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

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Published by Quirk Books on June 7th 2011

Pages: 352

Genre(s): YA Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal

Rating: 5 stars!

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.

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.

-Goodreads.com description

Okay, before I start my review I just want you to know: I NEVER give books 5 stars. Like, maybe 10 times per year AT MOST. Even 4.5-star books are pretty rare for me. 5-star books are the ones that keep you up at night thinking about them, the ones where you refuse to read anything else for days after finishing it because NO BOOK WILL EVER BE AS AMAZING  AS THE ONE YOU JUST READ. EVER. Until, guess what? Soon enough, you find another book that might be just as good, *gasp* or, dare I say it, maybe even better.

So, by now you probably get the point. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was good. Like, spine-tingling, hair-raising, PURE AWESOMENESS. But why? you may ask. Why would the oh-so-hard-to-please-Paige treasure this book so much? 

The Characters: Jacob, the 16 year-old main character, journeys to an island off the coast of Wales after a horrible family accident occurs, and discovers the ruins of the orphanage his grandpa lived in, who always told fascinating but impossible tales about the “peculiar” children who lived there. I loved Jacob. I loved his never-ending curiosity, how he was brave and loyal enough to his grandfather to make his discoveries, and his humorous, adventurous personality.

I also liked the supporting characters. I won’t give away the names, because that would spoil it the story, but they were all so sweet and original.

The Plot: I’m in complete awe of how the author managed to come up with a world so complex and unique. I won’t say much about the plot, because again, that would spoil it, but you just need to know that it’s a fast-paced and captivating story.

I also really enjoyed seeing all the creepy black-and-white photographs throughout the book. They helped you get an idea of the appearance of the world that the author had created, and they aired just the right amount of spookiness.

The Writing Style: AMAZING. Writing good horror stories is a talent, and Ransom Riggs definitely has it.

Quotes:

“I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was.”

***

“We cling to our fairy tales until the price for believing in them becomes too high.”

***

“Stars, too, were time travelers. How many of those ancient points of light were the last echoes of suns now dead? How many had been born but their light not yet come this far? If all the suns but ours collapsed tonight, how many lifetimes would it take us to realize we were alone? I had always known the sky was full of mysteries—but not until now had I realized how full of them the earth was.”

Final Thought: This is a must-read for anyone who likes mysteries, horror, or fantasy. A 5-star book! And, bonus: it’s a trilogy! And, double bonus: it’s going to be a movie! I’m so excited to read the rest of the trilogy!

Happy reading!