(5 / 5)
What I was expecting when I started reading The Child Thief was a Peter Pan retelling. What I wasn’t expecting was a horrifically dark and thrilling masterpiece.
This ain’t no children’s story!!! I will not be reading this one to my kids at night!
Our story, like all peter pan stories, begins at a child’s windowsill. Peter coaxes a poor child to follow him to Neverland (Avalon), with promises of taking her away from her wretched life and never grow old. But Peter is not exactly the fun loving Peter Pan in the Disney movies and children’s fairytales. There is a reason he takes the children. And Avalon is not exactly Neverland…
It is filled with evil monsters, bloodthirsty witches, flesh eating pirates, and a whole range of other terrifying creatures. There is a war in Avalon, and Peter is in the centre of it. The author does not skimp on the blood and gore. This is not a light hearted book with a happy ending. But WHAT A RIDE!
I admit I haven’t read any other peter pan retellings, or the original which apparently is itself quite dark. But Brom has created something amazing here. I would actually say this is the best fantasy novel I have ever read.
There are a wide range of characters in this book and they are all written so well and have such depth to them.
From Peter and his “lost boys”, to the murderous flesh eating captain who will stop at nothing to kill them. They all have such amazing and intricate back stories. Even the minor characters who are only fleeting, have a depth to them that the author should be commended for achieving.
Was there anything I didn’t enjoy about this book? Sometimes the book would jump back and forth between the past and present and I would lose my bearings a bit. This was a MINOR problem for me and didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the story at all. Also I love maps in fantasy epics like this. But this map lacked a lot of detail for me. I’m one of these people that like a really detailed map that shows where everything is, not just the basic outline of the place. However this is obviously MY problem!
Do yourself a favour and spend a few extra dollars for the paper version of this book. The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter and in the middle of the book add a whole new depth to the book that I feel would be lost on a black and white kindle or in a digital version. There was something magical about turning each page of this book. An experience I have not had since I was a little girl marvelling over picture books of magical forests and fairies and princesses.
It wasn’t a graphic novel at all, but it almost had that feel to it, reminding me slightly of the tone of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman novels. Which I adored. So its of no surprise I enjoyed this.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for all lovers of fantasy, fairytale re-tellings, and all things dark, depressing and FANTASTICALLY written!
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