I am still loving that spooky season R.I.P. Challenge! Last
month, I finally read book 2 in the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children series, Hollow City by Ransom Riggs. I really enjoyed book 1 (review at the
link), and book 2 continued the fast-paced fantasy adventure, in this unique
series that builds its story around the weirdest vintage photos you've ever
seen!
I am going to tiptoe around the plot to avoid spoilers for
those who haven’t yet read the first book. Jacob Portman was living an ordinary
life in Florida, when his grandpa, who'd always told wild stories about
fighting monsters, died under mysterious circumstances. So, in book 1, Jacob
followed his beloved grandfather's stories and journeyed to a small island off
the coast of Wales, where he found the home for peculiar children hidden in a
unique time warp and found out that all of his grandpa's stories were actually
true. Peculiar people have strange talents - like invisibility or creating a
flame in their hands - that would put them in danger among "normal"
society. Oh, and it turns out that Jacob is peculiar, too, with the unique
ability to see the monsters that are relentlessly chasing the peculiar
children…just like his grandpa could.
Fast-forward to the start of book 2, Hollow City, where Jacob and a small group of his new peculiar
friends have had to leave their protected home on the island and are looking
for a way to help their beloved headmistress, Miss Peregrine. Their journey
eventually takes them to London in 1940, where the city is being bombed nightly
and children are being sent out to the country. Jacob feels a responsibility to
keep his fellow peculiars safe while they search for answers and assistance.
Along the way, they discover other "time loops"
hiding other groups of peculiars, as well as some peculiar children living
among normal people, doing their best to hide their special abilities. All of
this fantasy adventure, though, is set against the grim background of the
London blitzkrieg, so that the children are fighting against both supernatural
and all-too-real dangers.
The most unique and fascinating aspect of this series is the
photographs that accompany it. Both books 1 and 2 (and book 3 which I haven’t read
yet) are filled with real-life vintage photos that will make you believe that
peculiars are absolutely real. These are some of the weirdest - dare I say most
peculiar? - pictures that you've ever seen. Most are quite old, from well
before Photoshop, but you will find yourself examining each one closely,
wondering, "How did someone do
that?"
 |
| Just a few of the bizarre vintage photos in Hollow City |
The author found these vintage photos - and thousands more -
in flea markets at auctions, and among collectors, and he wrote the story to
fit the photos (you will see how a single one of these strange photos could
easily become the fodder for an entire story), which makes the combination of
bizarre vintage photos and Riggs' imaginative story so compelling. I thoroughly
enjoyed following the suspenseful adventures and close calls of the peculiar children
in this second part of their story. I was riveted by the story and its twists
and turns and can't wait to read the final piece in this very original series.
396 pages, Quirk Books
NOTE: I had the pleasure of meeting one of the founders of Quirk books, author Jason Rekulak, earlier this year at Booktopia. It's a very unique publisher, with a lot of fun books! And I highly recommend Jason's own novel, The Impossible Fortress.
Disclosure: I borrowed this book from a friend. My review is my own opinion.
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I haven't read any of these books, but they sound good
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