My Thoughts: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books; Reprint edition (June 4 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594746036
• ISBN-13: 978-1594746031
• Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 2 x 20.8 cm

"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

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My Thoughts:
Miss Peregrines School for Peculiar Children is quite fittingly, a peculiar mix of genre's and age designations that for the most part - go together. Though at times it seems like the finer horror elements are muddled in the action-packed storyline, Almost as if  with slightly better pacing, there would have been more room to expand on some of the subtleties... Indulge me for a moment.

Our main character, Jacob - plays the part of a admittedly bland teenager, who's normal life working at a family run convenience empire, is uprooted when his grandfather gets killed by bloodthirsty monsters - Or so he thinks.. You see, the thing is that no-one else can see these flesh-eating animals, except Jacob.. In fact, almost everyone around him is convinced he's crazy - Had a psychotic meltdown and invented the whole monster bit, from old stories his grandad told him... This story arc, (Sadly hogging a 1/3'rd of the novel), pairs nicely with the next 2/3'rds, which regrettably didn't leave enough time dwell on things like the strange, seductive pull the "Loop" seems to have on newcomers, or the dehumanisation of the townspeople (in the eyes of the kids); after being stuck on permanent repeat.. Y'know, the creepy psychological stuff I've come to expect from "spine-tingling fantasy".

"one day my mother sat me down and explained that I couldn't become an explorer because everything in the world had already been discovered. I'd been born in the wrong century, and I felt cheated"

Where Miss Peregrines Home separates itself, is in its ability to nail down the teenage voice, in an authentic way. I cant count how many times I read my own thoughts, or the thoughts of people I know, while Jacob went about his day-to-day life. This, is naturally why its so odd that most* of the characters (peculiar children), sort of became caricatures of their own powers. This ploy for worked some of the protagonists (Enoch, Emma), but I believe not the best choice for others.

"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 realize at this point that my review sounds a bit negative,  and it may look to some of you that its literally the word book in the world- I guarantee you its not! Miss.P's home for Peculiar Children definitely had its good moments, but its just something best read at the library.

My Rating: 3/5

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