Book Review | Second Star to the Left

I had the pleasure of reading this for BBNYA and now it is time to share my thoughts.

Second Star to the Left
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.

Goodreads | The StoryGraph | Amazon

I love a retelling because I love seeing how creative someone can get with taking an original story and making it different. I especially enjoy it if it focuses on side characters from a well-known story or puts characters together in situations that you wouldn’t have expected and this story has that in spades.

I loved that whilst the story had elements of things that I expected, it was also very individual and pulled on other known legends to add to the story in a way that made sense but was also a nice surprise. An adventure from start to finish this book is fast-paced and easily engaging, this is an author whose words I could get lost in for hours. The world that the author has created leaps off the page in a way that seems effortless but also interesting.

The characters are where this book shines, it takes everything you’ve previously been told about them and turns it on its head. I loved that Tink was selfless and determined, even when she was out of her depth, she was put in a lot of difficult situations but was loyal even when it wasn’t deserved.

Hook was brilliant I loved that he was very caring and just wanted the best for his crew, as well as having charm by the bucket load. Smee was so much better than any previous portrayal, a loveable scoundrel, and some other wonderful characters in the crew help to build the family vibe.

Of course, the chemistry between Hook and Tink is amazing, it has a bit of enemies-to-lovers going on but you know that something is simmering between them even when they are at cross purposes. They also had such different goals that I was constantly wondering how it would play out for them which was a nice tension to have throughout the story.

The one thing that I did question a little was that the searching for the magical item seemed a touch too easy, I feel like the Shrouded Isles were made out to be difficult to navigate and they seemed to find every clue they were searching for without too much trouble. I still enjoyed the journey, I just felt maybe there should have been a few more setbacks along the way.

Honestly, once I got caught up in this book I didn’t want it to end, it just had all the right elements for an entertaining adventure but with the bonus of a sizzling romance. It’s a fantastic retelling that I would definitely recommend.

Megan Van Dyke is a fantasy romance author with a love for all things magical and romantic, especially fairytales and anything with a happily ever after. Many of her stories include themes of family (whether born into or found) and a sense of home and belonging, which are important aspects of her life as well. When not writing, Megan loves to spend time with her family, cook, play video games, and explore the great outdoors. Megan currently lives with her family in Florida.

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