Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Published: June 2011 Pages: 352 Synopsis: "A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs. A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows." Rating: **

I've put off reading this for ages as I've never fancied it, but watching the trailer for the film prompted me to finally read the book.

There was a nice contrast between America and Wales but I felt Wales was portrayed as stereotypically old fashioned and almost backwards. I suppose this was the aim, to show such a stark contrast between the two settings but it felt somewhat extreme.

I'm unsure whether this is a children's book as it was quite dark and dealt with some distressing themes such as death, madness, war and there was a little swearing "...pissing rain...".

I enjoyed the story despite feeling mainly indifferent and I wasn't expecting the war element. There was a good cast of characters, I particularly liked Millard and his humour. The characters were all written well, even down to Jacob's parents and how they deal with his situation.

I didn't like the ending as it seemed rushed and was left on a cliffhanger (but personally, not a particularly intriguing one). If I hadn't already bought the next two books i don't think I would bother, but I do plan on reading them.