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musingswithmiranda's review against another edition
3.0
Jeff VanderMeer is one of my favorite authors. I really enjoy how creative and weird his works are, and this is no exception.
A Peculiar Peril is the first book in VanderMeer’s new young adult duology. With his mother missing and his grandfather dead, Jonathan Lambshead inherits his grandfather’s mansion. He is tasked with cataloging its contents, so he enlists the help of his friends, Rack and Danny. However, Jonathan finds three doors that lead to other worlds. One leads to an alternate version of Earth called Aurora, which is filled with magic, talking animals, and a dictator named Aleister Crowley who is on a rampage. Soon Jonathan learns that he has a role to play in The Order, a secretive group that seeks to monitor and control doors and portals, to help save Aurora and protect Earth.
If you have read a book by Jeff VanderMeer then you must understand how it can be difficult to make sense of them or find the words to describe what is going on. The ones I have read so far are definitely a mix of weird and nonsense, including A Peculiar Peril.
I really enjoyed most of the characters in this book. The story jumps around between location and perspective, but I loved the main cast of characters - Jonathan, Rack, and Danny. At first, I really struggled with getting into this because of the chapters that followed Crowley. They were just so boring for me because I could not connect to them. As the story developed, I appreciated these perspectives more.
Aurora seems mind boggling but very cool at the same time. I loved the whole alternate world aspect as this is something I enjoy in a lot other books too. Aurora is even more unique because I never knew what to expect. I really liked the talking animals though.
The plot of this book was really mixed for me. Sometimes it was very eventful and engaging, but I lost interest in certain parts. When it picked up, it was really enjoyable though. My advice would be to not take it too seriously and just go with the flow.
A Peculiar Peril is a wild ride. I appreciate VanderMeer’s voice and creativity, but I expected a little more in terms of plot and character development. Certain things felt slow or unnecessary, so I wish the story really stuck with the great parts more. While this was not a perfect read for me, I am still very interested in checking out the second book.
A Peculiar Peril is the first book in VanderMeer’s new young adult duology. With his mother missing and his grandfather dead, Jonathan Lambshead inherits his grandfather’s mansion. He is tasked with cataloging its contents, so he enlists the help of his friends, Rack and Danny. However, Jonathan finds three doors that lead to other worlds. One leads to an alternate version of Earth called Aurora, which is filled with magic, talking animals, and a dictator named Aleister Crowley who is on a rampage. Soon Jonathan learns that he has a role to play in The Order, a secretive group that seeks to monitor and control doors and portals, to help save Aurora and protect Earth.
If you have read a book by Jeff VanderMeer then you must understand how it can be difficult to make sense of them or find the words to describe what is going on. The ones I have read so far are definitely a mix of weird and nonsense, including A Peculiar Peril.
I really enjoyed most of the characters in this book. The story jumps around between location and perspective, but I loved the main cast of characters - Jonathan, Rack, and Danny. At first, I really struggled with getting into this because of the chapters that followed Crowley. They were just so boring for me because I could not connect to them. As the story developed, I appreciated these perspectives more.
Aurora seems mind boggling but very cool at the same time. I loved the whole alternate world aspect as this is something I enjoy in a lot other books too. Aurora is even more unique because I never knew what to expect. I really liked the talking animals though.
The plot of this book was really mixed for me. Sometimes it was very eventful and engaging, but I lost interest in certain parts. When it picked up, it was really enjoyable though. My advice would be to not take it too seriously and just go with the flow.
A Peculiar Peril is a wild ride. I appreciate VanderMeer’s voice and creativity, but I expected a little more in terms of plot and character development. Certain things felt slow or unnecessary, so I wish the story really stuck with the great parts more. While this was not a perfect read for me, I am still very interested in checking out the second book.
adalieslittlelibrary's review
I'll come back to this one. I just have to have the time/be in the right mood for it
taydizzy's review against another edition
Will try again (probably? Maybe?) just couldn’t wrap my head around what was going on and why
tmntallthewaydw's review against another edition
Too long and convoluted for my taste
woodsybookworm's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Jonathan Lambshead has inherited his grandfather's massive mansion filled floor to ceiling with oddities and curiosities. While exploring the seemingly neverending mansion, Jonathan happens upon a doorway to another world full of talking animals, occultists, and a terrifying evil.
I'd compare this to a darker version of Narnia, where you can't guarantee everyone will make it out in the end.
This is probably the most off his usual path work for Jeff Vandermeer - while his voice is still in it - it's much more like a young adult fantasy than the cosmic horror of his usual work. If you're reading this because you're a fan of Jeff Vandermeer this might not be what you're expecting.
I'd compare this to a darker version of Narnia, where you can't guarantee everyone will make it out in the end.
This is probably the most off his usual path work for Jeff Vandermeer - while his voice is still in it - it's much more like a young adult fantasy than the cosmic horror of his usual work. If you're reading this because you're a fan of Jeff Vandermeer this might not be what you're expecting.
4thcaballero's review
Interesting prose but ultimately too dense to get any kind of flow going.
theo_thefrog's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Surprisingly boring, and I have a deep fondness for almost anything involving sorting through and cataloging weird mysterious potentially magical trinkets. Could have done with a lot more world building, which is what VanderMeer usually does well from other books of his I've read. I admit I'm biased against the whole "young British student trio" vibe, it's very tired even in 2020 when this was published. There's not a lot of urgency. Way too much whimsy with even the villains like a cartoony puppetshow. It all feels inconsequential, and the characters feel very flat for it.
dreamgalaxies's review against another edition
2.0
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Idk if I’m just in the wrong state of mind but this was really not doing it for me, and I’m a fan of Vandermeer! Seemed odd for the sake of it with many side characters and dramas playing out with slight connection to the plot. I can’t imagine how a prospective YA audience would find this digestible either. Also way too long. I could see some of what he was going for and there was some clever weird prose but I finally gave up when I was still struggling to focus at 70%. Can’t say I didn’t try.
Idk if I’m just in the wrong state of mind but this was really not doing it for me, and I’m a fan of Vandermeer! Seemed odd for the sake of it with many side characters and dramas playing out with slight connection to the plot. I can’t imagine how a prospective YA audience would find this digestible either. Also way too long. I could see some of what he was going for and there was some clever weird prose but I finally gave up when I was still struggling to focus at 70%. Can’t say I didn’t try.
pantsreads's review
3.0
Wholly bizarre, nonsensical, and confusing. But at the same time, utterly delightful, engaging, and hilarious.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
shoosha's review
3.0
What a fun read! It was a tad hard for me to get started, and it's heavy... like literally heavy. Which made it difficult to commit to before bed, my arms usually saying 'we out' before I could gettsome good work in. But that's not the books fault, I need to get back into "Tome Reading Shape"