Initial Impressions 9/29/12: Wow.
Tiger Lily is a retelling of Peter Pan, so despite all of the heart-warming reviews for it, I still went into it a little skeptical since Peter Pan was never one of my favorite fairy tales. I can honestly say that I haven't been left feeling like that from a book in a long time. It was touching, it was strong, it was political, it was a love story and not, all at the same time.
After finishing, I want to go out and buy my own copy so I can keep it. And maybe gently lend it to other people.

Full review originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide: Wow. Simply put, wow. I haven't felt so many things from a book in a long time, and if I hadn't seen the reviews from my friends and fellow bloggers, I never would have expected it to come from Tiger Lily. Peter Pan was never one of my favorite fairy tales. I had nothing against it, but I was much more captivated by several other Disney movies. I never expected to be quite so wowed by the story of one of the supporting characters, and one I had never been interested in.

I absolutely loved how natural the book felt. I was totally immersed in Tiger Lily's tribe, the Sky Eaters, and their ways of life. Everything seemed to perfect, harmonic, and peaceful. Tiger Lily was quite the opposite of what I expected her to be too. In Peter Pan, I kind of figured her for a brat (Tink too, for that matter) and here we see a very strong girl yet also made strong from being an outcast in her own tribe. Maybe that's why she ended up falling for Peter.

Peter's story is more or less what we know from the Disney version, except that everything on Neverland (with the exception of the mermaids and faeries) is more realistic and less magical - and that's something I really enjoyed about the story. I felt like it was a real story and I felt much more connected to it because of that realism.

Then the story takes a much more series turn -- and one I never expected or even expected to be so moved by once we were led there -- as we follow Phillip and how he beings to seriously affect the Sky Eaters and their core beliefs and ways of life. I was incredibly moved by Tik Tok, which was something I didn't expect either. Like Tiger Lily, he has his eccentricities, although they are quite different than hers (he's quite feminine, down to long hair and wearing dresses - yes, cross dressing. It's true), and -- mild spoiler alert -- the tribe just never really cares or questions it... until Phillip arrives, preaching about God and the English ways and the way things are supposed to be. I was quite shocked and found myself deeply troubled by the almost mob mentality that quickly came over the tribe and felt so saddened by it. I don't want to give things away, but it was quite a surprising topic and I was very surprised at how involved I felt in it.

Then we have the romance between Peter and Tiger Lily. And Tink. And Wendy. Oh the stubbornness, the heartbreak, the conflict. It was all beautifullly and elegantly narrated and I found myself fully engrossed in this book.

My review really doesn't do it justice at all. I'd really recommend you just go out and read it for yourself! I understand all of the reviews I've seen out there now and after finishing, I only want to do two things: First, go back and read other people's reviews. Let me tell you that you can't fully appreciate them until you've read the book. And second, go buy my own copy of the book. This one was a library copy and usually I'm happy just reading and returning to the library, but this one I want to keep this one with me -- and maybe gently loan it out to other people so they can share in this magical story as well!