Review #417
“You can’t heal a wound by making a new one.”
This sequel by Kara Swanson was a tiny bit better than the first so I’d give it a 4.2/5 stars. Like Dust it has two points of view in first person, a continuation of the Peter Pan retelling.
Lots of spoilers:
“Shadow” starts out with action when the sirens don’t recognize Peter when he falls from the sky into their sea and try to eat him. Tootles saves him and may be his only ally but when he says “plus, there are things you don’t know…” I’m already frustrated because that was the issue with the first book. Stop keeping information and just tell the character/reader.
And then in chapter 2 Captain Hook is just as annoying when he says, “I’m doing this for your own good” or “You’ll thank me for this later.” The reader needs to know why. After reading a whole book and not receiving answers, it’s time to get some.
It doesn’t make sense that Slightly helps her. It goes against his entire character.
Chapter 5 of the sequel is what I had expected the climatic scene of book 1 to be.
So time doesn’t make sense anymore because chapter 7 says 2 months later but it’s the same day as when Peter fell from the sky on page 1.
It doesn’t make sense that Conner wants to kill Peter if killing Peter also kills everyone on the island because Conner is on the island too.
Well, this book quickly went to a level much darker than the first book
Solitary confinement. Murder on page. Forcing heroine to torture her allies. attempted suicide. It almost feels like a different genre now.
It doesn’t feel believable that she can concentrate on a happy thought long enough to fly when she’s surrounded with such dismal energy and circumstances.
It seems random for what memories he keeps and which he forgot. Why doesn’t Peter recall Paige?
At the halfway mark, I’m loving the setting, eager to learn more about the sirens, and glad she and Peter made up. There’s definitely more to the story with Claire. This book has way more action than the first.
In chapter 15 Claire is back to being hot and cold again. She doesn’t actually forgive him based on her words and actions even if she claims to have. It’s exhausting to be up and down so sporadically.
Chapter 24 was great
Page 241-287 was satisfying. I enjoyed it and don’t have complaints. I’m happy with the ending and how things were resolved, not totally neatly in a bow. This sequel was a tiny bit better than the first so I’d give it a 4.2/5 stars.