Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

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 has been on my 'to be read' list for a while so I was super psyched when I finally was able to read it. But unfortunately I think I hyped this book up so much in my head that there was no possible way it could live up to my expectations.  I was expecting a shocking horror story and a very mysterious plot twist every 100 or so pages.  What I got:  bratty children and freaky pictures.  Talk about a let down.

Jacob's grandfather is by far my favorite character...Jacob on the other hand is the book's main narrator and he is extremely annoying.  The first 150 - 200 pages are not terrible, actually it's the polar opposite. The backstory of the children and the accompanying pictures really set the scene.  Everyone thinks Jacob is crazy and he sets off on a mission to prove he's not.  Then we get to the island...

It's a small island so Jacob finds the abandoned house fairly easily and therefore all the children and Miss Peregrine.  *Enter very elaborate and random backstory*  I understand the book is called 'peculiar' but my God this was just nonsense.  Suddenly shit hit the fan and everyone was running for their lives...

The monsters were what I really wanted to read about but like everything else interesting in this book it was just glossed over in favor of a creepy love interest between a century old woman and our main character.  Gross.

2 stars

PS - I will never look at a bird the same way again