jbronderbookreviews

Lost Boy by Christina Henry

From the national bestselling author of Alice comes a familiar story with a dark hook—a tale about Peter Pan and the friend who became his nemesis, a nemesis who may not be the blackhearted villain Peter says he is…

There is one version of my story that everyone knows. And then there is the truth. This is how it happened. How I went from being Peter Pan’s first—and favorite—lost boy to his greatest enemy.

Peter brought me to his island because there were no rules and no grownups to make us mind. He brought boys from the Other Place to join in the fun, but Peter’s idea of fun is sharper than a pirate’s sword. Because it’s never been all fun and games on the island. Our neighbors are pirates and monsters. Our toys are knife and stick and rock—the kinds of playthings that bite.

Peter promised we would all be young and happy forever.

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Author’s Bio

CHRISTINA HENRY is the author of the CHRONICLES OF ALICE duology, ALICE and RED QUEEN, a dark and twisted take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, as well as LOST BOY: THE TRUE STORY OF CAPTAIN HOOK, an origin story of Captain Hook from Peter Pan.

She is also the author of the national bestselling BLACK WINGS series (BLACK WINGS, BLACK NIGHT, BLACK HOWL, BLACK LAMENT, BLACK CITY, BLACK HEART and BLACK SPRING) featuring Agent of Death Madeline Black and her popcorn-loving gargoyle Beezle.

She enjoys running long distances, reading anything she can get her hands on and watching movies with samurai, zombies and/or subtitles in her spare time. She lives in Chicago with her husband and son.

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My Review

5 stars

This is the story of Captain Hook. But he starts his story as Jamie, Peter’s second in command, the first boy he brought back from the Other Place, and the only one that sees the truth of Peter. Peter is a narcissist that is looking for playmates but easily tires of them. Jamie is the one that sees the boys grow too old and be banished to the pirate camps, taken on adventures and raids and lost, or attacked by the dangerous things on the island. Jamie has stood by Peter for a long time but the newest boy brought back is very young and not able to play Peter’s games. Jamie has taken him under his wing and is trying to protect him but this causes strife between him and Peter. And when Peter is not happy, no one is happy.

Jamie has been around since the beginning and knows Peter. He stays and goes on all the adventures but you can tell that it is starting to weight on the boy. When Charlie is introduced it is kind of the breaking point for Jamie as he takes care of Charlie and constantly gets belittled by Peter. He doesn’t want to grow up since he has seen the fate of other boys that have grown but something has to give.

I loved Alice and Red Queen so I was so excited to jump into Lost Boy. Yes, I admit that the most I know of Peter Pan is the Disney story. I have read All Darling Children by Katrina Monroe and loved the non-Disney versions. I love authors that are taking the classics that most of us know and putting a darker, more adult twist on them. I can’t wait to see what story Christina Henry is going to revamp next.

I received Lost Boy from Berkley Publishing for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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In the Shadow of a Stranger by Ernesto Patino

Antonio de la Vega learns that his natural father is a former SS officer who committed heinous crimes during World War II. He embarks on a search to find his father, while back at home, Antonio’s mother is afraid that the man she once loved may reappear.

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Author’s Bio

Ernesto Patino grew up in El Paso where he graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso. He received a Bachelor of Music degree and taught school for a couple of years before joining the FBI as a Special Agent. His career spanned 23 years, most of which were spent in South Florida. He now lives in Arizona, and divides his time between writing and working as a private investigator. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers Organization (ITW).

When Ernesto is not working as a P.I. or writing a book, you can usually find him at a local dance studio where he continually strives to perfect his skills as a ballroom dancer.

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My Review

4 stars

Antonio de la Vega is an attorney in Mexico that is going about his day until a strange older man, Harry Friedman approaches him and tells him he looks like the SS officer that killed his family. Antonio knows nothing about his family since it has only been his mother and him. But he goes on the hunt to find out the truth about his father.

Once I read the synopsis of this story, I was really curious to see what was going to happen in this story. There is a lot of emotion all the way around. How can you not have feelings for Harry and the horror that he went through and to know that the person that killed his family got away. As for Antonio, I can’t fault him for wanting to find out who his father is. Even without Harry’s story I would be curious to know who my father was if I was in his place. But then to learn that he may have been a SS officer, of course he would be on the hunt for the truth.

This is an amazing story filled with a lot of emotion. It is rich with history from World War II but it will appeal to everyone. This is on book worth checking out.

I received In the Shadow of a Stranger from Candid Book Reviews for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.