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A review by emmasbookdiary
Dust by Kara Swanson
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