chayote reviewed Hooked by A. C. Wise
Review of 'Hooked' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
The main events of Hooked take place 8 years after the conclusion of Wendy, Darling. It follows a similar structure as Wendy, Darling, with multiple POVs as well as flashbacks to past events at several different times. While the focus is on Hook, sort of, I also felt like I didn't get as much Hook as I wanted from this. Wendy and her daughter Jane are also POV characters here, and Jane's POV in particular felt like more of a distraction that addition to the narrative. Jane is so focused on the events 8 years ago and resentful of her mother, that she seemed childish and frustrating and her chapters were far less enjoyable. I loved the exploration of Hook's mental health issues, from addiction to an almost-identity-disorder thrust upon him by Pan's power in Neverland. I also enjoyed seeing Wendy and Hook interact as adults in the first half …
The main events of Hooked take place 8 years after the conclusion of Wendy, Darling. It follows a similar structure as Wendy, Darling, with multiple POVs as well as flashbacks to past events at several different times. While the focus is on Hook, sort of, I also felt like I didn't get as much Hook as I wanted from this. Wendy and her daughter Jane are also POV characters here, and Jane's POV in particular felt like more of a distraction that addition to the narrative. Jane is so focused on the events 8 years ago and resentful of her mother, that she seemed childish and frustrating and her chapters were far less enjoyable. I loved the exploration of Hook's mental health issues, from addiction to an almost-identity-disorder thrust upon him by Pan's power in Neverland. I also enjoyed seeing Wendy and Hook interact as adults in the first half of the book. Once our characters end up in Neverland, the events felt very chaotic and I struggled to maintain my interest. It felt simultaneously like not enough and like it overstayed its welcome. Ultimately, I'm glad we got a story from Hook since he was notably missing from Wendy, Darling, but I'm not sure it felt wholly necessary or satisfying as a sequel to Wendy, Darling. I wish we'd gotten this as more of a standalone Hook story, since revisiting the events from Wendy, Darling took so much attention away from Hook.