Really enjoyed this series. Wasn't what I was expecting, but in a good way. First book of the series was probably my favorite although I enjoyed all of them throughout. Would definitely recommend for fans of fantasy novels or looking for something different to read. ( )

I have been re-reading this series of three young adult novels: Miss Peregine's Home for Peculiar Children, Hollow City and Library of Souls, in anticipation of this weekend's Singapore theatrical release of the film based on the first book.

My then 12 year old daughter Maeve found the first book about a year ago. I read it as part of my project, which is to encourage Maeve to read more, by reading the same books as her and be available for any discussion. Well, it's my excuse anyway. As I read more and more of her books I found out that a lot of young adult books these days (although not all of them) are quite fascinating and of good quality, and I don't need encouragement to read them. Yeah, as if I need any encouragement - the Harry Potter series are one of my favourite books of all time! Anyway, the Miss Peregrine series is one of the excellent young adult books in my view. The first few chapters got me hooked. As soon as I finished the first book we went hunting for the second one. It was with great impatience that we waited for the third one to be published and it was with pleasure that I picked them up again a couple of weeks ago.
As is usual with young adult books, the Miss Peregrine series' heroes and heroines are teenagers. They came to the fore when the adults around them either disappeared or became helpless and they saved their world. Similar to other modern young adult books, the tone of the book is pretty dark and grim. However, the difference would be that this one is not set in the dystopian future. It is set partly in the present but mostly in various period of the past. It is a Halloweenish Harry Potter meet X-Men First Class in a slightly dickensian world.
The main protagonist is Jacob Portman, a 16 year old American boy who after a terrible family tragedy journeyed to a remote island in Wales to discover his roots. There he met Emma, a beautiful and mysterious girl, along with a bunch of strange orphans; and then his terrifying and dangerous adventure in Britain, involving killer monsters, began.
The book is unique in that the story is told not only as a narrative, but also through a set of strange vintage photographs. Apparently the author, Ransom Riggs, owns a sizeable collection of vintage photographs, many of which show strange looking subjects that invite people to be curious of their stories. But of course the photos are anonymous and no background stories could be found, so Riggs invented the stories connecting these photos, and the books were born. I still marvel at his genius.
The first book is a little slow paced, especially at the beginning, as it is burdened by the setting up of the story. But the second and third are very fast paced and thrilling. The kind that you cannot put down. I can't remember how many times I missed my train stop because I was so engrossed reading the books.
I am looking forward to watching the film, but at the same time I also have this trepidation that the film would not live up to the book. But the film is directed by Tim Burton, who is well known for dark and quirky movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands, so maybe I shouldn't worry too much. ( )

I loved this series from start to finish! It was such a beautifully crafted piece. Everything fit together perfectly and the characters were wonderful! New twists kept popping up throughout the series, keeping me interested. Also, the creativity behind each individual character and scene led my mind into some really wonderful imagery. ( )