A Peculiar Place

Ever since I was a child I've loved movies, and I like to think of myself as a certain actor follower (meaning I like some actors and actresses and usually when a movies comes out and they appear in it, I watch it). Same thing happened with Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children book to movie adaptation, I had already my eye on the book but hadn't come to read it. So, when someone (whom I thank so much) gave it to me as a Christmas gift, I knew it was a sign and had to read it.

Like many books I choose to read, I loved it and couldn't wait for buying the rest of the trilogy. I had many expectations on this book and some of them were fulfilled but I can't deny that while reading this book I felt like it was a bridge for something so much better for the ending. “Do you ever find yourself climbing into an open grave during a bombing raid..and wish you'd just stayed in bed?” I can easily relate this to my life and that is why this quote stuck with me. In this sequel, the very beginning wraps you in a world of chaos and fear, in the middle of a WWII and our main characters being chased by wights, (the bad guys) who need them, for purposes our peculiar children don't know. Many times when were going through something rough, we wish everything was just a dream, that's exactly how Jacob, our narrator is feeling. Something I really appreciate of this book is that author expands the universe we know, creating new characters that are thought out of the box and clearly uses his whole imagination.

This trilogy is "peculiar" because it uses photographs to explain what the author is telling us, and make the reading richer. And this sequel doesn't fail, including strange pictures that make the story more believable. It's like you're watching a movie.

*Warning* The following contains a few spoilers regarding the ending of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs follows exactly where the previous book ended, our peculiar children are rowing trying to find safe haven after their loop (a place where the same day repeats and where normal people can't go in, keeping the peculiars safe) is destroyed and their ymbryne (a woman, this time Miss Peregrine, who can transform into bird and is sworn to protect the peculiars safe) is trapped in the body of a bird. But without the guide of their protector they find themselves in a world in which they can't trust anyone. “Strange, I thought, how you can be living your dreams and your nightmares at the very same time.” After everything that happens, that he always wished happened to him, Jacob needs to make an important decision respecting his future life.

This is a great book, I like that the characters we already know are developed and are given a background story, so we know why they act like they do. We are presented new characters that make the story move in a fluent way and I was always concerned about the characters and what was going to happen to them. I became fond of these characters and didn't want them to be in danger.

This book brought many surprises and explanations that answered many of my burning questions. Making more complete the story. I got to relive the peculiarities of many characters, but I wished this book showed more of these peculiarities because they are one of the reasons I like a lot this book. “I’d felt so many things since our journey began—joy, fear, hope, horror—but until now, I’d never once felt alone.” I liked how Riggs manages to make the children a big family that I wanted to be part of because, for the first time in a very long time I don't dislike any character. I felt like I too was part of that family, and I think that's why this story will always have a piece of my heart.

Like most of the YA books, Hollow City includes many cliches that I have already seen in other books and that are not necessary for the story. I also think that the book lacks of action, which I consider important for the war, that was showed in the first book, could move on.

Vocabulary:

Barnacled: used in similies to describe a tight person or thing.

Sentence: ...past juries of silent seabirds roosting atop the barnacled remains of sunken docks...