The Neverland haunts James. Even though it is years since he escaped its grasp. Even though he is no longer the fearsome, bloody pirate captain who ripped open the sky and disappeared, never caring who he hurt. Even though since they came to London, Simon found him a new craving to replace the sweet escape offered by Neverland’s flowers. But he is hooked by this new compulsion just as surely as he was by the old. Now Simon is gone, though, and his absence leaves a gaping hole that tempts James to remember. And remembering is dangerous.
For Neverland is not finished with James. It will not let go. Something wild has made its way through the barrier between the worlds, and it is hunting. No one who smells of Neverland is safe, including Wendy Darling, her brothers, and her daughter Jane. The beast kills those who get in the way of its search for James, and only James can stop it.
Hooked is author A.C. Wise’s sequel to her incredible Peter Pan continuation, Wendy, Darling, reviewed HERE. Like Wendy’s story, Hooked is a compelling examination of the effects of trauma, unfolding to show many different responses from Michael’s avoidance to Wendy’s denial to Jane’s anger. But most of all, it plunges into the depths of addiction and its heartbreaking consequences. For when he returns to Neverland with Jane and her uncle Michael, James must face the destruction Captain Hook left in his wake and decide who he truly is. While I wasn’t sure Wendy, Darling needed a sequel, I was wrong. Wise has so much more to explore with her flawed, relatable characters and intense, gripping prose. An unflinching but compassionate journey from addiction to redemption, James’s story hooks the reader and won’t let go.
Lissa Sloan is the author of Glass and Feathers, a dark continuation of the traditional Cinderella tale. Her fairy tale poems and short stories have appeared in The Fairy Tale Magazine, Niteblade Magazine, Corvid Queen, Three Ravens Podcast, and anthologies from World Weaver Press. Visit Lissa online at lissasloan.com, or connect on Facebook, Instagram, @lissa_sloan, or Twitter, @LissaSloan.
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