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Captain Hook and the Pirates of Neverland #1
Hook: Dead to Rights
An alternate cover edition of this ASIN can be found here.
Neverland is a wondrous isle of adventure.
Neverland is a cruel lie.
Children follow Peter Pan believing their dreams will come true—to never grow up.
Surprise, surprise... they never will. The children Peter Pan abducts are murdered or meet a grimmer fate.
I'm the child who escaped Peter's treachery. I've made it my life's calling to rescue the Lost Boys, even those who don't wish to be saved. Now Pan has a schooner he's using to steal even more children. I'm the only one who can stop him.
Call me Hook. I am the master and commander of a pirate ship, and I'll have my revenge on Peter Pan if it's the last thing I do.
Pick up this page turner today!
Praise for Hook: Dead to Rights:
"I love it!" � Jannie
"I highly recommend this book!" � S. Simmons
Neverland is a wondrous isle of adventure.
Neverland is a cruel lie.
Children follow Peter Pan believing their dreams will come true—to never grow up.
Surprise, surprise... they never will. The children Peter Pan abducts are murdered or meet a grimmer fate.
I'm the child who escaped Peter's treachery. I've made it my life's calling to rescue the Lost Boys, even those who don't wish to be saved. Now Pan has a schooner he's using to steal even more children. I'm the only one who can stop him.
Call me Hook. I am the master and commander of a pirate ship, and I'll have my revenge on Peter Pan if it's the last thing I do.
Pick up this page turner today!
Praise for Hook: Dead to Rights:
"I love it!" � Jannie
"I highly recommend this book!" � S. Simmons
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 25, 2018
673 people are currently reading
1,679 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Snark
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Author Melissa Snark lives in the San Francisco bay area with her husband, three children, and a glaring of litigious felines. She reads and writes fantasy and romance, and is published with The Wild Rose Press & Nordic Lights Press. She is a coffeeoholic, chocoholic, and a serious geek girl. Her Loki's Wolves series stems from her fascination with wolves and mythology.
� She blogs about books and writing on .
Visit her website at .
� Follow her on Twitter:
� Amazon Author Page:
� ŷ: /MelissaSnark
Author Melissa Snark lives in the San Francisco bay area with her husband, three children, and a glaring of litigious felines. She reads and writes fantasy and romance, and is published with The Wild Rose Press & Nordic Lights Press. She is a coffeeoholic, chocoholic, and a serious geek girl. Her Loki's Wolves series stems from her fascination with wolves and mythology.
� She blogs about books and writing on .
Visit her website at .
� Follow her on Twitter:
� Amazon Author Page:
� ŷ: /MelissaSnark
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews
March 8, 2021
An interesting twist on the Peter Pan story.
Children that follows Peter Pan to Neverland never grows up but they either are murdered or meet a grimmer faith. Captain Hook is a female in this series and she is the only one that succeeded to flee from Peter's grasp and now she is determined to seek revenge. I gave it 3.7 stars. It's a really cool story and I think Melissa Snark did a pretty good job transforming this retailing as her own thing but keeping some of the things from the original. I'm interested in the next book in the series as I'm curious in knowing what's going to happen next
Children that follows Peter Pan to Neverland never grows up but they either are murdered or meet a grimmer faith. Captain Hook is a female in this series and she is the only one that succeeded to flee from Peter's grasp and now she is determined to seek revenge. I gave it 3.7 stars. It's a really cool story and I think Melissa Snark did a pretty good job transforming this retailing as her own thing but keeping some of the things from the original. I'm interested in the next book in the series as I'm curious in knowing what's going to happen next
March 28, 2022
DNF at 33%
A Peter Pan retelling in which everything you thought you knew about Neverland is wrong. One of the most intriguing draws for me was that Captain Hook is a girl. The cover art is highly impressive and the bio is, as I said, intriguing. However I can't bring myself to finish this.
The beginning started well enough. In fact I was really impressed with the intro. As the story progressed I noticed it started to lag. Starkey gave me the creeps. I would have kept going though had it not been for Hook's description for Tinkerbell. Her overly, uncomfortable descriptions that hovered on the sinful and immoral, if you know what I mean. I decided to call it quits right then and there.
I am giving this 2 stars for the amazing cover. I personally wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
A Peter Pan retelling in which everything you thought you knew about Neverland is wrong. One of the most intriguing draws for me was that Captain Hook is a girl. The cover art is highly impressive and the bio is, as I said, intriguing. However I can't bring myself to finish this.
The beginning started well enough. In fact I was really impressed with the intro. As the story progressed I noticed it started to lag. Starkey gave me the creeps. I would have kept going though had it not been for Hook's description for Tinkerbell. Her overly, uncomfortable descriptions that hovered on the sinful and immoral, if you know what I mean. I decided to call it quits right then and there.
I am giving this 2 stars for the amazing cover. I personally wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
November 30, 2020
What a great surprise this gem turned out to be� I had pretty low expectations going into it but I ended up really loving it :) it’s a fantasy book with a dark twist on a familiar tale, not to mention the main character is a complex and flawed heroine and I loved her from the start� we are thrown straight into action, the writing style is super entertaining and this installment ended way earlier than I was ready :) I need to know more about sooooo many things ;) I’m very much looking forward to continue on with the story and I will definitely try out some other books by this author :)
XOXO
A
XOXO
A
November 10, 2022
A retelling with a fascinating twist of the classic Peter Pan, written from Hook’s point of view.
Peter Pan brings children to Neverland so they can never grow up. And they never will. They are murdered or worse. Hook is a female pirate captain who, along with her crew of former lost boys, is determined to rescue more children from Peter Pan.
The twist makes for a very entertaining setting. It makes us eager to explore this very familiar location while making it feel new and exciting at the same time. Same thing with the characters.
The one thing keeping this book from reaching its full potential for me is the introspective info dumping. Mostly about the characters, especially in the beginning. Info dumping makes it a bit less interesting to read, makes it harder to connect with the characters and since it is all about the characters, you get the feeling that the plot isn’t moving forward.
Not a bad book but there was definitely potential for more. Still, a fun light read.
Peter Pan brings children to Neverland so they can never grow up. And they never will. They are murdered or worse. Hook is a female pirate captain who, along with her crew of former lost boys, is determined to rescue more children from Peter Pan.
The twist makes for a very entertaining setting. It makes us eager to explore this very familiar location while making it feel new and exciting at the same time. Same thing with the characters.
The one thing keeping this book from reaching its full potential for me is the introspective info dumping. Mostly about the characters, especially in the beginning. Info dumping makes it a bit less interesting to read, makes it harder to connect with the characters and since it is all about the characters, you get the feeling that the plot isn’t moving forward.
Not a bad book but there was definitely potential for more. Still, a fun light read.
October 22, 2023
3.5 stars
This book was actually a pleasant surprise. This is the second time this year I have read a book from Hook's point of view. I really enjoyed the gender swap in this one and I thought it had a unique twist. Still have never liked Peter Pan all that much. Always thought he was a bit creepy, so not unhappy to root for the "villain" in this one.
This book was actually a pleasant surprise. This is the second time this year I have read a book from Hook's point of view. I really enjoyed the gender swap in this one and I thought it had a unique twist. Still have never liked Peter Pan all that much. Always thought he was a bit creepy, so not unhappy to root for the "villain" in this one.
December 11, 2020
50/207 pages. I'm going to stop there.
25% of the book and we are still on the first scene (well, technically third but the two first were really quick). Every sentence feels off balance, the author used too many litterate words, especially for a pirate environment.
On top of that, the descriptions and world building are really baldy integrated, making the read all the more heavier. And this explains why action still hasn't started at 1/4th of the story.
And then there are the nonsensical moments such as "every pirate must have a colorful moniker... except those who don't". What is the point of this statement? And why is this last sentence in italic ? (and no, the following lines do not follow up on this particular thread).
End of chapter 4, Hook has a conversation with her first mate, gets lost in thought, and "as a disctraction [..] crafted an impulsive diversion"... by continuying the conversation.
At first I thought "it's only 200 pages, I can power through". But this last bit did it. I have 1684 books in my TBR, plus those I didn't register. I don't have time for mediocre books.
25% of the book and we are still on the first scene (well, technically third but the two first were really quick). Every sentence feels off balance, the author used too many litterate words, especially for a pirate environment.
On top of that, the descriptions and world building are really baldy integrated, making the read all the more heavier. And this explains why action still hasn't started at 1/4th of the story.
And then there are the nonsensical moments such as "every pirate must have a colorful moniker... except those who don't". What is the point of this statement? And why is this last sentence in italic ? (and no, the following lines do not follow up on this particular thread).
End of chapter 4, Hook has a conversation with her first mate, gets lost in thought, and "as a disctraction [..] crafted an impulsive diversion"... by continuying the conversation.
At first I thought "it's only 200 pages, I can power through". But this last bit did it. I have 1684 books in my TBR, plus those I didn't register. I don't have time for mediocre books.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
October 13, 2021DNF @ 31%
I think I've been more than fair in giving this one a shot. At almost 1/3 of the way through, exciting things have only just started to happen. Six chapters before that were taken up with introducing characters on the pirate ship Revenge and annoying me with the overly modern narration. (Correction: The author tries to make the writing sound old-timey but doesn't always succeed. It often comes across as a teenage girl participating in Talk Like a Pirate Day.)
For such a short book, I expected things to move along much faster. But the story is so slow. And I'm finding it difficult to care about what happens.
Also, if you're going to gender-swap characters from the Edwardian era, don't name them things like Jayden. If I'm being honest, that pretty much clinched this book as a DNF for me. The author could've gone with Jane Hook. Even Jamesina Hook would've been more realistic. Jayden Hook? Give me a break; last I checked, the infamous Captain Hook was not part of Generation Z.
I think I've been more than fair in giving this one a shot. At almost 1/3 of the way through, exciting things have only just started to happen. Six chapters before that were taken up with introducing characters on the pirate ship Revenge and annoying me with the overly modern narration. (Correction: The author tries to make the writing sound old-timey but doesn't always succeed. It often comes across as a teenage girl participating in Talk Like a Pirate Day.)
For such a short book, I expected things to move along much faster. But the story is so slow. And I'm finding it difficult to care about what happens.
Also, if you're going to gender-swap characters from the Edwardian era, don't name them things like Jayden. If I'm being honest, that pretty much clinched this book as a DNF for me. The author could've gone with Jane Hook. Even Jamesina Hook would've been more realistic. Jayden Hook? Give me a break; last I checked, the infamous Captain Hook was not part of Generation Z.
August 1, 2020
2.5* rounded up.
I was really into the idea of a badass female Captain Hook. But it's first-person and overindulges in dramatic self absorption. The pacing is out, it really does drag is feet at times and repeats thoughts and plot points so much that it goes nowhere.
Skimmed a great many sections as they did not contribute to anything. There is a hint of queer/bi inclusion but nothing is made of that in this book and the longing seems to be for a crewman. Nothing clear however.
That said the interaction with Tinker Buzz the stinger wielding pixie - As opposed to TinkerBell the queen - was very entertaining.
I was really into the idea of a badass female Captain Hook. But it's first-person and overindulges in dramatic self absorption. The pacing is out, it really does drag is feet at times and repeats thoughts and plot points so much that it goes nowhere.
Skimmed a great many sections as they did not contribute to anything. There is a hint of queer/bi inclusion but nothing is made of that in this book and the longing seems to be for a crewman. Nothing clear however.
That said the interaction with Tinker Buzz the stinger wielding pixie - As opposed to TinkerBell the queen - was very entertaining.
September 25, 2018
An absolutely fascinating take on the classic story.
I'm looking forward to the sequel!
I'm looking forward to the sequel!
August 24, 2019
My review is based on the audiobook and I really enjoyed it. The narrator was great with perfect pacing and character voices that were easy to understand and distiguish from one another. I thought this was a fresh approach being that Captain Hook is a female and I liked how the stroy played out. I would like a little more character depth but that may come in future books. Overall I really liked it and am looking forward to book 2
June 21, 2022
Captain Hook is a woman who isn’t fully human. She has sunk ships in bouts of anger. But when it comes to Pan� She is full of hatred to the point of obsession. Peter has told the Lost Boys that Hook is a man that he killed. But oh how his tale is mistaken.
Pan doesn’t just bring children to Neverland. He abducts them. His voice is hypnotizing. Hook happened to be a child that Pan brought to Neverland. Now she and her crew (some being former Lost Boys) hunt for Pan. Hook wants to save children from Pan even if they don’t want to be saved.
I had a reputation for ruthlessness, but this crossed lines, even for the dread Captain Hook.
Hook, I would say is an interesting character. It’s the first time I have read a version of Hook as a woman. She is a true pirate who pillages but when it comes to Pan, she will do anything to save the children from him.
I got tired of the constant repeat of Hook and the first mate’s hatred for Pan. It was said in almost every chapter. It got quite annoying.
As to the second book, I am debating on reading it. I just wanted this book to end. I had more high hopes than what I got. Maybe I went into this with too much of an expectation instead of just being open-minded.
Pan doesn’t just bring children to Neverland. He abducts them. His voice is hypnotizing. Hook happened to be a child that Pan brought to Neverland. Now she and her crew (some being former Lost Boys) hunt for Pan. Hook wants to save children from Pan even if they don’t want to be saved.
I had a reputation for ruthlessness, but this crossed lines, even for the dread Captain Hook.
Hook, I would say is an interesting character. It’s the first time I have read a version of Hook as a woman. She is a true pirate who pillages but when it comes to Pan, she will do anything to save the children from him.
I got tired of the constant repeat of Hook and the first mate’s hatred for Pan. It was said in almost every chapter. It got quite annoying.
As to the second book, I am debating on reading it. I just wanted this book to end. I had more high hopes than what I got. Maybe I went into this with too much of an expectation instead of just being open-minded.
May 20, 2023
"Hook: Dead to Rights": 4 �
Anyone who follows me on bookstagram knows how much I adore a good pirate/mermaid story. This was no different.
Hook: Dead to Rights is a retelling of the original story, Hook, the pirate with a hook for a hand, but with a twist...
First, in this story, Hook is a woman and her name is Jayden. Captain Jayden Hook. In this story, Peter Pan is the villain, he steals kids from the human word (they call it The Otherworld here) and brings them to Neverland and the longer they stay there, the worst monsters they'll become. We have the special appearance of Tinker Bell and here she is the Queen of Faeries.
The storytelling present here is superb! I love how adventurous it felt to be on board of Revenge (Hook's ship) while following Ariel (Pan's ship) on dangerous waters.
Starkey was one of my favorite characters and so was Buzz in the end. I think this book could be better if the author had prolongued the story, made the book bigger and more detailed, because the action felt a bit rushed and like there was not many detail to it.
However, I very much enjoyed it and can't wait to read the next chapter to Hook's revenge on Pan.
After all, Jayden was a lost girl once too.
Anyone who follows me on bookstagram knows how much I adore a good pirate/mermaid story. This was no different.
Hook: Dead to Rights is a retelling of the original story, Hook, the pirate with a hook for a hand, but with a twist...
First, in this story, Hook is a woman and her name is Jayden. Captain Jayden Hook. In this story, Peter Pan is the villain, he steals kids from the human word (they call it The Otherworld here) and brings them to Neverland and the longer they stay there, the worst monsters they'll become. We have the special appearance of Tinker Bell and here she is the Queen of Faeries.
The storytelling present here is superb! I love how adventurous it felt to be on board of Revenge (Hook's ship) while following Ariel (Pan's ship) on dangerous waters.
Starkey was one of my favorite characters and so was Buzz in the end. I think this book could be better if the author had prolongued the story, made the book bigger and more detailed, because the action felt a bit rushed and like there was not many detail to it.
However, I very much enjoyed it and can't wait to read the next chapter to Hook's revenge on Pan.
After all, Jayden was a lost girl once too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2023
Happiness... such an elusive, yet tantalizing concept, full of mystery and promise.
Again, this is another book that’s been sat in my library for a while. It depicts Hook as a woman, which if you read a lot of pirate books, is quite cool. Especially considering women are/have been considered bad luck! 🍀
In this, Peter is the Fae king and the Lost Boys are kidnapped. Taken from their homes and families and slowly turn into beasts, if they stay alive. Hook is doing everything she can to set them free and stop Peter.
I quite liked the twist on the classic fairytale and it’s a quick read!
If you’re after a Hook twist I’d rec it. 3.5/5 for me.
Again, this is another book that’s been sat in my library for a while. It depicts Hook as a woman, which if you read a lot of pirate books, is quite cool. Especially considering women are/have been considered bad luck! 🍀
In this, Peter is the Fae king and the Lost Boys are kidnapped. Taken from their homes and families and slowly turn into beasts, if they stay alive. Hook is doing everything she can to set them free and stop Peter.
I quite liked the twist on the classic fairytale and it’s a quick read!
If you’re after a Hook twist I’d rec it. 3.5/5 for me.
July 3, 2024
DNF 30%
I was unsure if I should keep reading, but based on some other user reviews, I will probably not enjoy myself if I continue.
The biggest issue for me was pacing. The book started off quite slow with long descriptions of her crew. Just when it felt like something neat might start happening, it was either more descriptions or rushed through.
Overall, it was a neat concept, but the execution wasn't for me. If you are interested in pirate ship details or love reimaginings, this might be for you.
I will note that Hook seems to be queer or bi or pan, but based on reviews, it does not seem like there is anything notable that happens.
I was unsure if I should keep reading, but based on some other user reviews, I will probably not enjoy myself if I continue.
The biggest issue for me was pacing. The book started off quite slow with long descriptions of her crew. Just when it felt like something neat might start happening, it was either more descriptions or rushed through.
Overall, it was a neat concept, but the execution wasn't for me. If you are interested in pirate ship details or love reimaginings, this might be for you.
I will note that Hook seems to be queer or bi or pan, but based on reviews, it does not seem like there is anything notable that happens.
July 16, 2021
I like the concept of a female Captain Hook. I am a big fan of the new trend of writing from the villain's POV and making them the misunderstood hero. I did not like this execution. It felt like a cartoon. There was a very brief glimpse of motivation where the author tells you the reason Hook has for kidnapping kids from Peter Pan, but its feeble at best and never explored. There is no depth to any character. My favorite part of this book was the parlay between Buzz and Hook. My least favorite part was everything else.
December 31, 2021
This book, this concept, it had potential. And yet, here I am, disappointed. Nothing of interest really happened, there was no depth to this book. Not to mention that the beginning felt so abrupt, I just couldn’t get into it.
July 3, 2020
DNF at 48%
No. Just no. I'm very happy I did not waste money on this. I only got it on Kindle because it was free. Now I know why.
I taught English as a third language to a bunch of kids a few years back, and the worst essays I graded seem worthy of a Pulitzer compared to this.
This book was absolutely horrendous. The writing was terrible -it felt like the author just grabbed a thesaurus, found some fancy-sounding words to replace "look", "small" etc... And then used nothing but the most pretentious synonyms to make the text look more polished.
The plot? Non-existent. I still don't know what was happening in the book and I have zero interest in finding out.
The main character? I don't even know how to describe her because she is all over the place. But maybe the author wrote her this way, you may ask. Nope. I've read books where the narrator was all over the place for good reasons. This was not it.
No. Just no. I'm very happy I did not waste money on this. I only got it on Kindle because it was free. Now I know why.
I taught English as a third language to a bunch of kids a few years back, and the worst essays I graded seem worthy of a Pulitzer compared to this.
This book was absolutely horrendous. The writing was terrible -it felt like the author just grabbed a thesaurus, found some fancy-sounding words to replace "look", "small" etc... And then used nothing but the most pretentious synonyms to make the text look more polished.
The plot? Non-existent. I still don't know what was happening in the book and I have zero interest in finding out.
The main character? I don't even know how to describe her because she is all over the place. But maybe the author wrote her this way, you may ask. Nope. I've read books where the narrator was all over the place for good reasons. This was not it.
January 5, 2022
DNF - I felt like I was dropped into the middle of a series. The story and characters weren't developed adequately for me to get involved sufficiently. With nothing to grasp onto, I quickly lost interest.
February 19, 2022
I quite liked this re-telling to the Hook / Pan story and how the old traditional aspects to the story have been weaved together into something more sinister, switching the roles of the two characters around. I also like how Snark has written Hook as a female while keeping the key parts of the character, including the crocodile related fear. While this does take a bit of time to get going as Snark develops the back story and sets the scene, it is worth the wait as there are fairies (the fairy parley was brilliant), a couple of dramatic battles, and a kraken. It did finish on a bit of a dramatic moment too which has just left me wanting to know what will come next, which is both frustrating and clever on the author's part.
January 13, 2022
3.5 Stars!
Hook: Dead to Rights is an intriguing retelling where Peter Pan kidnaps children and whisks them away to Neverland where they are bound to meet a grim fate. Hook is a girl out for revenge after managing to escape his clutches many years ago. She is the captain of a band of pirates made up of many other lost boys that escaped Peter Pan along with other unorderly sorts all with the one one goal of saving children.
When Hook discovers Peter Pan has stolen another girl, Wendy Darling, she make it her mission to save Wendy and destroy Peter but things don't quite go to plan.
This was an interesting take on a classic tale and I look forward to reading book 2.
Hook: Dead to Rights is an intriguing retelling where Peter Pan kidnaps children and whisks them away to Neverland where they are bound to meet a grim fate. Hook is a girl out for revenge after managing to escape his clutches many years ago. She is the captain of a band of pirates made up of many other lost boys that escaped Peter Pan along with other unorderly sorts all with the one one goal of saving children.
When Hook discovers Peter Pan has stolen another girl, Wendy Darling, she make it her mission to save Wendy and destroy Peter but things don't quite go to plan.
This was an interesting take on a classic tale and I look forward to reading book 2.
September 14, 2018
A pirate’s view of Neverland - it is unique, shedding light on Peter Pan’s escapades. Rescues filled with feats of derring-do show the audacity of Captain Hook. She’s bold, determined, and has a softer heart than you might imagine for a pirate. Her crew is a fascinating mix of odd characters that you’ll love getting to know. The author has a lyrical way of weaving words together that brings each scene to living color. I love it!
September 28, 2020
The premise kind of caught me right away because I happened upon it right after talking with someone about stories that twist or subvert things, and I stopped a moment before reading the rest of the description to quickly rattle off how that might play out. "Alright, so even the most benign version of Pan is a serial kidnapper, something that fairies used to do back in days of old before a certain mouse mascoted entertainment company set about wrecking their reputation, so you just tie that in with some of the old dangerous aspects of the fair folk, take the suggestion the original book had that Lost Boys don't grow up because Pan kills them when they start showing signs of puberty, make that explicit and make Hook a Lost Boy that managed to escape and has sworn revenge on Peter. Heck, you wouldn't even have to make Hook very much nicer to have people rooting for the pirate captain."
Then I kept reading the description, felt very neutral about the gender bending element but gave it a try. Thing is the book does pretty everything that jumped to my mind when I thought about how one would swap Peter Pan around to make Captain Hook the protagonist, it just didn't do great on the execution. Throwing a lap shade on the narration's tendency to go off on meaningless tangents doesn't make it any better. It just eats time, padding out this very short story into a somewhat short book. I think at least a quarter of this book could have been cut without losing a lot, and I'm actually inclined to think the actual amount might be closer to a third. If the other books are similarly padded then this could have been one normal sized novel most likely.
I did come to understand making Hook female later, when it's used to make her sympathize with Wendy - but I feel like there's plenty there to make Wendy a priority anyway. 'Pan kills the girls first, Pan has a very different relationship with the girls he abducts, therefore it would still be a particular blow to Pan to save Wendy.' Still, overall it's not a big issue either way.
Then I kept reading the description, felt very neutral about the gender bending element but gave it a try. Thing is the book does pretty everything that jumped to my mind when I thought about how one would swap Peter Pan around to make Captain Hook the protagonist, it just didn't do great on the execution. Throwing a lap shade on the narration's tendency to go off on meaningless tangents doesn't make it any better. It just eats time, padding out this very short story into a somewhat short book. I think at least a quarter of this book could have been cut without losing a lot, and I'm actually inclined to think the actual amount might be closer to a third. If the other books are similarly padded then this could have been one normal sized novel most likely.
I did come to understand making Hook female later, when it's used to make her sympathize with Wendy - but I feel like there's plenty there to make Wendy a priority anyway. 'Pan kills the girls first, Pan has a very different relationship with the girls he abducts, therefore it would still be a particular blow to Pan to save Wendy.' Still, overall it's not a big issue either way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2020
There are some things I really liked about this book, and one glaring thing that I really hated. For starters, let's talk about the good. I'm always one to embrace a retold classic, and the premise of a Neverland told through the experiences of a lady Hook? That's pretty eye-catching.
I really liked the characters from Captain Hook, to Smee and First-Mate David Starkey, all the way to Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. They were all really fascinating and only became more-so as I got further and further into the plot.
One very unexpected element to this story is the way in which Snark broached the subject of Hook's sexuality. I have read plenty of novels which feature queer protagonists, and something I greatly appreciated is that Snark didn't fetishize Hook's attraction to multiple genders, nor did they put it on a soap-box. It was simply something that the reader picked up on through Hook's narrative observations.
Now onto the bad. Hook: Dead to Rights has a terrible ending. And I don't mean that in the "Oh I never wanted this book to end," kind of way. The ending sort of comes out of nowhere, is really terribly paced, and makes little to no sense within the context of the rest of the novel. In fact, I found that it reduced Hook, who until that point I thought to be a well-rounded character, to a vindictive "evil-woman" trope.
The problem, I think, is that Snark was unable to gain any catharsis and was unsure how to while maintaining a lead-in to the second novel in the series. Compared with the heavy emotional tone in the rest of the novel this made the ending feel rushed and incomplete.
I really liked the characters from Captain Hook, to Smee and First-Mate David Starkey, all the way to Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. They were all really fascinating and only became more-so as I got further and further into the plot.
One very unexpected element to this story is the way in which Snark broached the subject of Hook's sexuality. I have read plenty of novels which feature queer protagonists, and something I greatly appreciated is that Snark didn't fetishize Hook's attraction to multiple genders, nor did they put it on a soap-box. It was simply something that the reader picked up on through Hook's narrative observations.
Now onto the bad. Hook: Dead to Rights has a terrible ending. And I don't mean that in the "Oh I never wanted this book to end," kind of way. The ending sort of comes out of nowhere, is really terribly paced, and makes little to no sense within the context of the rest of the novel. In fact, I found that it reduced Hook, who until that point I thought to be a well-rounded character, to a vindictive "evil-woman" trope.
The problem, I think, is that Snark was unable to gain any catharsis and was unsure how to while maintaining a lead-in to the second novel in the series. Compared with the heavy emotional tone in the rest of the novel this made the ending feel rushed and incomplete.
October 31, 2019
This was a great action packed start to the series! Everyone’s heard of Peter Pan and wonderful Neverland- taking children there so they never have to grow up. They never grow up because they meet a grimmer fate than the promise of having their dreams come true. The only person who has ever escaped? Her name is Captain Hook and she’s out for Peter’s head. I’ve never been a fan of Peter Pan because honestly, he’s a killer that steals innocent children. When I found out that this was based off of the original story, I just had to pick it up because I love seeing Captain Hook as an antihero and Pan as the villain. I loved Hook’s personality- she’s determined, has a good heart, and won’t let anything get in her way. The world building and character descriptions and development were vivid and well done to the point where I felt like I knew the main characters and could imagine myself within the world. This book didn’t disappoint and actually exceeded my expectations- I can’t wait for the sequel!
Natalie did a really great job with this narration! I loved the different voices that she used for each character and it was easy to tell who was talking. Her voice had me hooked from the start and kept me entertained until the very end.
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Natalie did a really great job with this narration! I loved the different voices that she used for each character and it was easy to tell who was talking. Her voice had me hooked from the start and kept me entertained until the very end.
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
August 14, 2021
This was an extremely disappointing read for me. When I saw the blurb, I thought a Peter Pan retelling where he is the bad guy and Hook is the female hero would be interesting, but it didn't turn out as expected.
The plot is unique, but it lacked proper execution. I feel like the author invested a lot of time in world-building, that she ignored something as basic as character development. There were so many details about locations, food, working of the ship, and its activities that after a point of time I was tempted to give up. There wasn't a single point where I thought things would improve.
Hook and the other characters lacked depth. There was some mention of the past, but it was not enough to give an insight into her personality. Nothing in the book helped me connect to her in any way. Pan seemed more like a brat than someone dangerous.
Most of the supporting characters had barely anything to do in the book. The only one that I felt a little for would be Buzz, the pixie.
This book had a lot of potential, but I'm sad that it didn't work for me. If I didn't have anxiety about DNFing books, I would have stopped reading long ago. I won't be continuing with the series, but hopefully, people who do will find it enjoyable.
The plot is unique, but it lacked proper execution. I feel like the author invested a lot of time in world-building, that she ignored something as basic as character development. There were so many details about locations, food, working of the ship, and its activities that after a point of time I was tempted to give up. There wasn't a single point where I thought things would improve.
Hook and the other characters lacked depth. There was some mention of the past, but it was not enough to give an insight into her personality. Nothing in the book helped me connect to her in any way. Pan seemed more like a brat than someone dangerous.
Most of the supporting characters had barely anything to do in the book. The only one that I felt a little for would be Buzz, the pixie.
This book had a lot of potential, but I'm sad that it didn't work for me. If I didn't have anxiety about DNFing books, I would have stopped reading long ago. I won't be continuing with the series, but hopefully, people who do will find it enjoyable.
August 26, 2021
Pan as a villain Fae
I love the concept behind this story. Pan is a child-stealing, evil, eternal Fae. Hook is the Captain who has taken it upon herself to save the children, get them home, and kill Pan. It's an epic retelling, HOWEVER, I am sorely missing the backstory behind these two. Hook is half mermaid, and apparently stolen by Pan as a child. I want to read THAT story first. I would also have liked a more detailed account of our boy-fae. Why does he steal children? Why is he insane? Give me more evil! The excerpt of the next book seems to just forget about Pan entirely, but it does suggest a transformation of our Captain into her aquatic half. This book was way too short, and Snark focused on a ton of random non-plot related things. In summation, this is an excellent narrative, but poorly executed. I'm disappointed in how it turned out. Three out for five stars to Hook: Dead to Rights.
I love the concept behind this story. Pan is a child-stealing, evil, eternal Fae. Hook is the Captain who has taken it upon herself to save the children, get them home, and kill Pan. It's an epic retelling, HOWEVER, I am sorely missing the backstory behind these two. Hook is half mermaid, and apparently stolen by Pan as a child. I want to read THAT story first. I would also have liked a more detailed account of our boy-fae. Why does he steal children? Why is he insane? Give me more evil! The excerpt of the next book seems to just forget about Pan entirely, but it does suggest a transformation of our Captain into her aquatic half. This book was way too short, and Snark focused on a ton of random non-plot related things. In summation, this is an excellent narrative, but poorly executed. I'm disappointed in how it turned out. Three out for five stars to Hook: Dead to Rights.
April 7, 2019
painfully well written, this version of the stories is not a Mouse-world tale.
Peter Pan is, amongst other things, a human trafficker of the worst sort, and the children never grow old because they face death, or much worse fates.
Captain Hook is a young female halfling, mermaid mix. she is a pirate, and she is determined to rescue what and whom she can from the awful Peter Pan, though some are unwillingly saved.
she must face and act with lethal intent, and it weighs heavily on her, as her efforts to save the children cost her some of herself and her own people.
Haunting and beautiful tragedy.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Peter Pan is, amongst other things, a human trafficker of the worst sort, and the children never grow old because they face death, or much worse fates.
Captain Hook is a young female halfling, mermaid mix. she is a pirate, and she is determined to rescue what and whom she can from the awful Peter Pan, though some are unwillingly saved.
she must face and act with lethal intent, and it weighs heavily on her, as her efforts to save the children cost her some of herself and her own people.
Haunting and beautiful tragedy.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 30, 2020
This is meant to be a sort of twisted tale on the classic Peter Pan. When I read the synopsis I thought WOW! This should be great. However I really didn’t enjoy it. I found it quite boring and the first 4-5 chapters talked mostly about Hooks ship. I really wanted to like it and I only pushed through without DNF because it is only 230 pages.
I’m not going to tell you not to read it because this is my own personal opinion on the book, but I have seen that it has some good reviews so maybe pick it up and check for yourself.
I got my edition for free on Kindle. I however will not be carrying on with the trilogy.
I’m not going to tell you not to read it because this is my own personal opinion on the book, but I have seen that it has some good reviews so maybe pick it up and check for yourself.
I got my edition for free on Kindle. I however will not be carrying on with the trilogy.
March 26, 2019
I loved how different this version of Peter Pan was. With Captain Hook not only being a female, but also a sort of good guy. I intensely felt the struggles that Captain Hook went through during this short book. I didn't really like the end though. The lack of a satisfying resolution makes me hope that this is simply a first in series, but it didn't have an obvious cliffhanger and I didn't see anything that indicated the author's intent to continue the story in another book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 7, 2019
Sometimes a re-hash of a famous story can be quite stimulating and rewarding. This is not one of those times. I found that the plot line lagged quite alarmingly and the mish-mash of the make up of the crew of Hook's ship was, at least, laughable. All things considered, Pan, Tinker Bell and some of the other characters should have been consigned to one of the caves that crop up with alarming regularity. To try to rewrite this as it stands makes me think I won't be bothering with any more of this series.
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