Looks can be deceiving

Who hasn't seen this creepy book, lurking proudly in the "New Releases" section? It practically SCREAMS Halloween--a nice, delightful scare that makes you lock your doors tighter, leave on the nightlight, and snuggle deeply under your covers.

Only...it doesn't.

Sure, the girl looks REALLY creepy on the cover and many of the back images are enough to give you the eebie jeebies, but NOTHING that remotely scary EVER occurs within these pages. Okay, maybe the very first scene, wh More...

Let me tell you a secret, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is actually:

(I don't think what follows is a spoiler, but am marking it as such anyway as some people think it is.)

(view spoiler)[



for elementary school kids.

Yes, the book tries to pretend it is something else, embellishing itself with creepy and weird vintage photographs



but the reality is, it is nothing more than a regurgitated version of X-Men. (hide spoiler)]

Rarely do I come across a book that is as far from what it aspires to be as this one. You might ex More...

2.5 stars

Have you ever played that game where one person starts a story and stops mid-sentence and the next person in the circle has to pick up the story? That's how reading this book felt, only instead of jumping from disjointed person to person, it jumps from disjointed photograph to photograph.

Too bad because it started off fantastic. I loved the writing, the humorous way Riggs has with descriptions, and the old-fashion carny photos were a nice touch. I especially loved the analogy of an orph More...

This book started with a bang. It was very creepy, exciting and really intriguing, but it all went downhill from there. Once the mystery around the house was explained - which was fairly early and without any nuance - it became a very boring and almost childish story, which I didn't expect at all.

One thing I can say I enjoyed was the photographs- they're scattered throughout the book, all black and white and remarkably creepy. They add a nice eery touch to the story and gives it a really unique More...

WARNING: This review may contain excessive (and possibly incorrect) use of the Welsh language. Diolch.


Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Woaaah. Also, the sequel is going to be bendigedig!

High Points.
TERRIFYING. Originality. Kick-ass taids! Creepy but adorable children. Fairy tales… or are they? WW11. Cymru. Culture and heritage. Time-travel. Crumbling old houses. League of Gentlemen-esque locals. Ghosts, spooks and fire-throwers, OH MY. And, my favourite part of this book, the beautiful photos. Looki More...

Strange.

A story that seems somewhat young and incompletely conceived, perhaps one might say, odd. Unfortunately, I had to return the ebook reader (a trial to see if I'm the ereading type), so my concerns are from memory of a brisk read. Frankly, the story is a little messy. The idea of stories from photographs is wonderful; the trouble is that such old photos are better integrated with another age, not a modern one. Just imagine, if Houdini had a Vegas act now: it would fold within weeks on an More...

Actual Rating - A little over 2.5 stars I liked it but it had some major flaws in it that dragged the rating right back.

I feel decidedly unsatisfied after reading Miss Peregrine's. When I went into the book I was expecting something vastly different to what I got. I had been mislead by the following:

"A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children", an unforgettable n More...

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children also known as the Tale of (view spoiler)[Time-Traveling X-Men (hide spoiler)].

Before I spew out my thoughts, I'd like to give credit where credit's due. Mad props to the author for incorporating visual eye-candy as in the vintage photos peppered throughout this novel. Excellent job with that endeavor. And I do adore Riggs' writing style. One word - Enchanting. Now on with the show . . . .

Little known fact: a hellmouth far worse than the one in Detroit winked into existence undernea More...

Four stars: Highly recommend this book.
Wow! What a pleasant surprise this book turned out to be. The old adage don't judge a book by it's cover is definitely pertinent for this book. When I first saw the cover I thought, I don't want to read that book it is probably some creepy, horror story. You do have to admit the cover is a little disturbing, Then I started seeing all to the positive reviews and thought I would give it a whirl. I am so glad I did. The story was so creative and different. I t More...

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is an entertaining, different and very well-put-together novel and an all-around great introduction to a new author. The story is a sort-of Science Fiction/Horror/Fantasy all rolled into one and is told to great effect using mostly authentic old photographs to supplement the story by providing amazing visuals of the "peculiar" people and events of the story. It makes me wonder if the author created his story to fit the photos that he and other collecto More...

It's pretty hard to show any originality in books these days, but I was pleasantly surprised by how different this book was. The plot has been cleverly interlinked with many unsettling vintage photos of children doing unusual and spectacular feats.

The story is complex with many mysteries, that are sporadically punctuated with strange photographs. This creates a realism that draws you in and keeps you hooked, as I found myself reading for longer to reach the next picture. For me the photos were More...

I've heard a lot of different books lauded as "the next Harry Potter" -- from YA titles like Eragon, The Lightning Thief, Twilight, and The Hunger Games, to speculative fiction works such as The Name of the Wind and The Magicians. But I have never heard that buzz for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. In fact, I had thought this was a horror (the cover art is very reminiscent of movies like The Ring and Woman in Black ).

Despite the lack of buzz, this book should be compared favorably More...

Peculiar Children Review
3.5 stars

‘I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was.’

Going into this book I had the impression that it would be this scary, ‘Shutter Island’ type novel. I also thought it was Adult Fiction. I was wrong on both counts; but was still not disappointed, the story was quite interesting.

‘Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children’ is the story of sixteen-year-old Jacob who has grown More...

Technically I am giving this 4 1/2 stars for minor editing flaws. The worst example is referring to "Billy" when there is no Billy in the book anytime before or after.

Having that out of the way, we discovered the book quite by accident only to learn that it is already soring up the book charts and has a movie contract. I say "we" because this was a summer read-aloud that I shared with my husband. It was great fun to read, comment, and speculate about the events, and pass it over to share the pic More...

At first glance, I thought that Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children would be a horror story, and I do love a good book that can scare the daylights out of me, but when I started to read the book, I realized that the storyline was from the fantasy genre which I admit is not one of my favorites. That being said, I thought the first half of the book was strange, as in really weird! Trying to follow the author's direction with the storyline was a bit slow for me, it just couldn't hold my att More...

I can't even.



The poor execution of a good idea is just so upsetting to me.

The main problem with this book is that the entire time I was reading I felt like a high school English teacher grading a student's paper, when in fact I am not a teacher or anyone who majored in English or writing. If I am simply a normal reader thinking this, then who the hell was working as the editor?? Did they not bring up these issues? Clearly the several people the author listed in his acknowledgements couldn't have More...

This will contain a few very minor spoilers but I doubt it would ruin anything if you have not read this book yet.
The first half of the book really had my attention and I wanted to see what was going to happen, however after the time travel part it lost me a little bit. I felt like some things could have been explained better in the book for instance when Jacob first went through to the other side it was confusing about where he ended up at. There was some over explained parts of the book and so More...

You know the saying "Never judge a book by its cover"? well, in this case, DO! It was what grabbed my attention. Upon reading the premise, I was even more sure I had to read this. I am so glad that I did! It's such an amazing and creative story. The vintage pictures included complement the story so well. They truly make you believe these things are real.
*SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW*

I found the beginning of the story touching in so many ways. Jacob (protagonist) and his stories of growing up with his gr More...

If I could, I would give this book 2 1/2 stars because it was more than OK but I didn't actually like it. I found the central character, Jacob, completely unlikeable. He reminds me of the female protagonist in "Revolution" but she had a dead brother, a sick mother, and an absentee father to blame for her emotional turmoil. Jacob, on the other hand, has a two-parent cushy life that he can't seem to get comfortable with. Fair enough, it happens, but I was never sure how Riggs wanted me to feel abo More...

Visually this book is easily 5 stars, but in reality it is like a beautiful airheaded woman.

The photography is amazing especially considering it is real, but the plot is weak.

This book sold itself as a creepy, quirky ride, but sadly it never reached the heebie jeebie level it promised. The photographs while beautiful and odd were used as too much of a crutch within the book, depended on too much. Instead of being supplemental to the plot, they were the only glue holding the rest of it all toge More...

I want to go slow here. I'm always aware at times like this that I'm still unpublished and I really do hope to do something liked by some readers as much as this is.

Still, tastes vary and while I didn't dislike this I think maybe the synopsis and blurbs I'd read had given me more anticipation than is fair. I read a short review (or two) from readers who really liked this book and so was looking forward to it.

The idea of using the "vintage photos" (many of a "spooky variety") was so far as I know More...

Peculiar indeed...

The title and the cover decided things for me, and between the two of those, I was half convinced this would read like one of those YA historicals ala-Vixen or Luxe (given the cover) or one of those Series of Unfortunate Tales (given the title.) Wrong on both counts.

The Good:

Pictures. Everything Jacob said when describing those portraits were accurate: creepy, formal and yeah, creepy. They remind me of my grandparent's portraits hung in the house my mother grew up in. Both tho More...

Every so often a book comes along that is pure magic, and "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" is one such book. Part fantasy, part adventure, part eccentric photo collection, this is a story that will enthrall and enchant teens and adults.
Jacob is the sixteen year old narrator, and he is intelligent, funny, realistic and perceptive. He is very close to his secretive grandfather, who used to tell him fantastic tales of his youth, and the children's home where he grew up. These tales wer More...

This book was different and interesting. I'm so glad I can finally read and watch reviews on it so I don't spoil myself. ;] The beginning of this book was great, and the early middle (does that make sense?) was a little boring, but the ending was spectacular! The perfect amount of suspense and action.

The main character named Jacob who has a strong bond with his grandfather. He's been told these fairy tales about an orphanage he used to live at. Something happens to his grandfather and he is lef More...

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is a beautiful work of art and the first novel by Ransom Riggs. Sadly, I didn’t love it nearly as much as I wanted to, and am still feeling conflicted by it.

What this book has going for it is that it is strikingly beautiful. The cover features a super creepy old black and white photo of a levitating little girl, the title printed in a lovely font, and doodles which are reminiscent of tombstone art from Victorian era cemeteries. Inside, this book is ju More...

Originally reviewed at: http://www.booksbiscuitsandtea.co.uk/...

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children has been on my wishlist for quite a long time so when I was contacted by the publisher and was sent a review copy, I couldn’t wait to get started. What made me want to pick it up in the first place was the fact that it’s so different from everything else out there. It’s illustrated with vintage photographs of peculiar children who might seem really creepy at first but their presence makes More...

Let me begin with the fact that this novel was a great surprise to me. I loved it! It was haunting, beautiful and dare I try a pun, a bit peculiar.

The premise of the story was easily believed and the reader quickly becomes a willing (imho) voyeur to this world that is just beyond the mind's sight.

The juxtaposition of the vintage photographs with the ongoing tale is a wonderful plot device that gives the story it's haunted vibe. They add so much layering and depth. Plus they are a tad creepy!

The More...

First off I want to state that despite giving this review only one star I did not hate it, neither, however, can I in good faith rate it as 'ok'. It wasn't ok, it was a total mess, but lurking in the first few chapters there was the potential for a good book - if only the author had been more concerned with the writing than the pictures.

The book's Wikipedia page says 'This children's book was originally intended to be a picture book featuring photographs Riggs had collected, but on the advice o More...