Reviews

Dust by Kara Swanson

quietlyflourishing's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

2.5

annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition

5.0

I'm not entirely sure why it took me this long to buy this book and even longer to read it. Usually retellings of Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland are no brainers. I guess I must have read a few mixed reviews and must have doubted if it was something for me. A few months ago though I could get this book very cheap and decided to just take a leap of faith. And yesterday I all of a sudden longed for Neverland and picked this book up.

I totally understand that this book is not for everyone. There are next to no answers in this book. We're not visiting Neverland in this book. And there is little to no action in this book. And yet I was sold the moment I started reading. The writing style really grabbed me. It was the perfect mix between atmospheric and emotional. I felt every word and even I could almost visualize all the locations in this book.

Although this book is not taking place in Neverland there is a lot of magic in the book. I quite liked having this magic in London. I liked Peter Pan coming to his own statue to think. I liked Tiger Lily doing all the grocery shopping. I liked Kensington Gardens being a place where fairies meet, feast and dance. I liked Hook owning a big mansion on the outside of town commanding his pirates to continue the famous fight we all know about.

I most of all love Peter Pan in this book though. Especially because he's exactly what he is in the original tale. He's endearing and charming and adventurous. But he's also egocentric, impulsive and selfish. He's both the monster and the hero. And that makes him interesting. I understand why our heroine initially thinks he can't be Peter Pan and falls in love with him. And I have high hopes that Peter will grow into the person she believes him to be.

I can't wait to read the sequel! And I'm really curious to explore this version of Neverland!

sanneve's review against another edition

adventurous dark relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

knit_sip_read's review against another edition

5.0

"But what if this is me? What if this is all I am?"
"We all fight the shadows. Even ones we can't remember." His hands drop from my face as he puts his arms around me again drawing me close. Despite the burning dust, despite how many time I've told him to walk away, he just holds me. -Dust, Kara Swanson
✨✨✨✨✨
Okay I wasn't prepared for how much I was going to love this book. I expected to enjoy it, as I've been a huge Peter Pan fan for most of my life. But I felt like every chapter was written by a best friend who completely understood me, like we'd grown up together. (Or should I say knew each other when we were young...are we grown up yet?) The strong messages of hope and light overcoming darkness were so beautiful, powerful, and inspiring. And then Peter...I'm obsessed with this half grown up version of him. I really can't wait to read the sequel, Shadow!
✨✨✨✨✨

katherinebriggs's review against another edition

5.0

Kara Swanson’s characterization in Dust is stellar. I enjoyed the twists on Peter Pan, Tiger Lily, Hook, and new characters like Claire. They’ve endured trauma and refuse to remain victims, which is beautiful. And who doesn’t want to visit London and play with pixie dust?

mariagilbert's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

belle_bookshelf91's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

mngwa's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mckenzi_gregory's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

farmfreshlisa's review against another edition

5.0

At first I was going to drop it a star because it didn’t make me cry or laugh out loud. But then I realized that it deserved 5 stars because I didn’t want to put it down! I had to read one more chapter and another and another.

I almost didn’t want to finish because as a book with a sequel I knew things weren’t going to end. Did I really want to get invested??!

Yes I did.

Dust was a brilliant unpredictable retelling of Peter Pan. I loved the story of Claire and seeing her grow into her skin. To see the changes Peter experienced. And to ride the mystery of what happened to Connor. I felt justified when it was the last chapter and I realized I HAD figured out what happened to Connor and it was this YES feeling without the let down.

Now naturally I need the sequel and sadly it’s not available as an ebook in Hoopla yet.