Review: TIGER LILY by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Title: Tiger Lily

Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson (@jodilynna)
Published: July 3rd, 2012
Series: N/A
Genre: YA fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen
POV: 1st person / 3rd person
Pages: 309
Format: Kindle Book
Source: Purchased
Rating: The Royal Library, Top Shelf

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

My Thoughts

When it came to Tiger Lily, my interest level was decidedly zero. For some reason, the summary never caught my attention, and even though I love retellings and Tinker Bell, I'm barely familiar with the tale of Peter Pan and only know the basic information. So, this book really didn't interest me at all¹. Yet, I have a weakness for Kindle deals², so I took a chance on spending two dollars and decided to give it a shot. In the two days it took to read this story, I was captivated, overwhelmed, and completely surprised by how exceptional of a story Tiger Lily proved to be. 

Narrated by Tinker Bell, the story focuses on Tiger Lily, a member of the Sky Eater tribe, and her relationship with Peter Pan of the Lost Boys. There's romance and friendship, fun games and boring chores, deadly pirates and eavesdropping fairies, bitter betrayal and cold jealousy, hungry crocodiles and conniving mermaids, and so much more. The world in this story is so full, brimming with life and characters that demand your attention. I had no idea what to expect, but I definitely was not anticipating such an emotional story that brings up larger issues. Tiger Lily is the type of story that delves into familiar territory, but brings something new to such an old tale. Emotional and evocative, Tiger Lily is a story that you shouldn't miss out on. 

Highlights

There are some small moments where Anderson's words pulled at my emotions. There are truly some lovely and wonderful (and wonderfully sad) lines in this story. Tinker Bell's love for these characters was infectious, and it was easy to adore them too. This isn't just a tale about romance, but of family, friendship, and the great and terrible things we do for the people we love. This book is more about emotion, than anything else, and Anderson brings it all right to surface for her readers to feel. 

Lowlights

Tinker Bell focuses so much Tiger Lily, this story reads like a 3rd person novel. It would have been nice to know more about Tink, to hear a bit more about herself. 

Final Rating

The Royal Library, Top Shelf. This book is so close to 5 stars, but it's not quite there. Regardless, Tiger Lily has earned a spot on my top shelf, and is a story worth reading. I highly recommend it.

1 Even all the fangirling from the lovely Epic Reads ladies didn't convince me. I obviously should have listened to them. Those gals have great bookish taste. LESSON LEARNED.
2 Seriously, it's sad. I see a YA Kindle deal, and I pounce.

Review: THE VANISHING SEASON by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Title: The Vanishing Season

Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Published: July 1st, 2014
Series: N/A
Genre: YA contemporary/fantasy 
Publisher: HarperTeen
POV: 1st person / 3rd person
Pages: 256
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss / HarperCollins
Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf

Girls started vanishing in the fall, and now winter's come to lay a white sheet over the horror. Door County, it seems, is swallowing the young, right into its very dirt. From beneath the house on Water Street, I've watched the danger swell.

The residents know me as the noises in the house at night, the creaking on the stairs. I'm the reflection behind them in the glass, the feeling of fear in the cellar. I'm tied—it seems—to this house, this street, this town.

I'm tied to Maggie and Pauline, though I don't know why. I think it's because death is coming for one of them, or both.

All I know is that the present and the past are piling up, and I am here to dig.I am looking for the things that are buried.

From bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson comes a friendship story bound in snow and starlight, a haunting mystery of love, betrayal, redemption, and the moments that we leave behind.

Maggie's an outsider – homeschooled, intelligent, and maybe a bit too mature for her age. But after her family moves to Door County (just in time for a serial killer to be on the loose), she finds herself being pulled into the lives of Pauline – the gorgeous, bubbly, and somewhat childish girl next door – and Liam – Pauline's creative friend, who's considered to be one of the town's stranger inhabitants. As tensions rise in the town, the three of them connect and drift apart. But, unbeknownst to them, they are all observed by a spirit who is drawn to Maggie's home. 

I started The Vanishing Season soon after finishing Anderson's Tiger Lily, so I was unsure what to expect. I knew, at the very least, that this was going to be a story with substance. This is a story that is both subtly haunting and unnerving. Sweet, sad, terrifying, romantic, and heartbreaking, The Vanishing Season cycles through these various emotions as Maggie's life unfolds and the spirit's reason for being there is revealed. Readers looking for a quiet, haunting tale about love and friendship will find The Vanishing Season to be well worth their time. 

Highlights: The mixture of the spirit's first person POV and Maggie's third person POV proved fascinating together. This a wonderfully reflective story, and I loved the emphasis on friendship and family. I thought this story would be a murder mystery, but it's more about love and loss. Anderson's writing was lovely, and captivating from start to finish. And I can just say that the cover is brilliant? Because it truly is perfect for the story. 

Lowlights: I figured out why the ghost was lingering early on (but the circumstances of how she became a ghost were a mystery to me, until the conclusion, and that was a heartbreaking surprise). 

Rating: The Royal Library, Middle Shelf (4 out of 5). The Vanishing Season is fantastic, worth owning, and has earned a spot in the royal library. I enjoyed this story very much, despite a few small issues, and would recommend this book to other readers.