Alias Hook Review

Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen

Title: Alias Hook

Author: Lisa Jensen

Series: None

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books

Publication Date: July 8, 2014

Genre: Fiction; Historical Fiction; Fantasy; Retelling; Romance; Adventure; Adult

Pages: 368

Format: Hardcover

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"Every child knows how the story ends. The wicked pirate captain is flung overboard, caught in the jaws of the monster crocodile who drags him down to a watery grave. But it was not yet my time to die. It's my fate to be trapped here forever, in a nightmare of childhood fancy, with that infernal, eternal boy."

Meet Captain James Benjamin Hook, a witty, educated Restoration-era privateer cursed to play villain to a pack of malicious little boys in a pointless war that never ends. But everything changes when Stella Parrish, a forbidden grown woman, dreams her way to the Neverland in defiance of Pan's rules. From the glamour of the Fairy Revels, to the secret ceremonies of the First Tribes, to the mysterious underwater temple beneath the Mermaid Lagoon, the magical forces of the Neverland open up for Stella as they never have for Hook. And in the pirate captain himself, she begins to see someone far more complex than the storybook villain.

With Stella's knowledge of folk and fairy tales, she might be Hook's last chance for redemption and release if they can break his curse before Pan and his warrior boys hunt her down and drag Hook back to their neverending game. Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen is a beautifully and romantically written adult fairy tale.

When someone said “Peter Pan,” I used to conjure up feelings of warmth and love. Now, whenever someone brings up Peter Pan, the only words that come to mind are: “Dammit, that annoying little twit.” 

A twisted retelling of Peter Pan for adults, this story shines a light on the classic fairy tale of Peter Pan never seen before. James Hook is an adult in the rotten, cursed world of Neverland, and he is doomed to be haunted by that horrible Peter Pan over and over again. He can’t die, but his men can, and he must live with the burden of watching them fight to the death in an endless cycle. Only he can survive, even when what he wants more than anything is to die. He’s a living, breathing pawn of Peter Pan’s game, and there is no way out. Until, Stella Parish decides to make a surprise (and forbidden) appearance. Unsure of how she got to the world of Neverland, Hook is sure she was sent there for a reason. And that reason may just be his escape.

I never realized it until after reading this book that Peter Pan is a spoiled, ungrateful little brat who is too bloodthirsty for his own good. I love kids, but Peter Pan is not a kid. He is a monster who exists only to torture Captain Hook. Think about it: in the story, Peter Pan cuts off Hook’s hand and then feeds it to a crocodile. It’s kind of sick, actually.

Despite all the times I was this close to chucking this book across the room whenever Pan ruined things, I understood on some level the importance of his character and Hook’s characters. While they seem like foils in the original story, in this retelling, you see that they are the same. Pan is Hook, and Hook is, on some level, Pan. They are afraid of the same things and have different types of crippling innocence and guilt. They are both scared of growing up and moving on, but in the end, at least one of them learns how to do just that.

Everything was so unexpected and even when it seemed wrong, it worked out to be so right. There was the dark underbelly of Peter Pan, and then there was the soft side of the scary Captain Hook. You could finally understand his defeat, his loss of life when he was stolen and taken into the cruel world of Neverland. It was impressive, the emotion I felt alongside the characters of the story.

I was astounded by the artful remastering of J.M. Barrie’s classic, the phenomenal attention to detail in its remaking, and the addictive story line that hardly allowed me a moment’s break. This is still a tale of growing up, but it is also a story of defying your destiny.  

100 Sideways Miles Review

100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith 

Title: 100 Sideways Miles

Author: Andrew Smith

Series: None

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: September 2, 2014

Genre: Realistic Fiction; Romance; Fiction; Contemporary; Coming of Age; Young Adult

Pages: 277

Format: Hardcover
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Finn Easton sees the world through miles instead of minutes. It’s how he makes sense of the world, and how he tries to convince himself that he’s a real boy and not just a character in his father’s bestselling cult-classic book. Finn has two things going for him: his best friend, the possibly-insane-but-definitely-excellent Cade Hernandez, and Julia Bishop, the first girl he’s ever loved.

Then Julia moves away, and Finn is heartbroken. Feeling restless and trapped in the book, Finn embarks on a road trip with Cade to visit their college of choice in Oklahoma. When an unexpected accident happens and the boys become unlikely heroes, they take an eye-opening detour away from everything they thought they had planned—and learn how to write their own destiny.

The world is different to Finn Easton. He has hetero-chromatic eyes, time is measured in miles instead of minutes, and Finn’s atoms are ancient. Plagued by sporadic seizures, Finn is desperately trying to prove he’s not a character living a predetermined plot-line from one of his father’s books. Cade Hernandez, Finn’s best friend, is everything Finn isn't: hilarious, charismatic, well-versed in the ways of females, and totally fearless. They’re surviving in their boring California town until Julia Bishop shows up and messes everything up, including Finn. Julia is anything but in Finn’s league. She’s beautiful, smart, and different. As Finn falls in love with Julia, his life and his world inexplicably change and will never return to normal again.

I loved this book! 100 Sideways Miles perfectly captures the essence of teen angst and (I am purely guessing on this but I assume it is true) what is means to be a teenage boy struggling to escape the bounds of his father’s footsteps.

This is book is so imaginative, it actually hurts. Let me give you one out of about a million examples of what I’m talking about:

“Here is what I believe: Distance is more important than time.

The earth travels about twenty miles every second. 

It's easy enough to figure out: π, our distance from the sun, three hundred sixty-five days, and there you go. 

Twenty miles per second.”

I mean, come on! How can you get any more creative than that?

The only other book I’ve read by Smith was Winger. Like Winger, there was a quality in 100 Sideway Miles that attracts me like a dazed moth to a flickering flame, but I just can’t for the life of me name what it is. I adored Winger and 100 Sideways Miles, but I wish I could say why I loved them so much. Smith always puts something in his books. At this point, it very well could be honest-to-God magic that he injects into his stories.

Smith definitely has a talent. His characters are perfectly messed-up and chaotically complex. His themes are edgy and gritty. His words put on a performance that makes me want to give a standing ovation when the curtain falls. So, Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in giving a round of applause to Andrew Smith for his brilliant book-making. *raucous applause ensues*

The Ask and The Answer Review

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

Title: The Ask and the Answer

Author: Patrick Ness

Series: Chaos Walking #2

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Publication Date: September 8, 2009

Genre: Science Fiction; Futuristic; Dystopia; Fiction; Young Adult

Pages: 528

Format: Hardback

goodreads

Reaching the end of their tense and desperate flight in The Knife of Never Letting Go, Todd and Viola did not find healing and hope in Haven. They found instead their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss, waiting to welcome them to New Prentisstown. There they are forced into separate lives: Todd to prison, and Viola to a house of healing where her wounds are treated. Soon Viola is swept into the ruthless activities of the Answer, aimed at overthrowing the tyrannical government. Todd, meanwhile, faces impossible choices when forced to join the mayor’s oppressive new regime. In alternating narratives — Todd’s gritty and volatile; Viola’s calmer but equally stubborn — the two struggle to reconcile their own dubious actions with their deepest beliefs. Torn by confusion and compromise, suspicion and betrayal, can their trust in each other possibly survive?

Tom and Viola have been separated. On two different sides of the Mayor’s regime, they have no way of communicating with another or even knowing if the other is alive. As the Mayor patiently attempts to convince Tom to join him in building his empire, Viola is struggling to resist the powerful persuasion of The Answer, a rebel group that hopes to defeat Mayor Prentiss and his oppressive influence. While Tom and Viola both fight for the same ideals as the Answer, they cannot help but question the future that the Answer plans for Haven and its citizens. With the appearance of new enemies and a turbulent plot line, The Ask and the Answer will question everything that Viola and Tom have been fighting for. In a world where nothing is secret and morality and principles are a joke, Viola and Tom must single-handedly fight to save their world and destroy anyone that threatens its future.

Ness does many thing very well, but one thing that he definitely needs to work on are his conclusions. After I finish a book, I would like to move on with my life without breaking down and crying every five seconds because I have to wait a whole day to get its sequel, thank you. All I need is a little closure in life. Is that too much to ask? These endings are worse than the Hunger Games series. And that’s saying something.

I love the dynamic connection between Tom and Viola. I appreciate how honest their friendship is, and how much they care for one another. They provide a profound contrast against the horrible world that Ness has built around them. Despite all odds, their characters are strong and defiant.

This installment paves a very welcoming road to the third and final book of the Chaos Walking series. With a staggering number of wars to win and problems to solve that even the most capable of protagonists probably couldn’t even take on, I am excited to see how Ness ends his series. I am also hoping that this series actually does end, and I am not left with some mind-imploding cliff hanger. Fingers crossed! 

Monsters of Men

Reality Boy Review

Reality Boy by A.S. King

Title: Reality Boy

Author: A. S. King

Series: None

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: October 22, 2013

Genre: Realistic Fiction; Contemporary; Romance; Young Adult

Pages: 353

Format: Hardback

goodreads

Gerald Faust knows exactly when he started feeling angry: the day his mother invited a reality television crew into his five-year-old life. Twelve years later, he’s still haunted by his rage-filled youth—which the entire world got to watch from every imaginable angle—and his anger issues have resulted in violent outbursts, zero friends, and clueless adults dumping him in the special education room at school.

Nothing is ever going to change. No one cares that he’s tried to learn to control himself, and the girl he likes has no idea who he really is. Everyone’s just waiting for him to snap…and he’s starting to feel dangerously close to doing just that.

In this fearless portrayal of a boy on the edge, highly acclaimed Printz Honor author A.S. King explores the desperate reality of a former child “star” who finally breaks free of his anger by creating possibilities he never knew he deserved.

Reality Boy is my first A.S. King novel. And I can’t really say that it bodes well for any future King books.

Gerald Faust has a messed up family in a messed up life. And it all started the day his mother invited in the TV crew of a hit reality show. “It’s supposed to help,” his mother said. “It’s supposed to fix things.” And by “things”, she meant Gerald. Twelve years later and nothing’s been fixed, nothing’s been changed. If anything, it’s made things worse than they actually are. The only thing the TV crew seemed to bring were reasons for Gerald to be ostracized in his own home and plenty of clinically diagnosed anger management issues. Gerald grew up thinking he was nothing and didn’t deserve to want things. Now, he must break free of his restricted life and finally fight for what he wants.

This was weird. Really weird. And not the good kind of weird. The kind of weird that makes you go, “What the f-- am I reading?” The plot line was too strange for me to actually like reading it. The characters were bizarre, unrealistic, and strangely unfeeling. For example, Hannah, Gerald’s love interest, was so unsympathetic to his life. Even when he obviously needed someone to comfort him, she just left him, basically saying that her life was just as bad, but she got over it and so should he. Which it not the case. She was rude, selfish, and obviously not a very good friend. Basically, I really disliked her as a character. Plus, there was, like, no chemistry between Gerald and Hannah.

While I didn't like the mood or atmosphere in the novel, the questions it raised were good ones. The questions about mental illness, and living with mental illness, not only as the patient, but as the people around the patient. While the victim of a mental illness might be the only one diagnosed to be dealing with the disorder, it is the whole family that has to live with and work around it also. They are not left unaffected, and I think this book does a good job of pointing that out. Plus, it points out that children who behave badly do so for a reason, which I think is a widely misunderstood concept.

Even with the awareness it brings about issues such as mental disorders, bad home life, and the effects of been stuck in front of the public eye, this book was just too strange for me to enjoy. I’m pretty sure Reality Boy is just one of those books that you either love or hate. And let’s just say that I definitely didn't love this book. 

Steelheart Review

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Title: Steelheart

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Series: Reckoners #1

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publication Date: September 24, 2013

Genre: Fantasy; Science Fiction; Young Adult

Pages: 386

Format: Hardback

goodreads

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics...nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart - the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning - and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

A classic tale of David versus Goliath, Steelheart tells the story of a boy who wants nothing more than revenge for his father’s death. Steelheart, one of the many Epics that have taken over the world, is now the dictator of Chicago. Impervious to everything and possessing magnificent powers, he is undefeatable. Expect David has seen him bleed. And he intends to do everything it takes to make him bleed again.

You know when you watch a movie like, let’s say, Transformers 4, and you just say, “Wow. This is such a guy movie.”?  It’s all action, action, action, the frequent sprinkling of special effects, and the occasional humorous line. Occasionally there is a love story woven in for variety. But overall, while the action scenes are cool and exciting, the actual writing is, at best, meh. Let’s just say that Sanderson could definitely be the screen writer for the next Transformers.

While it was just interesting enough for me to finish, I was not into this book. It was a chore for me to read it. Sure, once I started reading it, it got a little bit less tedious of a job, but I still didn’t really enjoy it. The humor, or shall I say the attempt at humor, was strained, blatant, and cheesy. The main character, David, was confusing and not well formed. I couldn't match up his awkward personality and his strange infatuation with bad metaphors with who he kept saying he was: a boy obsessed with killing his father’s murder and vengeance-obsessed. That side of his character was not shown to the reader, and it was hard to believe that he was that boy at all. The other characters were also not convincingly real. The explanation for the story was, at best, hard to understand, and at worst, non-existent. I still don't know what Calamity is. And I read the book. 

Long story short, I was disappointed. Sure the action scenes were badass, but that was all they were–action scenes. The characters, story, and conflict were all flat. They were rushed and mediocre, to the point that I wondered if the author really cared. I probably won't read the sequel. 

Firefight

January 6, 2015

The Spectacular Now Review

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

Title: The Spectacular Now

Author: Tim Tharp

Series: None

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: November 1, 2008

Genre: Realistic Fiction; Contemporary; Romance; Coming-of-Age; Young Adult

Pages: 304

Format: Hardback
goodreads

SUTTER KEELY. He’s the guy you want at your party. He’ll get everyone dancing. He’ ll get everyone in your parents’ pool. Okay, so he’s not exactly a shining academic star. He has no plans for college and will probably end up folding men’s shirts for a living. But there are plenty of ladies in town, and with the help of Dean Martin and Seagram’s V.O., life’s pretty fabuloso, actually.

Until the morning he wakes up on a random front lawn, and he meets Aimee. Aimee’s clueless. Aimee is a social disaster. Aimee needs help, and it’s up to the Sutterman to show Aimee a splendiferous time and then let her go forth and prosper. But Aimee’s not like other girls, and before long he’s in way over his head. For the first time in his life, he has the power to make a difference in someone else’s life—or ruin it forever.

“Life is an ocean, and most everyone’s hanging on to some kind of dream to keep afloat.”

The Spectacular Now was on my to-read list for a while, and it seemed like kismet when it was just sitting there on the shelf at the library, daring me to pick it up. Since it was made into a movie, and also won many awards, I figured it would good. Great, even. And I was only a little bit disappointed.

Sutter Keely has one philosophy: To live in the Spectacular Now. The future and past don’t matter. All that matters is the here and now, and living it to your fullest capabilities. Anything else is obsolete. That beautiful thought has guided Sutter his whole life. When he meets Aimee, he decides she needs help in recognizing the Spectacular Now. But even when he tries to change Aimee, Aimee changes him in ways he would never expect.

Tharp’s writing was powerful and, at times, beautiful. Sutter’s thoughts were surprisingly accurate to a modern teenager’s. Sutter was more than a character; he was part of the book and he was telling the reader a story. I was blown away with how true some of his thoughts were. And while I didn’t agree with everything he believed in, it was interesting to be submerged in such a different way of thinking than my own.

The Spectacular Now’s target audience is directed to the more mature of the young adult audience. Alcohol plays a big part in the story, and while I see how it ties into Sutter’s character and story, it quickly got excessive. The ending was not a crowd-pleaser. It was not even a real ending. It was more an open-ended prompt. The story cut off and the author left you to your own devices to imagine what happened next. Maybe it’s just me, but I like closure with my books.

While I can see the reason for all the hype for The Spectacular Now, I’m not sure I can exactly join the fan club. I have no regrets in reading it, but it won’t have a home on my favorite book shelf. Worth reading, but not exactly worth loving. 

"Embrace the weird, dude. Enjoy it because it's never going away."

The Eye of Minds Review

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

Title: The Eye of Minds

Author: James Dashner

Series: The Mortality Doctrine #1

Publisher: Delacorte Books

Publication Date: October 8, 2013

Genre: Science Fiction; Young Adult

Pages: 308

Format: Hardback
goodreads

Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it’s addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with Virt-friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?

But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he’s holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific—the hostages have all been declared brain-dead.Yet the gamer’s                                                                                  motives are a mystery.

The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker.
And they’ve been watching Michael. They want him on their team.
But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can’t even fathom—and there’s the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.

I hate writing bad reviews. I really do. I hate reading them and I hate writing them. I don’t think it’s fair to the book, because for every book there is at least one person out there who will love it. I least one person will enjoy reading its contents, and what if, that person destined to love that book reads a bad review? They might never find each other! The book’s soul mate will never find the book they were meant to love.

Okay, maybe it doesn’t happen exactly like that, but you get my point.

Just because one person hated the book doesn’t mean others will. It’s a singular opinion and everyone won’t have that same opinion. So I just want to say right now, that this is a bad review. Well, not literally a bad review–just a review about a book that I didn’t like. Even though I didn’t like it, a lot of other people did. Do not vow to never read, look at, or think about this book. Just consider my and other people’s opinions. Who knows? You may love it. But like every other book you pick up, you may also hate it.

Let’s get one thing straight: I love James Dashner as an author. I think any person who can write a book as brilliant as The Maze Runner is and always will be a genius. It is one of all-time favorites. And don’t even get me started on Dylan O’Brien. Can I just say BEST CASTING EVER! Anyway, this book hasn’t made me change my opinion of him. It just wasn’t my kind of book.

You know when you read those books that make you feel like you should be put in a psychiatric ward, your mind is so messed up after reading it? The Eye of Minds did that to me. It’s like there was no limit on what could happen, so the weirdest, most crazy, will-play-with-your-mind things occurred.  And it seemed like James Dashner was trying to tell me something with every insane event. Like there was a symbolism to everything, but I was wearing an eye patch on both eyes, so I blind to any other meaning. I was so confused and my head was starting to hurt by about page 230. I wanted to get this book but I. Just. Didn’t.

And the ending! Oh, the ending! If all the other pages of the book sent my head spinning, then the end nearly unscrewed my head from my neck. Talk about mind boggling.

I didn’t like this book. At all. I didn’t get it. But maybe you will. I sorry to say, that this is just one of those one-star book for me. 

Winger Review

Winger by Andrew Smith 

Title: Winger

Author: Andrew Smith

Series: Winger #1

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: May 14, 2013

Genre: Realistic Fiction; Contemporary; Young Adult

Pages: 439

Format: Hardback
goodreads

Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

Filled with hand-drawn info-graphics and illustrations and told in a pitch-perfect voice, this realistic depiction of a teen’s experience strikes an exceptional balance of hilarious and heartbreaking.

"My name is Ryan Dean West. Ryan Dean is my first name. You don’t usually think a single name can have a space and two capitals in it, but mine does. Not a dash, a space. And I don’t really like talking about my middle name."

It took me way too long to finally pick up this book, even with it continuously reappearing on my “Recommended for You” and “Books You Should Read” lists like the plague. In all honestly, the main reason I didn’t pick it up sooner was…well…the cover. I know, I know; Dots has judged a not-so-proverbial book by its not-so-proverbial cover. But, you got to admit, it really is not the most attractive cover. Someone’s aftermath of getting socked in the face? Doesn’t really scream “Pick me up!” to me. But, after reading it, I can now say that the cover does not do this book justice. You’d never know by looking at it that the story it contains is heart-wrenchingly real, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Ryan Dean is a fourteen-year-old genius, a junior, and is constantly struggling with how he sees himself and who he wants to be. He is hopelessly in love with rugby, danger, trouble, and his best friend Annie. He lives his life repeating his one mantra: I am such a loser. Recently banished to O-Hall (Opportunity Hall), his whole complicated life becomes even more complex with new friends and freshly made enemies. Riddled with lessons on being accepted and learning to accept others, this book is an interesting voice in the trials of growing up.

“Nothing could possibly suck worse than being a junior in high school, alone at the top of your class, and fourteen years old all at the same time. So the only way I braced up for those agonizing first weeks of the semester, and made myself feel any better about my situation, was by telling myself that it had to be better than being a senior at fifteen.”

I liked this book. I didn't love it and I definitely didn't hate it. I just liked it. From a female’s perspective, I found this book incredibly enlightening in the ways of the male species. The voice of Ryan Dean seemed very realistic, though I cannot be sure, on a boy’s thoughts. This book was also nothing short of hilarious. On multiple occasions it had me laughing out loud. That’s the good. Now for the bad: Winger is was not light of the language department. I can’t say that the language was overblown, because let’s face it: High school students are not the most clean-mouthed of people. I would've appreciated it being turned down a notch, though. If it was any other book, I would've put it down before Chapter 2, were it not so refreshingly hysterical. I am also not so much on victimization- in people or in the characters of books. People who downgrade themselves by repeating, for example, “I am such a loser”, are not very attractive to me. But for some reason, it did not bother me as much in this book. In short, Winger is not usually something I would read, let alone like. But the point of view of the character and the thoughts of the author were so realistic and succinctly truthful that it was too interesting not to finish.

Overall, this book was good and worth reading–just not worth loving. I really liked the main character’s beliefs on the world and the people living in it. This book about one boy growing up showed me that the thing that makes us different from everyone else is not necessarily the thing that defines us.

“Joey told me nothing ever goes back exactly the way it was, that things expand and contract–like breathing, but you could never fill your lungs with the same air twice."

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children Review

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Series: Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #1
Publisher: Quirk
Publication Date: June 7th, 2011
Genre: Supernatural; Mystery; Fantasy; Young Adult
Pages: 348
Format: Kindle ebook
goodreads

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

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, 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

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

 Jacob Portman was anything but extraordinary. He was rich, friendless, and labeled crazy by all his family after witnessing Grandpa Portman brutally murdered by a monster that only he remembered seeing. He sees a therapist and barely survives everyday life, all the while being haunted by Grandpa Portman’s dying words.

Find the bird. In the loop. On the other side of the old man’s grave. September third, 1940.

Jacob Portman has always looked up to his Grandpa, seeing him as a hero and someone worth idolizing. When Grandpa told him stories of children with mysterious powers, he believed every word, not just because of his faith in his grandfather, but because of the strange pictures Grandpa Portman could conjure up as proof. A floating girl. An invisible boy. A boy who had a family of bees living inside of him. A girl with the ability to ignite fire. And strangest of all, the monsters that Grandpa Portman always seems to talk about. Monsters he claims to have spent his whole life fighting.

Jacob stopped believing in his grandfather’s stories when children started to tease him for believing fairy tales. His grandfather stops telling his stories when he stops believing them, and he soon writes off Grandpa Portman as crazy; that is, until the day he dies. 

Jacob journeys to find closure and, more importantly, the truth about his grandfather. In the small isolated island Cairnholm, nothing much seems possible. On an island with only one restaurant, telephone, and hotel/pub, what could possibly have led to Grandpa Portman’s mysterious stories? One day, when Jacob journeys to the bog containing the decrepit house of Grandpa Portman’s stories, he sees something that he will never be able to un-see.

Ransom Riggs talent for imagery brought the mysterious atmosphere of this book right into my world. I could feel the mud of the bog beneath my feet and smell the diesel of the electricity generators of the island of Cairnholm. The monsters were as real to me as they were to Jacob in the story. Riggs engrossing language held me page after page, unable to look away until the mystery was solved. I gasped aloud when I read the final reveal and bit my fingernails as the harrowing final battle played out.

"My grandfather had described it a hundred times, but in his stories the house was always a bright, happy place- big and rambling, yes, but full of light and laughter. What stood before me now was no refuge from monsters but a monster itself, staring down from its perch on the hill with vacant hunger. Trees burst forth from broken windows and skins of scabrous vine gnawed at the walls like antibodies attacking a virus- as if nature itself had waged war against it- but the house seemed unkillable, resolutely upright despite the wrongness of its angles and the jagged teeth of sky visible through sections of collapsed roof." 

One of the greatest things for me about this book was the pictures in the story. It brought reality into something totally and unquestionably unreal. Of course, when I saw them, I knew that they were manipulated. That is, until I read the first few sentences of the Author’s Note. The photos in the book, the totally and utterly impossible photographs, were in fact real. When he found the photos, they inspired Ransom Riggs to write their improbable story.

This book is one of my new favorites. From teens to adults, all will love this book to its very spine. It questions our beliefs of what can or can’t be real. It challenges how we react to the impossible. It makes us rethink the peculiar. This book taught me one very important thing:

Being peculiar is sometimes the same thing as being great.

"I'd always known I was strange. I never dreamed I was peculiar."