Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Let me begin by saying you could think of this book as a child's book. You could think of it as a book for 5 year olds, for the little ones asking for a fairytale. You could think of it as a book for kids, BUT IT'S NOT. There's more to this book than just Peter Pan. Think of it as a prequel, a very good, adventurous one. 4 out of 5 stars.

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Out, out and away!
4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads summary: Don’t even think of starting this book unless you’re sitting in a comfortable chair and have lots of time. A fast-paced, impossible-to-put-down adventure awaits as the young orphan Peter and his mates are dispatched to an island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They set sail aboard the Never Land, a ship carrying a precious and mysterious trunk in its cargo hold, and the journey quickly becomes fraught with excitement and danger. Discover richly developed characters in the sweet but sophisticated Molly, the scary but familiar Black Stache, and the fearless Peter. Treacherous battles with pirates, foreboding thunderstorms at sea, and evocative writing immerses the reader in a story that slowly and finally reveals the secrets and mysteries of the beloved Peter Pan.

I absolutely love this plot. It screams, "Adventure! Adventure is here!" And I love it. There's action all the time. In other words, not one boring moment. Everything happened at once, and you didn't run out of things. More kept on coming, making their way over. More action, more twists, more surprises, more suspense, more everything. The world was falling apart and so on. In other words, it's pure bliss! This plot is possibly the best plot in the world, but you have to READ it to believe it.

I liked the writing of Peter and the Starcatchers. It was a fast-paced third person, faintly reminiscent of Eragon and a lot like Cassandra Clare's writing. It wasn't overdone or overflowery. Really nice, not too many frills. It was almost like the Near Witch without the flowers and in third person. All these comparisons are telling you that it is written remarkably and that you MUST READ IT NOW! Like that's not a hint...

Then there were the villians. There's more than one bad guy in this story. You have Stache, named after his curling mustache. You have Little Richard and his whip. You have some other villians like Mr. Grin, who happens to be an animal with an evil smile. Ish. I loved these villians, especially Stache. He was so complex, so cunning and so vicious. What an awesome pirate and what an awesome evil dude! I wish I created him.

Since this was kind of a prequel, some things in Peter Pan make sense. For example, why Peter never ages. Tinkerbell gets explained. Along with Captain Hook's infamous hook. And of course, the crocodile. I love how things fall into place and everything makes sense. It is such an awesome prequel that's also 451 pages long.

451 pages. It seems long. It isn't. I thought such a thick book would take me forever to read. It didn't. I finished it in a day. Well, around a day, at least. By the time you finish this book, you'll be glad that it's such a long book. I'm glad it was that long. I'm glad that it was over 400 pages. Why? Because there was more for me to read!

I absolutely love this prequel of Peter Pan! Put it on the top of your to-read list now!