Reviewed by Chelsea on
I really enjoyed the first book in this series and I was really excited for this one. It took me much too long to start it but when I did I couldn’t stop. I love the idea of using the vintage photography but I was nervous that it wouldn’t be as good in this second book since we’d already met all the characters. I loved how the book just continued directly where the last one left off. There was no in between where you don’t know what happened.
My New Best Friend
I really like Emma. She’s brave and admirable. She’s the kind of female character that I enjoy reading about. I love how she kind of took the position of leader in this book, it made her stand out more to me. I have a hard time not picturing all the kids as 12 year olds though. For some reason that’s how they appear to me even though they’re at least 16. Maybe it’s the pictures of the younger kids that were in the book. I don’t know.
My Crush
I’m not sure if I had a crush in this book. As I said before, the characters felt young to me. I really like Millard though because he always just pops up when they need him. I love that he was always figuring out where they should go next. Who doesn’t like a smart guy?
Writing Style
The writing sometimes seems a little formal to me but that’s the only flaw. I don’t usually like books that take place in the past but this one was different for me. The author only writes what needs to be written. There aren’t any parts where you’re wondering why is that there. Everything is important and makes sense.
Closing Thoughts
I loved this book as much as the first. The bar was set really high and I think he met my expectations. I love how he mixes fantasy with history. It’s a fun twist. It’s nice when an author tries hard to be different and succeeds. It’s not quite up to 5 stars since I found it a little bit slow at the start. It was also a little weird that they met peculiars everywhere when they’re supposed to be rare. I know it was part of the story but it could have been a little better. I was a little disappointed that all they really did in this book was run around looking for someone. I’m hoping it will be the next book is full of action. It just felt like the author kind of stretched the story based on the photos when he should have stretched the photos to be part of the story. Either way it was still a great book.
Bonus
The author adds pictures to his story which makes it really unique. They’re real pictures that haven’t been altered which makes it kind of cool.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 3 March, 2014: Finished reading
- 3 March, 2014: Reviewed