Posts
Synopsis (From Goodreads):
Having defeated the monstrous threat that nearly destroyed the peculiar world, Jacob Portman is back where his story began, in Florida. Except now Miss Peregrine, Emma, and their peculiar friends are with him, and doing their best to blend in. But carefree days of beach visits and normalling lessons are soon interrupted by a discovery—a subterranean bunker that belonged to Jacob’s grandfather, Abe.
Clues to Abe’s double-life as a peculiar operative start to emerge, secrets long hidden in plain sight. And Jacob begins to learn about the dangerous legacy he has inherited—truths that were part of him long before he walked into Miss Peregrine’s time loop.
Now, the stakes are higher than ever as Jacob and his friends are thrust into the untamed landscape of American peculiardom—a world with few ymbrynes, or rules—that none of them understand. New wonders, and dangers, await in this brilliant next chapter for Miss Peregrine’s peculiar children. Their story is again illustrated throughout by haunting vintage photographs, but with a striking addition for this all-new, multi-era American adventure—full color.
Review:
When the book, Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, came out, I was dazzled by the author's creativity. How can someone look at vintage photographs and come up with such a rich story? With the addition of A Map Of Days, the series now has four novels. This one is an action-packed road trip, full of surprises and revelations. I loved it!
Please Note: One of the enormous pleasures of this book series is seeing the vintage photographs that adorn the print version of these books. While I love the audio book version, I will also be buying the print version, in order to get the full experience of this story.
What I Liked:
Setting/Premise:What would happen if Miss Peregrine's Peculiar children, stuck in the 1940's, were suddenly thrust into the present? How would they react? Would it be exciting, or upsetting? I loved reading about all the various reactions of the characters to things such as television ("Why is everyone so rude?"), pizza delivery, and shopping malls. It was really fun, but also eye-opening what we take for granted in our modern times.
I also enjoyed having the characters on an extended road trip through parts of America. This gave the author many opportunities to introduce different characters, and aspects, of American culture.
Characters:
The story is narrated by Jacob, who has to consider the level of stress that modern life can have on people not used to the fast pace of our society. He is also struggling with his grandfather Abe's legacy. Was Abe a hero or a more complex person who had to make terrible choices? Is Emma (Jacob's girlfriend) always going to compare him to Abe?
I also liked how the other Peculiar children grew. Since they are no longer in the time loop, they are starting to age and truly become teenagers. This brings on confusion, hormones, and defiance. This manifests as resentment towards Miss Peregrine, and a willingness to take big risks.
Story:
The story takes the teens from Jacob's home in Florida to a road trip that includes several time loops throughout America. I love road trip books, so this was a really entertaining aspect of the book.
There was also an exploration of who Abe really was, and what other types of organizations were part of this universe. While Europe has a society centered around Ymbrynes (caretakers such as Miss Pereegrine), American Peculiars are grouped into gangs. I liked that the novel showed the issues with both arrangements. In the European model, many Peculiars are fed up with not having a say in decisions. Meanwhile in America, Peculiars are mostly fending for themselves. Being in a gang gives them a level of protection, but also forces them to work for leaders who could either be benevolent, or corrupt.
Narration:
Kirby Heyborne gives an excellent performance with his narration of this book. The many voices and accents must have been a challenge. But he performs with such ease, I forgot this was only one person speaking.
What I Was Mixed About:
Setup:Even though it's likely the reader has read the other books in the series, I still think the author has an obligation to summarize what happened, and re-introduce the characters. Yes, this is a pet peeve of mine. I just think it is unrealistic to assume a reader remembers all the details of a book that came out nearly two years ago!
Rating:
Release Date: October 2nd, 2018
Author: Ransom Riggs
Audio Publisher: Listening Library
Audio Length: 13 Hours, 54 Minutes
Narrator: Kirby Heyborne
Print Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Page Length: 496 Pages
Genre: YA Fantasy
Source: Listening Library
Format: Audio Book
Recommendation: A worthy addition to this series. Full of new characters, and adventures.
0 comments :
Post a Comment