Warnings: none.
Author: Ransom Riggs
‘A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its decaying bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that Miss Peregrine’s children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow – impossible though it seems – they may still be alive.’
I was so excited to read this after good reviews I’ve seen and the trailers for the new movie. I think my excitement was why I was so disappointed in actually reading it – it’s not fast paced at all, which I normally go for in books because I hate it when things move really slowly. If you like going straight into the action… Try reading quickly, I guess.
Unfortunately, I thought this was just a book used to set up the rest of the series. You just get introduced to the characters, most of whom I liked, and the dynamics of the ‘peculiar’ world. I loved the different abilities that all of the characters had and the incorporation of vintage photographs into the story – it made it much more visual and I was excited to see what strange character would be the focus of the next picture.
I didn’t like the main character, Jacob. He just didn’t seem genuine to me, and anyone who abandons their family (who are perfectly fine and not abusive) for romance and adventure is not someone I want to read about. I’m not really sure why. To me, he seemed very self-absorbed and cared about his own feelings above those of his family.
The fact that this whole book was just a lead up to The Hollow City was just a big let-down for me. I thought there would be a lot more happening in this installment in the series, but all of the action is down to Jacob sneaking out to go meet Emma, one of the ‘peculiars’. In my opinion, that seemed like more of a contemporary than an action-thriller.
4/10
-abnormalbookgeek
Welcome to Neverland 