Shadow by Kara Swanson // A Book Review

This is my third Kara Swanson book. I read The Girl Who Could See way back in 2018, and then I read Dust in 2021. I had every intention of reading Shadow as soon as I finished Dust, but . . . that didn’t happen.

I unintentionally stepped away from the world of Neverland and our favorite little lost boy for nearly four years. But, I think that was part of God’s plan.

I’ve always believed that we find specific stories when we need them. I wrote a whole post about this a few years ago, and I still believe it. I think God ordains certain stories to enter our lives when He knows that we need to hear a certain truth about the world.

Near the end of 2024, I think I needed to hear that light still wins. That good can still overcome the darkness. And, maybe most importantly, that growing up isn’t a bad thing. When I graduated college, I was really worried that I’d have to leave Neverland forever. And that scared me because I’ve always been the girl who tries to cling to her childhood just a moment longer.

And I think Shadow really helped me walk through that season. I didn’t sob over the ending like I thought I might, but I came away from that book—that world—with a tiny flame of hope that maybe Neverland never really leaves us.

That, somehow, we can always go back when we need to escape the darkness of our world.

So, while I never reviewed Dust on this blog, I wanted to take a few minutes to review Shadow because it gave me a new perspective on what it means to grow up and why that isn’t always a bad thing.

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The Review

Kara blew me away with this book. It’s been a few years since I read Dust, but this book drew me back into Neverland instantly.

The plot had me hooked. The characters clutched my heartstrings and refused to let go. It was a stunning mix of lighthearted and devastating, which made me laugh out loud and cry softly.

This is really a stunning sequel, and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a beautiful and breathtaking finale to the Heirs of Neverland duology.

Content Warnings

Blood, child abuse (not graphic), confinement, death, death of a parent, emotional abuse, grief, injury/injury detail, murder, panic attacks/disorders, physical abuse, sexual content (kissing, not graphic), suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt (referred to, I believe, but not shown on page), and violence.

Note: While this book contains many dark things, it’s handled very intentionally. There’s never any darkness simply for the sake of darkness–the darkness always has a purpose.

What I Loved

The character growth. I feel like we really got to see Claire and Peter grow as people in this book. I don’t want to say too much and spoil things, but seeing the way their character arcs resolved was really satisfying. I love that they have individual arcs as well as an arc that intertwines them, which can be really tricky to pull off, and I think Kara does both brilliantly.

The portrayal of darkness. Shadow is a dark book. Kara has mentioned this several times, and I think it’s worth mentioning that this darkness is written beautifully. For as dark as this book is, I never felt violated as a reader. I felt like I could trust Kara to do these characters and this story justice without completely losing the whimsy that we all love about Neverland. She made things quite a bit darker than I imagine the original story is (I never read it), but the darkness in this story is so intentional and purposeful that I can’t imagine it any other way.

The immersive worldbuilding. We finally got to see Neverland in this book, and every description pretty much had me closing my eyes to really put myself there. The jungles, the iconic mermaid lagoon, Skull Rock . . . it was all there. Kara offered such a refreshing take on the iconic island of Neverland, and I think she pretty much nailed it.

What I Didn’t Love

The pacing. There were moments where the rising and falling action felt a little too repetitive, as a plan would be made, problems would arise with the plan, and the characters would have to regroup. These moments all made sense for the story, but it did make it a bit harder for me to really immerse myself and keep reading.

Favorite Quotes

“You won’t save them with a blade. You can’t heal a wound by making one.”

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“You may be the boy who lost almost everything because of his mistakes and the brokenness of other people that he couldn’t control, but you are also the boy who chose not to run.”

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“As much as it may hurt, we have to grow. If we don’t grow, we don’t live. We just stagnate and begin to rot from the inside out.”

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Listen to my Shadow playlist

My Rating

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About the Book

Peter Pan has crash-landed back on Neverland. But this is not the island he remembers.

Desperate to rescue Claire and the fractured Lost Boys, Peter must unravel what truly tore his dreamland apart. But with each step, he is haunted by more of his own broken memories. Not even Pan himself is what he seems.

Claire Kenton is chained to a pirate ship, watching the wreckage of Neverland rocked by tempests. When she finally finds her brother, Connor is every bit as shattered as the island. Claire may have pixie dust flowing in her veins—but the light of Neverland is flickering dangerously close to going out forever.

To rescue Neverland from the inescapable shadow, the boy who never grew up and the girl who grew up too fast will have to sacrifice the only thing they have left: each other.

About the Author

Let’s Talk!

Have you read The Heirs of Neverland duology? If you’ve read Dust, have I convinced you to read the sequel? What’s your favorite Peter Pan retelling? Let’s chat all things Heirs of Neverland in the comments below!