Book Review: Dust

Review by Madeline Oliver

Dust by Kara Swanson

Dust is a Peter Pan retelling about Peter Pan, who is grounded in London and being hunted by his own lost boys, and Claire who just wants to find her twin brother, Connor, who has been missing for nearly six years. 

After getting a tip from her friend on Conner’s possible location, she hurries to London, desperate to find him. There, she runs into one of Peter Pan’s reluctant colleagues, The Guardian, who sends her to Kensington Gardens where she will meet someone that can help her find who she’s looking for. That someone is Peter Pan. 

When Claire arrives at Kensington Gardens, she unknowingly joins Peter Pan in looking up at the Peter Pan statue. When Peter discovers that Claire hates him, he lies and introduces himself as Ben Kensington. Claire follows Peter and Tiger Lily back to their humble flat where the lost boys find them and try to take them back to Hook. But when Claire escapes, she’s confronted by Captain Hook and her friend who had been helping her find Connor. She goes with them to Hook’s ship and he ties her to the mast. 

When Peter swoops in to rescue her, she confronts him about his lies and he admits them. Claire chooses Conner, who is apparently in Neverland, over the lying Peter Pan, whom she already hated from the beginning even though she’s now somewhat in love with him. Ignoring her feelings about Peter and embracing her longing for her brother, she leaves Peter behind and goes with Hook to Neverland. After explaining the truth of the events in Neverland to The Guardian and Tiger Lily, Peter goes after Claire to rescue her and the island one more time.

Content Warnings: None

Page Count: 348

Age Recommendation: 14-19

Other Works by Kara Swanson: The Girl Who Could See, Shadow, Ignite, and Inferno (Which hasn’t been released yet).