by Lisa Jensen
Narrator: Ralph Lister
Length: 13 hrs and 43 mins
Genres: Fantasy
Source: Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Narration: 4 cups
Every child knows how the story ends. The wicked pirate captain is flung overboard, caught in the jaws of the monster crocodile who drags him down to a watery grave. But it was not yet my time to die. It s my fate to be trapped here forever, in a nightmare of childhood fancy, with that infernal, eternal boy. Meet Captain James Benjamin Hook, a witty, educated Restoration-era privateer cursed to play villain to a pack of malicious little boys in a pointless war that never ends. But everything changes when Stella Parrish, a forbidden grown woman, dreams her way to the Neverland in defiance of Pan s rules. From the glamour of the Fairy Revels to the secret ceremonies of the First Tribes to the mysterious underwater temple beneath the Mermaid Lagoon, the magical forces of the Neverland open up for Stella as they never have for Hook. And in the pirate captain himself, she begins to see someone far more complex than the storybook villain.
With Stella s knowledge of folk and fairy tales, she might be Hook s last chance for redemption and release if they can break his curse before Pan and his warrior boys hunt her down and drag Hook back to their never-ending game. "Alias Hook" is a beautifully and romantically written adult fairy tale perfect for fans of Gregory Maguire and Paula Brackston.
I loved Peter Pan as a young girl and dreamed of flying to Neverland. I wanted to spend time with Peter, Wendy, Tink and the Lost Boys. Like most children, I loved and hated Captain Hook. He was the perfect villain to my handsome young hero Peter. So when I saw reviews of Alias Hook an adult novel about Neverland and Captain James Benjamin Hook I knew I had to read it. Brilliant, captivating and clever Alias Hook was an audible book I adored from start to finish.
Five reasons to grab your ear-buds and listen to Alias Hook
1. The writing is simply wonderful from the way that it flowed to the vivid details of Neverland. This is meant for adults and the language can get colorful, but it also offered a unique perspective casting Hook and his crew in a whole new light.
2. Captain James Benjamin Hook. Ralph Lister did an excellent job of giving him voice and Jenson truly fleshed him out making me see this pirate in an entirely new light. Gone are the images from movies and the Disney animation. Jensen gave us his back story and I found all of the details delightful. We sees his flaws, frustrations and yes his fear of the croc.
3. Stella Parrish is a grown woman who makes her way to Neverland and forever changes James. I adored this snarky, clever woman. She says what she thinks, and it was often hilarious. Her reasons for dreaming her way to Neverland were interesting, and her role in the tale was well dome.
4. It is Neverland! There are battles with the Lost Boys, secrets, fairies and of course Peter Pan. Jensen brought the ship and island to life in vivid 3-D.
5. Alias Hook while based on Peter Pan completely stands on its own and offers a new twist on Neverland.. Lessons were learned, a romance developed, and both Jenson and Lister weaved their magic making me lose myself in the story.
Alias Hook was a brilliant tale and one I would recommend to those who believe.
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Tyler H Jolley
I love anything that deals with Neverland. I’ve been told I have “Peter Pan Syndrome.”
Michelle
Love retelling and I am a huge fan of Neverland this looks like something I would love to either read or listen too. Great review Kim 🙂
Alison
This sounds like one that would be perfect for the audiobook format!
Nicole
I’ve been really looking forward to reading this one – I got it on NetGalley, but then apparently forgot to download it. Oops! Now I’m thinking maybe the audiobook is the way to go!
Kim ( Book Swoon)
YES! I loved Alias Hook for all the wonderful reasons you mentioned. I’m excited to hear the audiobook version was done so well. Didn’t you feel just taken away to the world, and Hook was such a romantic rogue that he nearly stole my heart, lol.
Lovely review, Kimba 🙂
Paij Slater
Great review…this will be a must read for me!
Sarah
OMG. omg. Someone wrote a romance novel featuring Captain Hook of Neverland? I LOVE FICTION SO HARD. *squee* Thanks for sharing this, I have to read this.
fangswandsfairy
Sounds like fun! My TBR list has a waiting list though!
Lily
I’ve never read any Peter Pan retellings but I’ve seen this one pop around before and I remember hearing good things about it so i’d be willing to give it a shot.
ShootingStarsMag
I’ve never read the original Peter Pan, and I don’t remember really watching the Disney movie, but re-tellings and other versions of the story are interesting to me!
April
I was curious about this book! Thank you so much for posting this. I think I will be adding it to my list of things to check out. 🙂
R_Hunt
Sounds good to me. I love Peter Pan and his cohorts but especially Wendy Darling.
Samantha
Oh wow! This sounds awesome. I don’t think I had heard anything about it before this. I’m going to have to add it to my wishlist. Thanks for the review!
blodeuedd
Neverland, cool 🙂
Michelle
How cool! I love Peter Pan, and always love when the villains get their chance to be in the spotlight. I’m adding this to my list to try and find at the library
Angela Adams
I always considered Captain Hook one of the most intriguing characters in Fiction. Thanks for the post!
Ramona
Oh, wow, what a concept! It would’ve never occurred me to plot a story about Peter Pan for adults. It sounds ridiculous, but I smell potential… 🙂 Hats off, as always, to your review, milady! Have a great weekend.
kindlemom1
You are on an audio book role my friend! I love it!
This looks like another great one!
Kay
I saw this at the library and picked it up but never got around to reading it before I had to return it. Now I regret that after reading your review. I will have to get it again and actually read it. Maybe I’ll even try it on audio. Thanks for the review!
Katherine
This has been on my radar for awhile so I’m thrilled to see your review of it. It sounds fabulous. Definitely adding this to the TBR. Hopefully I’ll be able to get the audio.
Debbie Haupt
Thanks Kim, great review. I interviewed Lisa when the hardcopy came out I really like the audio cover. I think this novel is the perfect choice for a listen.
Have a great Weekend!
Red Iza
Looks like a wonderful read, but tell me the most important : is the crocodile there ? Because *he* was my favorite characters – yes, some of us are twisted this way 😉
http://allielefevere.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Peter-pan-disneyscreencaps_com-5088.jpg
Shan
This sounds like a fantastic read/listen. Can’t believe I haven’t heard of it before. I want to start listening to audio books so it looks like this one is going first on the list (: Thank you!
Melliane
It’s the first time I hear about this book but I love Peter Pan and I confess that I’m curious about this one too now! It sounds so well done! great review!
Cynthia
That sounds like an awesome story. I love Peter Pan!
Melanie (YA Midnight Reads)
Ooh yes my co-blogger reviewed this one earlier last year and she quite enjoyed it! I am all for Peter Pan retellings so this is most definitely one I need to snag! Also, I’m loving the audiobook cover for this!
Great review, Kimba <33
Faye
I rememeber Larissa @ YA MIDNIGHT READS reading and reviewing this one not too long ago and her saying this is one of the deeper Peter Pan retellings out there. Is it true there is even an air of wistfulness in some parts of it?!?! 😀 😀 I really need to get my hands on this!