Book Review: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

“I had just come to accept that my life would be ordinary when extraordinary things began to happen. The first of these came as a terrible shock and, like anything that changes you forever, split my life into halves: Before and After.”

Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Review:

This series has caught my eye for a while, especially when the movie came out. I’ve been hesitant to pick it up because I’m not typically one for the horror genre. I joined a buddy read which gave me the push I needed to read it. 

Jacob grew up listening to his grandfather’s stories of the peculiar children he knew growing up. As he got older, he discredited his tales as fiction. Never could he have imagined one of those stories coming to fruition and taking his grandfather’s life. No one believes his own story now, thinking him traumatized and mentally unwell. 

Jacob believes the answer to his nightmares lies in his grandfather’s stories. He convinces his parents to allow him to take a trip to England where his grandfather lived during World War II. There, he ends up finding the portal into the past. 

I was surprised by how absorbed I got into the book. Yet, whenever I put it down, I didn’t find myself thinking about it. My interest was mostly in the beginning, however. By the end, I was weirded out by the relationship between Jacob and Emma’s relationship. While I could anticipate the book ending on a cliffhanger given there are other books that follow, I was a little annoyed as I don’t feel invested enough to jump immediately into book two. 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The sense found family among the peculiars.
• How the made-up history wove with real history.

What I didn’t like:

• Again, Jacob and Emma’s relationship. It was uncomfortable.
• Too much was crammed into the end of the book.
• I seriously thought this was a middle grade book. If it’s meant to be, I’m concerned about some of the language and themes used.

Afterthoughts:

I certainly enjoyed reading this, but it hasn’t stuck with me at all.

Where to buy the book: