Hi every one! Lizzie here, and today I'm here to give you my look at Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.
I've been meaning to read this book for a long time. Last summer when I visited Christine she recomended it to me (I think she was reading it at the time.) To be honest I was kind of creeped out by all of the pictures (and I already knew Christine was more hardcore than me thanks to her love of Criminal Minds), so I sort of nodded and smiled, and thought to myself I will not read books about demon children. About a year later once I was over my paranoia I picked it up at my local library and here we are!
Non spoiler review:
Jacob's grandpa has always been kind of crazy. He was a survivor of WWII, and Jacob's dad says that's why he tells so many stories about monsters. Jacob had long ago accepted that his grandpa's creepy black and white pictures and tales of peculiar children living on an island were myth, but when his grandfather dies after a brutal attack Jacob is left searching for answers he can only find over seas...
Full of creepy old photos intertwined with a relishing tale, this book will have you wondering what's really hiding in the shadows.
Rating: 10/10
SPOILER REVIEW. ABORT ABORT GO READ THE BOOK.
As always, let's begin with the story.
PLOT:
Okay there is very little that is unoriginal in Miss Peregrine's. Give me a sec while I try to compare it to another book...It has the feel of a Lemony Snicket book, and The Mysterious Benedict Society, and a Tim Burton movie smashed into one. Yeah. That's it. It kinda feels like what I've read of the Darkest Minds trilogy, but forgive me that is about fifty pages. (Tbr.) But other than the feel? Yeah I've got no books that I can compare the story to.
The entire story was also in the form of a mystery so I was like, oh my gosh where are the children? What is a Hollowghast??? How are they alive??? Aghhh.
The entire concept of people with magic abilities hiding away from public eye may not be the most original, throw in time loops, elderly children, demonic creatures dipped in the black ink of the devils imagination, peculiar not necessary helpful abilities, oh yeah this is completely different than the cliche you were thinking of. Plus, we the reader get a visual experience as we see the pictures that the author drew this story from!
I loved the world that the author created immensely, and I think my favorite part was the weird abilities and the hollowghasts. Like, ooh peculiar abilities what can they fly??? Well, Olive can levitate...no, these powers aren't what you would expect. A boy with bees living inside him, a girl that animates plants, a boy that sees the future, a girl that has a mouth on the back of her head, and a kid the freaking raises the dead??? whAt. There is definitely a reason these kids are peculiar, and I love it. (But personally, that reeanimation of living things kid scares the waffles out of me.)
Speaking of abilities, let's talk about Jacob's and how he is the only one of the group to see Hollowghast? Ha ha ha. Yeah, thanks. It's not enough you had to have create everyone's worst nightmare (the thing is like venom from Spiderman but beast), you also make it practically invisible so it can frickin disassemble its victims with its teeth. Ha ha ha ha *sweats*. I totally won't need mental help after this. Oh and you also had to make the wights pupiless? No, no I'll be fine!
Last awesome part- the loops. Dang Jacob made those sound like a twisted paradise like a frickin dream crab was eating his brain or something. (Watch Doctor Who, kids.) Anyway, I thought that although practical for the children, the loops added to the creepy factor. Like, immortality? Okay. But immortality by living the same day over and over for seventy years??? That's like doublely unnatural. I've never been comfortable with the idea of immortality. Frankly, it scares me more than death. I feel like I'd go crazy living in this body for all of eternity. So honestly, the loop sounded like a personal hell. Which was great for a book made to creep you out! I like creepy things! As long as it's not ghosts or zombies. Never ghosts and zombies. (Laugh all you want about the zombies but cannibalism is a legit thing to be freaked out about.)
The only problem I had with the plot was it was kind of obvious that Jacob's psychiatrist was a wight.
CHARACTERS:
Jacob: I like how the entire book has a sub plot of Jacob trying to discover the man that his grandfather was. It's sad, because you can tell that his parents aren't very good at showing that they love him, and we know that he only has one friend. Jacob's grandfather is the only person that we know of that really cared about him and showed it, and he is mysteriously murdered. Jacob thinks that he knows who the most important person in his life was, but he doesn't. Jacob thinks he understands his life, but he doesn't. The writer cleverly weaves a self discovery story into this peculiar book that all people can connect to.
I like how curious, blunt, and kind that Jacob is. The other cool thing about Jacob is that he is the perfect narrator for the story. He's just an average teenager that feels like he's getting nothing out of life. If you know Doctor Who Jacob is kind of like our Rose Tyler. Every other companion has a loud personality or a distinct one. They feel special. But Rose? Rose is you and me. She's ordinary, but turns out to be fantastic. Through her we feel that we can be fantastic. It's the same with Jacob. He is the perfect bridge between the reader and his world. Ordinary like us, and peculiar like it.
Emma: Aka the Queen. Emma is pretty cool. She's eighty some years old yet acts like a regular sixteen year old girl. She's hot headed, flirtatious, passionate, loyal, smart, quick thinking, and kind of awkward around boys. Like when she and Jacob get into a wrestling match on the beach (wasn't she taking his belt off and throwing sand at him? O-o okay that makes sense in context.). Girl. What are you doing??? I love her.
Speaking of Emma and her way of dealing with boys, the story about her and Abe was pretty sad. (No wonder she can't act normal around a boy she likes. She got her heart broken, and then the love of the her life died because they were attacked by things that have been hunting her kind.) It kind of made her "relationship" with Jacob weird though, (also the fact that she is old enough to be his grandma) but she and Jacob are so cute I ignore it.
But seriously, Jacob and Emma. You may have read my last review of Shatter Me if you did you probably know how I felt about the romance. Well, this is what I like. I understand that sometimes high schoolers manage to find the love of their life, but it is rare in real life. In YA it is quite common. And actually? I'm okay with that. As long as the author can prove to me in ways other than make out scenes and passionate confessions that the two characters love each other.
Anyways, when I'm reading YA books and teenagers fall in love I kind of sit there like, I don't feel like I'm mature enough to feel this, and I get told I'm pretty mature for my age. The author really made Emma and Jacob's relationship realistic to me in their maturity levels. They aren't even focused on their crushes on each other, getting to know each other is more of what they do, even though they know their feelings are requited. There are various other reasons for this other than building a platonic relationship, but I liked that we are getting a build up for them. Also, that like before mentioned with the sand, they are pretty awkward.
Remember, these are just my opinions. I had nothing against Juliette and Adam. I just prefer it when my romance has build up. Some people hate that. Feel free to discuss in the comments you opinion!
So yeah, well done Ransom Riggs.
Miss Peregrine: Adds to the Tim Burton orphanage feel. She's like Professor McGonagol! I also love that she can only turn into a bird, and not any animal. I really hope Riggs explores her past and what happened to her brothers. I mean if my brother was turned into a hollowghast I'd die of grief. Not only are they practically dead, but they're hunting and eating your people!
The children: so cute. I loved them all. Olive and Millard were my favorite!
OVERALL ENJOYMENT: Overall this book wwas a pleasure to read, and I loved every second. I high recommend it.
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-Lizzie
(Tomorrow: Young Avengers and the Death of Ultimate Spider-Man)
