I’ll say right off the bat, every aspect of this novel is alluring, from its eerie cover that enchants your eyes and mind, to the hidden treats awaiting discovery within its pages. Published by Quirk Books (Philadelphia) back in 2011, it was Ransom Riggs debut novel which climbed all the way up to number 1 on the New York Times Best Seller’s List! It is one of those tales that has the power to fascinate readers across the generations even though it is classified as ‘Teenage’ or ‘Young Adult Fiction’.
The choice I made to review this novel instead of any of the other eleven I read during the summer (not to impute the works of the other authors, some were quite fascinating!), will be evident once you read the first page of the prologue. If you are teenaged, or ‘young adult’, (or literally both, like me!), the idea of being hurled out of your ‘ordinary’ life into an astonishing adventure is still quite mesmerizing. As I read, I couldn’t help but be reminded of books I enjoyed as a younger teenager that had that same ingredient, such as The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and the enchanting Harry Potter series, by J.K Rowling. It is quite clear, as you march through the chapters of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, that the book is also directed to a more mature audience than little children. It’s a scary tale, a gem in modern teenage horror. When I pondered the creepy artwork on the cover, I expected a clichéd haunted orphanage tale, but boy, was I surprised about what unfolded! I like to consider it a coming of age tale since the primary character, 16 year old Jacob Portman, must make decisions his ‘ordinary’ self wouldn’t even have comprehended. It’s about self-discovery, adventure and friendships.
Two amazing book series from my ‘kidhood’ lol
Probably the most extraordinary aspect about this book, is its layout. No, I’m not speaking paragraphs, pages and chapters, but the author’s unique usage of vintage photographs to guide the reader throughout the novel. Don’t worry, older folks, it’s not a ‘picture book’. The photographs used are authentic, vintage and mostly unaltered (as stated by the author after the tale, under the section: ‘Photograph Credit’. These add to the reading experience since on one page, Jacob will be looking at a photograph (which seems to happen quite often!) and as you turn the page, there it is! I mean, how amazing is that?!
some of those creepy photographs…
Character development was very well done, and if you still have trouble visualizing one of the many characters (or just remembering one of them), I am sure there is a photograph that will be very effective! I remember, resorting to the photos to keep track of some of the characters and their ‘peculiarity’ once or twice during my reading. It’s really quite neat. 🙂
A character- A boy with his bees.
You probably want a bit of plot details, but for this particular novel, even the tiniest detail after the prologue and first chapter would be a spoiler. What I can tell you is, Jacob Portman grew up listening to extravagant tales his grandfather claimed to have experienced as a child in an orphanage before World War II. As he got older, he stopped believing those tales of monsters and… Ahem, potential spoiler averted! NEAT, where was I… Yes, a tragedy occurred in Jacob’s family that led him to seek out the origins of those tales- a small island of the coast of Wales that has its own secretes, terror and enough adventure to warrant sequels! The second installation to the Miss Peregrine series , Hollow City, was released on January 14th of this year and picks up exactly where the last one ends. It is just as thrilling and delves deeper into the world of Peculiarity (that’s an entire novel waiting for me to review lol). Even more good news, a third book is in the works and it may be released next year!
So guys, buy this book, rent it from your library or whatever, but just read it! I give it a solid 5 out of 5 (yeah, I read a lot and also encountered novels that made me wonder how and why it was even published). I really don’t want to give away plot details (as easy as it would have been lol). It is a pretty intricate tale and for those who take my advice to read it, you will thank me for not spoiling your delight as you discover an all-new world within the pages of this book. 🙂
I look forward to my next post, probably something college-related… I will try to blog weekly, but no promises, ok? lol I have to put my academics ahead of entertainment, at least until the new semester is over.
*Cough* 14 more weeks *Cough*
Aite, take care internet world!!!
Picture References:
http://www.factpile.com/767-narnia-vs-harry-potter/
http://fangirlsoffiction.blogspot.com/2014/07/miss-peregrines-home-for-peculiar.html
Richie College-Kid Silver 