Book Review: Dust by Kara Swanson

Mrs Kara's absolutely stunning cover!!!!

Claire Kenton believes the world is too dark for magic to be real--since her twin brother was stolen away as a child. Now Claire's desperate search points to London... and a boy who shouldn't exist.

Peter Pan is having a beastly time getting back to Neverland. Grounded in London and hunted by his own Lost Boys, Peter searches for the last hope of restoring his crumbling island: a lass with magic in her veins.

The girl who fears her own destiny is on a collision course with the boy who never wanted to grow up. The truth behind this fairy tale is about to unravel everything Claire thought she knew about Peter Pan--and herself. (Blurb from Amazon.) 

This was the craziest thing I've read since Napoleon of Notting Hill (Book Review in the works!). It was whimsical, fantastical, nuts, beautiful, powerful, and brutally honest. 

I found myself relating to Claire more than I expected, especially since my life is nothing like hers. Her intense need to believe in what she could do, and to be loved really spoke to me. Overall, Mrs Kara has portrayed a broken main character in a truly beautiful, but heart wrenching way. 

Peter was a complex character, and though I don't use as much British cursing as he does hehe, I found myself relating to him as well. Peter has this desperate need to get back to Neverland, and he will stop at nothing, even if it means manipulating a 19 year old American girl into doing what he wants, to get there. 

The side characters were interesting too: The shady N. and Tiger Lily, a princess from Neverland. 

Having begun Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie and found it strange, Dust was surprisingly better, and filled with hard truth and relatable characters which more than made up for the peculiarities of Peter Pan. 

Overall this is a tale about learning to let go in order to move on. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a good Fantasy novel to read this summer!! I can't wait to read the sequel!! 

Content Warnings: Gore? I mean, there wasn't a whole lot, but Peter does get badly burned twice. Its not described in great detail. Sensitive Topics: Claire has a memory of attempted suicide a couple of times. Again, its not described in huge detail, but it is there, and it has defined who she is when the story begins. 

Keep an eye out for my review of the second book in this duology, Shadow!