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talesandtreatswithtay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
What an interesting take on the timeless fairytale! This book managed to exhibit whimsy and magic with a bit of a darker depth to the characters and story line.
I loved seeing the well-known characters in a more expanded way AND as being stranded in modern-day Earth--this made for an intriguing read. I loved what the author did with Peter's character especially: you can see the original blueprint but he had a lot more complexity to him. Absolutely fascinating to see how he struggles with aging since he's stuck on Earth without his shadow and without his ability to fly. I also loved the addition of Claire: her dust--how she has this ability and her journey to learn how to control it-- was really intriguing.
I did feel a few phrasings were a bit repetitive and in other places things weren't explained enough--but perhaps my multitude of questions will be answered in the second book. I also would've liked to have the role of "the maker of the stars" expanded upon further since there's only one line in the whole book about it.
Love the cover--Absolutely gorgeous and fitting! I'm anticipating what will happen in the next part of the story.
Warning: make sure you have the 2nd book handy as this one ends on a major cliffhanger
Content: despair, violence, a few lines about a gruesome death (not overly detailed but you are told what happens to this character)
Christian faith rating: 1/3
I loved seeing the well-known characters in a more expanded way AND as being stranded in modern-day Earth--this made for an intriguing read. I loved what the author did with Peter's character especially: you can see the original blueprint but he had a lot more complexity to him. Absolutely fascinating to see how he struggles with aging since he's stuck on Earth without his shadow and without his ability to fly. I also loved the addition of Claire: her dust--how she has this ability and her journey to learn how to control it-- was really intriguing.
I did feel a few phrasings were a bit repetitive and in other places things weren't explained enough--but perhaps my multitude of questions will be answered in the second book. I also would've liked to have the role of "the maker of the stars" expanded upon further since there's only one line in the whole book about it.
Love the cover--Absolutely gorgeous and fitting! I'm anticipating what will happen in the next part of the story.
Warning: make sure you have the 2nd book handy as this one ends on a major cliffhanger
Content: despair, violence, a few lines about a gruesome death (not overly detailed but you are told what happens to this character)
Christian faith rating: 1/3
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Violence
abbx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
(Short review)
I loved the idea so much! At first I was skeptical cause I grew up with the Tinker Bell movies and I was curious what the author was gonna do.
I liked how she included the neverbeast and other aspects of the Tinker bell and Peter Pan movies.
I wasn’t a fan of how some of the characters acted but that’s to be expected.
I like how the characters past played a big part of them and how slowly we learned why.
Peter and Lily are hilarious
Peter and Claire are adorable yet frustrating.
I’m hoping to have a more in depth review eventually.
(P.s. I finished this book in a day.)
I loved the idea so much! At first I was skeptical cause I grew up with the Tinker Bell movies and I was curious what the author was gonna do.
I liked how she included the neverbeast and other aspects of the Tinker bell and Peter Pan movies.
I wasn’t a fan of how some of the characters acted but that’s to be expected.
I like how the characters past played a big part of them and how slowly we learned why.
Peter and Lily are hilarious
Peter and Claire are adorable yet frustrating.
I’m hoping to have a more in depth review eventually.
(P.s. I finished this book in a day.)
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, and Death
kfrickle's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It is a pretty interesting twist on the Peter Pan story. I will say that it has some dark and heavy topic moments. I am interested to see what will happen in the second book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence and Self harm
asahome's review
5.0
Two coming of age stories from one too responsible that never had a childhood and one spoiled with no responsibility learning to grow.
Content Warnings by Dust by Kara Swanson - Book Trigger Warnings
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicide attempt and Self harm
emmasbookdiary's review against another edition
5.0
“You were created for more than to bear the weight of your shadows— but you have to choose to no longer let them define you. You have to choose to let the light shine through the shattered pieces.”
2020 First read- Oh. My. Goodness. This book was everything I wanted it to be, and so much more.
This whole book just felt sprinkled in pixie dust. Everything about it was whimsical and utterly beautiful! It’s just left me in a Peter Pan/ Neverland daydream and I love it so entirely.
The characters in this story were absolutely wonderful.
From the very start, I related soo hard to Claire because she’s a major introvert but she also has that side that she reserves for those she cares about. She was such a complex, beautiful character and I loved her and seeing her grow.
Peter blew me away. I was very curious to see how the author would pull off writing about a character like him. But she nailed it. I LOVED him (even though, yes, I wanted to shake him half the time)
I’ve never fully read the classic Peter Pan but I have seen the movie. I remember that I never really understood him, even if I did really like the story.
I love, LOVE how she crafted him. She made him everything we know about Peter Pan... childish, reckless, irresponsible, cocky, and careless. But she also tells us WHY he’s that way. I just really loved that she gave him a back story. It helped me understand him and see him in a way I never imagined. Also, seeing him as a nineteen year old was definitely interesting. And seeing him grow and change throughout the book was the best thing ever. He’s not quite there yet... but BOOK 2!!!!!!!
Tiger Lily was wonderful in so many ways. I also liked Officer Darling.
The villains were complete villains.
There’s so many other little things I love so much. The whole “Pixie-Girl” thing and the dancing with the pixies *heart melts*. The magic was beautifully done. The character-development was brilliant. Peter and Claire made me smile soo much.❤️ I could go on and on.
My only complaint? (Not really a complaint, just an impatient fangirl rant) THE CLIFFHANGER. BOOK 2 CANNOT GET HERE QUICK ENOUGH. Uhhhhhh I’m not okay. How can I wait until July??!?!? I don’t know. But I will be VERY anxiously waiting until then.
So to sum it up? This book was a whimsical, magical, golden work of art and went straight to my favorites. There are soo many beautiful quotes in here. I even got teared up because some of it really hit home. The beauty of this book goes beyond the cover.
Kara Swanson’s writing is soo beautiful and whimsical. Oh my goodness. I loved it so very much.
I really, really can’t wait until the next book. I need more of these characters ASAP. :)
2022 Reread- “The sky is yours, Pixie-Girl.”
I LOVE this book so, so much. I think I might’ve loved it even more this time than the first time if that’s even possible. It’s just so beautiful and magical and I adore it all so much!!
Peter Pan still manages to steal my heart from the start even though he’s a mess. Maybe that’s why I love him so much. He’s not just a boy from a fairytale. He’s human and makes mistakes. He grows so much and his heart is bigger than he realizes. Ah, I just love him!
Claire is absolutely amazing and such a relatable, inspiring character.
Tiger Lily is awesome and I admire her so much. Basically I just love these characters a whole lot.
Ahh! Can I pretty please go to Neverland with Peter Pan?? And is it too much to ask to be his pixie girl??
Now to reread Shadow and become obsessed with Neverland again.✨💚
2020 First read- Oh. My. Goodness. This book was everything I wanted it to be, and so much more.
This whole book just felt sprinkled in pixie dust. Everything about it was whimsical and utterly beautiful! It’s just left me in a Peter Pan/ Neverland daydream and I love it so entirely.
The characters in this story were absolutely wonderful.
From the very start, I related soo hard to Claire because she’s a major introvert but she also has that side that she reserves for those she cares about. She was such a complex, beautiful character and I loved her and seeing her grow.
Peter blew me away. I was very curious to see how the author would pull off writing about a character like him. But she nailed it. I LOVED him (even though, yes, I wanted to shake him half the time)
I’ve never fully read the classic Peter Pan but I have seen the movie. I remember that I never really understood him, even if I did really like the story.
I love, LOVE how she crafted him. She made him everything we know about Peter Pan... childish, reckless, irresponsible, cocky, and careless. But she also tells us WHY he’s that way. I just really loved that she gave him a back story. It helped me understand him and see him in a way I never imagined. Also, seeing him as a nineteen year old was definitely interesting. And seeing him grow and change throughout the book was the best thing ever. He’s not quite there yet... but BOOK 2!!!!!!!
Tiger Lily was wonderful in so many ways. I also liked Officer Darling.
The villains were complete villains.
There’s so many other little things I love so much. The whole “Pixie-Girl” thing and the dancing with the pixies *heart melts*. The magic was beautifully done. The character-development was brilliant. Peter and Claire made me smile soo much.❤️ I could go on and on.
My only complaint? (Not really a complaint, just an impatient fangirl rant) THE CLIFFHANGER. BOOK 2 CANNOT GET HERE QUICK ENOUGH. Uhhhhhh I’m not okay. How can I wait until July??!?!? I don’t know. But I will be VERY anxiously waiting until then.
So to sum it up? This book was a whimsical, magical, golden work of art and went straight to my favorites. There are soo many beautiful quotes in here. I even got teared up because some of it really hit home. The beauty of this book goes beyond the cover.
Kara Swanson’s writing is soo beautiful and whimsical. Oh my goodness. I loved it so very much.
I really, really can’t wait until the next book. I need more of these characters ASAP. :)
2022 Reread- “The sky is yours, Pixie-Girl.”
I LOVE this book so, so much. I think I might’ve loved it even more this time than the first time if that’s even possible. It’s just so beautiful and magical and I adore it all so much!!
Peter Pan still manages to steal my heart from the start even though he’s a mess. Maybe that’s why I love him so much. He’s not just a boy from a fairytale. He’s human and makes mistakes. He grows so much and his heart is bigger than he realizes. Ah, I just love him!
Claire is absolutely amazing and such a relatable, inspiring character.
Tiger Lily is awesome and I admire her so much. Basically I just love these characters a whole lot.
Ahh! Can I pretty please go to Neverland with Peter Pan?? And is it too much to ask to be his pixie girl??
Now to reread Shadow and become obsessed with Neverland again.✨💚
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Violence
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’d literally never heard of this book until I found it on Libby and was intrigued by the cover. Impulsively, I added it to my TBR and put the book on hold. I started reading as soon as it came in, and as soon as I started, I was hooked. (No pun intended.)
I don’t know exactly what it is about Dust that captivated me so quickly, but I had a feeling from the very first chapter that it would be a five-star read and I was right. It’s a much darker retelling of Peter Pan than any I’d seen before, starring not Peter and Wendy but Peter and Claire, the latter being a girl with mysterious, unbeknownst-to-her ties to Neverland. Wendy has come and gone, grown up several generations ago; instead we follow Claire as she searches for her lost twin brother, and Peter as he tries to get back to Neverland. For her, it’s a story of recovering from past trauma and realizing she’s not the broken girl she sees herself as; for him, it’s one of acknowledging mistakes and righting wrongs. For both of them, it’s one of self-doubt, healing, friendship and love.
I loved the two of them instantly, and that love only grew as I kept reading, as did my love for Peter’s friend Tiger Lily, who was also on Earth. I admired Claire’s dedication despite the odds against her, both physical and emotional, and found that even though there was some heavier content in them, Peter’s chapters were so fun to read. For most other characters of his age (nineteen), I’d chide his immaturity and tendency to make jokes out of everything, to pout when things didn’t go his way, but it felt appropriate for his character. I appreciate that Swanson, though she did make him a bit older than is canon for various reasons, didn’t take away his childlike playfulness and naïveté. That’s a core part of his character, and it fit well into his character development over the course of the book.
While some parts of the story were predictable, partially due to my knowledge of the original fairytale and partially due to my ability to read incessantly between the lines, it didn’t matter. I had so much fun reading this, more fun than I’ve had with most of my reading—rereads aside—lately. I was fully invested and unwaveringly eager to read more, but I wasn’t stressed; my heart didn’t pound, I didn’t feel like crying, it was just a good time, and that was a nice change of pace.
The last thing I want to touch on—albeit briefly, to avoid spoilers—is how much I loved Claire and Peter’s relationship. Their friendship was lighthearted and fun to read, especially the banter, yet when it counted, they were still there for each other. And maybe their progression to crushing on each other will seem too much like insta-love for some, but to me, it was just adorable. I felt that they had a good platonic foundation first, rather than just immediately being tempted by infatuation or lust. I love them so, so much. Also, I found it particularly amusing when Peter didn’t know how to handle his crush and was mentally panicking about the possibility of him experiencing puberty. XD
I’ve got high hopes for the sequel, for which I may or may not be ditching the rest of my monthly TBR so I can read it immediately. Dust is definitely one of my top books of 2021—quite a feat, given how late in the year it is and how many other spectacular books I’ve read—and if Shadow is anywhere near as fun, phenomenal and exciting, this duology may very well end up one of my all-time favorites.
Representation
I don’t know exactly what it is about Dust that captivated me so quickly, but I had a feeling from the very first chapter that it would be a five-star read and I was right. It’s a much darker retelling of Peter Pan than any I’d seen before, starring not Peter and Wendy but Peter and Claire, the latter being a girl with mysterious, unbeknownst-to-her ties to Neverland. Wendy has come and gone, grown up several generations ago; instead we follow Claire as she searches for her lost twin brother, and Peter as he tries to get back to Neverland. For her, it’s a story of recovering from past trauma and realizing she’s not the broken girl she sees herself as; for him, it’s one of acknowledging mistakes and righting wrongs. For both of them, it’s one of self-doubt, healing, friendship and love.
I loved the two of them instantly, and that love only grew as I kept reading, as did my love for Peter’s friend Tiger Lily, who was also on Earth. I admired Claire’s dedication despite the odds against her, both physical and emotional, and found that even though there was some heavier content in them, Peter’s chapters were so fun to read. For most other characters of his age (nineteen), I’d chide his immaturity and tendency to make jokes out of everything, to pout when things didn’t go his way, but it felt appropriate for his character. I appreciate that Swanson, though she did make him a bit older than is canon for various reasons, didn’t take away his childlike playfulness and naïveté. That’s a core part of his character, and it fit well into his character development over the course of the book.
While some parts of the story were predictable, partially due to my knowledge of the original fairytale and partially due to my ability to read incessantly between the lines, it didn’t matter. I had so much fun reading this, more fun than I’ve had with most of my reading—rereads aside—lately. I was fully invested and unwaveringly eager to read more, but I wasn’t stressed; my heart didn’t pound, I didn’t feel like crying, it was just a good time, and that was a nice change of pace.
The last thing I want to touch on—albeit briefly, to avoid spoilers—is how much I loved Claire and Peter’s relationship. Their friendship was lighthearted and fun to read, especially the banter, yet when it counted, they were still there for each other. And maybe their progression to crushing on each other will seem too much like insta-love for some, but to me, it was just adorable. I felt that they had a good platonic foundation first, rather than just immediately being tempted by infatuation or lust. I love them so, so much. Also, I found it particularly amusing when Peter didn’t know how to handle his crush and was mentally panicking about the possibility of him experiencing puberty. XD
I’ve got high hopes for the sequel, for which I may or may not be ditching the rest of my monthly TBR so I can read it immediately. Dust is definitely one of my top books of 2021—quite a feat, given how late in the year it is and how many other spectacular books I’ve read—and if Shadow is anywhere near as fun, phenomenal and exciting, this duology may very well end up one of my all-time favorites.
Representation
- indigenous side character of color
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Kidnapping, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, and Death
Ableism is tagged due to repeated use of ableist language, e.g. the word “crazy.” All things tagged minor occurred prior to the story, but are mentioned on page; suicide attempt most prominently, but still infrequently.
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