Book Review: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Publisher’s Description:

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 Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

This book was not at all what I expected it to be, yet I enjoyed it immensely. I thought it would be a lot creepier and more gothic. It was actually more of a fantasy – and we all know that I usually struggle with fantasy books. This one was different though. I think it was because there was a clear set of rules that the fantastical elements operated in. Each peculiar child had a special talent, there was no random magic happening at convenient times for the sake of advancing the plot.

The ending of this book definitely paves the way for a sequel and while I would like to read more, I was quite satisfied with how this book wrapped up. If for some reason there isn’t a sequel, I won’t be lying awake at night over it.

Interspersed throughout the book are real vintage photographs. The author incorporates these photos into the story – most of them are of the peculiar children. It was as if someone handed the author a stack of eclectic photos and said, “I challenge you to weave these into a story.” I thought it was a unique device. Because of these photos, I would recommend if you read the electronic version that you do so on a color reader. The photos looked like muddy blurs on my Kindle but looked great on my iPad.

Buy this book at:
Amazon Kindle Store Powell’s Books