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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
It's always saddening to see that authors recycle their old plots to give the story an unexpected twist (that doesn't become a twist when it's too predictable). This book and the whole setting had so much potential that just got wasted.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Firstly: Yes, I did, indeed, sob my eyes out when they found Fiona. ✊ I’m weak for that eensy little romance on the sidelines that has >20% of the screen time❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Secondly: what the actual heck is going on with Jacob. Sir, I used to think you were pretty good on the scope of MCs, but the Noor thing is throwing me for a loop.
Now, I pride myself on never hating female characters, (with some very specific exceptions) but I just think Noor’s character is very rushed, uninteresting, and, dare I say, lazy. She doesn’t seem like a ‘chosen one’ (which is an excellent trope, thank you very much) but in fact JUST a new love interest for Jacob, nothing more.
I have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING against secondary-love-interests, when they are done well and have some sort of reason/example of them being better. But I did not just spend four whole ass books developing a very good, angsty romance between EmmaxJacob for whatever this insta-love crap. I have a genuinely hard time believing that Jacob is over her that easily.
Here’s hoping we get a Betty/James/August situation, but I’m afeared we’re barreling towards a Theresa/Thomas/Brenda.
P. S. I watched the movie for the fist time. Respectfully, how was any of that STEAMING HOT TRASH green lit???? It was worse than the Percy Jackson and Artemis Fowl movies COMBINED.
Secondly: what the actual heck is going on with Jacob. Sir, I used to think you were pretty good on the scope of MCs, but the Noor thing is throwing me for a loop.
Now, I pride myself on never hating female characters, (with some very specific exceptions) but I just think Noor’s character is very rushed, uninteresting, and, dare I say, lazy. She doesn’t seem like a ‘chosen one’ (which is an excellent trope, thank you very much) but in fact JUST a new love interest for Jacob, nothing more.
I have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING against secondary-love-interests, when they are done well and have some sort of reason/example of them being better. But I did not just spend four whole ass books developing a very good, angsty romance between EmmaxJacob for whatever this insta-love crap. I have a genuinely hard time believing that Jacob is over her that easily.
Here’s hoping we get a Betty/James/August situation, but I’m afeared we’re barreling towards a Theresa/Thomas/Brenda.
P. S. I watched the movie for the fist time. Respectfully, how was any of that STEAMING HOT TRASH green lit???? It was worse than the Percy Jackson and Artemis Fowl movies COMBINED.
I think this is maybe the best book in this series so far, which feels... unusual, for a fifth installment.
All of the Peregrine novels are good, there's no entry in the series I dislike. But the first one pulses with a mystery and atmosphere that it would be impossible to recapture later on, once Jacob (and the reader) are more immersed in this world and it begins to feel more familiar than strange. Since then, what has taken the place of the first book's unsettling wonder has been a mix of adventure and worldbuilding, as Riggs broadens the scope of peculiardom beyond this one house and its denizens, and I hate to say it but some elements of that have been more successful (in my mind) than others. Book Three, in particular, spilled such a barrel of new places and characters and nouns into my lap that twice now I've had to read a synopsis of it before continuing into the next book. (Who made the Panloopticon again? Is Sharon a protagonist or an antagonist? Remind me again what happened to Fiona?)
With the start of this new trilogy, I almost had the opposite issue - Map of Days is in many ways a 're-pilot' (to borrow a term from Community) and spends so many of its pages resetting the game board and moving pieces around that it ended up feeling a little thin on story. The best thing that book had to offer was where it ended, and the glimmering promise that having spent three or four hundred pages watching Riggs set up dominoes would all pay off in the next installment.
It does.
This fifth book hits the ground running from page one, and every new story element cued up in the last two books goes off like a lit fuse. I was never bored, was frequently exhilarated, and a couple of times got to the end of a chapter and had to set it down for a minute and just relish in the twists and turns of what I had read. Loose ends I thought were forgotten become crucial, and the new characters introduced in book four mesh with the older ones without replacing them. (Noor is wonderful.) I think the greatest magic trick this book executes is making the whole series feel like a unified whole again, as if it was always building up to this, which I am almost certain can't have been the case. The hardest thing to do, when reopening a 'new trilogy' after having supposedly ended the narrative, is grafting it onto the old one successfully, and this novel weaves itself so deep into both book four and book three that it somehow makes the new developments seem inevitable.
And the last thirty pages or so... I can't really talk about the ending without spoiling everything, but it is a masterful coda that was cinematic and thrilling in its own right and also has me thrumming with anticipation for the next one.
All of the Peregrine novels are good, there's no entry in the series I dislike. But the first one pulses with a mystery and atmosphere that it would be impossible to recapture later on, once Jacob (and the reader) are more immersed in this world and it begins to feel more familiar than strange. Since then, what has taken the place of the first book's unsettling wonder has been a mix of adventure and worldbuilding, as Riggs broadens the scope of peculiardom beyond this one house and its denizens, and I hate to say it but some elements of that have been more successful (in my mind) than others. Book Three, in particular, spilled such a barrel of new places and characters and nouns into my lap that twice now I've had to read a synopsis of it before continuing into the next book. (Who made the Panloopticon again? Is Sharon a protagonist or an antagonist? Remind me again what happened to Fiona?)
With the start of this new trilogy, I almost had the opposite issue - Map of Days is in many ways a 're-pilot' (to borrow a term from Community) and spends so many of its pages resetting the game board and moving pieces around that it ended up feeling a little thin on story. The best thing that book had to offer was where it ended, and the glimmering promise that having spent three or four hundred pages watching Riggs set up dominoes would all pay off in the next installment.
It does.
This fifth book hits the ground running from page one, and every new story element cued up in the last two books goes off like a lit fuse. I was never bored, was frequently exhilarated, and a couple of times got to the end of a chapter and had to set it down for a minute and just relish in the twists and turns of what I had read. Loose ends I thought were forgotten become crucial, and the new characters introduced in book four mesh with the older ones without replacing them. (Noor is wonderful.) I think the greatest magic trick this book executes is making the whole series feel like a unified whole again, as if it was always building up to this, which I am almost certain can't have been the case. The hardest thing to do, when reopening a 'new trilogy' after having supposedly ended the narrative, is grafting it onto the old one successfully, and this novel weaves itself so deep into both book four and book three that it somehow makes the new developments seem inevitable.
And the last thirty pages or so... I can't really talk about the ending without spoiling everything, but it is a masterful coda that was cinematic and thrilling in its own right and also has me thrumming with anticipation for the next one.
I generally don’t like to write reviews of books because I don’t like reading reviews about books, but this feels worth writing. I was very excited for this book and I am left feeling flat and annoyed. I am thoroughly disappointed that Riggs decided to go back to Caul. The ending really destroyed any love I had for the book overall and I am unlikely to recommend past the first three, maybe four, books to friends.
Also, a new romance?? Why?? It feels insulting and makes Jacob into a flippant teenager.
This book undoes a lot of the tying up that the other books managed. I am disappointed.
Also, a new romance?? Why?? It feels insulting and makes Jacob into a flippant teenager.
This book undoes a lot of the tying up that the other books managed. I am disappointed.
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Woo! I’m so close to finishing this series. And what a good instalment this book was. I just love the world of the peculiar. The strange and weird and wacky. Ransom Riggs has a great ability to write a story that truly captures the fun and mirth of middle grade fiction and the gut punctures of more mature work.
The only issue I really had with this book is that it felt like the second half of the last book, rather than a part of a bigger whole. This is what led to the issues I had around pacing – the go, go, go of the plot was really a result of the book, starting exactly where the last one finished (which was in the middle of an action scene). But I still love the dynamics of Miss Peregrine’s wards, and Rigg’s Has really set up a big finale for the series. I definitely shot myself in the foot with this series. By not reading it closer together, I had to go back and remind myself what had happened in the last book, quite a bit. But, once I finish it, I could always start again!
The only issue I really had with this book is that it felt like the second half of the last book, rather than a part of a bigger whole. This is what led to the issues I had around pacing – the go, go, go of the plot was really a result of the book, starting exactly where the last one finished (which was in the middle of an action scene). But I still love the dynamics of Miss Peregrine’s wards, and Rigg’s Has really set up a big finale for the series. I definitely shot myself in the foot with this series. By not reading it closer together, I had to go back and remind myself what had happened in the last book, quite a bit. But, once I finish it, I could always start again!
This visual photo accompaniment to the storyline made this book series for me. Book 5 was no exception. From a plot perspective- this entire book felt like one big set up and right when things started to peak- it ended. I was a little disappointed and hoping for a little bit more. This would be fine if the next book was available to consume right away- but nope. Now it's the waiting game until the final installment is released in 2021.
(3.25 Stars)
This book continued the adventures and ties up a couple of loose ends while creating a few more.
This book continued the adventures and ties up a couple of loose ends while creating a few more.
Mi è piaciuto ma l'ho trovato un po' vuoto, come mancasse qualcosa, come se non ci fosse un vero proposito per questo libro
This was an amazing read, and that cliffhanger ended left me desperate for more!! Can’t wait for the next instalment