Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs

Title: Tales of the Peculiar

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Syndrigast Publications 2016

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 160

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - With pictures; I Love Libraries

Wealthy cannibals who dine on the discarded limbs of peculiars. A fork-tongued princess. These are but a few of the truly brilliant stories in Tales of the Peculiar—the collection of fairy tales known to hide information about the peculiar world, including clues to the locations of time loops—first introduced by Ransom Riggs in his #1 bestselling Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series.

Cute little collection stories briefly mentioned or alluded to in the Miss Peregrine series. I loved the little asides and commentary from Millard. My favorite story was the first story "The Splendid Cannibals." It was such a weird story, but I loved it. Overall a good collection of stories.

Miss Peregrine:

• #0.5 Tales of the Peculiar
• #1 Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
• #2 Hollow City
• #3 Library of Souls

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

Title: Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #3)

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Quirk Books 2015

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 458

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries; Finishing the Series

A boy with extraordinary powers. An army of deadly monsters. An epic battle for the future of peculiardom.

The adventure that began with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and continued in Hollow City comes to a thrilling conclusion with Library of Souls. As the story opens, sixteen-year-old Jacob discovers a powerful new ability, and soon he’s diving through history to rescue his peculiar companions from a heavily guarded fortress. Accompanying Jacob on his journey are Emma Bloom, a girl with fire at her fingertips, and Addison MacHenry, a dog with a nose for sniffing out lost children.

They’ll travel from modern-day London to the labyrinthine alleys of Devil’s Acre, the most wretched slum in all of Victorian England. It’s a place where the fate of peculiar children everywhere will be decided once and for all.

Finishing off this series with a good book. I liked the third one much more than the second book. This time we get actual movement with the storyline. We meet a few new folks (Sharon was my favorite) and encounter some old friends. Plus there's tons of action and adventure. And of course, lots of photographs. I am amazed at how Riggs incorporates the photographs into the storyline seamlessly. It's just like they were meant to be in the book. Very glad I finally got the rest of the series from the library.

Miss Peregrine:

• #1 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
• #2 Hollow City
• #3 Library of Souls

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

Title: Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2)

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Quirk Books 2014

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 396

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries; Finishing the Series; 52 Books -W5

September 3, 1940. Ten peculiar children flee an army of deadly monsters. And only one person can help them—but she’s trapped in the body of a bird. The extraordinary journey that began in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. There, they hope to find a cure for their beloved headmistress, Miss Peregrine. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner. And before Jacob can deliver the peculiar children to safety, he must make an important decision about his love for Emma Bloom.

I finally got to pick up the sequel to Miss Peregrine and it did not disappoint. I love seeing the characters travel through 1940 London and attempt to save Miss Peregrine. I especially loved their visit to the menagerie and meeting Addison. The wights and hollowgast were thoroughly scary. Something about the storyline and writing wasn't quite as tight and magical as the first book, but I still really enjoyed reading it. Hoping to pick up the last book in the trilogy soon.

Miss Peregrine:

• #1 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
• #2 Hollow City
• #3 Library of Souls

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Quirk Books 2011

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 352

Rating:  5/ 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fantasy; A to Z - R; Mount TBR

How I Got It: I own it!

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.

This is such a beautifully written story.  I enjoyed every minute of it.  The mystery, the fantasy, the horror, the beauty... everything was fully realized.  I felt like I was Jacob, discovering his hidden past and uncertain future.  The characters are all wonderful.  Each child at Miss Peregrine's is peculiar in their own, but somehow they're still very real people.  They're much more real than the inhabitants of the village.  I loved each and every one of them, but I hold a special place in my heart for Millard and Fiona.  The way the book ends, I feel like there's going to be a sequel.  Even if Riggs doesn't write a sequel, this book stands beautifully on its own.  Recommend, recommend, recommend!

Miss Peregrine:

• #1 Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
• #2 Hollow City
• #3 Library of Souls