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Friday 16 October 2015

Book Review | Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

"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."

There really isn't anything much I can say about this book without spoiling the surprises inside it, but WOW! What a book! I have had it for years and honestly don't understand why I haven't read it sooner. I picked it up off my shelf for the month of October because I thought it'd fit the sort of October theme, and now I can't help but order the others instantly. It is absolutely incredible and I am so sad the series is over. After I read the next two, that's it for this particular series. Boo hoo.

The writing is beautiful. It is witty, humorous, in some parts beautiful. It's a very fast read thanks to the short chapters and almost juvenile writing (but what else can be expected from a middle-grade novel). It's not what I'd call a soft book. The writing is blunt and straight to the point, but the world described is wonderful. The landscape is built perfectly and that creates such a clear picture in my mind. The inclusion of photographs aids this, and adds a really eerie and spooky vibe.

I grew to really love the characters within the book. Even those who aren't the most likeable, I grew to love and feel concerned about if something happened to them. They're written well although there wasn't much character development within the book. I put that down to it being relatively short and figured they'd include more character development in the next two books. The main character is a little irritating, but he's still young so I guess that's what comes from being a teenage lad these days haha.

The plot is fun and engaging. I absolutely loved the story line and couldn't wait to see what happened next. There was a lot of world building for the first 3/4 of the book and then all the drama happened at once, and I grew more and more concerned as I neared the end of the book and the dilemma was still unresolved as I was scared I'd be left on a cliffhanger or something. But it ended well and I was content with what happened. Overall the plot is just really fun, if a little creepy. I want to be taken to their world.

I give this book an easy 5/5 starts and cannot wait to read the next two in the series!

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