Ah, finally made it through the last of the Valentino villains series, at least until Hades' book comes out in July.
James was a Lost Boy when he was young, but he was found by his mother and returned home, though he spent his young life thinking of ways to get back to Never Land. James is extremely intelligent and after graduating, he decides to try his hand at being a pirate, thinking that will help him return to Never Land. He signs on with Blackbeard's crew, the pair bonding quickly because they're both intelligent men.
After an attack by a kraken, James and Blackbeard rescue each other, though it's ambiguous how they survived a confrontation with Davy Jones at the bottom of the ocean. Blackbeard takes James to the Jolly Roger and gives it to him, saying he once stole treasures from the Odd Sisters and they cursed him with a long life until someone saved him and he gave them that ship in return. That someone is James. Blackbeard needs him to go to the Many Kingdoms to tell the sisters that his end of the deal is done, so they can remove the curse on him and he can rest in peace.
James goes to the Many Kingdoms, where Opal the crow gives him a message from the sisters. He's to meet them in the Dead Woods and bring cake. He meets Mrs. Tiddlebottom at her bakery and begins to learn some of the weirdness and magic that is this world. In the Dead Woods, he meets Circe, Hazel and Primrose, who almost convince him to stay with them, but he's determined to get to Never Land. Circe offers him a deal and he takes it, only to end up conversing with Lucinda via a magic mirror in the chest of treasures Blackbeard gave him along with the Jolly Roger. Lucinda says she can do what James wishes for most, while Circe cannot. Lucinda also offers him a way to make sure his mother, now a widow, is cared for. James switches from Circe's deal to Lucinda's, taking the treasures back to London to sell in an antique shop. He buys his signature red coat and his pirate hat there, and gives the rest of the money to his mother in secret, not wanting to talk to her in case she tries to make him stay.
Then it's off to Never Land thanks to a vial of pixie dust in one of the coat pockets. Turns out the sisters gave it to Blackbeard to leave in the shop all those years ago. James is upset to learn that Peter and the Lost Boys now don't like him. Not sure what he expected, as he's both an adult and a pirate. He needs to kidnap Tink and take her to the Many Kingdoms, which is where Lucinda said she comes from. This plan goes horribly awry, Peter cuts off the hand holding Tink, the crocodile eats it and the clock, and James wakes up next to a brand new hook.
He eventually learns that this was the actual plan. Lucinda never meant to help him become a kid again, nor did she need Tink. And Peter knew about it all along. He sent James home the first time he was in Never Land, knowing he'd return to become the enemy he needed to have more adventures. Now Hook is stuck in Never Land forever, determined to kill Peter to repay him for ruining his dreams.
This one wasn't bad. Once again, we're tying everything together. Remember the jade earrings Cruella's father bought her and said they were from a pirate? They're some of the items Blackbeard stole from the sisters and Hook sold to the shop. Likewise, remember the jade brooch Lady Tremaine got from her husband? Again with mention of pirate treasure? Yep, same deal. Without Hook, Cruella and Lady Tremaine wouldn't have gotten their cursed jewels.
My favorite reveal was that James and his crew never survived the kraken attack. This plays into the idea that Never Land is actually an afterlife and all the people in it have died on Earth.
The next book is Hades. It ought to be interesting to see how the Odd Sisters find their way into Greek mythology.
Now that I'm done with this series, I'm moving back to the world of Twisted Disney, where the next book is...surprise...the Peter Pan one.
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