FULL DISCLOSURE: I did not finish this book so my issue with it might be addressed or resolved at the end. The writing was fine. I acknowledge I might not be the target audience for this book so my opinion might not really matter all that much. I found the book quite boring. The characters weren't all that interesting to me. The writing wasn't bad though.

I didn't enjoy the premise of this book. Presenting metaphorical themes of racial inequality and social prejudice in a world inhabited by fairytale animals and creatures of varying species seemed to present a false message that people of different races aren't all the same species. I understand the authors thematic intent but I just didn't like the way that species was used to represent race. On top of that the story takes place in an urban environment making the parallels between wolves and African Americans, specifically the ones overpopulating the American prison system, a little bit insensitive and misleading. ( )

I think this was a great book, and frankly i was shocked because of the different writing style that R.P.Weston's usual books are written in, but then again, this is a teen fiction novel right? It can't have the same way of expressing as a children's novel.
There were some points when I was reading this novel where I was just thinking:
"UGH!!! I wan't to kill this character!!! Die already! Stop what your doing to the [a:Robert Paul Weston|1391437|Robert Paul Weston|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1369606580p2/1391437.jpg]world!"
and you know, throw the book at the wall in frustration, but it's a good thing I didn't, because this was an amazing book and I'm so glad I read it! ( )

Henry Whelp is the teenage son of the wolf who has been jailed for the murder of Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother. Henry is a good wolf, usually trying to stay out of trouble and avoid getting the same reputation as his father. One impulsive moment sees him locked in a juvenile home, but his roommate Jack has an idea to bust out (Hint: it involves some magic beans.) Meanwhile Henry's therapist commits suicide by hanging himself -- or is it murder? Jack finds letters hidden by the therapist that Henry's father has written to him from prison. Henry eventually breaks out and visits his father, who fills him in on his conspiracy theory that fairies are not "gone" as everyone assumes, but held hostage by the large corporation making synthetic fairy dust. So Henry gets a job working for dangerous local boss Skinner as a dust runner.

It's hard to describe this book. There's a lot of things going on within, some big and lots of smaller storylines. The cast of characters is pretty impressive, my favorite being the tough female police Inspector White (who grew up with seven miners!) The authors seems to have fun poking at various fairytale characters and stories. Nevertheless, there is very little humor here, the plot, characters and their challenges taken very seriously. I think I would have enjoyed this more had it lightened up a little bit. But as it was it was a pretty good and creatively told story.
( )

Pros: wonderful world-building, great characters, some humour

Cons: some unpleasant descriptions

When the fairies vanished other hominid species moved into their home on the floating island of Eden and started mining the dust they left behind. Though the dust isn’t as potent as what the fairies once used, it can cure minor ailments, and the hominids and animalia in the city below are hooked.

Henry Whelp is the son of a convicted drug runner and murderer. Though he’s a good kid, a bad decision lands him at the St Remus Home for Wayward Youth, and another reason society still fears and distrusts wolves. But Henry uncovers a mystery that involves his dad, the missing fairies, and the dust that’s becoming more and more potent.

It was really cool reading a fairytale story from the point of view of one of the talking/evolved animals. In the stories these are either the bad guys (like the wolf), guides to human protagonists (ravens & foxes), or creatures drafted into the magic (mice, birds). So it was an interesting perspective, as the humanoid characters mostly look down on the animalia.

As with most books that riff on fairy tales, part of the fun is figuring out what characters come from what stories. There’s little mystery here if you’ve read the brothers Grimm, though I’ll have to look up the story of the girl without hands. The characters are cleverly used, particularly Detective White, referencing their fairytale backgrounds without being limited to their origin stories.

The world is wonderful and feels real, what with its racism, drug problems, corruption, and more. Henry encounters several people from different walks of life, giving a decent overview of the lower city.

While the book isn’t funny - in fact, it’s quite dark - there were a few lines, particularly in the scenes with Siobhan’s granny, that made me laugh out loud.

Some of the descriptions got a little… gross. There’s a lot of spit and drool, disgusting smells, some blood and violence, and a torture scene. But that’s a pretty minor issue.

On the whole I really enjoyed this book and found it quite unique in its treatment of the stories and characters. ( )

From the moment I opened up the envelope containing Dust City, I was immediately captured by this seemingly dark cover. The skyline shooting up through the silvery dust clouds, with the glowing green eyes in the background is so attractive and really made me want to know what this book was actually about. If I had of had the time, I would have read it all in the same day, it was that good.

The story started off with a little bit of build up, and introducing the characters at St. Remus, a Home for Wayward Wolves. A little slow for my taste, but I knew that it was building to something exciting, so it kept me reading. Henry Whelp is the main character in the book. I really got a feel for him being the outsider, and that was an instant connection for me, having felt like that in the past sometimes myself. That's a little strange to say since he's a wolf, the son of the wolf who killed Little Red Riding Hood and her Grandmother. The big bad wolf. That caught me too. I am a huge fan of fairytales, and an even bigger fan of dark, mysterious books. This book had a little bit of all three and was the perfect combination for me.

There were a couple of chapters in this book (I don't like to give away parts of the book, so I won't include details) that were so vivid, but not in an overly descriptive way. The author really took you along each thought, and each action like you were right there experiencing both. One was the nightmare chapter. I felt like I was the one tossing and turning, and sweating profusely.

Robert Paul Weston completely draws you into the fairy tale version of a futuristic earth. Foxes, elves, nixies, wolves, dwarves and goblins are just a few of the unexpected characters you will meet at St. Remus, and in Dust City. A city that fiends for its' fairy dust, Dust City opens your eyes to corruption, greed, and the hunger for total domination, with a fairytale twist. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of fairytales, and the darkness that lies within them. ( )