Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

This series has caught my eye for a while, especially when the movie came out. I’ve been hesitant to pick it up because I’m not typically one for the horror genre. I joined a buddy read which gave me the push I needed to read it.

Jacob grew up listening to his grandfather’s stories of the peculiar children he knew growing up. As he got older, he discredited his tales as fiction. Never could he have imagined one of those stories coming to fruition and taking his grandfather’s life. No one believes his own story now, thinking him traumatized and mentally unwell.

Jacob believes the answer to his nightmares lies in his grandfather’s stories. He convinces his parents to allow him to take a trip to England where his grandfather lived during World War II. There, he ends up finding the portal into the past.

I was surprised by how absorbed I got into the book. Yet, whenever I put it down, I didn’t find myself thinking about it. My interest was mostly in the beginning, however. By the end, I was weirded out by the relationship between Jacob and Emma’s relationship. While I could anticipate the book ending on a cliffhanger given there are other books that follow, I was a little annoyed as I don’t feel invested enough to jump immediately into book two.

Content Warnings

gnpunpun's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Nostalgic

Content Warnings

beasbookburrowxo's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Content Warnings

edmund_pearce's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

moody_gobling's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

One last read for 2023. I found this book easily digestible, light on horror, big on magical realism. I’m glad I was able to read this book, as it seemed to have been quite popular at its release, but nothing jumped out at me as “remarkable”. The reveal of the main big bad at the end was nice, if not subdued. The MC is just shy of having “chosen one” syndrome. The characters had a charm to them that I think TJ Clune has done better in later works. If you are a fan of lost-boys, time travel, WW2 and teenage boys not feeling heard, this one is for you.

Content Warnings

micaelamariem's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I’m not really sure why, but this book really didn’t grab my attention. The premise was good but I think the writing fell flat. While using the pictures was a great way to do something different, it was a stretch and felt too forced sometimes.

Content Warnings

More...