Rambling Reads | Miss Peregine's Home for Peculiar Children Review

Welcome to the first chapter of Rambling Reads, the place where I give you my two sense about the books I'm reading. Don't worry, you'll love it.

 Miss Peregine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

So, I was given this book as a secret Santa gift in my old work's gift exchange, and I'll be honest, I always wanted to read it merely because of the cover. It's a creepy, old photograph that gives you the heebee jee bees, and makes you think, "oh man, vintage is so cool."

The story introduces you to Jacob, a lazy, entitled kid who just wants to spend his summer barely working for his family's supermarket. Once we are introduced to Jacob's grandfather, we understand the real meat of the novel. Grandpa Portman always told Jacob tall tales as a child, and once Jacob is all grown up, he believes them to be far-fetched, like any regular kid would think. Poor Grandpa is written off as "crazy" merely because he's getting old and reminiscing his past.

We sort of wander through Jacob's mind in the beginning of the  book, and I found it to be slightly irritating and whiny. I mean, come on, you're a white, wealthy male: how much could you possibly have to complain about? I have a bunch of money but my parents don't really understand me, blah blah blah. You get the drift. His mother is a shallow woman who is embarrassed by his father, a failing author and bird watcher.

Something I really loved about this book was the incorporation of the photographs into the story. Ransom Riggs created the entire narrative around the photographs, which I find to be fascinating. It's an original way to craft a story and makes for a wickedly dark tone for the novel.

Back to Jacob. Basically, some shit goes down and Grandpa Portman gets murdered by some mysterious shadow beast (which is revealed much later in the book.) The relationship between Jacob and his grandfather is one that I found to be interesting. It wasn't perfect, which is refreshing. Because this is a YA novel, I felt like the family relationships needed to be perfect by the end, all the problems fixed and wrapped in a nice, little bow. That's not the case for Jacob and his grandfather. Grandpa Portman dies pretty early on in the book, and their issues of trust are never truly solved.

Jacob hears his grandfather's cryptic last words telling him to go to the island where he grew up, so naturally he begs his dad to take him. The remainder of the book takes place on this island, where Miss Peregine's Home for Peculiar Children lay in ruins, from years of decay and a tragic bombing.

Jacob, and his drunk father, spend months on the island. I found it to be shocking that Jacob could spend literally all day off with total strangers and his father was just sitting at the bar on the island, getting wasted. By the end of the book, Jacob's father felt like a complete failure. He had never completed any project he started, whether it was bird watching novel ideas, or explorations, and he was in constant fear that his wife would leave him for someone better. It wouldn't surprise me if she did.

Jacob becomes more acquainted with the island, and through exploring, finds a time loop. He is transported back to 1940, when the orphanage was at its prime. It is no longer in ruins, but populated by children. We are given a glimpse into the peculiarity of the children, some with powers like levitation and reanimation. Jacob bonds with the children, and fills in blanks about his grandfather's past.

One of those blanks involves Emma, the girl who is literally on fire. I know, that sounds like Katniss Everdeen, but this girl is different. She makes fire with her hands, and heats up the story for Jacob. He becomes infatuated with her. We come to find out that Emma had a relationship with Grandpa Portman while he was at the orphanage, and since all of the peculiar children are stuck in a time loop, cursed to never age, Emma is still the same age that she fell in love with Jacob's grandfather. Jacob is naturally weirded out by this (any normal person would be, yuck) but eventually shakes the feeling and proclaims his love for her. Personally, I think it's a little too weird, but hey, if you want to kiss a girl who also made out with your grandfather, that's your life choice.

Most of the peculiar children weren't incredibly interesting, but there was one that I found to be intriguing. Enoch, the boy who could reanimate living things by collecting hearts and placing them into dead people, or animals, was fascinating. He carried around little hearts for his army of tiny clay soldiers that he lovingly tortured. He's not the most lovable character, but that's why he is so interesting. I would have liked to know more about his backstory. I really hope we learn more about him in the sequel, Hollow City.

Miss Peregrine is another character I felt was slightly short changed in the description department. She has an authority figure persona, but also a great deal of pain in her life. Her past is hinted at in several photographs, but nothing major. I would very much like the next book to explore her past and learn more about her as a character.

There are some creepy crawlers and twisted doctors that come on the scene towards the end of the book, but I won't ruin the action packed parts for you. The way the novel ends definitely sets it up for a sequel, but do I find myself racing to the bookstore to get Hollow City? Sadly, no. I do want to read it eventually because I'm interested in where the story will go, but not obsessed.

Overall, Riggs delivers an eccentric tale of a young boy trying to find out more about his grandfather. Jacob succeeds in finding out the secrets of Grandpa Portman, but at a cost. He discovers a whole new world of peculiar children like Emma, and learns he may even be peculiar himself.

As if this book wasn't creepy enough, it will officially be made into a movie directed by none other than the king of weird, Tim Burton. It is set to release in March of next year, with Eva Green cast to play Miss Peregrine. I give a thumbs up to that cast selection, and I'm interested to see how they cast for the rest of the characters.

Rating:

I hope you enjoyed my ramblings, and pick up a copy of the book today. It's definitely worth a read.