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egbella's review against another edition
4.0
First off, I've been wanting to read this book for AGES. I love retellings, especially ones that take extra care in adding layers and deeper backstories to the familiar original characters/plot. So needless to say, a Peter Pan retelling by a young Christian author, especially one with a seemingly kind of angsty Peter (I'm kind of a sucker for those kinds of characters, haha) sounded awesome.
And I'm so glad I finally read this! I found the plot very well-developed and layered, the characters interesting and likeable (mostly - more on this later), and the J. M. Barrie's original story both honored and expanded in a great balance. Pretty much every character felt nuanced and real, and the plot really kept me guessing as Swanson wove backstory hints in. Why weren't Peter and Tiger Lily still in Neverland? What happened to Connor? Where's Tinkerbell? So many questions throughout the entire story that kept me reading. Oh, and yes, Peter was adorable and angsty and relatable, and even though I went back and forth between wanting to slug him and wanting to hug him, he's my absolute favorite character. So well-written.
Caveat: I never like when reviewers dock a star off their review and never address why, so I will quick mention the couple of things that made this a 4-star instead of 5 to me (and only because Goodreads has such a high rating system. If this was an Amazon review, I'd rate it 5. I just can't honestly say I found it AMAZING). Mostly, it just came down to the writing style, which felt a little juvenile/overly dramatic at points to me, and a few ways that the characters felt lacking. I had a hard time relating to Claire and would have liked to see a bit more of her personality/get to know her better. The pacing also felt off sometimes. It makes sense that it'd be slower since it's a duology, but it felt like most the entire first book was setup for the second one. And the romance aspect went a little too fast for my tastes, though I'm not usually a romance reader so I wouldn't change my rating due to that. I'm sure it's very enjoyable to people who like romance in stories!
Really though, those things were all very minor to me. I wasn't completely sucked in, but I did want to keep reading and find out what happened, and there were plenty of moments where I wanted to laugh/cry/grin/all the feels. Even as someone who doesn't seek out romance in the books I read, I still had to 'aww' at a few of the very sweet moments. They truly do make a great couple, and I'd like to see where there relationship progresses too. I also greatly admire Kara's creativity with the plotline and love the direction she took the original story. And of course, that theme! Such a beautiful message about finding where you belong and learning who you are. What a blessing to have such a talented Christian author creating and sharing such powerful stories. I'm extremely excited to read 'Shadow', as well as Kara's future works. Definitely recommend this one, whether you're familiar with the original Peter Pan story or not. It's worth the read!
And I'm so glad I finally read this! I found the plot very well-developed and layered, the characters interesting and likeable (mostly - more on this later), and the J. M. Barrie's original story both honored and expanded in a great balance. Pretty much every character felt nuanced and real, and the plot really kept me guessing as Swanson wove backstory hints in. Why weren't Peter and Tiger Lily still in Neverland? What happened to Connor? Where's Tinkerbell? So many questions throughout the entire story that kept me reading. Oh, and yes, Peter was adorable and angsty and relatable, and even though I went back and forth between wanting to slug him and wanting to hug him, he's my absolute favorite character. So well-written.
Caveat: I never like when reviewers dock a star off their review and never address why, so I will quick mention the couple of things that made this a 4-star instead of 5 to me (and only because Goodreads has such a high rating system. If this was an Amazon review, I'd rate it 5. I just can't honestly say I found it AMAZING). Mostly, it just came down to the writing style, which felt a little juvenile/overly dramatic at points to me, and a few ways that the characters felt lacking. I had a hard time relating to Claire and would have liked to see a bit more of her personality/get to know her better. The pacing also felt off sometimes. It makes sense that it'd be slower since it's a duology, but it felt like most the entire first book was setup for the second one. And the romance aspect went a little too fast for my tastes, though I'm not usually a romance reader so I wouldn't change my rating due to that. I'm sure it's very enjoyable to people who like romance in stories!
Really though, those things were all very minor to me. I wasn't completely sucked in, but I did want to keep reading and find out what happened, and there were plenty of moments where I wanted to laugh/cry/grin/all the feels. Even as someone who doesn't seek out romance in the books I read, I still had to 'aww' at a few of the very sweet moments. They truly do make a great couple, and I'd like to see where there relationship progresses too. I also greatly admire Kara's creativity with the plotline and love the direction she took the original story. And of course, that theme! Such a beautiful message about finding where you belong and learning who you are. What a blessing to have such a talented Christian author creating and sharing such powerful stories. I'm extremely excited to read 'Shadow', as well as Kara's future works. Definitely recommend this one, whether you're familiar with the original Peter Pan story or not. It's worth the read!
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
emma_lynn_writes's review against another edition
5.0
The story. The characters. The setting. The magic. The message. I loved it all!
shorereader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tsunaxa's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 / This wasn’t bad and I haven’t really come across any other Peter Pan retellings, so I was intrigued as it’s one of my favourite fairytales. There was some elements I really liked such as Claire and her Dust magic, but I don’t know, this book lacked something. I feel like the writer could have gone darker, and everyone kept going on about how horrible Peter is and pointing out his narcissism which really didn’t win me over with Peter. There was also some things that weren’t explained or didn’t really make much sense, but it may be cleared up in the second book. I’m still going to read the sequel to know what happens because there were definitely magical moments in this book but it was really so similar to the original fairytale in that way. I feel like the writer could have been more creative with what aspects of the story she adapted and changed. Anyway, not bad!
sunset_farm_library's review
5.0
Let’s fly!
I’ve always loved Peter Pan! And Dust was a WONDERFUL way to continue the story! So much fun, but also quite deep. No spoilers but how Kara handles some of the tough subjects in this otherwise whimsical book is fantastic. There’s a depth of emotion that I find lacking in some other fantasy books these days. This was a 5-star read for me and I can’t WAIT for the sequel!!!
I’ve always loved Peter Pan! And Dust was a WONDERFUL way to continue the story! So much fun, but also quite deep. No spoilers but how Kara handles some of the tough subjects in this otherwise whimsical book is fantastic. There’s a depth of emotion that I find lacking in some other fantasy books these days. This was a 5-star read for me and I can’t WAIT for the sequel!!!
kiwilizzi's review against another edition
4.0
Intriguing story. I read this pretty quickly. I’m not normally a huge fan of Peter Pan or Peter Pan retellings, but I was hooked from the first page of this. It was a bit convoluted, but I’m hoping everything is thoroughly explained and resolved in the next book.
While I hate lying in books because it sets me on edge since it obviously has to all come out at some point, I really liked how Claire initially stood by Peter even when she doubted him (which she obviously was right to). I appreciated her genuine trust in him in the face of danger in order to stick together. While it came out later that he was in fact lying, she did dismiss him, but I thought she was did so with age beyond her years.
Easy read fantasy YA.
While I hate lying in books because it sets me on edge since it obviously has to all come out at some point, I really liked how Claire initially stood by Peter even when she doubted him (which she obviously was right to). I appreciated her genuine trust in him in the face of danger in order to stick together. While it came out later that he was in fact lying, she did dismiss him, but I thought she was did so with age beyond her years.
Easy read fantasy YA.
bookish_bishop's review against another edition
MY REVIEW ON DUST
(More detailed review to come on my blog)
1. Theme—I must say, the theme of the story was woven in expertly and was also clear to understand.
2. Prose—Okay, so I admit it took me a while to get used to the prose. I don’t think it was bad or anything, in fact it was pretty good, except some of the dialogue was sort of jarring for me. (I don’t do well with low English. Sorry.)
3. Characters—TBH, I also took some time getting into the characters. I liked Peter well enough, but Claire was borderline annoying. Just borderline. She was good in some places, but in others it was a bit tough.
4. Plot—I feel like since this is the first book, there’s got to be room for some groundwork laying and world-building. At the same time, I would have appreciated a little more cohesiveness to the story’s plot since I found it was slightly lacking.
5. Execution—I think the execution was wonderful, since the author tied in the storyline, theme (this was most excellently tied in), and the characters were well orchestrated.
TBH, I wanted to like this book more. But I did find myself reading, but was conscious of myself reading, which is what happens when I’m slightly bored. I think it partly had to do with the fact I read it in a loud environment, IDK. Overall the book is good, really, so if YA fantasy with clean romance sounds like your cup of tea, go for it!
(More detailed review to come on my blog)
1. Theme—I must say, the theme of the story was woven in expertly and was also clear to understand.
2. Prose—Okay, so I admit it took me a while to get used to the prose. I don’t think it was bad or anything, in fact it was pretty good, except some of the dialogue was sort of jarring for me. (I don’t do well with low English. Sorry.)
3. Characters—TBH, I also took some time getting into the characters. I liked Peter well enough, but Claire was borderline annoying. Just borderline. She was good in some places, but in others it was a bit tough.
4. Plot—I feel like since this is the first book, there’s got to be room for some groundwork laying and world-building. At the same time, I would have appreciated a little more cohesiveness to the story’s plot since I found it was slightly lacking.
5. Execution—I think the execution was wonderful, since the author tied in the storyline, theme (this was most excellently tied in), and the characters were well orchestrated.
TBH, I wanted to like this book more. But I did find myself reading, but was conscious of myself reading, which is what happens when I’m slightly bored. I think it partly had to do with the fact I read it in a loud environment, IDK. Overall the book is good, really, so if YA fantasy with clean romance sounds like your cup of tea, go for it!
amandadurham's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
2.0
Not my kind of story. But I'm sure other people will love it. It is very well written just not my kind of read.