Reviews

Dust by Kara Swanson

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booknerd98's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.0

josiahdegraaf's review against another edition

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4.0

I had the privilege to read an early draft of the work earlier this year. The published version is even better. Swanson has a powerful knack of getting into her character's heads and weaves some wonderful deception and tension between them with the various secrets characters are keeping.

(Or at least the one's Peter's keeping. I guess it's mostly Peter. Though I suppose Hook probably has secrets of his own.)

Between some fantastic characters, a riveting conclusion, and a powerful setup for Shadow, I'm looking forward to seeing where this series leads. Excellent depiction of Hook to boot. This is a solid read.

Rating: 4 Stars (Very Good).

2nd2lastunicorn's review against another edition

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5.0

A very cute whimsical retelling of Peter Pan!

Claire has always known she was different and after her brother went missing she felt more broken than ever. He claimed he left with Peter Pan, now she has to find him.

Peter is stuck in London. No longer able to fly or trust his Lost Boys he needs to find the girl with magic in her veins to return home. But Neverland is a different place than what people think it is and Peter has to learn to grow up and face his mistakes to heal what has been broken.

the_bookish_raven's review against another edition

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5.0

4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5)

Claire has spent her whole life wondering what was wrong with her. The only one she was ever comfortable with was her brother Conner, that is, until his disappearance. Claire is the only one still searching for him. Peter Pan is stuck in London. Neverland is not the same as it used to be and he is unable to return without help from a girl who can fly. But the Lost Boys and Hook are after him, making it difficult to survive. When Claire and Peter cross paths, the two decide to work together to accomplish their own goals--but will Peter's secrets tear them apart for good?

I loved this! I'm ashamed to admit that I've never read the original Peter Pan; I've only watched the Disney movie. Even so, I love the story and this re-telling was incredible! The book seemed to move kinda slowly, but it was still entertaining. Peter was probably my favorite character. His struggles with his past and his identity made me want to root for him! Tiger Lily is also such an amazing character and I love her strength and confidence. I have mixed feelings about Claire, but I'll hold off on being too hard on her until I read the next book. This re-telling is unique, original, and dark, but the lessons it teaches are so uplifting and meaningful.

I honestly loved this Peter Pan re-telling! The story is totally clean, so a younger reader should have no issues reading this. I would recommend to readers who like re-tellings, fantasy, or fairytales!

kate_98's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious 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

3.75

kristinasshelves's review against another edition

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4.0

Peter Pan is real.

Claire has been searching for her twin brother, Conner, for the past five years. Their mother abandoned them as babies and they've only really had each other throughout their tumultuous lives. The only remnant Claire has is Conner's battered copy of [b:Peter Pan|34268|Peter Pan|J.M. Barrie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1337714526l/34268._SX50_.jpg|1358908]. She gets information that Conner was taken to London, so she leaves everything behind to find answers. Once there, Claire encounters Captain Hook and his pirates, the Lost Boys, Tiger Lily and Peter Pan himself under a pseudonym. As she realizes that the story she knows so well is not fiction, she learns more about her place in the world and the power that lives inside of her.

Peter is just as much a villain as Hook, leaving both Claire and the reader constantly guessing at who can be trusted as more is discovered about the realities of Neverland and what has become of Conner. This ended on a cliffhanger and I cannot wait until [b:Shadow|50396157|Shadow (Heirs of Neverland, #2)|Kara Swanson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1614213283l/50396157._SX50_.jpg|75354910] is released in two days!

As far as retellings go, Kara Swanson did an excellent job blending the original story of Peter Pan with her own modern twists. This is a YA book, so the romance that is hinted at was predictable, but the rest of the plot was fantastic. I loved the themes of finding your own worth and the dubious nature given to all of the character.

This title is released through Enclave Publishing, who focus on Christian Science-fiction and fantasy. I would not have guessed this book to be categorized as Christian fiction, but it is clean and contains a message of hope. There is a passage about light overcoming darkness, but in relation to magic, so not exactly what I'd consider an allegory. Tiger Lily also references her tribes deity "Ever One" who hung the stars in the sky which I can see being analogous to God, but is also a stretch.