My Year in Books: 2015

You read 54 out of 60 books.

90%

90%

There are still 9 days left! You can do it!

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Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2) by Ransom Riggs

Something that speaks to the quality of this series…I continued reading this book as soon as I finished the first book. I did not write a review for it and just kept reading. So, by the time I went back to write the reviews, I had to think a little about where the first book ended and where this one began.

Needless to say, so far, I am enjoying this series! Just like the first, this book captivated my attention. The only reason I did not continue on to the third book was that I had to place a hold for a digital copy from the library, and I do not have the funds to pay to read, right now. So I have to wait to read the third book, unfortunately. However, I hope that it does just as well as this and the first book in keeping me engaged and wondering what’s going to happen next.

Something I didn’t learn until after reading Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is that the author created the characters based on a pile of strange, old photographs: the ones seen in the book. The Kindle version of this book includes an interview with the author, who said for this sequel, he wrote the scenes, then found photos to include in the book to accompany them. Sometimes, he had to settle for an “almost perfect” photo and adjust the scene to better align with the photo. Riggs said that many of the scenes improved after rewriting them to better describe the photos.

This book was awesome, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first one! I can’t wait to read the third book in the series and hope it lives up to the first two!

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children #1) by Ransom Riggs

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.
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 were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted 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.

I've been wanting to read this book for some time now. 

I've been reading a lot about WWII and the Holocaust lately, specifically witness accounts of those who experienced some of the atrocities that occurred during that time. I was completely unaware that this book incorporated events of that time period in it, albeit fictional. I thought it a happy coincidence that I finish a couple of witness memoirs and accidentally stumble upon a fictional account of the next generations of survivors!

However this story goes far beyond WWII. 

I have only recently found myself interested in books about magic and special powers and such... and I must say: this is a good one! Daughters of Smoke and Bone opened my eyes to this genre and to date is still my favorite. This book is a whole different monster (no pun intended) and might end up being on par with DoS&B. I immediately started the second book in the series after finishing this one last night.

This book sucked me in and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!