Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Historical Fiction
Synopsis: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs. 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.

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Review: Wow. This was not at all what I expected, on pretty much any level. It's written with more maturity (and swear words) than I expected, as well as alternating between beautiful writing and sounding precisely like a 16 year old boy is talking. Without wanting to spoil anything for those, like me, in residence under rocks, I had no idea of the geographical locations in the book, nor the context of the beautiful photos used to illustrate the story - I didn't even know there were photos. I'm fascinated by the photos - they are truly beautiful, and unsettling, and while I adore the story Riggs has built from them, I long to know their original contexts. I may have to do some research!

Though this is a fantasy story for children/young adults, it's a little bit dark and it's a big bit different. The fantasy elements are never overwhelming, they are a subtle enhancement to a story that is fascinating and enthralling for a dozen other reasons. And I love that about it. Possibly the only critcism I might have is that I want to know the characters even better - I know what they can do, and I have a one-sentence summary of where some of them came from, but I really want to know their stories. Maybe I'll learn them in the next installment.

I've seen a lot of criticism about this book too. It's not as dark and creepy as the cover suggests - don't judge a book by its cover. I wasn't expecting it to be as dark as it was, in parts! It's a kid's story but written in language for more mature readers - maybe it's just for mature young adults? They do exist! The plot was poorly formed around a bunch of random photos - excuse me, what? What?? The plot is great - my only criticism personally is that yes, sometimes it was blatently obvious what was happening long before the characters figured it out - but that happens a lot in books and films. It didn't detract from my enjoyment. But the plot overall is really original, creative, and personally I think it would have worked great without the photos, they were just a nice bonus.

Riveting, stunning book. I doubt you need me to recommend it - you've probably already read it - but if not - go go go!

Rating: 5/5

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