Dust (Volume 1) (Heirs of Neverland)

The story of peter pan has always been really special to me, and to find such an amazing, fresh, vivid retelling of it is so amazing!This book just feel so alive, and the characters are so real it hurts (in a good way)Kara Swanson never dissapoints, and I 100% recommend this book to lovers of peter pan, or anyone looking for a good story about the light in a fallen world <3

I went into Dust hearing a ton of hype, wondering if it would live up to it, and let me tell you...IT LIVED UP TO THE HYPE!! My gosh I loved Dust so much!! Everything was just so so beautiful and I'm left speechless.*rubs hands together* Let's dive into this beauty.The plot, while a little slow in the beginning, soon picked up pace and I couldn't put the book down! This book was super engaging and I was hooked (pun intended) from the first sentence. Ahhh I loved it so much!! Somehow, despite this literally being the title and a big part of the book, I'd never heard that Claire had pixie dust and was surprised to read that, but in a completely good way. It was so cool!! I loved the dynamics of it and how it reflected her emotions.All of the characters were so well developed and I loved them alll!! Claire was amazing and I love that girl. She was hurt and broken, yet free and loving. Her dust is crazy cool. I like how she just wanted to save her brother through the whole book. She wasn't waylaid by the majesty of finding out Peter Pan and Neverland is real or anything else. She was focused on one thing: finding and saving her brother. Peter!! I. Stinking. Love. Him. He was such a great character, and I LOVED how his hurts and past was represented in him refusing to grow up. His whole character arc was amazing and I just loved him. He was so witty and fun, and his love for sweets was great. Tiger Lily is a boss and I adore her. She was absolutely amazing and I can't wait to read more about her!! And all of those secrets and betrayals of some of the characters?? Daaang!!The romance!! Ahhh I love it! Not only is it clean with only a couple non detailed kisses, but it was written so good! That whole scene with the pixies and dancing was so cute and adorable and just ahh!!!That ending though. I felt alll the emotions as everything crumbled down around them. I cannot wait to start reading Shadow!! Guys, if you still haven't read this book yet, please please go to do! It's amazing, fun, beautiful, whimsical, emotional, and so much more!

After finishing Set the Stars Alight (another fantastic book), I found myself hungry for more books with shall we say, "enchanting" elements. Kara Swanson's latest skirts the young adult category a little more than I like, but it fit the bill. I love fractured fairy tales and fairy tales with a twist, so Dust did not disappoint.Before I get into the fairy tale with a twist part though, I do want to give special mention to protagonist Claire Kenton. Her relatable voice and equally relatable, sometimes heartbreaking circumstances, suck you in immediately. She sounds like your average girl living in 2020 California and London, with a cynical undertone appropriate, if not always ideal, for a nineteen-year-old. Yet she wants to embrace faith and trust so much, you can't help rooting for her. Myself, I also couldn't help but identify with her. I haven't felt "broken" or like an outcast for her reasons, but I've been there--sans the pixie dust, unfortunately. Yet, I could still relate as Claire learned how to handle her pixie dust, and learned who she would choose to be. There's a part where she voices the fear, "What if this is all I am," and it punched me square in the gut. Of course, that also helped me cheer for her when she later declared, "I choose light."As much as Claire carried the story though, the other characters kept my interest and made me root for or against them, too. Tiger Lily was a favorite; Kara nailed the creation of a modern fairy tale character with her. I also loved the way her maturity was a foil to Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. Additionally, I appreciated the way Kara wrote James Hocken/Hook, because right up to the end, I could never decipher his intentions. I'm still not 100% sure he's the bad guy--or at least, the bad guy we need to worry about during the series. And I like that. It kept me on my toes.As for Peter Pan himself...wow. I've seen versions of his story where he is the antagonist--the wonderful Once Upon a Time version comes to mind (in fact, I found myself thinking about OUAT a lot while reading Dust). But again, Kara gives Pan her own unique twist. He's unsympathetic and annoying, maybe dangerous, and yet you want him to grow. Yes, grow up, but just grow as a person. Peter Pan wouldn't be an easy character to write in a complex way, I think. So, kudos to Kara for letting me see both sides of him--the manipulator and schemer, plus the perpetually lost and misguided little boy.Additionally, Kara did a great job of capturing the London setting, and again, making it feel both modern and timeless or "classic." Several scenes, such as Pan's rooftop chases with the Lost Boys, made me think of gritty Dickensian London, full of adventure, street urchins, pickpockets, and hidden redemption. Others made me think of Once Upon a Time again, or just a couple of late teens kids bonding over cake and a trip to the local Tesco. Bravo.Okay, so with all that said, why four stars? Well again, at times the book felt a little "young" for me, meaning that it didn't go as deep as I wanted it to. Several places seem to have gaps in the development of story or characters. I guess that's because more of the series is coming, but while I liked the cliffhanger ending, I sometimes felt like I was left hanging in the middle of the story, too. I felt cheated out of character development and growth; for instance, I wanted to know more about why Connor retained fairy tale faith while Claire became the cynical one, and not the other way around. I wanted to know more about Claire's time in an institution and/or the foster care system. I wanted to know more about Neverland as a world, not just a broken system. You get the idea.I wanted a little more spirituality, too. Again, I think that's coming, so I won't fault Kara much. I did like how she mentioned the Ever One, and how she set up some spiritual discussions about things like rejection vs. true identity. Again, I just wanted a little more.Overall, Dust is a great bet if you like modern fairy tales or speculative fiction. Again, it's not a "deep" book and that can be disappointing. But it has just enough crossover appeal that I think readers of all ages would like it, and I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

"Dust" caught me up in a quest for adventure!It blew my mind! I thought the world of "Peter pan" was simply fun and games, this brought a whole new level of depth and intriguing.I highly recommend this book to all fantasy lovers!

I totally understand that this book is not for everyone. And yet I was sold the moment I started reading. The writing style really grabbed me. It was the perfect mix between atmospheric and emotional. I felt every word and even I could almost visualize all the locations in this book. Although this book is not taking place in Neverland there is a lot of magic in the book. I quite liked having this magic in London. I most of all love Peter Pan in this book though. Especially because he's exactly what he is in the original tale. He's both the monster and the hero. I can't wait to read Shadow!

English/EspañolFrom the first chapter I went back to my childhood, I loved the movies, I watched them over and over again (although I must admit that I never read the books). Kara Swanson's writing is amazing, although if you are just beginning to learn English I recommend having a dictionary/translator handy because it’s a bit heavy. Peter and Claire, both struggling with their past in different ways, Lily always there to offer help. Each of the characters is excellently developed; Claire, struggling with the lies trying to find herself; Peter, an immature boy dealing with past, present and future problems; Lily, a great ally and friend, a simple and complicated character at the same time. I wish Lily had participated more in the story, she is a great friend. [ SPOILER REVIEW ] Now, about Tink ... ¡¿why?! I would have really liked her appearance. I don't understand why I didn't see the cliffhanger coming... I NEED THE SECOND BOOK![ E S P A Ñ O L ]Desde el primer capítulo me regresó a mi niñez, me encantaban las pelis, las veía una y otra vez (aunque debo admitir que nunca leí los libros).La escritura de Kara Swanson es asombrosa, aunque si apenas estás comenzando a aprender inglés te recomiendo tener diccionario/traductor a la mano ya que es un poco pesada.Peter y Claire, ambos luchando con su pasado de diferentes maneras, Lily siempre allí para ofrecer su ayuda.Cada uno de los personajes está excelente mente desarrollado; Claire, luchando con las mentiras intentando encontrarse a sí misma; Peter, un chico inmaduro tratando con los problemas pasados, presentes y futuros; Lily, una gran aliada y amiga, una personaje sencilla y complicada al mismo tiempo.Me hubiera gustado que Lily hubiera participado más en la historia, es una amiga genial.[ SPOILER REVIEW ]Ahora, sobre Tink... ¡¿porqué?! Me hubiera gustado muchísimo su aparición.No entiendo porqué no ví al cliffhanger venir... ¡NECESITO EL SEGUNDO LIBRO!

Really good if you loved Peter pan growing up it's amazing and such a good storyline

Este libro fue para regarlo a una amiga. Ella es muy fan de los retellings de Peter Pan y le ha encantado.Muy buena compra.