Ransom Riggs - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Book Review

                                    
     
  • Pages - 352
  • Published by Quirk Books
  • Date - 7 June 2011
  • Age 10+
  • Isbn - 978-159744761
It's been a very long time since such a book has specifically been brought to my attention, not only through the telling of a great imaginative story, but actually through the physicality of the book itself. Unfortunately, the more that reading trends advance the more the likelihood that the physical hardback will be unavailable. Especially, as we are now in the digital era of e-books - I find it such a great shame. Therefore, to find this book being published with such care, thought and attention really caught my eye. 


The cinematic charm of the vintage photographs throughout the book really made the story come alive. The reader is able to imagine from the very start what the story entails. However, you never actually know until you turn that very first page and find the voice inside.


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 who once lived here—one of whom was his own grandfather—were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.


I think that the best way to sum up this book is indeed "peculiar", but not in the way the author was meaning. The vision of this story is like no other story that you'll have read before. In fact, it may not be seen again until the next book in this series. In a world that has so many books, some of which lack originality or a unique voice, such uniqueness is refreshing. 


As I've already mentioned, I was sucked into the charm of this book through the book cover. However, the book delivered so much more that I anticipated once the story was finally told. The voice of each character instantly transported me into my own subconscious mind as the story flutters on the wonderfully weird and strange. It left me flipping the pages until there were no more left to turn. However, many more questions were left unanswered by the end.


The book takes you from the reality of a mundane life in America to a fantasy story based around a mysterious island in Wales. Many spine-tingling moments, with interesting outcomes and an emotional trail of the past and the present, produce some very good reading moments. There are many thought provoking moments along the way and friendship bonds with people who all share something in common. 


This book is a really good read for everyone, it might not be what you would expect  but it definitely not be one that you will forget. This is a great debut book with, I believe, film potential.




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Comments

Carmen said…
Yep, yep and yep. Loved this book and can so see it as a film. Theres more to come? Am so pleased!
Charlotte said…
Truly this is a memorable one!
Danmark said…
Miss Peregrine's is more dark fantasy then horror - it reminded me a little of some of Guillermo del Toro 's movies, such as Pan's Labyrinth. Lots of weird imagery and foreboding atmosphere. It makes for entertaining reading.