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what_ella_reads 's review for:
Dust
by Kara Swanson
Updated review: I decided to re-read Dust after starting Shadow and realizing I didn't remember Dust well lol. I enjoyed re-reading Dust and agree with my original review. I'm excited to now get to Shadow :)
My original review:
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I was sooo excited to read this book. I absolutely loved Kara Swanson's novella, "The Girl Who Could See," and had heard nothing about great things about "Dust," so I had REALLY high expectations for this book. I would say that, for the most part, this book lived up to them.
My favorite thing about this book was how it retold the Peter Pan story. I think that the author did a amazing job of retelling the classic Peter Pan story. There are enough changes to the original story to make it fresh, while keeping enough of traditional elements to make it still feel authentic to the original story.
Another thing I loved about this book was the pacing. My attention was kept the entire time I read it, thanks in a big part to the plot twists that keep me guessing how it would end. After reading this book and the aforementioned novella, I think Kara Swanson is a master of plot twists!
One thing that I did struggle to like about this book were the characters, particularly Peter Pan (aka Ben). It's been a little while since I have read a book that had such a morally grey male lead. Peter was downright completely unlikable in some parts of this book. So unlikable, that I'm not sure if I want him and Claire to get together at all, tbh. I will admit, though, that he did grow on me a little by the end of the book. I really hope he goes through major character growth in "Shadow" (which the end of of this book seems to hint that he will).
As for Claire, I really liked her. At first, I did struggle to understand her. As I learned about her traumas, her motives and decisions made sense. Anyone that has struggled with anxiety or depression will find it very easy to relate to Claire and her feelings. I loved that by the end of the book Claire was setting boundaries and charting her own path. I'm excited (and kind of nervous) to find out how Claire's story continues in the next book.
I also really liked two of the side characters, Lily and Jeremy. Their lives and stories seem to be really interesting. I wouldn't mind reading spin-off novellas about them!
Overall this was a really interesting and imaginative read! I will definitely be picking up the next book, "Shadow"!!!
My original review:
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
I was sooo excited to read this book. I absolutely loved Kara Swanson's novella, "The Girl Who Could See," and had heard nothing about great things about "Dust," so I had REALLY high expectations for this book. I would say that, for the most part, this book lived up to them.
My favorite thing about this book was how it retold the Peter Pan story. I think that the author did a amazing job of retelling the classic Peter Pan story. There are enough changes to the original story to make it fresh, while keeping enough of traditional elements to make it still feel authentic to the original story.
Another thing I loved about this book was the pacing. My attention was kept the entire time I read it, thanks in a big part to the plot twists that keep me guessing how it would end. After reading this book and the aforementioned novella, I think Kara Swanson is a master of plot twists!
One thing that I did struggle to like about this book were the characters, particularly Peter Pan (aka Ben). It's been a little while since I have read a book that had such a morally grey male lead. Peter was downright completely unlikable in some parts of this book. So unlikable, that I'm not sure if I want him and Claire to get together at all, tbh. I will admit, though, that he did grow on me a little by the end of the book. I really hope he goes through major character growth in "Shadow" (which the end of of this book seems to hint that he will).
As for Claire, I really liked her. At first, I did struggle to understand her. As I learned about her traumas, her motives and decisions made sense. Anyone that has struggled with anxiety or depression will find it very easy to relate to Claire and her feelings. I loved that by the end of the book Claire was setting boundaries and charting her own path. I'm excited (and kind of nervous) to find out how Claire's story continues in the next book.
I also really liked two of the side characters, Lily and Jeremy. Their lives and stories seem to be really interesting. I wouldn't mind reading spin-off novellas about them!
Overall this was a really interesting and imaginative read! I will definitely be picking up the next book, "Shadow"!!!