He’s gorgeous, irresistible, a little mad, and completely lost—we are a pair of broken cogs in a world neither of us truly fits into. He is somehow gentle and fierce, heartbreaking in his devotion and savage in his defense.
When Belle, his best friend, shows up, pale and lovely and sick, Peter pulls away from me, a startling withdrawal. It’s a relationship that scares and confuses me. She is at times warm and friendly, and other times is violent and unpredictable.
Peter says that he wants me, but refuses to let himself get close. And there are secrets, surrounding both of us, that border on nightmares. As the memories close in, as Belle gets sicker and more violent, I’m torn between what is true and what I believe, and what this magical boy knows about my mysterious past.
Girl Lost is a fantastic retelling of Peter Pan, it is creative and the original tale is artfully interwoven into the story. I’m ranking this up there as one of my favorite retellings.I love when an author has an appreciation for the darkness that is in fairytales. That is how the plot approaches the Island and the lost boys. I also like how Gwens sanity is in question. If someone came back and insisted that they were on an island with some questionable characters wouldn’t you give the side eye and think they were off their rocker. it makes sense.
I love the way Nazarea has created her versions of the characters. Mixing them with them with the modern world. Peter has that sweet, childlikeness to him but he also has the darkness and immaturity. Gwen tends to balance him out a bit. The “frat brothers” that surround Peter and do his bidding. How they refer to her as Gwendy often. I liked James and Orchid, nice play on the flower reference. How James personality manages to fit into some shady activities. I thought Nazarea did a good job at aging them as well. It was like she took them apart and put them back together again adding her own elements.
Another great part of the book is that Gwen starts out a little timid and trying to find her way. She really takes control of your life as the book goes on. I love when she gets the attitude of I've got my own crap to deal with so either get your head out of your butt or hit the road. For all her issues she is a very strong character.
So the ending...I thought it was perfect and I also wanted more. Just because I really wanted more but every time I think about it in my head, I know how perfect the ending is.
Reallly overall if you are fan of retellings this is a great one. As far as the NA genre I really like this one as well. Definitely pick it up.
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Nazarea Andrews is agented, and all inquiries about rights should be directed to Michelle Johsnon of Inklings Literary.
