A few minutes ago I finally finished the last book in the Miss Peregrine’s series. Before we get into the review, I want to explain why this series means so much to me, and why it’s been a favorite of mine for awhile.
I’ve never really felt like I belong for one reason or another. People have always looked at me and thought I was weird or strange or just not something people normally are. It’s been isolating and it’s made me feel like I don’t fit in or belong at times. These books came to me at a time when I really needed them. They made me realize just how important being different was, that it was a blessing, not a curse. I remember one night I was feeling particularly upset about what people thought of me, when I reached for Hollow City and read this segment.
“Are you all really so desperate that you’d stake everything on him? Why, he’s just a boy-a soft-bellied normal who knows next to nothing of our world!”
“He’s isn’t normal,” Emma gasped, grimacing as if this were the direct insult. “He’s one of us!”
I couldn’t help but smile when I read this segment. I remember a calming sense of control coming over me as I realized how much of an insult it was to be called normal when you can be so much more. I think that was a stepping stone to fully embracing who I am and stopping caring what other people thought of me. Mind you, it hasn’t completely gone away, but these books really helped me to embrace and accept my peculiarities. When I was reading this series, I felt at home.
Now for the review of Library of Souls. I’m hoping sometime in the future I’ll be able to do a full series review but it’s been awhile since I read the other two books, and I should probably reread them before I review them. Warning, there are spoilers for Library of Souls ahead.
While I thoroughly enjoyed Library of Souls, and would rate it 4 or 4 1/2 stars, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the other ones. I think that was due in part to the fact that Jacob and Emma had never been my favorite characters, and none of the other peculiar children were in the book until the very end. That being said, adding Sharon and Bentham into the mix added greatly to my enjoyment of the book. They were both wonderfully complex and fun characters, and I was always waiting to see what they’d do next.
I also loved Caul as a villain. He was creepy, violent but not in a gory way that ever appeared on page, and out of his mind. There was a certain unpredictability to his character, which made him even more terrifying because I never really knew what he was going to do next. He was cunning. sly and knew what he wanted, and he wasn’t afraid to do whatever was necessary to achieve his goals.
The setting was immaculate. Devil’s Acre was the perfect place for all the shenanigans to go down in. It was filthy and suspicious and I never knew who to trust. The whole ambrosia thing was super interesting as well, and it was horrifying to find out that the drug was made out of peculiar’s souls!
The descriptions were spot on, not too lengthy, not too short, and worded just right that I had a very vivid image of everything that was happening. The pace was quick were it needed to be, and pulled me excitingly forward through the action scenes. It dragged only in one spot, when Jacob was first waking up from his injuries after being attacked by ambro addicts.
I loved seeing Jacob break out of his shell. It was interesting to see his back and forth dialogue between himself with what he called, ‘old Jacob’, and ‘new Jacob’. It was satisfying to see him finally conquer the Hollowghast, and to overcome some of his fears.
The Library of Souls was eerie and spooky, as a place with a name like that would be expected to be. Traversing into it’s depths with Caul in the lead was even more terrifying. When he nearly shot Jacob in the knee I freaked out a little. Overall, the entire segment in the Library was brilliantly written and had me pulled in from the second they crossed into Abaton, to the second they ran out.
Bentham’s betrayal was not something I saw coming. He had gained my trust through his actions but his betrayal was somehow not surprising. I definitely hadn’t expected it, but when I took a step back and looked at who he was, it made sense. I guess it was necessary for him to die in the end, but it was a vague death. Everyone just assumed he had perished either at Caul’s hand or by the loop’s collapse. I really hope Bentham’s bear, PT, will find another owner to care for him. That bear was amazing and a character all by himself, and he was abandoned when his master died. It was one loose end I would’ve really liked to have tied up. Maybe in one of Emma’s letter she could’ve mentioned how the bear was doing so we had some clue as to what happened to him.
All in all it was an amazing book! The ending was one of the best I’ve read in a long time, and left me feeling satisfied and highly content. It was sad when Emma and Jacob decided to just be friends, but when they came together in the end my heart soared. The only thing that made this book less enjoyable from first two, was the lack of the other peculiar children. Although their absence was necessary and I completely understand why they weren’t there.
I highly, highly recommend this series! It’s inspiring and fast paced. It pulls you in and never lets go. Just when you think you’ve fallen in love with every character, you fall in love with one more. I adored every second of it!
Thank you Ransom Riggs for these books! They taught me about self acceptance even when the world doesn’t understand. Your characters were geniusly crafted and brilliantly executed. I loved all of them, but especially Enoch, Milliard, Hugh, and Addison. Thank you for the adventure! I’ll never forget it.
Stay peculiar!
