Book Review: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Genre: YA, Paranormal

Series: Miss Peregrine #1

Publisher: Quirk Books

Pub date: 7 June 2011

Source: PGUK

Synopsis

Jacob has grown up listing to his grandfather’s strange stories, but of late, he doesn’t believe them like he used to. Sixteen-year-old Jacob has suffered a horrific tragedy. But when Jacob’s grandfather is killed in a vicious attack by a creature out of his stories, Jacob starts to think there might have been some truth in them after all. Determined to find out the truth, Jacob travels to a remote island off the coast of Wales to look for answers.

Review

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is a quirky little story combining elements of YA adventure and supernatural horror. Right from the cover we can see that there is something rather spooky about these children. Jacob is very close to his grandfather who tells him strange tales about his own childhood. Initially, Jacob is taken in by stories of children with strange abilities, but as he grows up, he stops believing them. Until he sees one of the monsters from his grandfather’s story attack him. Haunted by his grandfather’s last words, Jacob is determined to find out the truth and follow the clues that have been left behind.

Jacob manages to convince his therapist and his parents that a holiday away from home in a remote island off the coast of Wales is just what he needs to clear his head. Once he’s there, however, he realises that all his grandfather’s stories were true. Peppered with creepy photographs, the story is one of adventure and fantasy. Jacob is a great narrator, one who’ll appeal to children and adults. On the island, he finally feels like he’s found a place where he belongs and a sense of purpose in his life. Despite the image on the cover, this is not a horror story. It is more a magical fantasy world that we enter when we go with Jacob into Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob finds out more about these children, Miss Peregrine and what makes them so peculiar, the adventure takes off, taking the reader into this quirky fantastical world. 

This is one of those books that needs to be read in physical copy. The layout of the book itself makes for a great experience and readers will want to flip back and forth between the images. I really enjoyed this strange, at times eerie adventure and look forward to the next instalment with Jacob and the children.

Verdict

Highly recommended for readers who like to be surprised.

Rating: 4.5*

Many thanks to PGUK for sending me the review copy. 

*See my Rating policy

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© Stargazerpuj and Stargazerpuj’s Book Blog, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

Book Review: A Game of Thrones (Audiobook)

Genre: Fantasy

Series: A Song of Ice and Fire #1

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pub date: July 2011

Source: Personal copy

Format: Audiobook

Narrator: Roy Dotrice

Length: 33 hrs and 53 mins

Not another review for A Game of Thrones, you say? I agree – this blockbuster success that has also seen great success on the small screen probably doesn’t need another review. But since this blog is about my reading experience and the books I read and liked, I’m going to say my 2 bits.

Synopsis

The Starks of Winterfell are preparing for a long winter. But King Robert of the Seven Kingdoms has other plans for Ned Stark. Ned has been asked to be the King’s Hand – in this role he will speak for the King and help him run the kingdom. Although all Ned wants is to stay in Winterfell with his family, he takes on the position and goes with King Robert and joins his court. There he is enmeshed in some twisted politics and has to be very nimble to keep him and his family safe.

Review

This book and the series itself is rather intricate and epic in size, so summarizing it is very hard.

Narrated from the points of view of different characters, the story gets you right into the thick of things. I formed loyalties rather early on with some of the characters and this is one reason that I liked the book.

There are three main factions in the first book of the series: The Starks, Baratheon (the King), the Lannisters (the Queen and her family). There is also another  faction – the original Kings of the land from whom Robert won (or stole) the throne.

While this is classified as fantasy, the first book of the series has a lot more court and political intrigue rather than magic. I was a little disappointed that all mention of fantasy and magic was in the past – as in stories about things and people that existed that have now become old wives’ tales. The characters are to an extent largely stereotypes, but with the huge canvas that Martin is playing with, this is rather to be expected.  Some of the characters break the mold – they are not necessarily good or evil and the reader can’t tell what their motive could be. On the whole, the epic nature of the series and the characters make this worth a read/listen.

Martin has set up a lot intrigue and mystery – many questions need to be answered and some of the characters who became my favourites have a lot to do in order to resolve their lives.

In short, I really loved the first book of the series. The epic fantasy genre is one of my favourites. While the magic and adventure parts are always more interesting to me rather than political dealings and battles for thrones, the brilliantly large canvas of this story make this series (definitely the first book) a win for me.

I’m a big fan of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. (Still waiting for that last book, Sanderson.) So I know how the first book of the series can grab you and how subsequent volumes may not keep up. I’m hoping that the magic element becomes a bigger part of the series and that the characters show more shades of grey.

The audiobook: Roy Dotrice takes some getting used to. His style of reading with unexpected breaks and stops was a little annoying in the beginning, but I sort of got used to that. He does a brilliant job with the voices, though. I always find that an audiobook might be less intimidating when dealing with such a door-stopper of a book and a huge series. On the other hand, if like me, you like to know the spelling of names and see maps, you’d be better off reading it in print.

Verdict

Definitely recommended. This is not a book for everyone, naturally and not even a book for all fans of fantasy. If you are planning to watch the series, though, I suggest you read/listen to the books before you watch the series. The audiobook is great fun to listen to and makes any long commute worth it. Starting this series means making a commitment (33 hours and 53 mins) – if you’re busy, it will take you a loooong time to complete it. I’m okay with that since that means there’s no waiting time between the books!

Rating: 4*

*See my Rating policy

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© Stargazerpuj and Stargazerpuj’s Book Blog, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

Mini Review: Coyote Ugly by Pati Nagle

Genre: Short stories

Publisher: Evennight Books

Pub date: 19 Dec 2010

Source: LibraryThing

I got this books as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer a few months ago. For a variety of reasons, I didn’t get reading it until recently. This book of short stories was a great choice for me!

Synopsis (from Amazon)

From the dark depths of the past to the bright hopes of the future, Pati Nagle’s stories range across the palette of human emotion. Named for her Theodore Sturgeon Award Finalist story, Coyote Ugly includes fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, romance, mystery, and a few surprises. The rhythms, colors, and flavors of New Mexico enrich many of the stories. Curl up with this collection and your favorite hot cuppa, and prepare to escape the ordinary.
Review

I don’t read too many short stories, but I am trying to read a little outside my comfort zone this year. So jumped at this collection that sounded like it has a lot of fantasy and magic thrown in. And I was not disappointed. This was a great collection of a variety of short stories. I can’t think of one theme that unifies all of them, but that wasn’t a problem at all – each story was well developed and a pleasure to read. Genres range from fantasy to sci-fi to romance to general. My favourite was the title story – Coyote Ugly – I love how much it coveys without actually drilling in the message.

You can pick this up over many months and read one story at a time. Each story reads fresh and it doesn’t take time to get invested in the characters or the plot.

Verdict

Recommended. Definite choice for people who enjoy short stories and fantasy.

Rating: 4*

*See my Rating policy

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Book Review: The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas

Genre: Literary fiction/Historical fiction

Publisher: Harper (HarperCollins imprint)

Pub date: 8 Feb 2011

Source: Publisher

There are a few reasons that this book is going on my favourites list – one is the magical point in time and geography that the story takes place, and the other is the brilliant writing. And when the love of reading and knowledge-seeking is a central theme in the story, there is no doubt that I’m going to love it.

Synopsis (from marketing material)

Late in the summer of 1877, as Tsar Alexander II’s Royal Cavalry descends on the defenseless Ottoman outpost of Constanta, a flock of purple and white hoopoes suddenly appears over the town, and Eleonora Cohen is ushered into the world by a mysterious pair of Tartar midwives who arrive just minutes before her birth. But joy is mixed with tragedy, for Eleonora’s mother dies soon after the birth.

Raised by her doting father Yakob, a carpet merchant, and her stern, resentful stepmother, Ruxandra, Eleonora’s early years are spent daydreaming and doing housework and avoiding the wrath of her stepmother—until the moment she teaches herself to read, and her father recognizes that she is an extraordinarily gifted child, a prodigy.

When Yakob sets off by boat for Stamboul on business, eight-year old Eleonora stows away in one of his trunks. There in the house of her father’s business partner Moncef Bey, a new life awaits. Books, backgammon, beautiful dresses and shoes, markets swarming with color and life, the imperial capital overflows with elegance and mystery.

Review

This is a book to be savoured. I am not someone who enjoys the literary aspect of the writing if there is no story, but in this case, for me, the plot was secondary.  That is not to say that there is no plot or that I didn’t like the story, but that was not the main course.

Lukas spins magic with words and it is pure pleasure to read and re-read certain parts of the book just for the sheer love of language. The author has used this very active and colourful backdrop of Stamboul (Istanbul) during a period of strife to weave the story of Eleonora and the Sultan. Eleonora’s gift – her knowledge of languages and her ability to decipher code bring her to the attention to many of the political players in Stamboul including the Sultan himself.

On the one hand, we have Eleonora. This young knowledge seeker is a prodigy who has a difficult time at home. Her strict aunt Ruxandra is afraid that reading and education will ruin Eleonora’s life, since all a woman needs to know is how to run a household. Her father, while not fully in agreement, is afraid that Ruxandra might be right.

On the other hand, we have the Sultan Abdulhamid II, the Padishah, Emperor. A just, wise and humble king, he has the difficult job keeping his kingdom safe in the midst of war and strife and keeping together his multi-ethnic empire.

Can Eleonora, an eight-year old really give him the solutions he needs? Can she work out all the combinations  and twists and turns it will take to guarantee a favorable outcome for the Sultan and his kingdom?

I did not love the way this story ended and feel like the author took the easy way out. While I wish it has ended differently, the magic of the story and language more than make up for it.

I am now a fan, and await Michael David Lukas’ next book with impatience.

Verdict

Fans of literary fiction, students of creative writing, lovers of magic realism and historical fiction should not miss The Oracle of Stamboul.

Highly recommended!

Rating: 5*

*See my Rating policy