Hook (The Untold Stories of Neverland Book 1) by K. R. Thompson Published by K.R. Thompson on 2014
Pages: 282
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Sitting in the dark corners of the print shop, Archie Jameson dreams of adventure, never imagining it will find him.
A twist of fate lands him beneath unfamiliar stars with a small pixie to guide his way. What new adventures lie in Neverland?
Discover the untold story of the man destined to become Captain Hook.
Pretty good setup. Drags you in with the story of a man stuck in a boring life he didn’t choose for himself and on one fateful day, everything changes and he is thrust into the adventure he has so longed for. Hasn’t been what I expected thus far. I also didn’t bother reading the synopsis too much because I was quite enamoured with the idea of reading a novel about how Captain Hook came to be. I think this fascination really got piqued from those glorious hours I spent watching Once Upon a Time. I mean… who could resist such an appealing pirate? ??
“…Gurgling cries echoed in Blackbeard’s ears as thirty souls drowned, for only a handful of his crew could swim.” Seriously?? What the fuck? What kind of pirates can’t swim? I’m irritated as hell by this. What the FUCK kind of pirates cannot swim? You mean to tell me ya’ll are out here in these deep waters blasting holes in ships, snatching people’s booty for your own plunder, and literally stealing other people’s ships…but cannot swim? I’m calling bullshit on that one.
What the hell is going on on my Kindle right now?? I’m at the 40% mark and still haven’t seen Neverland!! What the fuck? I’m not going to say that it hasn’t been interesting reading thus far but like, damn. I thought our asses would’ve already been in Neverland by now.
What is really going on? I’m pretty sure I’m dying. I’m closing in on the 50% mark and we still haven’t read any real shit about Neverland!! *shrivels up* Even I cannot deny that this book was set-up in a pretty intriguing way, but even still, I don’t feel a deep connection to any of the characters, which is problematic for me as… what’s the point of reading a story if you are not invested in the characters?
Finally, my patience and dedication have been rewarded! Things are picking up again. Hook seems to ebb and flow like the ocean most of the story is set on. (internal screaming)
Some of this writing is also cringeworthy as fuck. Of course, I know basically every rendition of Peter Pan includes an “Indian” tribe, but, hell. This is the goddamn 21st century and this story reeks of white entitlement. Of COURSE, the original story is racially insensitive as well, so I shouldn’t be so surprised that that same sentiment was carried on into this version of Hook’s story, but that doesn’t make it any less irritating and it is grating on my nerves. “He shifted from foot to foot. He didn’t want to admit the reason for the shorter nickname was that he had thought the name strange and ill-fitting.” For real though? And your names aren’t weird as fuck to the Native Americans? *rolls eyes*
“I think he’s a death guardian,” Harper said, catching Archie’s full attention. “I beg your pardon?” “That boy— Peter. I think he’s a death guardian…” There was no doubt in his mind that the boy known as Peter was also the death guardian from his mum’s bedtime stories. Whatever he seemed to be—a boy he was not.
There was a pretty heart rending twist that I won’t reveal here because it actually took me by surprise and made this entire book worth reading, though I do admit that the middle of this novel loses quite a bit of steam and takes some dedication to get through, after you make it past that point, things speed up and a lot of shit is going on until you hit the end.
The high points of this book are definitely the action scenes. During its start, there were some bits of humor, but as the story went on, it became very bereft of any laughing moments…though, by that time, there really wasn’t anything to laugh at, so that’s understandable. There are also quite a few points that hurt my soul a little bit, so there is some emotional value here, but since I didn’t shed any thug tears, and I love sappy, emotional books, if you were looking for a book filled with action, romance, humor, and high emotional value, this is not the story for that. I find that to be disappointing because this story could be improved by giving the sad parts more punch and also by actually bothering to have given more than one Native American an actual name. (No, I’m not going to get over the racial insensitivity so don’t ask me to.)
With all that said, I leave you with this quote: ” ‘They say those who lose a hand or a foot will have its ghost to haunt them, unless it is buried proper-like,’ Smee said, as if he had read Archie’s mind.”
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