I knew Hooked was going to be a steamy read, in fact after reading The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty (which I forced my way through because a friend recommended it) I was really banking on this retelling (reimagining?) actually having a plot — and I was not disappointed. It was fun (but dark) and actually liked that there wasn’t really any fantasy to this story, and yet everything was recognizable. Pan was a nickname for a former kid on the streets. Hook received his nickname for his weapon of choice, not because of one of his, er, hands. Pixie dust was a drug. etc etc etc

There is an element of “we love who we love” to this story, where we see good girl Wendy falling fast and hard for Hook. I appreciate that he was a gentleman when getting to know her and that she could lean on this while things took a turn for the worse, but I can’t help but think about how I would react if I was kidnapped and hung out to dry for a bit. Definitely not as forgiving as Wendy was, which makes you wonder how much of her behavior can be thrown into the daddy issues bucket.

Family is a major component of this novel, how far are you willing to go to protect your family? How far are you willing to go to avenge your family? In Wendy’s case, it shattered her expectations and revealed that her father didn’t love her the way that she expected and strengthened her love for Hook because he was willing to protect her (after betraying her a little of course). In Hook’s case, he found he was unwilling to avenge his family in the end because he realized that it didn’t really mean anything or solve any problems. It still shocked me that Wendy was able to murder her father so easily.

In keeping with the “faith trust and pixie dust” theme of Peter Pan, it’s interesting to watch faith and trust play out throughout the story. Trust leads to betrayal in many plot points and yet faith in love brings everything back together.

Though I wouldn’t reread this one, I did enjoy it enough to recommend it to a friend and to pick up the next one in the series (each book is standalone).

For December, let’s close out the year with Remarkably Bright Creatures because I can’t resist an Octopus story.

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors–until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.