Review: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

By: Ransom Riggs

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genre: historical fantasy, magical realism

Page Count: 352

Synopsis: 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 review will be spoiler free.

Hello my bookish unicorns, it’s been way too long since I have posted a review (having to earn money sucks, am I right?). I realized recently that I have never actually posted a review for this book, even though it has been one of my favourites for some time, so today is the day! I will admit that I avoided this book for a long time. I am not a fan of horror at all, and judging by the cover and the many disturbing pictures inside, this book was deep in that genre. However, a friend of mine insisted that I would like the book, and after some more procrastination I finally bought it. I could not have been more wrong about this book. Yes, it is a little bit eccentric at times, but it is definitely not a horror book. I would actually say it could pass itself off as a kids book at times.

This book is full of powerful imagery (along with some real and usually very creepy pictures), dynamic characters and a very unique magical world. As someone who reads a lot of fantasy, it is really hard to present me with a completely new an original magical world. Usually there are elements that feel familiar, which are probably pulled from classics like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, but not this book. This was truly one of a kind, and that was incredibly refreshing.

They did make this book into a movie staring Asa Butterfield (in case the name sounded familiar to you and you weren’t sure why). However, as per usual, the movie really doesn’t do this story justice. You have to enter into Riggs’s world to truly see the genius in this story. The rest of the series is a pretty great read as well, so I definitely recommend going all in. Be prepared for an out of the box story, that will leave you with many questions and a lot of brilliant insights into the fantasy genre.

 

Have you read this book, or maybe seen the movie? I would love to know your thoughts in the comments! Tell me one book you greatly misjudged before reading.