Dust

Claire is living a life of sadness and survival as she cares for herself and searches for her brother, Conner, who disappeared six years ago. Claire also has a secret. When she feels emotions, dust comes streaming out of her hands. She feels like her dust is a curse.

Peter Pan is stuck in London away from Neverland along with the Lost Boys, Tiger Lily, and Captain Hook. He is desperate to get back and knows Claire is the key to unlocking the way back. When Claire finally gets some information on where Conner was last seen, she travels to London to search for more clues. She goes to the police and gets a name from Officer Darling. She looks for a man named James Hocken, who may know about her brother. She finds more clues leading her to a pub the Siren’s Song, which takes her to Officer Darling, aka the Guardian, who guides her to find someone who can help her in Kingston Gardens.

In Kingston Garden, Claire finds a very handsome boy by the Peter Pan statue. They talk a bit, but she tells him she hates Peter Pan because he took her brother. The boy, Peter Pan, figures out that she’s the one he’s been looking for and decides to tell her his name is Ben and that he is a lost boy to get her to trust him so he can get back to Neverland. As the lies Peter tells begin to unravel, Claire begins to see a choice between the boy that lied and never grew up or Captain Hook, who has, so far, told her the truth. The question is which one will she help get back to Neverland?

Characters: I loved Peter and Claire was okay. I think Claire was a hard character for me to like because she was so depressed at the beginning and very introverted. It made her not super likable, but it gave her great character growth. Peter was very beautifully written. I liked the play on what a teenage boy Peter, who still shirked responsibility, would look like. I hated that he lied, but I also understood it was necessary for the plot.
Writing Style: I liked the premise. The beginning was a bit slow—especially the Claire chapters. The descriptions were absolutely stunning.
I loved the scenes where Claire is out of control and her dust is dark and acidic. I think it is a great show of what mental struggles can do to a person and those closest to you until you can come back to see the good in yourself. It truly reminded me of how fragile our self-worth can be. I really loved the ending!

Age recommendation: 14 and up.