Author: Ransom Riggs
Pages: 352
My rating: 5/5
Goodreads Description
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, 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 abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the 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. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.
My Thoughts
This book is cleverly written. It's a door into a brand new world of possibilities and peculiar things. While reading it many questions come to mind and you try to solve the mystery. Even though some things could be seen before they happened, Riggs gave you something new to think about, something you could never have guessed.
Reading half of the book I considered it a bit slow. But after finishing the whole piece I can't believe I used the word slow to describe it. Peculiar things start to happen at the very beginning of the book and the story evolves into a thrilling and thought-provoking plot. The twists and turns between the changing pages keep you reading, as does the overall peculiarness with this book.
Riggs has created many likable characters. Jacob is this seemingly "normal" guy who's world turns upside down after a horrific tragedy. We can relate to him and understand both his confusion and curiosity. To discover a part of the world that you couldn't even imagine before has to have an influence on you. Emma also plays an important roll in the book and even though she may at first appear to be a bit harsh, close-minded and almost frightening, you get to be closer to her as the story develops. You learn that Emma has great characteristics, like standing up for herself and her friends, caring about others, even risking her life to save the ones she loves. Emma is a strong character, precisely what Jacob will grow to be as well. You need character development in a successful book, something that Riggs is doing wonderfully.
In an interview with the author, you get to know that he has collected peculiar photographs for a long time and they were an inspiration source when he started writing this book. The idea of finding these types of old photographs in flea markets is kind of frightening because the old-looking vibe almost makes it seem like they could be real, like peculiar things happen in ways a normal human cannot see with his eyes, like the world could be much bigger than we imagined.
To sum up, his book was amazing! I loved that you learned about a bigger world with brand new possibilities. The book is indeed peculiar, in a great way. It is cleverly written and leaves you with a peculiar feeling, with a load full of questions and inspiration. Miss Peregrine's Home will never be forgotten. I'm looking forward to continuing with this series, constantly wanting more.