Library of Souls: The Third Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #3)

by Ransom Riggs

The New York Times #1 best-selling series 

To find their friends, Jacob, Emma, and Addison go to Devil’s Acre, a crime-ridden Victorian underworld, but they uncover an operation far more sinister than they imagined . . .

In Victorian England, Jacob discovers the Library of Souls, a hidden collection that holds the key to saving his peculiar friends and the entire peculiar world. Inside the library, he encounters a ymbryne, a powerful ancient creature who possesses the ability to control time and manipulate souls. 

With time running out, Jacob must unlock his own peculiar abilities and confront his darkest fears to rescue his friends from the clutches of the malevolent wights. 

Filled with heart-pounding action, breathtaking twists, and the power of friendship, the third chapter of the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series is a thrilling adventure that tests the limits of courage and the strength of peculiar bonds. 

“Oh, my birds, I love this book! I’m obsessed with Ransom Riggs’s wildly creative world packed with heroic, heartwarming characters, super baddies, and incredible settings like Devil’s Acre and the Library of Souls.”—Justine magazine 

“Fans of the trilogy’s first two books will enjoy Library of Souls for its unique world, fast action, satisfying answers and a thorough tying up of loose ends.”—Free Lance-Star

“I enjoyed reading this book so much, the cliched ‘I couldn’t put it down’ doesn’t suffice.”—Geeks of Doom

“Readers are sure to leap right in after the cliffhanger ending of Hollow City, and they won’t be disappointed.”—RT Book Review, 4 1/2 of 5 stars

• ISBN10: 159474758X
• ISBN13: 9781594747588
• Publish Date: 22 September 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Quirk Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 464
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781594747588

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

When I first picked up Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children, I had no idea it would end up becoming some an extensive and intense series. Yet here we are, at the third book, and I find myself not ready to say goodbye yet.
I saw a lot of reviews talking about this book like it were the end, but I have to remind myself that even if it is the end of the plot (which it looks like is it) that doesn’t mean the series itself will end. There are plenty of things left to explore in this peculiar world we’ve grown to love so much.
There are at least two more books for me to read after this, if not more. Currently there’s Tales of the Peculiar, which I imagine will be like the book mentioned a few times throughout the series. Then there’s A Map of Days, which sure sounds like a continuation, though in a different way.



Warnings first: There are a lot of small moments throughout the course of this novel that may make some people uncomfortable. There are dead animals, in various states to put it lightly, as well as drug addicts, a horrific description of where the drug of choice for peculiars comes from, and then there’s torture and experimentation as well. None of it goes into too much detail…but it’s all still there.
Wow. There is so much that happens in this novel, I’m honestly not even sure where to start. I guess I’ll start by saying just how much I enjoyed reading it. Actually, this was one of the rare audiobooks I picked up (from my library) to listen to, but you know what I mean.
Despite how much occurs in this book, never once does it feel like any of it dragged on. There were slower points, but those points were usually filled with information needed during the crazier parts of the book. Though I’ll admit that looking back on it, I’m having trouble not believing that this was actually two separate books. That should tell you how far this one book comes.
The progression of Jacob’s character and abilities was one of the highlights of the novel, at least for me. I think we all knew that the powers would get stretched further than just being able to see Hollows. Still, I loved the explanation for why his powers had evolved the way they did. It had been bothering me, since Hollows are relatively new. It didn’t make any sense, evolutionarily speaking, for an ability to arise so quickly to counter then. Riggs’ way of explain how the abilities work allow it to make sense though, so I’m happy with it.
There were so many new characters introduced over the course of this novel. Some only lasted a few pages, while others lasted several chapters. It was interesting getting to see so much more of the peculiar world. The only sad part about it was seeing the world while it was at war. I’d love to hear more about it all when it’s happy and stable (which I’m hoping Peculiar Tales will do).
The fight scenes were intense in this book, but also very well written. I imagine it’s a challenge, balancing all the powers and abilities on each side of the fight. Especially with something so overpowered as the Hollows. But Riggs did a decent job of it, and I found myself enthralled with the action.
While I was sad to see the book end, I have to admit that I was happy with the conclusion. It wasn’t rushed, and it’s clear that there was a lot of thought that went into making sure that it all made sense. I feel like most of the main characters got a moment to shine, and more importantly, all seemed to get some sort of resolution in the end (even if it was only being freed).
I’m curious to see what Map of Days has in store for me, so hopefully I can make some time to read that sooner rather than later. I have a few ideas of where it might go, but I’m afraid to get my hopes up just let. So I’m going to try and be good and just wait and see.


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Steph L]

It's always sad when a series ends especially this one. This one went out with a bang and this was my favorite book. Everything from the characters you love, to the new ones you meet they were all just so amazing. The chapters were longer, but are broken into scenes for easier reading. The writing style and pacing of this book was so well done! I would recommend this series to anyone who has a love for off-center books, as at places this series is definitely off center.

[Hillary]

I first read the last book a couple of years ago I had forgotten some of it so going into this book was jarring, to say the least. I kind of wish I read them all closer together but most of my memory came back with me the more I read.

I LOVED this book. The charters all have grown, and the plot line was believable. This is an example of my favorite kind of book. I did see one plot hole I am not going to ruin it for you, but other than that one plot hole the book was believable, and the author painted such a vivid world that I got lost in. I read this in one day and I it was the perfect kick-off for fall reading.

It was action packed and had me turning the pages until late at night. I just had to see what would happen. My heart was pounding for all the chapters to survive. There were points that I had to put down the book, take a deep breath and read on. The action was that heart is pounding. To tell you how much I liked this book, I ran out of my energy pills, and I am useless without them, but this book kept me awake and engaged far into the night. I think this book has what it takes to be made into a movie next.

I also especially like the love story in it. It was somewhat weird at first, but by the time the third book gets into it felt natural and sweet. I enjoyed getting to know all the people in the book. They seemed like real people by the time I was done with the book. I was sad that I couldn’t meet them. I would LOVE to meet Ransom Riggs though!

This is labeled as a horror book, but it was not all that scary or gruesome. I read some young adult books that scared me, but this one is safe as it didn’t give me nightmares or anything. So if you are sensitive to that sort of that sort of thing, this is a great book to read.

This review was originally posted on Adventures in Never Never Land

[thepunktheory]

As you can tell by now, I love the first two novels of this series. Although I couldn't wait to read the final book, I'm still a little sad that it's over. Anyway, now I'm waiting for the movie to be released!
However, Ransom Riggs picked up right where he left us after Hollow City. Not only is the story exciting and thrilling. What impresses me most is his ability to paint pictures with words. Although he creates something extraordinary, something supernatural, he makes it feel real.
Another very special feature Ransom Riggs' books have to offer are photos. Not just any photos, but real and authentic old pictures he gather at flea markets and from collectors. I don't know what came first, the photos or the story, but I can only say, they work together brilliantly. The pictures are fascinating, weird and some of them downright creepy. I'm sure some parts of the story wouldn't be as capturing without the photos included!

I can only say, I loved the final installment of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Ransom Riggs created an amazing final chapter for the series. Most definitely worth a read.

[Sam@WLABB]

I am sad to see this series end, but Riggs gave the Peculiar Children a fine ending.

This book was quite jammed packed with action, and we got explanations for the origins of the Hollows and the Wights. We find out about what the wights were after this whole time, and why they have been wrecking havoc. We find out more about Jacob's talent and his grandfather's place in this peculiar world. I feel like Riggs gave me so many answers and did a great job tying up the loose ends. We made some new and interesting friends (Sharon and his cousins), we visited some new and scary places (The Library of Souls, Devil's Acre), but most of all, we saw Jacob experience great growth as he learned more about himself, his talent, and the Peculiar world. I even had a bunch of feels there at the end. So, for me, a great read.

[stressedrach]

I was little gutted when I found out that Library of Souls was the final book in the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series as I have loved reading the books, they are fantastic books, with lots of adventure and the vintage photographs really help the reader imagine what the peculiars looked like.

Jacob and Emma has a lot to deal with in this book. Their friends has been taken by the wights and it was looking less likely that they would be able to save their from having their second souls removed.

Devil’s Acre was not a very nice place at all, it was like a prison loop where all the outcasts from peculiardom were put.

Jacob and Emma did manage to get some help and Jacobs powers were increasing since he managed to take control of one small hollowgast. But there were a lot more hollowgasts in the fortress, how will he get control over all of them?

This book was full of twists and turns and just when you think it may all start going right something throws a spanner in the works.

It was a very good addition to the series, I was hooked and I was sad for it to come to an end.

Ransom Riggs has a way of engaging his audience and I hope that he will right more books in the future.

[Nessa Luna]

When I first opened Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, I had no idea what was waiting for me. I'd been told it was a horror story with horrific images inside the book, but it turned out to be an amazing story with a lot of peculiar pictures (see what I did there?). I devoured the first book, and waited for the second book Hollow City to come out. Devoured that one too, as if I were a hollow, and then I got my hands on the third and final book in this series. I kind of didn't want it to end, but I also wanted to know how the story would end. I wanted everything to be better. Did this book exceed my expectations? Yes, it did. And so much more!

Library of Souls starts off where Hollow City left us. With Jacob, Emma and dog Addison stuck on an underground platform between a wall and a hollowgast. Jacob had just discovered a new twist in his powers - he can talk to the hollow.

I really loved that I could read more about Jacob and Emma and the rest of the Peculiars, and I especially loved looking at the pictures. I did feel as if there weren't as many pictures in this book as there were in the previous two, or maybe they weren't that evenly spaced out as the previous two books. The pictures that were in the book were super cool and very nice to look at though. I love how Ransom managed to write the people and places on the pictures into the story.

We meet some new characters in this book, and the most important one - in my opinion - was Sharon. The three meet him in modern London and they quickly become allies in their journey to find the missing Peculiars, and the missing Ymbrynes of course. There is also a guy named Bentham who is kind of important in this story. I won't tell much about him, because it might be spoiler-ish, but I liked him quite a bit, until the end of the book. Oh well.

The old characters were still amazing of course; I really loved Jacob and Emma, I loved seeing them together and I loved them working together so thoroughly to get 'their' children and miss Peregrine back. They were just such an amazing team, and they trusted each other so much. The romance between them wasn't so out there, and that's what I loved too - because I don't like it when a story starts revolving around a romance so much.

To me, this story had a perfect ending, so perfect even that it didn't feel like an ending at all. With most series, when I'm reading the last book, I dread having to end it and close it - but I did not feel like that at all when I was reading Library of Souls. I did feel a tiny bit sad when I had only fifteen or so pages left, but that was just because I wanted more. I wanted to read more about Jacob and Emma, and Bronwyn and Olive, and Hugh and Millard, and Horace and Enoch and all the other characters! I don't think there'll be another Miss Peregrine story, but I will have hope!

In the end, I really enjoyed reading Library of Souls, I loved the characters, the storyline, the action, the pictures (especially those) and the ending! If you love strange (or should I say peculiar) stories, and if you love looking at those weird victorian pictures, you should definitely check out the Miss Peregrine series!

My Review for Hollow City

My opinion on this book in one gif: