Review: Tiger Lily

Tiger Lily

Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson

Summary:

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair...

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.From the New York Times bestselling author of Peaches comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.

Published July 3rd 2012.

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In this strange, sad yet hopeful tale, the real and the mythical; fact and fiction; wilderness and civilisation; first loves and new loves all collide with a resounding boom. The story is stirring and spellbinding simply because it is, at its core, Tiger Lily's story. And her story is one as unique as her name.

Set against the backdrop of Neverland-- where insect-sized fairies who can't speak English, blood-thirsty pirates, tribes and the infamous Lost Boys reside-- Tiger Lily's coming-of-age tale unfolds, starting first in the tribe called Skyeaters. There, she lives under the care of her adoptive father, Tik Tok, the tribe's shaman. 

Slowly, the story blossoms into a love story, albeit a very awkward, sweet and fragile one. Tiger Lily-- whom the tribe finds difficult to accept with her angular frame, sharp eyes and stoic reticence-- finds a home amongst the Lost Boys. From fearing the Lost Boys initially to loving them eventually, Tiger Lily melts their hearts while they too melt hers in return. 

Here's when Peter Pan appears. 

Jodi Lynn Anderson's characterization is outstanding, especially in the case of Peter and Tiger Lily. Peter is the attractive (even the fierce mermaids with shark's teeth are in love with him), proud and gangly teenager, who desperately craves for love and affirmation. And while it seems at first that Tiger Lily and him are a perfect match, there was this steady, throbbing fear in me with every page I flipped.

How their proud natures crashed, how they both tried to be stronger than the other, how Peter wanted Tiger Lily to praise him and to love him openly and passionately... But, it was in Tiger Lily's nature to be brave and strong and quiet in her love, so much that sometimes, I felt like shaking the book just for her to tell Peter that she loved him. 

Perhaps, they might have been able to work it out. But, who knows? Because there was another shadow lurking in the background, a pretty blonde shadow, demure and lovely, weak and full of praises, showering Peter with attention and working on him with her feminine wiles-- Wendy Bird.

She was everything that Tiger Lily was not. And I hated her. 

Because even though I knew of the original tale, even though I started on this book whilst knowing that there was going to be heartache, even though I knew that Peter and Wendy's fate together has been set in stone years ago in J. M. Barrie's timeless classic, this novel worked its magic on me unknowingly when I was reading it.

I was completely whirled up into the new lives of these characters, and in the end, it seemed wrong to even think about Tiger Lily never having to fall in love and experience all this with Peter.

This is a rich story, one that is deeply moving, bittersweet and will leave you wanting to re-watch the Disney movie just to take another look at the Peter, Tink and the girl with the crow feather in her hair.


Source: The library shelves

xoxo,
Sel

Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: Dear Teen Me

Zest Books | Dear Teen Me website | Dear Teen Me events page | Zest Books Dear Teen Me book page

Dear Teen Me

Editors: E. Kristin Anderson & Miranda Kenneally

The Gist:

How many times have you looked back on your teenage years and cringed, wishing you could offer your younger self some guidance? This book of nearly 70 letters by top young adult authors— including bestselling writers Lauren Oliver, Ellen Hopkins, and Nancy Holder— does just that, and today’s teens will benefit.

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For those who know me, I never ever ever read non-fiction. And all the way until three weeks ago, I had not the slightest inclination of ever breaking that rule. 

But, you know, when I saw this book with all the familiar names of authors like Jess Rothenberg (The Catastrophic History of You and Me), Jessica Spotswood (Born Wicked) and Nancy Holder (who wrote so so many dear novels in the Once Upon a Time series), I suddenly had that impossible urge to know what insecurities they had as a teen like myself and what life they led during that awkward phase of adolescence. 

Did they have crushes on totally dorky guys? 

Did they embarrass themselves constantly like all teenagers do? 

Had they ever done something bad? Or naughty?

You bet they did.

And I don't regret for a single moment for picking this book up. Authors aren't gods/goddesses. No matter where they stand today, no matter how confident and witty and glamorous they are now, no matter how very much they appear to have been equally amazing teens-- they have all been that gangly teenager who was at a loss of words, the girl whose cheeks turned pink when her crush simply looked in her way, the boy who got bullied, that teenager who had been left out and wanted to cry. Each and every single one of them.

But, ultimately, they all found strength in writing. 

This is a book that I won't want to fly through, simply because I want to slowly savor its goodness, its honesty and its truths. Every single letter in this book (and there are many) all provide a reassuring insight from an adult who has been through the ups and downs of life and can say with the confidence of one who is looking in hindsight that whatever difficulties we are facing as a teen won't last forever. 

There's Jessica Corra, who forever remembers the time when a teacher in her school told her to "try the library" when she had wanted to transfer to a public school out of loneliness. And that changed her life.  She tells her teen self that "What is important is that you listened to someone and grabbed the lifeline you needed. Asking for help when you need it isn't weakness; neither is accepting help when you don't think you do. Don't be afraid to do that, again and again."

The letter by Heather Davis almost made me cry. She talked about her mother who would leave their family again and again. 

"Dear Teen Me,

...

Over time, her appearances confuse your understanding of what it means to love and be loved. You begin to accept that words don't have to match actions. That sometimes love is a thing bargained for with silence. You start to crave that kind of love, which is a devaluing and insidious one. This craving will stick with you for years. It's something you'll have to learn to overcome. 

Keep doing your best. Right now, your little sisters need you. And, I promise you, even if it's many years from now, someday you will know real love. The kind where words match actions. The kind that doesn't leave you hanging. The kind that never lets you go." 

The letters are also inspiring, in particular one by Kersten Hamilton. She says,

"It starts with a litter of puppies. They're three days old, and their mother is dead. Everyone says you should drown them because they're going to die anyway without a mama dog to feed them. That's what they say. You're thirteen, but you gave up listening to what people said years ago. You've learned to think for yourself. You don't trust adults.

...

The fact is, we can't know what the future holds, because it doesn't exist yet-- it doesn't exist until we create it. No matter where you start, and no matter where you are today, you can dream a new tomorrow. Your parents can't stop you. You can create it through the choices you make (like the choice to save a puppy). If you have no adult to trust as a child, choose to become an adult that children can trust." 

These letters-- some are so adorable and funny that they will make you laugh involuntarily, some are really thought-provoking, giving you new strength to face the trials and tribulations of teenage life. 

Dear Teen Me is like Chicken Soup for teens. Quoting our dear editors, 

"This book is for you. For the loners, the stoners, the freaks and the geeks, the head cheerleaders and the kids eating lunch in the library, the starting lineup, the benchwarmers, the glee club, and the marching band. This book is for everyone who has ever felt alone or misunderstood, for everyone who dreads prom and also for every teen in the homecoming court. For the wimps, the Goths, the jocks. This book is for you.

We hope you love it."

Yes, we do. :)

Source: ARC from Zest Books for review purposes as part of blog tour.

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E. Kristin Anderson, in addition to co-editing Dear Teen Me and co-creating its eponymous website, is a writer and poet who has been published in dozens of literary journals. She is also an assistant editor at Hunger Mountain for their YA and Children's section.

Miranda Kenneally is the author of the contemporary YA novels Catching Jordan, Stealing Parker (just published), and Things I Can't Forget (Spring 2013). Miranda is also the co-editor, with E. Kristin Anderson, of Dear Teen Me: Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves (Zest Books), and is co-creator of the Dear Teen Me website.

Zest Books is an award-winning publisher of smart and edgy titles that focus on the colorful chaos of teen life. These nonfiction books cover timely topics in creative ways by incorporating solid life advice, practical how-to instruction, and humorous commentary. Zest Books’ catalogue includes 97 Things to Do Before You Finish High School, Where’s My Stuff: The Ultimate Teen Organizing Guide, and Scandalous! 50 Shocking Events You Should Know About So You Can Impress Your Friends. In Fall 2012, Zest Books launches a new line of memoirs and first-person accounts, and Dear Teen Me is the first book in this new line.

Zest Books is distributed by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Learn more at www.zestbooks.net.

Zest Books Facebook profile: www.facebook.com/zestbook

Zest Books Facebook page: www.facebook.com/BooksWithATwist

Twitter: www.twitter.com/zestbooks

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/zestbooks (Dear Teen Me videos coming next week!)

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/zestbooks

Dear Teen Me Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12479640-dear-teen-me

Dear Teen Me LibraryThing: http://www.librarything.com/work/12195764

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/zestbooks/

Dear Teen Me Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Dear-Teen-Me/108380165901152

Dear Teen Me Twitter: www.twitter.com/DearTeenMe/

E. Kristin Anderson Facebook: www.facebook.com/ekristinanderson

E. Kristin Anderson Twitter: www.twitter.com/ek_anderson

Miranda Kenneally: www.facebook.com/miranda.kenneally

Miranda Kenneally: www.twitter.com/MirandaKennealy

Books can be preordered now from these online booksellers, and will be officially on sale October 30. (It's possible that independent booksellers will be selling the book before October 30.)

IndieBound | Amazon | BAM (Books a Million) | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Buy now at Zest Books 

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Now, here's a chance to get a glimpse of lives that your favorite authors had as teenagers.

This giveaway is opened INTERNATIONALLY.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


xoxo,
Sel