Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children,

                                                                               

Rating: *****

" 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 book was one of my most anticipated reads since it was published but I hadn't had the chance to read it until this year. It has not just become one of the coziest books I have read but rather the ones that implanted superior ideas of fiction in my little brain.

   When I started reading this beautiful book, the first thing that came to my mind is that it will be a somehow repetitive horror book of fantasy but, surprisingly, it didn't. Ransom Riggs didn't just work on creating a whole new plot line with very unique characters but also a very distinctive environment where supernatural things happen. The story begins with the introduction about the grandfather who - as referred to by the main characters - a very mysterious and slightly crazy old man. He always told the main character, Jacob, of so many tales about different children with super abilities. Of course, Jacob thought they were fairy tales until one day these creatures - monsters to be exact - murder the grandfather. 

   Jacob hallucinates about all the things that he saw in his grandfather's backyard until the day comes for him to know the truth about the school.

   He travels ... He fights ... He unravels the mystery and uncloaks a world full of black beauty! 

   The reason I liked this book, besides its originality, is the factor of seduction. It is not the fastest in its events but the details used are stitched together to let the story flow in a chain of enthusiasm. Once you realize the exquisiteness of it, it will sure call you from above the shelves. 

   For the characters, they were greatly developed as any other fictitious ones, owning the unique elements. They are not a vague collection of emotions but some of them contain one particular thing that would to you: they are old people in the bodies of children! This particular fact made everything seem rearranged in my mind, something I am not very much used to. Like, they are wise and intelligent in a way old people are but in the pictures, they’re kids with permanent smiles.
   The style used wasn't the best. Ransom Riggs, however, is a very talented author. He uses a lot of images and a lot of delicate details and accurate descriptions, which - in my opinion - are very mandatory in a fantasy book with a whole new world to describe for the readers. Along with the pictures the book included, the words made the whole events play inside my mind in full HD ... like a great movie I would watch over and over again just to make sure that I take care of all the details, not wanting to pass the smallest of them. 

   Over all, I can say that all the factors fabricated in this tale are but the best you can ever find in a satisfying fantasy book: beauty, best world, originality and a little spice of romance!

"It is a perfectly built piece of fantasy, woven to attract the reader into a world of splendor, mystery, horror and goosebumps."