MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN
by Ransom Riggs
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pub Date: Jun 4, 2013
Publisher: Quirk Books
Length: 382 pages
Spoilers: Marked
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A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of 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 bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that Miss Peregrine’s 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.
Using Assets Well
One of the most intriguing pieces of this book are the pictures. If you don’t already know, this book has old black and white photographs mingled throughout and they act as nice breakers from the text. Not only that, but they are implemented well into the story and enhance the description very well. It was a risk, naturally, but a well-played risk and a nice addition to the book.
Off A Cliff
The book started off with lots of intriguing factors and little bits that draw the reader in, and keeps the reader for quite some time. Yet, part way through the book, when the real action is supposedly starting, my interest dropped off. The book answered all the questions I had already. I didn’t really care what happened to characters any more, and therefore it felt as though the story fell off a cliff and became uninteresting.
Romance
I was not expecting there to be a romance in this book and I was sorely disappointed there was. Why? Because the book didn’t need it. The book would have worked so well without it and the romance felt like it was just thrown in after the fact. Either that, or the romance is why I was no longer interested in the last half of the book. It did little for the plot and took up valuable world-building space.
Romance
Alright. Not sure if it’s just me, but I really have to say that the romance creeped me out. Not only is Emma technically decades older than Jacob, but she also was in love with dating Jacob’s grandfather. That whole relationship no doubt added to why the romance felt wrong, and even after Jacob comments on it, he still goes for Emma. Like… what?!
Melanie Noell Bernard 
Did you watch the movie?
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I did. Just recently.
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What did you think of the film adaptation? Did you like it better?
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Absolutely not. The ending was absolutely ridiculous and they diverted from the book in the worst ways. I didn’t much care for the book, but I liked the movie even less.
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I’ll have to watch it and see what I think.
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I’ll be reading this one next! I hope I like it! Great review!
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I hope you like it, too! I thought it was pretty good, but not sure I’ll read the sequels.
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