Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
This book was the complete opposite of what I expected! I am going to tell you exactly what I expected out of this book, and I hope that you don’t judge me.
I thought that the main character, after witnessing his grandfather’s death, would go to the island where his grandfather grew up (which is what actually happens) and explore around for a while, and figure out that the home was actually for children that had been experimented on by Nazi scientists during the war. I was totally ready for this sci-fi history ending that’s all awesome and scary and makes me want to crawl out of my dark corner, but no. Not at all.
I’m not saying that I disliked it! Not at all, it was just very odd. The end was very peculiar. Everything took a turn for the fantasy towards the middle of the book, and I was getting bored with it, when the fantasy land turned out to have some dark secrets. So of course, me being me, immediately started to love it and not be able to put it down.
So the book is very fantasy, and seems like it should be for a younger audience, but the author (who has a freaking awesome name) used some very mature vocabulary in it that I would say is definitely for YA.
I loved the main character. He was so relateable. He had this enormous dilemma where his parents didn’t believe anything he said, which is something I am sure that every teenager can relate to. I also envisioned him in my brain as rather attractive, which doesn’t hurt, either.
SO my conclusion — pretty good fantasy book, ended great, started great, middle a little muggy but it sort of gets picked back up again, and I’d say it was a fun read that I expect to have a sequel.
I recommend this to fans of London Calling, Midnighters, anything with Time Travel, and Margaret Peterson Haddix.
Love Always,
Tat
