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  1. I read this book on the plane while flying home from NYC. I don't recommend such close quarters, as the photos of creepy carnival children likely convinced my fellow passengers that I was deeply disturbed! 

    Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
    By Ransom Riggs

    Check it out on Amazon!
    Judge the Cover:

    I am a self-admitted cover-judger (see above), and I will tell you straight-up that the cover is the only reason I picked up this book. That is one creeeepy levitating little girl, and I want to know who Miss Peregrine is and who these children are!

    What's Going On:

    16 year old Jacob is used to his grandfather's crazy stories about his childhood growing up at Miss Peregrine's home for children during WWII, and fighting "monsters", but he knows they're just the stories of an old man who lost his family in the war. That is he thought they were just stories, until a series of events suggests otherwise, and Jacob sets off to search for some answers...is it possible his grandfather was telling the truth?

    Optimal Reading Scenario: Offbeat Coffee Shop

    You know those coffee shops where nothing matches, the baristas know more about brewing loose leaf tea than hygiene, and where no matter how weird you are, you feel like
    a) you blend in
    b) there will be someone weirder than you
    That's a good place to read this book, because this book screams weird, but it won't stand out in this scenario because guaranteed someone else across the room is reading something weirder.

    Crack it Open:


    "I had just come to accept that my life would be ordinary, when extraordinary things began to happen." 

    Ok, so I literally knew nothing about this book before I started it, and boy oh boy did it have me hooked in the first couple of chapters! Ransom Riggs has a serious gift for intrigue. I was captivated by the suspense and mystery that builds up in the beginning, and the creepy vintage photographs that are scattered throughout the pages.

    It is unfortunate that you can only suspend disbelief for so long before you have to admit that this story is beyond the realms of logic, and it descends into the murky depths of fantasy. At that point, disappointment began to seep in. Don't get me wrong, I love the fantasy genre, but I really wanted this book to have a more rational explanation for all the weird stuff than what it turned out to be. I also didn't realize that it is not a stand-alone novel, but part one of a series, which made the cliffhanger ending a nasty surprise! The next installment comes out at the end of the month, and I will probably get around to reading it eventually.

    Overall, if you want to try something different, slightly creepy, with a dark sense of humor, this might book might be a good way to go. Its not a long or hard read, and the characters are pretty enjoyable with some laugh-out-loud lines. It's fairly new, and I wouldn't be surprised if it got the silver screen treatment in the next couple of years, as it's very visual and would probably translate well to film. Keep an eye open.

    Regis Reads Rating: * * *

    Mischievous Monkey Rating: 2 Monkeys

    Jacob is a teenage boy...he swears. Also, there is some disturbing and violent content that may not be everyone's cup of tea!

    Does the cover make you want to read the book, or is that just me? Did you know that all the pictures used in this book are real, vintage photographs? What do you think is the optimal reading scenario for this book?

    Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are my own, and I'm not receiving compensation of any kind for reviewing this book. Dangit. 

  2. 4 comments:

    1. Kriss said...

      Dang it all! I just attempted to leave a comment and then successfully managed to leave the page before it had uploaded.
      The comment being that I strongly dislike books that suggest that the revelation of mystery will be met with logic, but then, is in fact, met with fictional fantasy.

    2. Kriss said...

      P.S. The cover is both terrifying and intriguing.

    3. Jill said...

      You are such a faithful commenter! I love it.
      For better or worse, that cover really grabs you, doesn't it?

    4. yeah, me said...

      I picked up this book once, and started to read it, but I think I decided it might be too creepy for me. The cover gives me the shivers! This book is probably best read in the company of others, with more than just a night light.

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