The Peculiar (The Peculiar, #1)

by Stefan Bachmann

[inlibrisveritas]

The Peculiar was one of those books I kept my eye on for a while, and I jumped at the chance to download it free last year through the SYNC program…but of course I didn’t listen to it. I even bought a paperback earlier this year, and still nothing. Finally on a particularly stressful day of work I clicked play and then I couldn’t bare to press pause, and when I did I carried the book with me and continued reading. It was totally worth every minute spent listening to it, it was worth constantly thumbing through the book to keep track of where the audiobook left off.

The Peculiar is a book with a rich atmosphere and vibrant characters, and even without the help of the audiobook narrator it had it’s own unique voice that pulled me in and made me eager to read more. The story is so different than what I’ve read concerning the Fae, and in part that’s why I love middle grade so much. Things that would lose their shine when placed in YA are fully capable of standing out in a big way. The world building is on point without ever falling prey to the dreaded ‘info dump’, each character’s voice is unique, and the writing was vibrant making this one of the better middle grade stories.

As a book it’s a fantastic read, but the audiobook is just as amazing! I loved the narrator’s voice and his ability to portray quite a few characters with different voices. He has one of those voices that makes you want to listen to him narrate everything, he could probably make my life sound so amazing.

So if you’re looking for a quick fantasy read with a lot of charm and character then The Peculiar might be for you! I will say that it’s not a middle grade specific book, so if you’re hesitant about the age range don’t be. It is a ‘young’ novel but I think anyone could enjoy it.