Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

Title: Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children #3)

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Quirk

Rating: 4/5 ****

Sorry it’s taken me longer than usual to finish this series, not because it’s not good, but life has been getting in the way. However, I turned the last page this morning and need to get my review written whilst the book was still fresh in my mind.

If you’ve read my reviews of the two previous novels in this fantastic series, then you’ll know I have become a big fan of Riggs and his work, and this final novel is no different.

This series had taken me on a long journey through many different times and destination along side Jacob and his new-found peculiar friends, and I’m sad to have reached the end.

In this third and final installment, Jacob must learn to embrace and use his power when faced with more than one life-or-death situation, whilst juggling two worlds, his life in the present day, and the 20th Century which he currently occupies.

The war between the Ymbrynes and the Wights comes to a head, with Jacob and his friends at the very centre of it all. The unique seeling point of this series – the eerie and sometimes frightening photographs that accompany the story – continues in ‘Library of Souls’, although I think the best photos were in the second book, ‘Hollow City’.

The main complaint I had with the first two books was mostly due to the relationship between Jacob and his parents, and how this plays out over the course of the story. Not every teenage is best friends with their parents, but Jacob didn’t seem to mind essentially running away and not giving them any goodbye. So, I’m pleased to be able to say that this comes to the forefront of the plot towards the end of this final novel, and I’m happy with the way things are left.

It’s not likely there will be further stories anytime soon, but I’m certian at some point in the future Riggs will return to this trilogy and the stories that are left unexplored. Although there is the film adaption to look forward to, which is set to be out December of this year, and with Tim Burton set to direct it should be amazing!

 

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

Title: Hollow City

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Quirky Books

Rating: 4/5

 

Last week, I finally got around to finishing the second book in Ransom Rigg’s Peculiar Children series. It’s taken me a lot longer than normal on account of my current work schedule, but I was still able to enjoy the continuations of the adventure started in the previous book, ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children’.

We rejoin Jacob Portman and his group of newfound friends on their journey to London, in search of help for their beloved headmistress, Miss Peregrine, who is stuck in her second form – that of a bird. However, danger is never far from the group of peculiar children. They are called peculiar for a reason: each of the children possess a certain peculiar ability. For example, Emma can conjure fire in her bare hands, Millard is invisible and Jacob is the only one who can see, and possibly kill their enemy, the hollowgasts.

When outside the safety of their time-loop, the hollowgasts are an ever present danger, which we learn much more of in this second book. A number of intriguing new characters are also introduced, and they really are great additions to the story. Jacob also has the opportunity to explore his powers more, and makes an important discovery.

As with the previous book, Rigg’s has provided visuals to go along with scenes in the story. The black and white photographs, some he found in market sales and some borrowed from collectors, all equally creepy, help the reader to visualise the characters and their various deformities/powers. I think this is a great selling point for the series, and really adds something to the story, as oppose to the pictures just being plonked here and there with no reasoning.

Jacob and Emma’s relationship develops further in this second instalment, as does his friendship with the rest of the children. They have to band together to help Miss Peregrine, and is some fabulously witty dialogue between Horce, Millard and Enoch. This humour only works so well because Rigg’s has succeeded in developing each child into a strong enough character to carry a scene.

I’m currently moving straight onto the third book, ‘Library of Souls’, which I’m hoping will provide a rounded conclusion to the series, and a good ending for each of the children. Review to come.

Have you read this series? Do you like it? Leave me a comment with your thoughts!

 

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Title: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Quirk

Rating: 4/5

“But why did the monsters want to hurt you?” I asked. 

“Because we weren’t like other people. We were peculiar.”

“Peculiar how?”

“Oh, all sorts of ways.” he said. “There was a girl who could fly, a boy who had bees living inside him, a brother and sister who could lift boulders over their heads.”

I have been aware of this series for a while now, having seen pictures and reviews floating around the internet, and it might have taken me some time but I’m finally making my way through the series. There are three books in total: ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children’ is the first, ‘Hollow City’ the second and ‘Library of Souls’ the third.

This first book in the series introduces us to Jacob, a normal sixteen year old American boy. He has grown up listening to his grandfather Abe’s crazy stories; what he once wanted to believe as truth he now assumes are the rantings of an old man. He talks of the monsters that are coming to get him, the monsters he hunted in the war. He tells Jacob about peculiar children with strange abilities. Not only that, he has pictures to prove it. Picture upon picture of odd children, who he assures Jacob were once his friends in an orphanage on a remote island.

It is not until tragedy strikes that Jacob starts to think he should not have so easily dismised his grandfathers tales. He is lost and knows that to be able to move froward, he must discover the truth behind the stories. This journey leads Jacob to an abandoned ruin on an island off the coast of Wales. As he explores the crumbling old building, Jacob soon realises that there is far more to learn about his grandfather’s life than he’d ever imagined, and the peculiar children may somehow still be alive. 

This is indeed a peculiar series. Author Ransom Riggs writes the story around a series of strange photographs he has collected, some of which are just plain scary. For me, this visual part of storytelling only brings the characters to life, and adds more excitement to the novel. The copy I have reviewed came in a box set of all three books, with 12 photographs included. For more information about this, you can find it on Quirk’s website.

As usual, I can’t talk freely about the plot without spoilers, but there are plenty of twists and turns, and the story goes further than I’d imagined. There are also some scary parts to the novel, and I’m sure the follow-up books will be the same.

One of the main problems I found overall was simply Jacob’s relationship with his parent, or lack of one. He spends the majority of the story with his father, who in turn spends a lot of that time drunk and not noticing his son sneaking around the island and disappearing for most of the day and night. Jacob’s mother is hardly featured, and Jacob himself isn’t too worried about the consequences of his actions on his family. Maybe if there was a solid reason for his indifference towards them, this wouldn’t have bothered me so much.

I’m currently getting started reading the second novel, and can’t wait to see where this story takes me! Have you read this book? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below…