I have put off this review for far too long because words are just not coming to me. TIGER LILY is a gorgeously written novel, bittersweet and a story with a moral. It easily made my list of favorites, and it is one that will haunt your thoughts like all the best books do. 
 When I was younger, I used to have VHS tapes of all the Disney movies and I have to say-Peter Pan was one that did not frequently get put into the VCR. Wendy always irked me and Peter seemed really annoying. Plus, I hated the ending. So when reviews started coming out for TIGER LILY I wasn't all that excited but my love of retellings won over my initial hesitation. 
 "Let me tell you something straight off. This is a love story, but not like any you've ever heard. The boy and the girl are far from innocent. Dear lives are lost. And good doesn't win." 
 This one is a little slow to start out, but as soon as Pan is introduced, I was hooked. Plus, by that time, the reader is too invested into Tiger Lily and her life to put the book down. She is a character that is very easy to like because she doesn't exactly fit in. However, the friends she does have are obviously friends for life. 
 Every character that crosses Tiger Lily's path affects her and the story in some special way, no matter how little. The best part is that all the characters from the original Peter Pan are in TIGER LILY, but you get to know so much more about them. Like how Smee got mixed in with Hook-who isn't exactly the ruthless bloodthirsty pirate we know. 
 "You have to be careful who you meet. You can't unmeet them." 
 The love story, the romance between Tiger Lily and Peter Pan is heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. Although the ending isn't one we would wish for, it suits the tone of the novel to perfection, and is happy in its own way. You can tell their love is real: it is cute, and funny, and sometimes difficult-but always real. 
 The best part of this book, which I probably should have mentioned earlier, is that it is narrated by Tinkerbell. What would usually be the downfall of a book was the absolute best part. From Tink's point of view, we find out so much more about the characters and their emotions, perhaps more than Tiger Lily herself would have told us. A sure winner.