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Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson is definitely my new favorite read of 2012. I was entranced by the beautiful, poetic and beautifully descriptive writing that attracted my attention instantly. This is not a typical Young Adult book. Be warned; it will leave you heartbroken and yet make you crave more of Neverland. It doesn't matter if you have read the original story by J.M. Barrie or not. You'll be enraptured by this enthralling retelling of Peter Pan.

"Let me tell you something straight off. This is a love story, but not like any you’ve heard. The boy and the girl are far from innocent. Dear lives are lost. And good doesn’t win. In some places, there is something ultimately good about endings. In Neverland, that is not the case."

I've always loved the disney version of Peter Pan ever since I was a little kid, as I'm sure everyone does, so as soon as I saw Tiger Lily was coming out I knew I had to have it no matter what. I had seen some great reviews about it going around on Goodreads. Almost all were 4 or 5 star reviews so it made me only more determinded to get it. Also, I just adore this cover. I loved it as soon as I laid eyes on it. Just like the book itself the cover looks very enchanting.

I've never read anything by Jodi Lynn Anderson but I fell in love with her writing instantly. It was so poetically descriptive and just beautiful. I couldn't get enough of it!
Tiger Lily is told not from Tiger Lily's point of view but Tinker Bell's. I thought it was simply fantastic! I had never read any books where the story is told through someone else's eyes. I kind of wish other books were like that, but then again... maybe that's just the brilliance of this book; how different it is. I came to care a lot about Tinker Bell and loved how loyal she was to Tiger Lily and wanted to protect her from all harm. Even when she loved Peter too, she didn't waver.

Tiger Lily by far is one of the loneliest characters I've ever come across. But that's one of the reasons that makes her so amazing. She's strong; inside and out, fierce, restless and so courageous. It's no wonder Tinker Bell felt the need to follow her everywhere to see what she would do next. Her life at the tribe has never been easy. Her fellow tribe members thinks she's cursed and her adoptive father, who's the shaman has arranged her to marry one of the most horrible people I have ever read about. Giant. His name says it all, doesn't it?
But then she meets Peter Pan. Oh, Peter. He's all kinds of things all at once. Wild, savage even, beautiful, lonely, charming, frustrating, and the list goes on and on. I couldn't help but fall for him as much as Tiger Lily did. She knew he might've been bad news but there's really no helping yourself with him.

“The bad things are some of my favorites," Peter said.

The romance between the two of them was very sweet. When Peter first gave Tiger Lily a kiss on the back of her neck I just was ready to die from cuteness! Or the wolf pup thing! (You'll know when you read it! :D) ♥ Yes, Peter stole my heart with that! How could he not?
I was rooting for them even though I knew they would not end up together.

I also liked some of the more side characters like Tik Tok and Pine Sap.
Pine Sap was so cute! He's always been Tiger Lily's friend no matter what. Not even when she ignored him or anything like that. I'm thrilled that he got his happy ending for himself and her too, eventually after all the crap he went through all his life. It's really true that he read Tiger Lily better than anyone.

“He even listened to more than her sounds, because Tiger Lily was a girl of few words. He listened with his eyes, watched her facial expressions, judged body language, and therefore read Tiger Lily better than anyone else.”

The Lost Boys were adorable. Every single one of them. And of course the baby called Baby was so cute. Especially when Peter was taking care of him.
Captain Hook was pretty much how I pictured him. Sad, lonely and vengeful. Smee simply gave me the creeps. I also loved how the mermaids were a big part of the story.
I hated when the bad shit when down with Tik Top and Phillip. I had seen it coming a long time ago. Phillip was bad news. Such bad news! I just wanted to scream out loud. I wanted to hurt Phillip for all that he did. He made me so mad and frustrated! Poor Tik Tok. He didn't deserve it at all.

I didn't think it was possible but this book made me hate on Wendy so so much. Seriously, she ruined everything the moment she came in. She thought she was in her own little novel starring as the heroine, and Peter was the hero...
It felt so hurtful to me when Peter started hanging out with Wendy instead of Tiger Lily because I cared so much for the girl with the crow feather in her hair. Even when she was filled with rage and hurt it was hard not to feel for her. It was all simply heartbreaking and I found myself weepy by the end of it all.

I will never ever forget this book and all the wonderful characters. It even makes me want to read the original story. Will I reread Tiger Lily sometime? I'm not sure. I don't think I'd be able to handle reading it again but maybe, who knows...
The one thing that really made my heart break into a million little pieces was the letter Peter had written to Tiger Lily. I had so many emotions when I was reading it, I can hardly describe them even now or I'll start crying. Keep the tissues ready!
I fell in love with Neverland from the first moment on. It was like a pull that kept me wanting to read more and more of this wonderful enchanting world and it never ever disappointed me.
Tiger Lily was the most wonderful, exciting, sad, beautiful emotional rollercoaster I have ever been on.