Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
A lot different than what I expected. I thought there would be more of a "creepy" factor, but it turned out to be a great fantasy/adventure story. I'm looking forward to the next installment and interested in how they will turn this into a movie.
This book was good but it could have been better. I think I was spoiled by the fact it has so much hype at the moment and it just wasn't as exciting as I had hoped. It was more interesting than exciting and I felt the author could have included more action especially by showing the children's powers off more, but he didn't. I also found the 'romance' part a little bit off putting as Emma clearly loved Jacobs grandfather so it was all a little bizarre to me that this kid would just be fine with that. The upcoming film looks amazing and I think it might be better seeing the effect of the powers on a screen than living them through a book. The writing style was fine but I felt there could have been more action and I will read the sequels but I am not as excited about them as I was before reading this book
The 2 stars are for the first 100 pages because they really did grip me! Sadly after that though, this book just wasn't my thing. I don't know what I expected of it, but it just wasn't that. I only finished this for the sake of finishing it and I definitely won't be continuing the series.
This was our book club's October pick because the host thought a kind of creepy, Halloween-y book would be fun. The prologue and first few chapters started out so great! I liked the inclusion of the vintage photographs and thought it made the story a bit more interesting (and yes, added that creep factor), but as the story went on it kind of fizzled out and nothing really exciting happened. The story felt contrived to fit around the photos rather than the photos being an interesting addition. I honestly thought we'd have a story about these "peculiar children" and what their life was like. Instead, we got a semi-mystery that only actually started to get good right in the last couple of chapters, ending just in time for the reader to say, "NOW WHAT?" and search for the sequel. Honestly, I don't know that I will bother with the sequel. The style of writing felt inconsistent, too. Is it YA? Is it adult fiction? It never seems to fall in one or the other, rather it hovers between the two so I can't decide if it's appropriate for my son to read or if it's a bit too dumbed down for my adult friends. I'll go to book club in 20 minutes and see what the others say...
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was drawn to this novel for many reasons, but the deliciously creepy photographs on the book cover were the main reasons that I picked up this book. This novel centres on the character of Jacob Portman, a 16 year-old boy who tragically witnesses the death of his grandfather. Having been told tales of monsters and of children with strange abilities by his grandfather his entire life, Jacob begins to believe that they were true. When Jacob and his father travel to Wales, Jacob stumbles into an alternate world where such children live in an orphanage run by a headmistress named Miss Peregrine. Unaccepted and intolerated by the real world, these "peculiars" are forced to live a "loop", forever living one day, over and over. Jacob discovers that they live in constant danger of another species who are determined to hunt them down and use them in experiments for eternal life. Jacob must make a decision to stay and help his new friends fight and avenge his grandfather's death. Author, Riggs' inclusion of vintage photographs within the pages of this novel add a wonderful level of eerieness and creativity. I highly recommend this book!
An eerie, folkloric, time traveling piece that picks you up and sprints to the last page...where you are left hanging for more! I was briefly heartbroken at the prospect of waiting for the sequel, but I am happy to wait for the next installment of this incredible ghost story.