Titles: Book 1 – Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Book 2 – Hollow City, Book 3 – Library of Souls, Book 4 – Map of Days, Book 5 – Conference of Birds, Book 6 – The Desolation of Devil’s Acre
Author: Ransom Riggs
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Plot: Book 1 – Jacob Portman is a normal, lonely sixteen year old. His closest friend is his grandpa. Jacob grew up hearing his grandpa’s childhood stories. His grandpa fled Poland to a small Welsh island during WW2. In Wales, he lived in a children’s home where the children had peculiar abilities (one can fly, another can conjure fire in her hands, one’s invisible, etc.). Then everything starts to change when his grandpa dies. Jacob finds his grandpa’s body in the Florida forest. Nearby is a white monster only he can see. His parent’s try everything to help him. They take him to a psychiatrist who suggests they visit the place where his grandpa grew up to help him recover. Jacob spends the time searching for his grandpa’s childhood home. All he finds is ruins, until he meets a girl named Emma. Emma shows him a magical place full of his grandpa’s stories. But there is a darker side to the stories. Now Jacob has to figure out how to help his new friends. But how can he? He’s completely normal right?
Book 2 – Jacob and his new friends are trying to help Miss Peregrine. They’ve rescued her but she’s injured and stuck in her bird form. They search for any help they can get and start by trying to navigate through WW2 England to reach London. Along the way, they search for ways to help Miss Peregrine. Others tell Jacob and his friends that they only way to help Miss Peregrine is to get her to the care of another ymbryne. But all of the ymbryne’s have been taken by wights and hollows. If the ymbryne’s haven’t been taken yet, they’re in even deeper hiding than before. To make matters worse, they only have three days at most to help Miss Peregrine before she becomes a bird forever, a real bird forever. Can they reach another ymbryne in time? Can they keep themselves save from the hollows and wights that hunt them?
Book 3 – Jacob and his friends have lost Miss Peregrine again. The bird they thought they’d saved was really Miss Peregrine’s evil brother Caul. Him and his band of wights are so close to achieving their goal of world domination. Now Jacob and his friends must travel to the Devil’s Acre. There’s a rumor that the wight’s headquarters are there. On the way there, they meet a guide, Sharon. Sharon is reluctant to help them in any way shape or form. Jacob and his friends promise to compensate Sharon in whatever way he needs. While they travel, Jacob’s peculiar-ness continues to grow. While there, Jacob starts to learn he can control the hollows. But will it be enough to help? Will they be able to stop Caul in time? Or will Caul be able to achieve his world domination?
Book 4 – The world, the peculiar and normal, is safe again. Jacob tries to adjust to normal life again. He’s back at his parents house, going to therapy again, and acting like he’s improving. That is until, they find his letters to Emma. Right when he’s about to be driven off to the mental institution, his peculiar friends come to his rescue. Jacob tries to have both his peculiar friends and his normal life, but his parent’s can’t accept his peculiar friends. With the help of Miss Peregrine, Jacob manages to leave and have his parents forget a few things. But after being treated like a child again, Jacob and his friends sneak off to his grandpa’s old house. They find a secret bunker under his house. Jacob’s grandpa did secret missions. Jacob and his friends start to take up some missions. But things don’t go as smoothly as possible. Peculiar life is much more different than anyone was expecting. When Jacob’s contact asks them to find a newly discovered peculiar, they get in way over their heads. Can they find this new peculiar? Can they help them? Or will these mysterious people stalking them get the new peculiar first?
Book 5 – H died saving Noor. He pleaded with Jacob to take her to another member of his secret hollow hunting society, called V. But her loop is hidden and no one has ever heard about it. Noor starts to remember clues about her childhood. That leads to a smaller and smaller search area. But other peculiars want Noor on their side, because she’s a powerful peculiar. Now they have to hide from other clans of peculiar while trying to find V. But when the captured wights escape, that leads to another level distrust of the ymbrynes. Will they be able to find V’s loop? Can the ymbrynes make peace with the other peculiars? Or will the wights ruin everything?
Book 6 – Caul is back. His followers are gathering and growing stronger by the hour. Jacob and his friends must find the other peculiars the prophecy mentioned. But they have to find a way to avoid hollows and wights. When they find them Caul is not far behind. They narrowly find their way back to safety. Now they have to plan to destroy Caul. But he and his followers are closing in. They’re continually finding ways to divide the peculiars. When Caul finally finds their hideaway, the peculiars find they’re outmatched. There’s still one way to fight, but it’s risky. Or there might be another way, but it’s even riskier. How will they survive? Or will Caul win? Or will their plans work?
Rating: 4.0 – a good young adult fantasy series
Opinion: This was a great young adult and fantasy series. This series does a great job of explaining how people get their peculiarities. And it’s not done in a way that’s overloading, or too much at once. It also build healthy relationships for young adults to look up to. Though there’s some drama surrounding some of the main people’s relationships, it’s realistic, more so than some other young adult series I’ve read. And another positive thing is that there’s no love triangle. One relationship ends cleanly and another relationship starts. The couple also doesn’t forget about their friends. This series has a slow build in each book. For most of the books, it’s very slow. Towards the end of each book, the plot moves faster and faster. Each book ends with a good open ending that easily continues to the next book. While these books aren’t always the most exciting books I’ve read, they’re still very well written. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. It’s different than a lot of other young adult books I’ve read. I’d recommend this for any young adult who loves fantasy.
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