If you’re a fan of the recent film version, Riggs’ debut novel is a must-read. His engaging writing transports you into his gothic and fantastical world, combining imagery and expression to make it difficult to put down. The voice of the protagonist, 16-year-old Jacob Portman, is full of personality and is relatable to anyone who has struggled finding a place to belong. It’s one of those books that you can read over and over, and always find some part of the puzzle you hadn’t noticed before. Riggs brilliantly entwines mystery, horror and thriller into one, making the readers’ heartbeats almost as fast as Jacob’s, while the slower-paced scenes allow time to catch your breath and gather your thoughts.
As a warning, this book it not for the faint-hearted; the imagery is quite graphic and grotesque at times, so if horror isn’t your thing, I would avoid reading this book. However, it makes a wonderful coming-of-age story, and Riggs makes a point of showing what young people are capable of in a world where adults can’t always be depended on. The book is given an added charm by the inclusion of the macabre antique photos that inspired Riggs; they give the book an enticingly haunting atmosphere and add to the believability of the story. The fact that the photos really exist gives a certain gravity to the characters, placing them in the real world.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is an inspiring and exhilarating read that deals with the protagonist’s experience with grief, and it’s also a wake-up call to the things children must come to terms with to grow up. Amongst the suspense and horror there are some truly heart-wrenching scenes that really make you feel for the characters and make you root for their success. It’s a fantastic beginning to a series that will continuously leave you wanting more. If you enjoy books with a darker side and some truly peculiar characters, and if you don’t mind a few nightmares, this is the perfect book for you.
The Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children series by Ransom Riggs is available for sale here!
With the arrival of the new Netflix series, now is a perfect time to sink your teeth into Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. This series is unique and one of my favourites; Snicket’s narration is satirical, morbid and hilarious all at once, and although he will warn you many times that the books …
Acclaimed writer Bill Bennett unearths a new satisfyingly dark and entertaining series in ‘Palace of Fires’. The debut novel in the series–‘Initiate’–follows the story of Lily Lennox, a teenage girl living with her single mother on a farm on the outskirts of San Francisco, California. Lily’s seemingly normal and idyllic life, however, is thrown into …
DRAGON RIDER follows the tale of Firedrake, a young dragon who sets off on a quest to find the acclaimed Rim of Heaven after learning that his home–and all the dragons that live in it–are in grave danger of a man-induced flood that will destroy their riparian home. Along the way, he will be joined …
The Graveyard Book, published in 2008, is a work of Neil Gaiman’s that instantly appeals to readers of the macabre and strange. The novel follows Nobody ‘Bod’ Owens through his experiences of living with a cohort of ghouls and ghosts within a cemetery. The Graveyard Book chronicles his life throughout the graveyard and the places …
Skulduggery Pleasant – Playing with Fire is the second novel in Derek Landy’s Skulduggery Pleasant series. Following on from the events of the first novel (if you have not read the first novel, or do not want spoilers, please STOP reading right now), the novel picks up a few months after Skulduggery and Valkyrie defeated …
Skulduggery Pleasant follows herione Stephanie Edgley, whose uncle–a famed horror author–dies mysteriously, leaving Stephanie with his fortune and mansion, but as Stephanie spends the night in her late uncle’s house, she is thrust into a magical underworld full of murderous hunters, vampires, ghosts and monsters that appear to mirror those written about in her uncle’s …
Book Review – Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
As a warning, this book it not for the faint-hearted; the imagery is quite graphic and grotesque at times, so if horror isn’t your thing, I would avoid reading this book. However, it makes a wonderful coming-of-age story, and Riggs makes a point of showing what young people are capable of in a world where adults can’t always be depended on.
The book is given an added charm by the inclusion of the macabre antique photos that inspired Riggs; they give the book an enticingly haunting atmosphere and add to the believability of the story. The fact that the photos really exist gives a certain gravity to the characters, placing them in the real world.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is an inspiring and exhilarating read that deals with the protagonist’s experience with grief, and it’s also a wake-up call to the things children must come to terms with to grow up. Amongst the suspense and horror there are some truly heart-wrenching scenes that really make you feel for the characters and make you root for their success. It’s a fantastic beginning to a series that will continuously leave you wanting more. If you enjoy books with a darker side and some truly peculiar characters, and if you don’t mind a few nightmares, this is the perfect book for you.
The Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children series by Ransom Riggs is available for sale here!
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