Kara Swanson

“‘This place isn’t afraid of me. And neither are you. That’s’ . . .A knowing look fills his brown eyes. ‘Like being able to breathe for the first time?’”

Kara Swanson has a way of relating her YA fantasy stories in a very memorable way! Having read her two previous Neverland books, I was eager to see what Swanson would produce next. I was not disappointed! ​

This is the story of a young Phoenix who is hidden away with her flock, taught to fear anything or one not part of her show more restricted world​. Only her father can keep the extreme fire power within her from destroying everything around her. But when the flock disappears, and Mara must search for them, she finds more confusion and a different world than she’d ever imagined.

What a wonderful way to show young people that they are made with a purpose to be celebrated in their uniqueness as special. To realize that helping others is a noble calling and worth a sacrifice. The strength of love can enable creatures (or people) to stand strong together, against a difficult foe.

Eli really impresses me with his selflessness in giving to the Hollows. Mara asks him why he sacrifices to give to them, when they don't give back, and might be happy to hunt his father. He replies, “Because they need light and warmth as much as anyone else… It’s not about them agreeing with me or treating us well. It’s just being decent. Everyone deserves a chance to live. I can’t let them freeze to death when I can do something to help them.”

Be prepared for a cliff-hanger!​

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotable:

“We, more than anyone, know that dying is easy. But living? As Eli said, living is harder.” show less

This!! This YA retelling of a childhood favorite, Peter Pan, and how Neverland came to be, is a must-read for all Peter Pan lovers. Some of us reluctantly left Peter Pan behind, realizing we had to grow up, wishing we could stay in his world, but our metaphysical world marches on, not allowing that. Somehow, Kara Swanson’s Heirs of Neverland series has healed that yearning of my soul to stay in Neverland, but most wonderfully. Swanson guides us first in Dust, now in Shadow, to meet the show more present, disturbed Neverland. Peter is partially grown up physically, but his emotional growth is questionable. We meet siblings Claire and Connor. Connor has been taken to Neverland by Hook in Dust and Claire is working to get him back. Shadow is not a light-hearted book, although there are moments of joy, romance, and hope to struggle to overcome the darkness that is fast becoming Neverland. Will these be strong enough to offset the reality of childhood abuse, nightmares, and evil determined to overtake Neverland and all the beloved inhabitants we remember (and a few new friends)? Enough angst, despair, evil, intrigue, with glimmers of hope, love, and growth struggling to break through to appeal to both young adults, those who work with them, and for all who once journeyed with Pan and Wendy to Neverland. Just incredible!!
I gratefully received a copy of this book from the author and publisher through Celebrate Lit and NetGalley. I also purchased a hardback copy for myself and a friend. No positive review was required. All opinions are my own.
Notable Quotables:

“You can’t heal a wound by making one.”

...magic lurks in the unexpected places.” show less

"No matter what happens, we're all just ash in the end... Living is the hard part."

This eagerly anticipated book was so worth the wait. If you fell in love with Heirs of Neverland, Kara Swanson will wow you again with this incredible tale of a young woman finding herself and her purpose in a frozen world where phoenixes and humans coexist. If you've never read a Kara Swanson book, you definitely need to read this one.

Told mostly in Mara's first person perspective, the plot moves briskly to show more paint a desolate and dying world where Mara is tasked with protecting her people but learns more than she bargained for when she ventures out into the world. Mara is full of loyalty, grit, and compassion but also suffocating under grief, loss, and anger. She is easy to love and root for as she navigates truth versus lies in her existence. And Eli is the perfect hero. His actions and words attest to a humble, loyal, compassionate, and tender man who wants to do good no matter the sacrifice. I loved the weaving of faith thread into this fantasy world and am (again) eagerly anticipating the follow up book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Enclave Publishing via Celebrate Lit Tours and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own. show less

This book was kind of amazing. They finally FINALLY make it to Neverland after the entire first book of them not making it to Neverland. And things are not anything like what Claire expected. Which is understandable. She did choose to trust Hook after all. And her brother is, well, not exactly the way she remembers him. He's kind of a mess. And Peter is Peter and we love him, but Boy, you got some growing up to do. Tiger Lily got to be more of a badass than I've ever seen her. The lost boys show more are everything you hoped for and more. Even Hook was a more complex character than usual. He even had his good/nearly good moments.

And Claire and Peter are end game, if they survive. I cannot tell you how many times in the book I wasn't sure if they would survive! And actually, now that I've finished the book, I still don't know if they survived. (JK, I do actually know, but I'm not spoiling anything!) This version of Neverland made sense but it was much stranger and much scarier than the childhood story I grew up with. It's not a world I would want to live in, but everything about why Claire and her brother are drawn there comes together perfectly. This was a solid read and I recommend it to anyone who loves Peter Pan. show less