Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Finished "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs this morning. Can't believe it took me this long to read it.

Quickie Amazon Summary: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. 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.

            I haven't read a fiction book as gripping, colorful and strange as this in a LONG time. It is a must read. His writing style is unlike anything I've experienced. A favorite quote: "The sky was turning the color of a fresh bruise as we pulled into my grandfather's subdivision..." Who compares the sky to a bruise?! It's not romantic or majestic, but rather sets the tone for an upcoming event in the chapter. Just spectacular.

            Reading this novel brought me back to a simpler time in my life. A time when the novels I read were about a rag-tag group of misfits my age who have to save the day, complete with heaping helpings of mystery and danger alike. And that’s just what this book delivered. The old photographs interspersed sparingly throughout the book’s pages (which, according to the back of the novel, are mostly real) make this one of the most visually appealing novels that I've ever read. The characters feel real by the end, and when all is revealed by the end, Riggs ties every last potential hole together beautifully. This is an exciting novel from start to finish, with a sinister enemy that actually, certifiably terrified me. Forget recommending this, it is a priority read. This is the kind of book you read when you need a good literary cleanse. Dig in and enjoy!

Rating: 10/10

Quote: “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.”

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Next novel: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Lates,

Tyler