Shadow

Heirs of Neverland, Book 2

By: Kara Swanson

Narrated by: Natasha Soudek

Book two in the Heirs of Neverland series.

©2021 Kara Swanson (P)2021 Oasis Audio

A Book About Pain, Loss, Healing, and Forgiveness

The first book in this series was a bit slow, in my opinion, but in this book, we finally make it to Neverland and the pace really starts to pick up. Overall, I really liked this book, but I did have a couple of minor quibbles, so let's get those out of the way first.

What I Didn't Like: Claire comes across as a bit too Mary Sue-ish at times, but she does have moments of weakness, and she is arguably her own worst enemy. Not the best original character, but also not the worst. My only other real complaint is that I miss some of the characters from the original. Wendy and her brothers don’t show up in the story–not even in flashbacks–and Tink is dead by the time we meet Peter in the first book. Mr. Smee and the pirate crew are nowhere to be seen. The crocodile does show up briefly but has no major interactions with Hook…and Hook himself, though intriguing and complex in the moments we DO get with him, doesn’t get as much “screen time” as I would have liked.

What I DID Like: Despite the fact that it took awhile for me to get into and was a bit OC heavy for my taste, I would still recommend this book series. It’s clear the author is a deep thinker willing to tackle some heavy issues…and she does so with grace, humility, and honesty. On the surface, this mini-series may just be a Peter Pan-themed story about a girl finding herself and her place in the world, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a story about pain and how our response to it can break not only ourselves but those around us. It’s a story about forgiveness and growth and how sometimes even when we try to reconcile with others, they choose to walk away. And it’s a story about healing in all its messy, difficult beauty. Emotional/mental pain is explored with genuineness and compassion in a way that few authors manage. All of the characters are messed up in some way from past traumas and hurts, though how they manage that pain and how their responses affect the people around them differ greatly. Peter tries to forget anything bad ever happened and so, for a long time, never matures and ends up forgetting some important people in his life and good things along with the bad. Claire tries to shut out her negative emotions, terrified that she will hurt someone if she allows herself to feel everything, and hurts herself more than anyone in the process. Connor allows his pain to entirely consume him and anyone who gets in his way. Paige grows so bitter and comes to love wallowing in her pain so much that she won’t allow even the one person she loves to drag her out of it…and destroys herself in the process. And Hook allows himself to do terrible things in the name of love for someone who he can’t see cares more about herself than him. It’s a story of loss, redemption, forgiveness, and healing. And the author doesn’t gloss over things. Not everyone is saved, even when others attempt to make amends…and those who do come out better in the end only do so after great sacrifice and confronting their own personal darkness. Some characters die and stay dead. Some require extensive emotional healing that only time, patience, and love will fix. Magic isn’t a cure-all even in a world where flying and eternal youth are possible. It isn’t always pretty, but there is a lot of truth to it.

Overall, worth the read and a book I'd recommend checking out.

loved this series

you'll love this twist on peter pan. one of the best peter pan series I've read this year

Amazing!

A well written and riveting story! You’ll fall in love with the characters. At times it felt like the narration didn’t match the tone of the story, but highly enjoyable nonetheless.

BEST PETER PAN STORY EVER!!🤩

Oh my word!! Where to start?!?! This was the prefect ending and had so many surprising twists and turns to get there!! I loved watching Peter and Claire grow throughout this story!!!🥰

An enchanting conclusion to a beautiful adventure

First, if you haven't yet read Dust by Kara Swanson, that's a must. Shadow is the second half of the story and should not be read unless Dust has already been read.

That said, I am delighted to say that I may like Shadow even better than Dust--and I loved Dust! There are so many twists and turns, highs and lows, that you never quite know what to expect next. And isn't that perfect for a story involving Neverland? The characters are complex, engaging, and fascinating. This story has all the feels. If you don't choke up, laugh out loud, and heave a happy sigh, you just aren't paying attention. Add to that descriptions that defy the imagination, with just a hint of poetry, and you'll almost swear you flew over Neverland yourself. I honestly can't think of a single negative point. Which is why I am wholeheartedly giving this incredible fantasy novel 5 stars.

And like the frosting on the cake, I'm quite happy with the narration of this audiobook version, as well.

Even Better Than the Original

I liked but didn't love the original Peter Pan. However, I loved Kara Swanson's Heirs of Neverland duology. Claire and her dust, a troubled young woman with an even more troubled twin Connor are compelling characters. And Peter in this story is so much more likable than Berrie's Peter Pan, who I found to be annoying.
The plot flows with the right amount of tension and character development and the dual POVs of Claire and Peter enhance this.
Also, that it's a duology and not a trilogy. I love this!! Trilogies more often than not drag with a sagging middle book. This duology is a pair of tight stories that might need to revisit for the themes of love, hurt, loss, and relationships.

Didn't Enjoy It As Much As I Thought

I was trying to enjoy this book so much, but I don't know what about the writing style that is not grapping my attention ..
In this book Peter finds himself in Neverland, and he thinks Claire is dead so he tries to find Connor and stop him from ruining Neverland, but the surprise is Claire is alive and has been a prisoner in Skull Rock for two months, and the real villain is someone who is trying to escape neverland once and for all, Paige .. the first lost girl and Peter Pan's sister
I always thought I needed a book where Peter Pan gets his own love story (because I'm a hopeless romantic like that ) but after reading this book I realized Peter Pan is never meant for romantic love, at best he can be considered a safe haven, or a guardian angel .. but not a lover.
I have to be honest, I didn't fully understand the ending but I guess some people were ok in the end and that's all I need to know.
the covers for these books are amazing, and I'm always down to read anything Peter Pan but this one wasn't for me