Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Now that I have finished all the scribe reading prompts in The Book Junkie Trials, my next task is to try and finish all the prompts for the other groups so I can become quest champion. The first prompt for the outlaw class is to reread a favorite novel. I decided to go with Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, since it's been about five years since I read it last and I don't have a review for it here on the blog. I don't reread books much, so I was looking forward to experiencing this one again and seeing if it still held up to my original opinions.

Tiger Lily is a part-prequel, part-retelling of J.M. Barrie's classic children's novel, Peter Pan. Narrated by Tinkerbell, it follows the story of Tiger Lily's life, from her beginnings as an orphan fostered in the Sky Eater tribe on Neverland, to the fierce, hatchet-wielding young woman who loves Peter Pan. Most of the novel focuses on her life at age 15, when she first stumbles across Peter and his band of lost boys and slowly becomes a part of their messy, ragtag group. She is instantly drawn to Peter, even though he is half-wild and difficult to figure out. They spend time exploring Neverland together and becoming closer, even though these adventures take her away from the responsibilities and people she is supposed to attend to back at her home. Soon, her heart is completely lost to the mysterious and charismatic boy. She becomes drawn into him too deeply to walk away, despite some trouble that is brewing in her tribe.

It takes a true tragedy, brought on by the arrival of Christian missionaries and explorers, to force her back to the Sky Eaters for a little while. When she is able to return, Wendy has arrived in Neverland, and it is too late to recapture what she has lost. Peter is being carried further and further away from her by Wendy's charms each day, and her grief is pushing her to consider unforgivable actions to try and heal her broken heart. Tiger Lily is a very atmospheric and emotional take on Peter Pan, with an unforgettable heroine that everyone who remembers being 15 and frustrated will find a piece of themselves in.

I love fairy tale retellings, classic children's literature, and Peter Pan in particular, so I am hopelessly biased when it comes to this novel. I unapologetically love it to bits. Jodi Lynn Anderson focuses on the darker elements of Barrie's original story and brings to life a Neverland that is beautiful, untamed, and dangerous. Her writing style is moody, dark, and pitch perfect for the wild version of Neverland that she created; the atmosphere feels like it breathes and oozes across each page. All of the fantastical elements of it, like fairies, pirates, and mermaids, feel natural and dangerous. This book gives me the same feeling that The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern did - incredibly imaginative and rich.

The characters were similarly well-developed. Tiger Lily is both fierce and vulnerable, independent and lonely. As an orphan raised by the tribe's shaman, she has never really fit in with the other people in her settlement. Her wild heart marches to its own beat, so of course, she falls in love with a boy who makes his own rules. Peter's character is similarly conflicting. He is shown to be capable of great love and kindness, but he is also careless and fidgety, fearful and reckless. The pair together are both the best and worst kind of partners for each other. Their relationship is carefully and slowly developed throughout most of the text, and how much patience you are willing to give this element will directly relate to how much you like this book. This novel is very much character-driven - it's a deep dive into Tiger Lily's emotional growth. It does not have as much action as one might assume from the source material it is based on, but it's definitely a journey worth taking anyway.   

I used to teach Peter Pan when I taught 6th grade, so I'm very familiar with the original novel. I love the way Tiger Lily ties in with some elements of the book and discards others. Anderson's explanation of how aging works on the island was clever, and Tinkerbell's voice as narrator was very well-written. She manages to make the memorable fairy much more empathetic without sacrificing a bit of her feisty nature. I also love how Anderson included some more real-world concerns, like colonialism and missionaries, in Neverland's history too. Like I mentioned before, my reading preferences make me biased here, but I really enjoyed this book. I can understand how it won't be for everybody, but for me, I can't say enough nice things about it.

So obviously, my second reading of this novel was as successful as my first. I liked getting a chance to read it again, and I'm sure I'll return to it many more times over the years. Tiger Lily remains my favorite classic retelling, and one of my favorite novels of all time.

Challenge Tally
Book Junkie Trials (The Crimson Peaks - Reread a favorite) 6/17
Finally in 2019: 26/6 Books Read - Complete!

Total Books Read in 2019: 44