Megan Van Dyke

Tinker Bell, banished from her homeland for doing the unthinkable, selling the hottest drug in Neverland-pixie dust-wants absolution.Determined to find a way home, Tink doesn't hesitate to follow the one lead she has, even if that means seducing a filthy pirate to steal precious gems out from under his?hook.Captain Hook believes he's found a real treasure in Tink. That is, until he recovers from her pixie dust laced kiss with a curse that turns the seas against him. With his ship and reputation at the mercy of raging storms, he tracks down the little minx and demands she remove the curse. Too bad she can't.However, the mermaid queen has a solution to both of their problems, if Tink and Hook will work together to retrieve a magical item for her.As they venture to the mysterious Shrouded Isles to find the priceless treasure, their shared nemesis closes in. However, his wrath is nothing compared to the realization that achieving their goal may mean losing something they never expected to find-each other.

Second Star to the Left

Meghan M

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

~4.5~

"Home isn't just a place, it's a people, and I could never be truly home without you."

I am a sucker for retellings and a new adult retelling of Captain Hook and Tinkerbell was right up my alley. This dual POV book about a pirate searching to break a curse (or two) placed on him and a pixie on a treasure hunt to go home end up crossing paths and the rest you can read for yourself. I loved this book, the characters didn't make dumb decisions going from their hearts, and they survived. 

*spoilers*

I love the fact that he was just 'cursed' by his memory of Tink. The 'he fell first' trope is one of my favorites and James was SUCH a likable character, good man for being a pirate, and his bond with his crew just made him such a good character. Tink trying to go home, but not fighting her attraction and giving in to what she wants, the life she wants with Tink was just so satisfying because characters who ignore what they want to try and follow through with their initial objective that has changed frustrate me. 
All in all, this was a good book, and exactly the book I needed to get me out of my reading slump. I really recommend for fans of retellings because while using the characters and being a more mature content book, the fantasy element was there as well. Such a good and enjoyable read for sure!

Inez

** spoiler alert **
           I always enjoy Peter Pan retelling. This book could easily pass as my cup of tea because of that factor. But then I dislike sea (this book has it, even raging see). And I also still can't seem to forget that Tinkerbell is tiny and Captain Hook is huge. So when the sex scene came, I skipped the parts (yes, plural) however the story was nice, glad I could read it until the end.

Thais Lopes

This was my first time reading a Peter Pan retelling and I am HOOKED!!! 😍
This is a steamy romantic retelling, where the villain gets the girl (Hook x Ting retelling)! Now I also need to read more books where the villain gets the girl ...

I love how Megan Van Dyke gave a completely new twist to the story, Black Beard as the evil croc was perfect! This was also a very emotional read, found myself with tears in my eyes in a couple of scenes. A Perfect mix of magic, romance and fantasy.

Hook might be a pirate, one of the most notorious captains sailing Neverland, however he also has a soft and unexpected side that had me falling for him quickly. Tink was also a great female lead, she's strong and doesn't want or need a man's help, she will do everything to save her cousin and see her family again.

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy for review!

Kari Finkle 

3.5/5 Stars - Fantasy retelling of Tinker Bell and Captain Hook

Imagine if Tinker Bell and Captain Hook HOOKED UP...now also add betrayal, mermaids, pirates, atmospheric settings, sexy pirates, and oh did I mention FILTHY pirates??? And just to be clear, Tinker Bell is human sized in this book, so please know that going in, because I did not...

Tink is spunky, fierce, and not afraid to use a dagger, but she is scared of water (what flying pixie wouldn't be though?) In this novel, Tink is banned from her home for selling pixie dust and makes a deal with the merfolk to do some favors for them in exchange for a way back home, and luckily for us readers, a person she has to get involved with to complete this task is none other than the sexy, hilarious Captain James Hook (who also gives me serious Damon Salvatore vibes) hehe. They have to work together to gain back a magic treasure so the mermaid queen, Titania, will break Hook's curse and allow Tink to go home. 

I love the banter between Hook and Tink and the smutty scenes were delicious! The only issue I had with the relationship is how fast it went. She kisses him once and he falls in love with her... I mean I get why this is important for the story to move along but I feel like the relationship developed really fast and I just would have appreciated more of a slow burn personally. Other than that, the romance was well written, completely adorable, and absolute fairytale perfection. 

Van Dyke's retelling of this classic story with a twist of romance was utterly fantastic, I only wish it wasn't as predictable as it was :( I guessed at least 4 out of the 5 big twists pretty early on. BUT that last twist...HOLY PIXIE DUST I did NOT see that coming, that was so crazy!! The world of Neverland is very reminiscent of we know it classically, and I thought she did a beautiful job of pulling us into the story and the world. How she retold Smee was utter chefs kiss and the funniest character in this book. Hook is a complete and utter cinnamon roll, and I cannot emphasize enough how AMAZING he is that filthy, stinking pirate ;) 

I am giving this 3.75 out of 5 if I am being super technical because while it was a beautiful story, it just missed the mark on a few things for me. However, I am VERY much looking forward to more of her fairytale retellings and the twists she puts into more classic characters, lands, villains (including a certain crocodile), and magic ✨

I was provided this ARC by City Owl Press.

Side Note:

I absolutely ADORE the disability rep in this. Of course Captain Hook is known for missing his hand and I thought the way she wrote how his hand got amputated and how he’s accepted that and how Tink loves that part of him is just superb!

Jourdan Gandy

I ADORED THIS BOOK! I’ve never read any version of Neverland outside of the Disney version of Peter Pan, so I loved exploring this other possible reality. Hook and Tink were SO perfect and while I never thought I’d be a Captain Hook fan, I’ve certainly changed my tune. 

Second Star to the Left was so creative and unique, which makes it easily stand out in a sea of retellings. While many retellings feel uninventive, that was absolutely not the case with Second Star. 

My only criticism is that a few times, Tink’s dialogue threw me out of the story. It felt either a bit too naive or a bit too out of character. This, however, could just totally be a reading preference thing and did not take away from how much I enjoyed the story. 

I think the book leaves room for a sequel, but ends on a satisfying note. Although, I will say I’m desperately hoping for a sequel. I need more Hook & Tink 😍

Thanks to the author for gifting me a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Second Star to the Left

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