Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #1)

by Ransom Riggs

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And 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 who once lived here - one of whom was his own grandfather - were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate 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.

Reviewed by jesstheaudiobookworm on

3 of 5 stars

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3.5 ★ Audiobook⎮ This is one of those super hyped books I was really hoping to enjoy, but just didn't. I've had an on/off relationship with this audiobook for over a year now and I finally resigned myself to finish it this time.

It was a real struggle for me. Fortunately, I think I can pinpoint why. This is definitely on the lower end of the YA spectrum, being maybe only a couple of notches above Percy Jackson. I often find myself unable to tolerate "Lower YA" and middle-grade stories because the writing is generally so far below my maturity level. This story came across like it was meant for 12 to 14-year-olds and made me feel like I had been browsing the children's section of a library. Experiences like this always make me feel like I'm on the outside looking in, which isn't a good feeling at all.

Narration review: I will acknowledge that the narrator, Jesse Bernstein, had a lot to do with that. He has a very youthful voice and I'm sure he makes a wonderful narrator for children's literature. He has excellent characterization skills and is a very talented narrator.

Unfortunately, his voice also comes across as immature and annoying to me. I think if this audiobook had been narrated by someone with a more mature voice, the main character would have sounded his age, instead of years younger. Unfortunately, this is an issue I've had with every title I've heard with him as narrator. I have nothing against Mr. Bernstein who, again, is a very skilled narrator. But my personal listening preferences will discourage me from hearing any more of his work in the future.

I hear that the next installments in the series have another narrator, so I won't rule out continuing with the series. It will be interesting to see just how much this installment's narrator has influenced my opinion of this title.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 January, 2016: Finished reading
  • 1 January, 2016: Reviewed