User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
I'm at a loss for many reasons with this book. I love reading about these characters, BUT dang ransom really put them through it in this book. I'll admit there were a few things that I would've liked to have seen be executed differently and one thing in particular that I'm not a huge fan of. It's something that I've seen a lot of series that have been revived tend to do. I can't really go into detail with that, because it'll end up spoilery. I also had to act like I didn't read the line "he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding," Y'ALL IT'S 2020 LET'S LET IT GO
Even though I do have some critiques for this book, I still absolutely adored it. It still has lots of peculiar heart at it's core, which is the most important part to me.
Rating: really liked it
This was...not good.
I am tired. Tired of these continuations of series that just suck the content from the original series away, undo things that were done. Tired of authors being so lazy they can’t even come up with a new villain.
This book was flat. The characters felt dull and lifeless. The world of peculiars, once so interesting and unique, feels lifeless, like all the magic has been drained from it. The photographs interwoven throughout the story feel cheap, and not overly connected to the story like in the original trilogy.
I’m also really not a fan of the direction of the romance in this. Why did this have to be a thing? Like, literally no one wanted this.
There honestly isn’t a lot that happened in this book and that means there’s a lot of ground to cover in the next one. Which is a yikes. It’ll have to be a decent sized book for it to not feel rushed.
Sometimes a story simply should end when it is supposed to, which in this case, was Library of Souls. That was a fantastic ending. This second trilogy was so unneeded. And now my enjoyment of this series, like that of Shatter Me, is dwindling. I am disappointed, but I suppose I should have seen this coming.
Rating: really liked it
Sweet Lord, this is totally my favorite book cover from the series ππ
Rating: really liked it
LOVED this! I am a big fan of the Miss Peregrine books and this one did not let me down... Only bad bit is that we have to wait to find out what happens next!!
Rating: really liked it
I received a finished copy from Penguin/Random House in exchange for an honest review. My spoiler-free review can be read here: http://twincitiesgeek.com/2020/01/the...
Started from the bottom, and somehow we got even lower than that. It honestly breaks my heart to rate this so low, but I know Ransom Riggs is better than this. This is a pale imitation of what the series once was. This is like a terrible string of TV episode ideas or a fanfiction where everyone's out of character and nothing makes sense. This is not the series I fell in love with.
The American clans were not utilized in an interesting way, and were once again just kind of there for a conflict that went nowhere. What was that about them being ON THE BRINK OF WAR? Turns out they just needed to sit down and talk like grown-ups. Boom, peace treaty signed, Conference of the Bids adjourned. I guess it wasn't too dire if it took little effort to fix things. Leo Burnham harboring ill feelings about Abe Portman and being the most dangerous clan leader? It takes next to nothing to convince him to play nice. I was so ready for him to be the villain of this trilogy, but I guess that's not happening now.
I was willing to give the prophecy a chance, but it's not well thought out and it just makes everything confusing. Caul wanted to be trapped in the Library of Souls loop so he could be brought back to life more powerful than ever? He planned for the loop to collapse so his cronies could resurrect him? WHY IS THIS A THING? There are a ton of variables that needed to fall into place if that was his plan all along, but either way, it's convoluted and makes no sense. But these are wights, and wights are just so smart and have all the luck in the world and are basically invincible. If they weren't, this book would be over in about ten pages.
The ingredients for resurrection soup, I just...what even. That's just one more thing crammed in to the already batshit plot. Why does this recipe exist, anyway? And I just love how Bentham tried to make it difficult to solve but the wights had no problem doing so because, once again, they're superior beings who hardly ever lose. I still cannot believe Jake and Noor fell for that old man disguise, I knew instantly that it was a trap, but if they weren't boneheads, we wouldn't have a climax. And the Panloopticon going down? It's a problem for maybe ten pages before they get a backup generator working. What was the point of the wights shutting it down in the first place if there's no tension and no effect on the plot?
Jake/Noor is absolute nonsense. I was never a fan of Jake and Emma's lustful pining, but this is just ridiculous. They have almost nothing in common and they have no chemistry? And Emma is just sulking about it and is reduced to a background character? Seriously, Noor should just be labeled Emma 2.0, because that's basically what she is now. Why make her an interesting character with her own emotions and wants when she can just give Jake a hard-on instead? And what is this bullshit about Jake and Emma's relationship being so chaste and innocent? THEY WERE MAKING OUT CONSTANTLY AND WERE NOT VERY SUBTLE ABOUT IT. But now that Noor's here, Jake realizes just how much better she is, because their relationship is far superior...for some reason. Emma's "going through something", just like she has been since the last book, because why the hell wouldn't she be? Jake's too much of an ass to actually do anything about it, so his solution is to rebound with the new girl. What a wonderful romantic subplot!
I was so disappointed with the way this book handled the mission to find V. I was gearing up for a buddy road trip, maybe a fine-tuned version of
A Map of Days that didn't meander so much. But there's barely anything. Noor suddenly decides it's a good time to mention her past, and it turns out V was her adopted mother, and Abe was always making sure she was safe, because this is information that wasn't relevant until just this second. (Read: it was made up on the spot to fit into this dumpster fire story.) The magical song was honestly just laughable, as if we needed more silliness added. And then the reveal that V is also an ymbryne and she's the one the recipe needs to bring back Caul? I really shouldn't be surprised that there would be a dumb twist at the end.
The only thing I really liked about this book was the fact that Fiona is alive. I'm so sick of Hugh having the personality trait of "FIONA ISN'T DEAD STOP SAYING SHE IS", because that's not all there is to him, and I was genuinely shocked that she was brushed aside so easily and forgotten about. Upon further thinking, however, I do find even this to be kind of cheap. It's obvious that this new trilogy wasn't planned when
Library of Souls was written, so it's safe to assume Fiona was going to stay dead/missing without any resolution. I don't like the idea of her being brought back to appease fans as an afterthought, and only because the wights had use of her. (Which begs the question: where was she this whole time? Where were the wights keeping her? How did they find her? If you think about it for more than two seconds, the whole thing falls apart.)
NITPICK CORNER: If Noor wants to go back and get her stuff, why wouldn't she check in on Lilly? Is her best friend not important anymore? The last time we saw her, she was drugged and unable to enter one of the loops. But oh well, who cares about that? Noor and Jake have way more important things to do.
This book sets a new record for the dreaded Second Book Syndrome. It's lazy, it's rushed, it's all over the place, and I feel awful for being so negative. I love this series as a whole and the other peculiar children are what make it so much fun to read, and I hate that this fell short of what it could have been. I'm hoping book six is worth the wait, because it can't get much worse than this. And I'm hoping I don't jinx things by saying that.
Rating: really liked it
[I will say it's so weird for Jacob to be falling in love with Noor instead of Emma. Even though they weren't really my favorite couple and I can see that there's so much more emotion to this new relationship, it's so strange
Rating: really liked it
Oh wow I loved this book and when I got to the last page I was sad because I knew I’m going to have to wait awhile until the next one and yes, there will be another one thank goodness.
This one was fast paced and exciting and I just wanted to keep on reading it.
I loved all the books in the series so for me Mr Riggs can keep churning them out for as long as possible.
Rating: really liked it
This book opens where the last one stopped so the action is immediate and gripping. This sets the scene for the whole of The Conference of the Birds. (what a lovely title that is!)
The way of life of peculiardom is threatened by Wights and evil men, and Miss Peregrine and her team are there to save the day. Jacob's power over the hollowgasts is used to great advantage, and all of his friends use their individual powers as they try to prevent the return of the man they fear above all things.
I read the hardcopy of the book and it was worth it to see all the photos in this format. I think the magic of this whole series is the way Ransom Riggs has selected authentic, old photos and interpreted the images to further the story. The cover picture is a perfect example. As a photo it is beautiful and mystifying. You have to wait until the last page to see how Riggs uses it and it is perfect.
The ending is a giant cliff hanger so we can be sure there will be a book six. I look forward to it.
Rating: really liked it
1) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children β
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2) Hollow City β
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3) Library of Souls β
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4) A Map of Days β
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I'm so disappointed. Like you can see above, I gave four stars to each book in this series so far. Let me be really clear: four stars means I love a book, it's not a favorite but I love it. I know many give five stars when they love a book, so I'm just explaining how I rate books myself. Anyway, like I was saying, I love this series. I loved each book in this series. I thought it was gonna be a trilogy and was really satisfied with the way it ended. When I saw the series was gonna have three more books, I admit I was a little apprehensive, like it can be expected when you loved a book or a series and you're afraid they're gonna ruin it with more books just because it's been a success.
However, I wasn't disappointed by the fourth book, and I was really happy to be back in the universe Ransom Riggs created! I was looking so forward to this new book, it was one my most anticipated 2020 releases. I was ready to love it just as much as the previous novels, and now... Well, now I'm wondering if I wasn't right to be apprehensive when the original trilogy turned into a six book series. Yes, I loved A Map of Days, but it would have been better to keep it a trilogy and live without that last book if publishing more books means the quality is gonna leave near the end. I wasn't invested in the storyline, the characters, the romance, anything. It was just a big disappointment. A Map of Days sounded like the promising start of the "second trilogy" of this series, but I honestly felt like the author lost his inspiration while I was reading this book. Even his writing wasn't as good.
I don't have high expectations for the conclusion, even if I do hope it will be better than this one. I just don't know how it could be a better conclusion to the series than the one we had with Library of Souls after reading this book. You're probably wondering why it's not a one star rating since I didn't like anything, but I just couldn't bring myself to it. Maybe I will lower my rating later, though.
Rating: really liked it
THE FIFTH BOOK IS HERE!!
Ransom Riggs’ fifth novel, “The Conference of the Birds” that is. The newest installment in the “Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children” series, “Conference” picks up right where its predecessor left off!
Jacob has been trusted with a mission by his grandfather’s friend, H; deliver the new peculiar, Noor, to an operative known as V. Noor, however, is being hunted by those who know her powers, those who wish to change peculiardom forever. With the help of his peculiar friends, Jacob must get Noor safely to V, no matter the cost. This series intrigued me from the beginning for its mystical, magical, storyline. Riggs’ makes “peculiar” into a goal, something that those on the outside strive to be; those who are different are also extremely talented in supernatural ways, and finding the place they belong brings life-long friendships. The first novel caught my attention, and it began to slowly dip as the series progressed. However, “Conference” has come back full force!
This is a novel you have to read in succession, along with the other novels in the series. There are far too many characters otherwise, and you will get lost in the detailed plot. That being said, it is not a difficult book to read
(being YA after all) , and it encapsulates the magic of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” with a little bit of the dark and dreariness of “Oliver Twist”.
The characters in this novel are lovable, and I’ve been cheering for them from the start. Riggs’ infamous pictures that started it all are included in this novel too, adding a bit of realism to an obviously unbelievable plot.
Ending the way it does, “Conference” gives a massive hint that it will not be the last in the series. Authors in YA series such as these tend to go to the well too many times
(or “beat a dead horse”, or whatever poor analogy can be used) but in this case, I was overjoyed that Riggs’ returned with his ragtag motley crew. Definitely a must-read for fans of Riggs, and followers of this series.
Rating: really liked it
With this book, I feel like we're back on familiar territory. We're no longer exploring American peculiardom so much anymore. The wights are back with a new plot. I was enjoying the different culture in America but the series does seem to have more direction now. Still it was fast based and exciting. Jacob and his friends are a great joy to read about, with Miss Peregrine being the least interesting character in each book. I'm glad the group ditches her at every opportunity. I'm really looking forward to the next book after that ending.
Rating: really liked it
I was a little hesitant going into this book after how the last one turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. I’m glad to report that my fears were unfounded and I absolutely loved this book! Everything about it was perfect, it had just the right amount of action and suspense and character development and it all balanced out beautifully. I was so happy to see the characters return to their normal selves, they had just become so different in the fourth book and it was quite jarring! I also really loved seeing Miss Peregrine our more trust in the children, it’s about time she realizes they can take care of themselves. As usual the photographs and the inside of the book were absolutely stunning but by now I expect no less from this series in that aspect!
Rating: really liked it
This wasn't the most in-depth or eventful book so far. I also dislike a cliffhanger. I hope he ends the series with the 6th book, these stories simply don't need to be dragged on and on.
Rating: really liked it
Aw man. I really loved the start of this series and the whole idea of creating a world around creepy old photos. It really worked. I also was a huge Supernatural fan until season 6.
I sadly think it's time to let it go.
I didn't hate the book, but it also added nothing to the story for me and I would have preferred the series ended on a high. It was OK, as a filler book goes, and I may even have given this 3 stars if Ransom Riggs... RANSOM FING RIGGS hadn't written those soul destroying words that kills a book fairy every time they're uttered...
"He let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding"
-_-
Don't tell me writers, editors and publishers don't know by now. They must. How can they not?! Are they just trolling us at this point? I'm done.
Rating: really liked it
I did not enjoy the direction the author took this in.
