A Review of 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' by Ransom Riggs

"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 Childre' will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows."

There was a lot of hype for this book and this book absolutely lived up to this hype!  I was drawn in by the pictures, but I stayed for the story.

It seemed like there was a little something for everyone!  There was romance, time-travel, supernatural elements, history, photography, clever names... When I think of this book, I can't help but pair it with 'The Princess Bride' movie.  Not because the plots are the same, but because there's something for everyone who stops to take a look.

The children in the home for peculiar children were incredible.  Their special talents were astonishing, particularly the boy who could animate dead things or even things that weren't alive to start with new hearts (usually a sheep heart if the thing being animated was bigger or mice hearts if he was animating a toy).  I loved Emma's passion and Jacob's innocence.  Cairnholm was a rough but an overall interesting place.  I really do hope that it's a real island island off the coast of Wales, because if it is, I fully intend to visit!

The photography is amazing!  You'll never believe that the pictures were found.  Who knows what happened to them before they ended up in a collection, if anything happened to them at all, but they are extraordinary!

For a first installment, it was very satisfying, but sooner or later, I'll be ravenous for the second installment.  Hopefully the second installment will have tons of time loops (I'm 97% certain that there will be), because that would just be fascinating!

Ransom Riggs spins a handsome story and presents it in such a creative way that can be enjoyed by all.

I give 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children':

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

P.S. Happy Halloween!