"Forgive me. I continue to underestimate the breadth of your ignorance." -Miss Peregrine&#

Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children deserves a solid 8 out of 10 jellybeans. I was pleasantly surprised by how this book turned out and dissapointed I hadn't picked it up sooner.

Jacob grew up listening to his grandfather's wild tales. Abnormally strong children. Children that could float. Children that could shrink to the size of a glass bottle. It was all very strange, and the photos that Jacob's grandfather always used as proof were clearly photoshopped to Jacob's teenaged eyes. The craziest of stories were about demons with tentacles coming out of their mouths and horrible, big, black eyes. He doesn't believe them for a second, not until the night his grandfather dies and it appears. A monster that only Jacob sees. Peculiar. Desperate to learn more about the mysterious stories his grandfather recounted, Jacob travels to the orphanage that was his grandfather's refuge during WWII. Seeking answers, Jacob is only met with confusion, more questions, secrecy, and...familiar faces. Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs is an investigative historical, fantasy joyride that will have you guessing at every turn.

The uniqueness and...peculiarity about this book makes it all the more intriguing. The cover's overcast tone and the dreading mood is fantastic. What's extra spectacular about this book is the pictures. Most YA novels do not have a lot of pictures, but this book has photos gathered from flea markets that Ransom Riggs visited. Surprisingly, some aren't even edited. It totally adds to the creepy vibe and is great for scaring your friends. I would know.

Another quirk about this book is its setting. I'm sure you've read a book set in WWII (The Book Thief much), but has it jumped back and forth with the present? And when you think fantasy, are you imagining high fantasy Throne of Glass or maybe low fantasy The Mortal Instruments? Nope, this book is historical fantasy, all fantasy elements taking place, for the most part, at sometime in the past. If you're still skeptical because these are new waters, jump off the diving board! You might be surprised like I was.

What stops some people from getting to the end is the dreaded beginning. The start is super fast, but if the reading speed isn't paced right, then the doldrums that come from trying to learn more about the orphanage will drag the high-action reader down. Understand that there is a lot of new terms to learn since this is the first book, and Jacob has to pass through the threshhold of the hero's journey in order to get the plot moving along. Once Emma comes along, the sass levels increase with the tempo.

The writing style, while gorgeous, is very descriptive. Anybody expecting a one day read will be sorely disappointed. At the same time that I did not want to put this book down, I also had to reread a few sections to make sure everything was clear in my mind. I also really like mentally visualizing what's going on, so I'm probably slower at reading than another avid reader. And read the next book, Hollow City! There's even more action and excitement and plot twists and it's fantastic even though I started to question the common sense of some of the characters.

I cannot recommend this book enough. Do not be frightened of the creepy photos! The story is fantastic, the writing style is brilliant, and the overall character work and world-building is awesome!

Formula: Hollows + Psychology + WWII + Superpowers + Photos! = Time Loops

#katie #historical #superpowers #fantasy