I remember one particular character from the Disney movie, the Indian princess, who's snotty and spoiled, also known as Tiger Lily. And I remember her having a crush on Peter Pan. I also remembered thinking "Eeew, why did you kiss Peter? He's with Wendy!" when she kissed him during the bonfire. But Disney Tiger Lily and the Tiger Lily in the book are two very different characters, and you must keep that in mind.
And also Tinkebelle, the fairy who is vindictive and vain, forget about that either, because in this novel, not only does she serves as the narrator, she is the balance between Tiger Lily and Peter.
Let me tell you about my favorite part - the ending. I've read is some reviews that said the ending is terrible. But I have to disagree. It is not what I wanted, but it doesn't mean that it isn't good. After getting to know Tiger Lily and Peter, after reading about their love story, their adventures, and their happiness, they don't end up together. I was like "Whuuut??!!" But I know, of course, it's for the best. Tiger Lily and Peter are just too similar, and Peter would want Tiger Lily to be just like him, but yet a little less brave and a little less bigger than him. Tiger Lily, on the hand, want to be bigger and braver than Peter, because that's what she thinks Peter wants her to be. So when Wendy came, someone who is exactly different from Tiger Lily and from him, Peter can't help but be charmed and fall in love. Then Tiger Lily also ended up with an opposite - Pine Sap. Pine Sap, who's quiet and smart. Pine Sap, who has always been there for Tiger Lily. Pine Sap, who built a house for her and who loves her as she is.
This goes to show that humans get attracted to someone who is completely their opposite, the yin and the yang.
Another thing that I like about the book is how it masterfully injects adult themes without it getting vulgar and obscene. It talked about rape, death, and torture. There is also the part on colonization, when the Englanders slowly influenced the Sky Eaters on Christianity, and how the indigenous quickly dropped their culture and adapted the Western way of life (Hmm..this sounds very familiar).
This book is a gem. It's sad that it's placed beside the endless campy young adult vampire and zombie novels. It's an injustice to how beautiful this is. But I guess it's also for the good. So that all the Tiger Lilies out there, the ones who are misunderstood, the ones who think they are not pretty enough to be a Wendy, the ones who are strong-willed and adventurous, may they pick up this book and be inspired by the life of Tiger Lily.
P.S.
This book is memorable also because it's the first one that I have read entirely on Aldiko. Whatta milestone!
