Review: Clean, romantic version of the classic Peter Pan
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 18, 2013
LOVE, TINK goes against everything I normally want in a book, yet I adored it.  I've read a couple other Peter Pan retellings and LOVE, TINK offers a modern version of the tale.  MG or YA readers can appreciate this clean fantasy.  I read this book almost straight through, and now I'm itching to read other books by Elle Strauss.  In this version of Peter Pan, Peter is homesick and wants to leave Neverland.  Tink is so love-smitten that she goes against the laws of the fairy people and helps him leave her.  The romance between Tink and Peter is the primary plot.  There are other subplots, particularly later in the story, but none of them distract from the romance.  It is told from the POV of both Tink and Peter, although we don't get to pop into Peter's head until 40% through the book.I liked the complexity of Tink and how her heart brought her mishap after mishap.  She experiences a vast array of emotions throughout the book, yet never slips out of character from what you'd expect.  Jangles is a fun, spunky character.  She actually has some plot of her own and her entire life doesn't revolve around Tink, however the ending with her I wasn't pleased about.  It made her seem shallow, even though her intentions may have been noble.I'm not as fond of how Wendy is portrayed, since she shows zero depth.  Her only apparent trait is that she is super obsessed with Peter, then again with the unreliable narrations of Peter and Tink, this lack of complexity might be because neither of them think that highly of her.  Peter is a little underdeveloped.  I liked him from Tink's perspective, but not when we're in his head.  He's whiny and weak and totally not what turns me on in a guy.Considering that this is a fantasy, I don't expect a completely realistic atmosphere, however the scenes in New York conflict with what I know about the city.  Most importantly is that there are a whole lot of schools.  The chances of Dylan and Peter attending the same school are slim.  The chances of a taxi cab driver knowing which school to take you to when you can't even tell the cab driver the name or address is infinitely improbably.I wish that the locations used in New York City were more specific and localized.  It's such a unique city that generalizations really don't match.  Baltimore, for example, would have been a much better choice for a city without personality.(I received a copy of this book from the author/Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.)