Supernatural creatures are hunting down every person with unusual or extraordinary powers on Earth, in hopes of creating an Apocalypse of epic proportions in Hollow City. This book is the sequel to the fun-to-read bestseller, Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children, both written by Ransom Riggs for Quirk Books.
Like the first novel, this book is based on a series of vintage real-life photographs. The main characters are a small group of children who may be more powerful than they initially seem. These children are extraordinary (or peculiar) and they’re in grave danger. Their only hope for help is to go on a suicide mission to save Headmistress Miss Peregrine, who is currently unable to protect her wards. Jacob Portman, our protagonist, puts it upon himself to escort his new-found friends to safety.
The story’s setting exists partially in the real world, with numerous tall-tale elements sprinkled about. Throughout their journey, the children time travel from the safety of an imaginary world to the war-torn London of 1940, hoping to survive both the deadly wights and hollowgasts that hunt them, as well as the bombing raids of World War II. Truly, it feels like a horrific nightmare that has a life of its own.
Along their journey, the children uncover hidden clues within a book of fairy tales to aid their journey. They discover a host of great, new characters, including peculiar animals, a group of nomadic Gypsies and some creepy circus performers (they were my favorites!).
Author Ransom Riggs crafts a unique storyline that leads to a big-time cliffhanger… one that will probably be resolved in the next book, Library of Souls, which will take place in present-day London.
The author definitely uses the word peculiar a lot and adapts it for his own vocabulary style. Also, there are more vintage pictures this time around. Sadly, it feels like there are too many pictures and many of them feel forced into the story, this time around.
Speaking of the story, it took a little while to get the overall storyline going and could have happened a little quicker. While the original group of characters gets fleshed out a bit more, the book feels like it was stretched out for the first third of the book, making it a little longer than necessary. Once that section ends and the group is on the run without a chance to catch their breath, that’s when it really starts to shine.
The main characters in this series have heart and soul — apparently a second soul, as well — and they are easy to root for. They are outcasts, similar to the mutants of The X-Men.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and can’t wait to find out what happens next in the series!
Strength: A great adventure with newly created characters.
Weakness: Still unsure the difference between the hollowgast and wights…
WTF Moment: An emu-raffe! Armageddon chickens! So many great, new characters!
Notable Quotes:
– “Emotion clouds his vision.”
– “Quit talking like a Nancy Normal!”
– “A peculiar’s sole is the door to his soul.”
– “What a peculiar lot you are, even for peculiars.”
– “Some truths are expressed best in the form of myth.”
– “Peculiars don’t have past lives. We live them all at once.”
– “So it had come to this: everything depended on a pigeon.”
– “You’re the most obviously peculiar bunch of peculiars I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
Review: 3.5/5