but it was totally worth giving it a shot
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
"Hooked" was really not the book I was expecting. Since it’s marketed as the story of what happened to Captain Hook after Neverland, I assumed it was a standalone set in the same universe as "Wendy, Darling" when in fact it reads much more like a sequel. Wendy and Jane are both main characters in this book and there are a lot of references to their experiences from "Wendy, Darling" that are relevant to the main plot. As someone who came into "Hooked" without reading "Wendy, Darling" I definitely feel like there was enough explanation of the events to not feel like I was missing a big part of the story, but I lacked all of the emotional attachment that would come from reading about it in detail as the characters were experiencing it.
The other unexpected thing about "Hooked" for me was that it had so little action. I was expecting Hook to travel to Neverland fairly early on to fight and kill the beast, but that’s not at all the direction the story takes. "Hooked" focuses a lot more on the emotional than the physical in order to explore themes such as PTSD, survivor’s guilt, and grief. The story was beautifully written, but it did take me a while to get into it.
I also had no idea going into this book that Captain Hook was gay, but I really enjoyed that element to the story and the relationship that they shared. I would have loved to see more of it.
Overall, "Hooked" was not at all what I was expecting but it was totally worth giving it a shot
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 16, 2022
RTC in July as per the publisher's request.
Note, this is the official-unofficial sequel to Wendy, Darling and while you can read it as a standalone, there are a lot of references that might not make sense without the context of the first book. GR does not show them as being part of the same series but it's very clear that they are.
--
Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for providing me with this advanced reader copy to review. All of my ARC reviews are spoiler-free! Hooked is expected to release July 12th 2022.
Hooked is a continuation of Wendy, Darling, this time following the life that Captain James Hook has led, post-escape from Neverland. Known once as an immortal villain, a man who has died and been resurrected thousands of times by Pan’s puppeteering hand, and he remembers every painful moment of every torturous death. Now, twenty two years later and a shell of a man living alone in a small flat in London, he battles those old memories with alcohol and opium, and dreams of nothing but long-lost voices, when something changes in the air. Something else has escaped from Neverland, he can feel it, and it is hunting him down.
Wise became one of my favourite authors the moment I finished Wendy, Darling. I find her management of the original themes in Peter Pan, The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up to be beautifully manipulated, and just like that book, Hooked engages with some incredibly visceral, adult themes that highlight the dark underbelly of the original tale, most aggressively including grief, oppression and dehumanisation.
While slow paced, there is a vast amount that goes on and the story is told from several different angles all at once. James’ POV takes centre stage, shifting back and forth between the present day, his life pre-Neverland and his time as Captain Hook, but we also experience events through Wendy and Jane’s eyes once again, and this time there is a real focus on the struggles and strengths of their relationship, which eight years on is still suffering the effects of the traumatic events in Wendy, Darling. Once again, the world building and the new characterisation of this beloved story is beautifully done, the good-and-evil within our heroes and villains a perfectly consistent shade of bittersweet grey that paints an ugly, but very real picture of the world. In particular, the depiction of Hook’s constant struggle to know himself beyond the villain he was forced to become was quite touching, and in parts remarkably tragic.
There is an incredibly transportive quality to this book, one that makes the oppressive darkness spilling out of Neverland feel quite terrifying. While I do wish that this story had been told through Hook’s POV alone, I think that it would have been a little more impactful and allowed for more time around the revelations surrounding certain relationships and the abuses Hook had inflicted upon himself, especially given that we have already seen a lot from Wendy and Jane in Wendy, Darling that did not necessarily need to come back, I really did love this and I shall hope to see more fairy tale retellings from Wise.
Note, this is the official-unofficial sequel to Wendy, Darling and while you can read it as a standalone, there are a lot of references that might not make sense without the context of the first book. GR does not show them as being part of the same series but it's very clear that they are.
--
Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for providing me with this advanced reader copy to review. All of my ARC reviews are spoiler-free! Hooked is expected to release July 12th 2022.
Hooked is a continuation of Wendy, Darling, this time following the life that Captain James Hook has led, post-escape from Neverland. Known once as an immortal villain, a man who has died and been resurrected thousands of times by Pan’s puppeteering hand, and he remembers every painful moment of every torturous death. Now, twenty two years later and a shell of a man living alone in a small flat in London, he battles those old memories with alcohol and opium, and dreams of nothing but long-lost voices, when something changes in the air. Something else has escaped from Neverland, he can feel it, and it is hunting him down.
Wise became one of my favourite authors the moment I finished Wendy, Darling. I find her management of the original themes in Peter Pan, The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up to be beautifully manipulated, and just like that book, Hooked engages with some incredibly visceral, adult themes that highlight the dark underbelly of the original tale, most aggressively including grief, oppression and dehumanisation.
While slow paced, there is a vast amount that goes on and the story is told from several different angles all at once. James’ POV takes centre stage, shifting back and forth between the present day, his life pre-Neverland and his time as Captain Hook, but we also experience events through Wendy and Jane’s eyes once again, and this time there is a real focus on the struggles and strengths of their relationship, which eight years on is still suffering the effects of the traumatic events in Wendy, Darling. Once again, the world building and the new characterisation of this beloved story is beautifully done, the good-and-evil within our heroes and villains a perfectly consistent shade of bittersweet grey that paints an ugly, but very real picture of the world. In particular, the depiction of Hook’s constant struggle to know himself beyond the villain he was forced to become was quite touching, and in parts remarkably tragic.
There is an incredibly transportive quality to this book, one that makes the oppressive darkness spilling out of Neverland feel quite terrifying. While I do wish that this story had been told through Hook’s POV alone, I think that it would have been a little more impactful and allowed for more time around the revelations surrounding certain relationships and the abuses Hook had inflicted upon himself, especially given that we have already seen a lot from Wendy and Jane in Wendy, Darling that did not necessarily need to come back, I really did love this and I shall hope to see more fairy tale retellings from Wise.
July 20, 2023
Best Peter Pan adaptation I've ever read!
July 9, 2022
English:
Thanks to Netgalley for sending a digital copy of this book
I requested this book without knowing it was a sequel to Wendy, Darling. As a result, I had to read the first book because I did not want to miss significant cluea. But his review will mainly be focused on the second book.
I have to say it was a disappointment. There are many things that overlap in time and space with the first book but apparently, they did not happened at the same time as per what the first book said. I will try avoiding any spoilers, but the coherence of the timeline is a bit blurred.
That is the primary reason for the 2 star rating I give it, but there are others:
The characters of Captain Hook and one of the other pirates. I thought it was going to be even more gayer than the first book (which is something that I was really looking forward as the first book just mentioned it and at the end). However, I found they tried to be too mysterious as in the first book and the relationship between the characters was somewhat confusing. There is a lot of time-jumping backwards and forwards and more POVs, which are even more confusing as it is written in 3rd person...
The characters of Wendy and Jane were already developed in the first book, but still they have overmuch protagonism in Captain's Hook story. Plus, it takes too much time until things start to thoroughly develop (just like the first book). I understand we need context, but most of that context was given in the first book and that only leaves some need for Hook's backstory. Which, again, confusing and somewhat incoherent with the events of the first book.
Taking everything into consideration, I genuinely liked the idea, the worldbuilding and the magic system. I also enjoyed how it affected the characters and their relationships, which was very interesting to see between Wendy and her daughter, specially now after what happened in the first book. But, the overall development of the story... I found it lacking something, apart from the fact that some things do not add up to previous events.
Spanish:
Gracias a Netgalley por el envío en digital de este libro.
Pedí este libro sin saber que era la secuela de Wendy, Darling. Por eso, tuve que leer el primer libro porque no quería perderme ninguna pista importante. Pero esta reseña se centrará principalmente en el segundo libro.
Tengo que decir que fue una decepción. Hay muchas cosas que se solapan en el tiempo y en el espacio con el primer libro, pero aparentemente, no sucedieron al mismo tiempo según lo que decía el primer libro. Intentaré evitar cualquier spoiler, pero la coherencia de la línea temporal es un poco borrosa.
Esa es la razón principal de las 2 estrellas que le doy, pero hay otras:
Los personajes de El Capitán Garfio y otro de los piratas. Pensaba que iba a ser aún más gay que el primer libro (cosa que me hacía mucha ilusión ya que el primer libro sólo lo mencionaba y al final). Sin embargo, me pareció que intentaron ser demasiado misteriosos como en el primer libro y la relación entre los personajes fue algo confusa. Hay muchos saltos en el tiempo hacia adelante y hacia atrás y más puntos de vista, que son aún más confusos ya que está escrito en tercera persona...
Los personajes de Wendy y Jane ya estaban desarrollados en el primer libro, pero aun así tienen demasiado protagonismo en la historia de El Capitán Garfio. Además, tarda demasiado tiempo hasta que las cosas empiezan a desarrollarse a fondo (igual que en el primer libro). Entiendo que necesitamos contexto, pero la mayor parte de ese contexto se dio en el primer libro y eso sólo deja con algo de vacío para la historia de Garfio previa a este libro. Que, de nuevo, es confusa y algo incoherente con los acontecimientos del primer libro.
Teniendo todo en cuenta, me ha gustado mucho la idea, la construcción del mundo y el sistema de magia. También me gustó cómo afectó a los personajes y sus relaciones, que fue muy interesante ver entre Wendy y su hija, especialmente ahora después de lo que pasó en el primer libro. Pero, el desarrollo general de la historia... Me pareció que le faltaba algo, aparte de que algunas cosas no cuadran con los acontecimientos anteriores.
-Ele
Thanks to Netgalley for sending a digital copy of this book
I requested this book without knowing it was a sequel to Wendy, Darling. As a result, I had to read the first book because I did not want to miss significant cluea. But his review will mainly be focused on the second book.
I have to say it was a disappointment. There are many things that overlap in time and space with the first book but apparently, they did not happened at the same time as per what the first book said. I will try avoiding any spoilers, but the coherence of the timeline is a bit blurred.
That is the primary reason for the 2 star rating I give it, but there are others:
The characters of Captain Hook and one of the other pirates. I thought it was going to be even more gayer than the first book (which is something that I was really looking forward as the first book just mentioned it and at the end). However, I found they tried to be too mysterious as in the first book and the relationship between the characters was somewhat confusing. There is a lot of time-jumping backwards and forwards and more POVs, which are even more confusing as it is written in 3rd person...
The characters of Wendy and Jane were already developed in the first book, but still they have overmuch protagonism in Captain's Hook story. Plus, it takes too much time until things start to thoroughly develop (just like the first book). I understand we need context, but most of that context was given in the first book and that only leaves some need for Hook's backstory. Which, again, confusing and somewhat incoherent with the events of the first book.
Taking everything into consideration, I genuinely liked the idea, the worldbuilding and the magic system. I also enjoyed how it affected the characters and their relationships, which was very interesting to see between Wendy and her daughter, specially now after what happened in the first book. But, the overall development of the story... I found it lacking something, apart from the fact that some things do not add up to previous events.
Spanish:
Gracias a Netgalley por el envío en digital de este libro.
Pedí este libro sin saber que era la secuela de Wendy, Darling. Por eso, tuve que leer el primer libro porque no quería perderme ninguna pista importante. Pero esta reseña se centrará principalmente en el segundo libro.
Tengo que decir que fue una decepción. Hay muchas cosas que se solapan en el tiempo y en el espacio con el primer libro, pero aparentemente, no sucedieron al mismo tiempo según lo que decía el primer libro. Intentaré evitar cualquier spoiler, pero la coherencia de la línea temporal es un poco borrosa.
Esa es la razón principal de las 2 estrellas que le doy, pero hay otras:
Los personajes de El Capitán Garfio y otro de los piratas. Pensaba que iba a ser aún más gay que el primer libro (cosa que me hacía mucha ilusión ya que el primer libro sólo lo mencionaba y al final). Sin embargo, me pareció que intentaron ser demasiado misteriosos como en el primer libro y la relación entre los personajes fue algo confusa. Hay muchos saltos en el tiempo hacia adelante y hacia atrás y más puntos de vista, que son aún más confusos ya que está escrito en tercera persona...
Los personajes de Wendy y Jane ya estaban desarrollados en el primer libro, pero aun así tienen demasiado protagonismo en la historia de El Capitán Garfio. Además, tarda demasiado tiempo hasta que las cosas empiezan a desarrollarse a fondo (igual que en el primer libro). Entiendo que necesitamos contexto, pero la mayor parte de ese contexto se dio en el primer libro y eso sólo deja con algo de vacío para la historia de Garfio previa a este libro. Que, de nuevo, es confusa y algo incoherente con los acontecimientos del primer libro.
Teniendo todo en cuenta, me ha gustado mucho la idea, la construcción del mundo y el sistema de magia. También me gustó cómo afectó a los personajes y sus relaciones, que fue muy interesante ver entre Wendy y su hija, especialmente ahora después de lo que pasó en el primer libro. Pero, el desarrollo general de la historia... Me pareció que le faltaba algo, aparte de que algunas cosas no cuadran con los acontecimientos anteriores.
-Ele
August 15, 2022
I really enjoyed this, although I do wish it had spent more time on James and less on Wendy, but maybe that’s just me. This is a great read, fast paced, dark, a great twist on the story you know of Neverland, but most of all I just loved James, the story of his PTSD, his romance, weaning himself from addiction abd trying to be a better man. Just brilliant
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
July 8, 2022
My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.
To start with, I definitely recommend reading "Wendy, Darling" by the same author before plunging into this novel, because it is a prequel of sorts despite functioning perfectly well as a standalone. Things in "Hooked" will make ever so much more sense if you've already met the grown-up Wendy and her daughter, and if you know the choices Wendy made in that first book.
One of the shortcomings of "Wendy, Darling" in my opinion was the almost total lack of Hook in that story (if you didn't already know, I despise the original Peter Pan, but I love Hook). Well, here he is now, one of the protagonists of this story, and his own escape from Neverland - mentioned as little more than an afterthought in the first book - gets explained. After having the misfortune of washing up on Neverland's shores and being turned into the caricature villain in Pan's little sandbox of endless games of war, Hook has fought the same battles over and over again, died horribly over and over again, and then he finally gets his chance to escape. He takes it without thinking things through, manages to get away, ends up in London with his ship's surgeon... but all is not as it should be, as the link between Hook and Neverland still exists to some degree. And when Wendy does what she does to save her daughter from Peter, Neverland falls even more out of alignment and Pan's crocodile monster slips through the cracks between realities and goes on a rampage to get to Hook and everyone else who still smells like Neverland. Once invited, always welcome. Once invited, never free, and soon Hook finds himself in unexpected yet familiar company.
The premise of this novel was great! I enjoyed Hook a lot and liked his interactions with Wendy especially. Both of them feel very human, and both have connections to Neverland they haven't been able to sever fully. Wendy still has the same love-hate relationship with Neverland, and Hook has long since turned into an alcoholic and opium addict to keep his distance from the place. They've both been treated abominably by and because of Pan and Neverland, and their scars and coping mechanisms feel both raw and understandable and they give the characters depth. Jane, however, I disliked intensely and struggled to relate to. Despite her efforts to appear all grown up and an accomplished medical student, she came across as immature, snippy and venomous, all too happy to blame her mother for anything and everything and not bothering to stop and think for one minute what Wendy and Hook had gone through and what kind of injustices and impossible choices they'd been subjected to. She redeemed herself somewhat towards the end, but for most of the book I mostly just wanted to wring her ungrateful little neck - or even better, toss her into Neverland in Wendy or Hook's boots and tell her to deal with it as she's obviously oh so qualified to make all the right choices where everybody else messes up.
I was very happy with the story up until the point when the action moved over to Neverland. After that, everything kind of unraveled into a chaotic mess to be honest. The plot was all over the place, much like Neverland itself. I'm not sure if I just missed it, but I don't think there was a sufficient explanation to what exactly had happened to Peter once Wendy was done with him, and how it had affected the world, and why. I certainly wasn't satisfied with the ending Hook got, and even resented it a bit even though I could see why the author chose to go down that road. The romance was a little lackluster in my opinion, although Samuel was a nice enough character, but wrapping up Hook's story like that felt unfulfilling to me. "That's it?" was pretty much my reaction when reading the epilogue.
In the end, I liked this novel more than the first one, but I still don't have very strong feelings about it one way or the other. As far as Peter Pan inspired stories go, this one settles pretty firmly somewhere in the middle spectrum - okay, with some good and some not so great stuff. Worth reading, though.
To start with, I definitely recommend reading "Wendy, Darling" by the same author before plunging into this novel, because it is a prequel of sorts despite functioning perfectly well as a standalone. Things in "Hooked" will make ever so much more sense if you've already met the grown-up Wendy and her daughter, and if you know the choices Wendy made in that first book.
One of the shortcomings of "Wendy, Darling" in my opinion was the almost total lack of Hook in that story (if you didn't already know, I despise the original Peter Pan, but I love Hook). Well, here he is now, one of the protagonists of this story, and his own escape from Neverland - mentioned as little more than an afterthought in the first book - gets explained. After having the misfortune of washing up on Neverland's shores and being turned into the caricature villain in Pan's little sandbox of endless games of war, Hook has fought the same battles over and over again, died horribly over and over again, and then he finally gets his chance to escape. He takes it without thinking things through, manages to get away, ends up in London with his ship's surgeon... but all is not as it should be, as the link between Hook and Neverland still exists to some degree. And when Wendy does what she does to save her daughter from Peter, Neverland falls even more out of alignment and Pan's crocodile monster slips through the cracks between realities and goes on a rampage to get to Hook and everyone else who still smells like Neverland. Once invited, always welcome. Once invited, never free, and soon Hook finds himself in unexpected yet familiar company.
The premise of this novel was great! I enjoyed Hook a lot and liked his interactions with Wendy especially. Both of them feel very human, and both have connections to Neverland they haven't been able to sever fully. Wendy still has the same love-hate relationship with Neverland, and Hook has long since turned into an alcoholic and opium addict to keep his distance from the place. They've both been treated abominably by and because of Pan and Neverland, and their scars and coping mechanisms feel both raw and understandable and they give the characters depth. Jane, however, I disliked intensely and struggled to relate to. Despite her efforts to appear all grown up and an accomplished medical student, she came across as immature, snippy and venomous, all too happy to blame her mother for anything and everything and not bothering to stop and think for one minute what Wendy and Hook had gone through and what kind of injustices and impossible choices they'd been subjected to. She redeemed herself somewhat towards the end, but for most of the book I mostly just wanted to wring her ungrateful little neck - or even better, toss her into Neverland in Wendy or Hook's boots and tell her to deal with it as she's obviously oh so qualified to make all the right choices where everybody else messes up.
I was very happy with the story up until the point when the action moved over to Neverland. After that, everything kind of unraveled into a chaotic mess to be honest. The plot was all over the place, much like Neverland itself. I'm not sure if I just missed it, but I don't think there was a sufficient explanation to what exactly had happened to Peter once Wendy was done with him, and how it had affected the world, and why. I certainly wasn't satisfied with the ending Hook got, and even resented it a bit even though I could see why the author chose to go down that road. The romance was a little lackluster in my opinion, although Samuel was a nice enough character, but wrapping up Hook's story like that felt unfulfilling to me. "That's it?" was pretty much my reaction when reading the epilogue.
In the end, I liked this novel more than the first one, but I still don't have very strong feelings about it one way or the other. As far as Peter Pan inspired stories go, this one settles pretty firmly somewhere in the middle spectrum - okay, with some good and some not so great stuff. Worth reading, though.
October 27, 2022
I read Wendy, Darling last year and really enjoyed it so I was looking forward to seeing how Hook’s story would be told. This book did not disappoint.
I’ve read retellings of some tales where the villain is recast as the hero and how they were doing what was morally right, but nobody could see it at the time – this isn’t that. Hook used to be James, a sailor who set off to help him and his sister make a living; he was on his way home to her when the ocean opened, swallowed him up and spat him onto a beach in Neverland where Peter Pan cast him as his new pirate captain, Hook.
Turned into one of Peter’s villains, Hook’s only purpose on Neverland is to be the villain, to strike fear into the hearts of the Lost Boys only to die time and time again; by drowning, being stabbed, being eaten by a treacherous beast in the depths of the ocean, and yet, by the magic of Neverland, he was able to come back to life, time and time again.
Hook eventually heard tell of a dagger which could sever his and his crew’s connection to Neverland and so he took the risk to escape.
The story we hear from Hook is of a morally grey character who does what is needed in order to survive, and for twenty-two years, he avoided catching the eye of Neverland, until the beast finds him once more.
We get three different character perspectives; Hook, for who we have the present day, his early days back in London after escaping Neverland and his time in Neverland; Wendy Darling who mostly focusses on the present day; and Wendy’s daughter Jane, where we see memories of Jane’s time in Neverland and the present day.
I’m not sure this worked overly well for me, there was so much going on, particularly towards the end, and I’d have liked to have heard more from James; he and the ship’s surgeon, Samuel, were in love and lived together in London after Neverland, but I didn’t feel as though I got to see much of the relationship which was disheartening.
I did enjoy how this book built on the aftereffects of Wendy, Darling, seeing Neverland in disrepair, almost glitching with the way so many different timelines were happening at once, and it added a haunting quality to it.
I found myself confused as to where Peter Pan was during this, it’s implied that he’s stretched out over the sky of Neverland, but it didn’t really make sense, and given the epilogue, I’m not sure there’ll be a follow up book.
An interesting retelling but I’d recommend reading Wendy, Darling first to avoid confusion since this ties up some loose ends from that book.
I’ve read retellings of some tales where the villain is recast as the hero and how they were doing what was morally right, but nobody could see it at the time – this isn’t that. Hook used to be James, a sailor who set off to help him and his sister make a living; he was on his way home to her when the ocean opened, swallowed him up and spat him onto a beach in Neverland where Peter Pan cast him as his new pirate captain, Hook.
Turned into one of Peter’s villains, Hook’s only purpose on Neverland is to be the villain, to strike fear into the hearts of the Lost Boys only to die time and time again; by drowning, being stabbed, being eaten by a treacherous beast in the depths of the ocean, and yet, by the magic of Neverland, he was able to come back to life, time and time again.
Hook eventually heard tell of a dagger which could sever his and his crew’s connection to Neverland and so he took the risk to escape.
The story we hear from Hook is of a morally grey character who does what is needed in order to survive, and for twenty-two years, he avoided catching the eye of Neverland, until the beast finds him once more.
We get three different character perspectives; Hook, for who we have the present day, his early days back in London after escaping Neverland and his time in Neverland; Wendy Darling who mostly focusses on the present day; and Wendy’s daughter Jane, where we see memories of Jane’s time in Neverland and the present day.
I’m not sure this worked overly well for me, there was so much going on, particularly towards the end, and I’d have liked to have heard more from James; he and the ship’s surgeon, Samuel, were in love and lived together in London after Neverland, but I didn’t feel as though I got to see much of the relationship which was disheartening.
I did enjoy how this book built on the aftereffects of Wendy, Darling, seeing Neverland in disrepair, almost glitching with the way so many different timelines were happening at once, and it added a haunting quality to it.
I found myself confused as to where Peter Pan was during this, it’s implied that he’s stretched out over the sky of Neverland, but it didn’t really make sense, and given the epilogue, I’m not sure there’ll be a follow up book.
An interesting retelling but I’d recommend reading Wendy, Darling first to avoid confusion since this ties up some loose ends from that book.
June 25, 2023
As a Peter Pan enthusiast, I wanted to enjoy this book, but overall I did not. 2.5 stars would be more appropriate but I did not want to round down because the book does not deserve only 2 stars.
The writing itself was solid - structurally logical, clear, and stylistically clean. The premise was pretty cool. Plus, queer Captain Hook? Sign me up. However, I found myself less intrigued and more bored (and a little annoyed) the more I read. As best I can tell, the largest flaw encompassing this book is the excessive description. I don’t mean worldbuilding, I’m not talking JRR Tolkien-esque description. I mean characters thinking way too much about what they’re doing, what they’re going to do, what they did, and why they’re doing it. This level of description/introspection quickly distanced me from the story and, ironically, from the characters, because it took the place of actions happening in the real world. Much of the book takes place in the liminal space where the narrator considers the context, and in this way, the author tells far more than she shows. She almost always says rather than shows that a character’s grin is unnerving; she doesn’t make me think to myself, “Whoa, that’s one unnerving grin!” I wish I could have lived in this world while reading, but unfortunately the best I could do was squint at it through the narrators’ continuous speculation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
did-not-finish
June 30, 2022Alas, for the first time in over a year, I must shelve another book as “did not finish.” I am loath to do this with an eARC I received from NetGalley—I try my best only to apply for books I will hopefully like, and even when I don’t like them, I do my best to finish them and provide a full review. That being said, I have no problem with DNFing a book if it isn’t right for me.
Hooked is a reimagining of the Peter Pan mythos. It is, apparently, a loose sequel to A.C. Wise’s earlier novel, Wendy, Darling (I haven’t rea dit). I love the premise behind these two novels. Retellings remain all the rage, with good reason, but the challenge is to twist the source material in such a way as to find new themes and entertaining layers to it. The idea that Captain Hook was the victim of some kind of fae spirit masquerading as a boy is really cool, and perhaps this book will work better for others, as many of the more positive reviews it has attracted so far seem to attest.
Why didn’t it work for me? Pacing was a big one. And the style of writing overall.
I am only about ten percent into the novel, which I admit isn’t that much. Normally I give a book a little longer to grab me—but something is telling me that Hooked won’t do that, and I want to listen to my gut. Very little has happened so far. The chapters are long and meandering. Wise flits in and out of flashbacks, taking us from present-day London, 1939, to James’s time as Hook in Neverland. The exposition this provides allows me to understand what’s happening, yet I don’t feel it, if that makes any sense.
Stylistically, then, Wise and I seem to be working at cross purposes. These days I much prefer novels with shorter, concrete scenes, and a good mix of dialogue and narration. Though Wise is fond of in media res storytelling, the action we get dropped into doesn’t seem to culminate in anything that then furthers the plot, so far as I can see.
Consequently, what I have read of the novel so far feels very jumbled to me. We have James, haunted by the ghost of someone I think was a former lover? Wendy, all growed up, off to help her daughter, who just witnessed a murder most foul. Pan and his monster are lurking somewhere. Like I said—this is a really intriguing premise, and I wish I could have enjoyed the writing enough to keep going. As it is, I will pass on this one.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews, where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter.
Hooked is a reimagining of the Peter Pan mythos. It is, apparently, a loose sequel to A.C. Wise’s earlier novel, Wendy, Darling (I haven’t rea dit). I love the premise behind these two novels. Retellings remain all the rage, with good reason, but the challenge is to twist the source material in such a way as to find new themes and entertaining layers to it. The idea that Captain Hook was the victim of some kind of fae spirit masquerading as a boy is really cool, and perhaps this book will work better for others, as many of the more positive reviews it has attracted so far seem to attest.
Why didn’t it work for me? Pacing was a big one. And the style of writing overall.
I am only about ten percent into the novel, which I admit isn’t that much. Normally I give a book a little longer to grab me—but something is telling me that Hooked won’t do that, and I want to listen to my gut. Very little has happened so far. The chapters are long and meandering. Wise flits in and out of flashbacks, taking us from present-day London, 1939, to James’s time as Hook in Neverland. The exposition this provides allows me to understand what’s happening, yet I don’t feel it, if that makes any sense.
Stylistically, then, Wise and I seem to be working at cross purposes. These days I much prefer novels with shorter, concrete scenes, and a good mix of dialogue and narration. Though Wise is fond of in media res storytelling, the action we get dropped into doesn’t seem to culminate in anything that then furthers the plot, so far as I can see.
Consequently, what I have read of the novel so far feels very jumbled to me. We have James, haunted by the ghost of someone I think was a former lover? Wendy, all growed up, off to help her daughter, who just witnessed a murder most foul. Pan and his monster are lurking somewhere. Like I said—this is a really intriguing premise, and I wish I could have enjoyed the writing enough to keep going. As it is, I will pass on this one.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews, where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter.
January 30, 2023
It isn't fairly clear from the way this book is promoted, but reads very much as a sequel to Wendy, Darling. And I had a very good time with that book, so I was very excited to pick up Hooked. And I have to say I was kinda disappointed. The writing itself is amazingly beautiful, and I really liked how Wise decided to portray James Hook. He is definitely a villain, but you get why and you also get to see his other side. The internal struggles and character development were very interesting to read. And yet I found myself bored. This is a very slow read, but what was worse for me is that it lacked purpose. We got stuck in a constant meandering without goal and it was over halfway through the book when we got some sense of direction. Also, I would have preferred it if we just focussed on James. I get why we might want to see how Wendy and her daughter are doing after the previous book... but I can't say I cared. I honestly think that if their part was cut from the book and we just focussed on James and his monster, this book would have been a lot better for it.
June 13, 2024
Wow… what a disappointment. This book can best be described as a needless and boring fever dream.
I was really excited to meet Captain Hook’s character and delve into his backstory. The small bits of backstory we did get were really good, and I wish we’d gotten more of that! Instead, the first 1/3 of the book feels like a ghost story, and the remaining 2/3 is just a mess of fragmented realities and the characters’ internal monologues about how traumatized they are for XYZ reasons, most of which don’t feel very compelling or realistic.
Prior to reading I had seen that the reviews were not as good for this book as they were for the first one, but somehow I still ended up disappointed. I can only think of one character dynamic (more specifically, a single SCENE of a character dynamic) that I actually enjoyed reading. I would not recommend.
I was really excited to meet Captain Hook’s character and delve into his backstory. The small bits of backstory we did get were really good, and I wish we’d gotten more of that! Instead, the first 1/3 of the book feels like a ghost story, and the remaining 2/3 is just a mess of fragmented realities and the characters’ internal monologues about how traumatized they are for XYZ reasons, most of which don’t feel very compelling or realistic.
Prior to reading I had seen that the reviews were not as good for this book as they were for the first one, but somehow I still ended up disappointed. I can only think of one character dynamic (more specifically, a single SCENE of a character dynamic) that I actually enjoyed reading. I would not recommend.
June 24, 2022
Thank you net galley for giving me a free copy of Hooked on exchange for a honest review
I loved the premise of this just like I loved the premise of Wendy Darling..... However saldy this book just like the previous one in this series failed to amaze me the way I throught it would.
Although themed such as feminism and survivors guilt as well as grief were well developed,the description of Neverland itself like in the previous book felt underwelming and lacking of descriptions. The characters were also incredibly uninteresting to me with the exception of Hook himself. Overall this book was a bit of a disappointment for me.
I loved the premise of this just like I loved the premise of Wendy Darling..... However saldy this book just like the previous one in this series failed to amaze me the way I throught it would.
Although themed such as feminism and survivors guilt as well as grief were well developed,the description of Neverland itself like in the previous book felt underwelming and lacking of descriptions. The characters were also incredibly uninteresting to me with the exception of Hook himself. Overall this book was a bit of a disappointment for me.
July 6, 2022
DNF at 52%. 2.5 stars rounded up.
I really tried to get into this one, because I love the idea of a queer Peter Pan retelling. Hook was the most interesting of the characters, and I found myself skimming the Darling chapters to get back to his storyline. By the midpoint, however, I wasn’t invested in his storyline as much either. The chapters were too long.
I think additional edits were needed to tighten up the story. I would have preferred a novella that focused solely on James and Samuel because that was the most compelling aspect of the novel.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really tried to get into this one, because I love the idea of a queer Peter Pan retelling. Hook was the most interesting of the characters, and I found myself skimming the Darling chapters to get back to his storyline. By the midpoint, however, I wasn’t invested in his storyline as much either. The chapters were too long.
I think additional edits were needed to tighten up the story. I would have preferred a novella that focused solely on James and Samuel because that was the most compelling aspect of the novel.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 9, 2022
3.5 stars???
I think that the idea and the plot were GOOD. Very solid.
But, a bit of finesse to the writing style could be better???
I personally enjoyed it but I slowly lost attention when I read it. It was good but the quality deteriorated as the pages went on??
I loved the idea though, I'd probably read it again just because of "Hook" (cause y'know, got me hooked) and that there was a lot of depth to the character and the motivations that came with it.
*** I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***
I think that the idea and the plot were GOOD. Very solid.
But, a bit of finesse to the writing style could be better???
I personally enjoyed it but I slowly lost attention when I read it. It was good but the quality deteriorated as the pages went on??
I loved the idea though, I'd probably read it again just because of "Hook" (cause y'know, got me hooked) and that there was a lot of depth to the character and the motivations that came with it.
*** I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***
March 13, 2025
I loved the retelling of this story! And I appreciated it being more on the dark, horror/thriller side. It added new elements to the story so even though it gave me those reminders of the Disney version, it did not feel like a copycat at all. One star off as there were some serious grammatical issues at some points that took me out of the story.
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