Eeeeeek! As a huge fan of this series' adapted TV show, it was such a treat to find that the book is indeed even better! I definitely think that reading about some of the more mature parts of this book's storyline (sexual assault and trauma being at the forefront of my mind) was tougher than watching it on a screen, though. Gabaldon's writing style across the board is so intrinsically detailed without being unnecessarily confusing, which I give her a huge round of applause for. Sure, I got lost a few times because writing dialogue in a Scottish dialect, accurately depicting the names of ancient places and customs, and remaining historically accurate as well as entertaining is no easy task. Like, seriously, the sheer amount of research it must've taken to make all the moving pieces of this narrative fit together has my jaw near the floor. 
There's simply too much to cover in one review, and I have the rest of the series to read and comment on along the way, so I won't really be doing that here. It occurred to me that a 600-something page book is bound to trudge up and then coast down a whole series of rising and falling actions, if we're to place its plot on the metaphorical rollercoaster of traditional story structure that most any story can fit. There seems to be at least six or seven different high stakes climaxes that end up leveling out to a period of peace, or general stagnancy, before some other terrible thing befalls Claire, or Jamie, or, once joined in holy matrimony, both parties. The time travel struck me as clever and believable (and described in such a cool way when Claire is at the stones multiple times), the chemistry and slow burn between Sassenach Claire and Scotsman Jamie just impeccable, and the absolutely terrifying Captain Jack Randall's connection to Claire's first husband diabolical in the best way. I also love the last hundred pages of the book's detailing of Jamie's mental anguish and Claire's somewhat divine methods of seeking ways to sustain his will to live. Pitting Randall as a villain figure against them both is splendid.
My only real qualm with the way this book handles Claire and Jamie's initial romance is the inclusion of Claire's beating for "propriety's" sake. I understand that Jamie's insistence comes from his upbringing and all he's ever know culturally, but I just don't believe that Claire, being the strong-minded and modern woman she is, would allow any man, let alone husband, lay hands on her in such a way. The series of events and Claire's internal dialogue/rationale almost convinces me this whole part isn't wildly uncomfortable and demeaning to her character, but not quite. Thoughts on that put aside, there's not much else I have to complain about the sweeping epic this book turned out to be. I already have the second book sitting atop my very tall "to be read" pile. :)


One of my favorite quotes from Outlander:

"'I'll thank ye,' said a cool, level voice, 'to take your hands off my wife.'"

Hey, guys. Sincerely, what are we doing? And when I say "doing," I mean hyping up this book to a high standard of popularity when there are clearly so many problematic things happening in its plot, character development, and tropes? I'm certainly not well-versed in the subgenre of dark fantasy that's become more popular and even mainstream in recent years, but I'm definitely swimming in the fantasy pool and have a good time trying slightly new things for the most part. I'm also a sucker for a good retelling or reimagining of a classic story/character, but the first few pages of this book nearly had me returning the audiobook early (don't even get me started on what it was like to have to listen to some of the scenes be narrated in this book. I screamed by myself in my car on multiple occasions from pure shock).
I expected this to be set in Neverland with some adjustments made to age so that we weren't dealing with an illegal/nonconsensual romantic relationship. But no, Hook (or James Barrie) gets into his Audi pretty soon after killing a guy viciously in the first chapter. Last time I checked, there were no Audis in traditional Neverland. Something about the modern setting not only made the romance and attempts at "bad guy, good girl" tropes feel trashy, but just plain laughable. I had and still have a hard time taking the majority of this book seriously, because the overall romance just comes off to me like an outlandish excuse to bring some weird torture kinks into the light. There's a fine line between dark romance and rape fantasy. The concept of giving the bad guy time in the spotlight (and the girl) is tempting when done well (and I know it's possible to do well and tastefully), but this just isn't it. The sex scenes feel like they were written to satisfy really wild high school fantasies and/or the kind of intimacy that could never be healthy but seems to be passionate and thrilling. I was really upset by what came off to me as the author's decision to, in a way, defile Wendy in the process of being with Hook and losing nearly all of her family to justify her decision to stay with Hook. It felt like a cop out to avoid giving her a solid foundation as a human character from the get go. Rather, she presented to me as the innocent "I'm not like other girls" target for a sexually experienced, majorly messed up guy. They both need therapy asap, but end up starting a family together on a boat in one of the worst epilogues I've ever read.
I also don't feel like delving into my confusion concerning Hook's drug business and general mafia-like behavior because there's not much more to say other than that it felt underdeveloped. Calling their illusive product "pixie dust" didn't help matters. I will say that despite cringing at things like an airline called "NevAirLand" and the pseudo final boss villain being a guy named Smee who goes under the guise of Croc, some of the other elements of the story that tried to be at least semi-faithful to elements of Peter Pan and its lore were cool, namely Peter Pan still being Hook's arch nemesis in another form. There's more I could say, but it would be more negative griping, and I'm more than ready to move on from this title to something else entirely. 

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The one and only quote that had me kinda like, "okay, that's not that bad":

"Just remember that whenever things feel bleak, all situations are temporary. It’s not your circumstance that determines your worth, it’s how you rise from the ashes after everything burns."