Dust By Kara Swanson

I have been so very VERY excited for this release! (It may possibly be my most anticipated release of 2020!) Kara is one of my instructors on the Young Writer's Workshop, so I got to see some of the behind-the-scenes work (without spoilers, of course). So I eagerly counted down the days until Dust found its way to my mailbox.

I. Was. Not. Disappointed.

But first, what's this Dust deal about?

Claire Kenton hasn't given up on her brother. Not through anything--and she's been through a lot. Abandoned as a child, tossed in and out of foster homes, tested due to the strange dust that seeps from her skin at the oddest of times.

Even losing her twin brother, Connor.

Claire Kenton also hates Peter Pan. Because it was him--or his story, rather--that convinced her brother to step on a plane with a stranger to London.

Which is why Claire is headed for London herself.

She's about to find out that Peter Pan is no fairy tale. In fact, he's stuck in London, with a dozen things he can't remember, and all too many memories he wishes he could forget. He's hunted by his own Lost Boys, he can't fly, and worst of all, he's aging.

His only hope to get back and save his island? A girl named Claire Kenton.

A girl who hates him.

So much was packed into this modern-day Peter Pan retelling. Almost any issue a teenager faces was addressed through this sparkling allegory, even heavier topics such as depression and suicide. The themes of self-image and facing your past flew side-by-side and never faltered.

The imagery in this book is absolutely gorgeous. There were scenes that literally took my breath away. I saw it all and felt like I was there.

And the character voices were largely to blame for that. Both were so unique. I was especially interested in Peter's--how Kara conveyed both this new mature side of him that he's not quite sure how to deal with, and then sometimes even in the next second, his fun-loving childish side would jump out into the light.

The retelling was very interesting--hints of the original story seeped into the plot and characters, while at the same time created something entirely new.

Dust  has quickly become one of my most recommended books and one of my very favorite. Now I'm looking forward to Shadow's release next year!