Dust

Heirs of Neverland, Book 1

By: Kara Swanson

Narrated by: Natasha Soudek

Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

The truth about Neverland is far more dangerous than a fairy tale.

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.

©2020 Kara Swanson (P)2020 Oasis Audio

Of Dust and Peter

This story takes a whole new approach to the story or Peter Pan and his story of never growing up.

Neverland is in trouble and Peter is trying everything he can to get back but he has a problem, the lost boys want to capture him and bring him to their new leader, Captain Hook.
Meanwhile Claire is convinced her brother Connor was kidnapped and taken and finally has found a lead. Now these two are on a collision course that will determine the fate of Neverland forever.

So much emotion!!

This is the best YA story I’ve read in ages. It kept me riveted. The Claire and Peter are believable and flawed, yet simultaneously lovable and strong. Anyone who has ever struggled with mental illness will (in my opinion) be able to strongly relate with Claire. Brought tears to my eyes more than once. The ending was PERFECT! So many emotions all handled so accurately.

Also I loved the audio performance of this story. Very well done. And giving Peter a gentle British accent was a fantastic touch. Fit him amazingly and also made it very easy to distinguish the two POVs even though it’s all in first person.

Can’t wait for the next book!! And I’ll definitely be revisiting this one in the future.

New take on Neverland

I thought what Kara Sawnson did with Neverland and Peter Pan was creative and original. I was hooked. However the narrator almost ruined it. She read so slow and made everything feel to emotional. The story has a little too much self introspection instead of showing how the characters grow there is too much telling.

Stunning!

This was SO GOOD! I'll be honest with you, I wasn't sure a Peter Pan retelling/sequel would be my cup of tea. Peter Pan was enjoyable enough as a movie, but it was never my most favorite story, and I wasn't actually all that into to original tale when I read it. I'd also never read anything by Kara Swanson before this, so I had no idea if I'd like her style or not. But I'm happy to say that I LOVE her style and I enjoyed the story itself very much, too.

I personally feel Dust leans more toward being a sequel for Peter Pan than a retelling. All the stuff with Wendy (and her daughter Jane, for that matter) happened in the past and this story happens in modern day. Neverland has changed. Peter has changed. In fact, Peter is aging! I found the idea of all of this, as well as the idea of a girl with pixie blood who sheds pixie dust from her skin to be fun and interesting and the author did an amazing job giving the characters depth and distinct, unique voices. The story itself does have some darker overtones with the trauma from Claire's past (and Peter's past, for that matter) but I felt the author used this darkness to make the themes of hope and faith shine brighter than they would have if Claire's and Peter's paths in life had been totally smooth, rather than wallowing in the darkness. Truly, I loved the handling of those themes and found them very touching. I also loved Claire and Peter's interactions with each other. They're so different and yet they both had something the other needed.

I also liked that the author answered the question of why Peter didn't want to grow up and showed through his behavior that true maturity is important, BUT kept a balance in acknowledging that there's nothing wrong with holding onto the childlike faith and hope of youth. Maturity, faith, and hope are not mutually exclusive!

My one disappointment was that we didn't get to Neverland in this book. I thought we would, so I was a little disappointed there, but at the same time, I see why we didn't because it seems like that's what we're going to explore in the next book and I want the author to have plenty of room to explore. I'm a little nervous because Neverland sounds ominous now given what was revealed at the end of this book, but I see potential for a really beautiful redemption arc here and I want to see it happen!

The only other thing I didn't like was the revelation that a certain character from the original Peter Pan apparently died before this story started, and the manner of their death was pretty terrible, though thankfully not described in extreme detail. Still, that was very sad. At the same time, I acknowledge that I understand why it happened, because if it hadn't, certain other things wouldn't have been able to happen. So... I'll just go cry quietly in a corner over that character, I guess. XD

Overall, I enjoyed this more than I expected to and am very much looking forward to the sequel! Though I often don't buy physical copies of books I listen to on audio, I have gotten a physical copy of this one because I loved it enough to reread it!

great story, didn't like narration!

I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the sequel! I flew thru this book in 2 days! my only complaint is the narration. she makes Peter's voice sound like an old man, I actually thought he was an old man for a quarter of the book!! it really threw things off. and she added extra attitude as well. next book I'm going to read on kindle to avoid the narration.

Astonishing!!!

I’ll admit, it did start off a little slow, but OH MY GOSH!!! I am usually apprehensive about Peter Pan retellings as they usually turn very dark and twisted. This was such a pleasant surprise!!! I can’t wait to listen to Shadow next!!! Highly recommend for anyone who loves faith, trust, and pixie dust!!!

Captivating and beautiful!

I’m usually more at home with 19th century authors, but Swanson pulled me in with this tale. So many twists and turns, so many surprises. Beautifully written.

Narration was fantastic. Thank you for the joy!

Great Story

I enjoy the variations of Peter Pan and this storyline does not disappoint. Great story filled with darkness and light. Downside is that there isn’t a lot that happens in the first book, but I was wrapped enough in the performance that I didn’t mind. Looking forward to book 2!

My new favorite fantasy book EVER ❤️

I cannot praise this audiobook enough. A brilliant and moving take on Pan in a modern way. The lead character’s Phoenix from the ashes story was deeply moving for me, especially as someone who has had her own intense health struggles to overcome. Her journey of strength and transformation gave me hope for myself. Peter’s own awakening gave me hope for others. And I thought the narrator did an absolutely exquisite job, with perfect emotional dynamics and range and alternating seamlessly between the male and female characters. Her heart came pouring through, and her voice is like velvet. I am now obsessed with it lol and could listen to her all day.

My only regret with this gorgeous audiobook is that the sequel is not yet out. Thank you so much to the author and narrator for making my week so beautiful. It’s been a tough time, and this book was light in the darkness for me, and will ever remain so.

Beautiful

Beautiful reimagining of Peter Pan about what it feels like to be lost and then found; to be searching and yearning for a sense of belonging.