Miss Peregrin's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Publisher:  Quirk Books
Publish Date:  June 7, 2011
Pages:  352
ISBN:  978-1594744761


 Note:  Lots and lots of spoilers here.  If you don't want to know, don't read it!!



Doesn't the cover picture just creep you out?  That picture and the title are the biggest reasons I finally bought this book.  I was very excited about it - a good old fashioned scary book, with scary children.  The photos scattered throughout the book are amazing - I adore weird old photos like these.

The story began well enough - Grandpa always told Jacob stories and Jacob believed them until he was older and his parents 'set him straight'.  Then he just thought good old Grandpa was a crazy old Polish war veteran.  Then Grandpa dies and Jacob thinks he might be the crazy one.  See, I liked that part.

What I didn't like:
1 - Jacob's best friend.  I'm not sure why it even needed noting that Jacob had a friend.  He's there for a scene or two, it's noted that they aren't really friends, then he's never mentioned again.  I feel that the author went to a lot of trouble to describe him and his car and their relationship to just ditch him.  I really felt like he did all that and then couldn't fit him into the story, so just let him wander off.

2 - Jacob didn't come across as a 17 year old.  I would have guessed maybe 12.  There was nothing, except his car and job, that said he was an older teen.  The Peculiar children come across as younger too - I know they all appear to be younger, but are really older, but you would think that they would ACT older anyway.

3 - The love story.  Jacob meets a girl, Emma, and falls for her.  She seems to fall for him too.  But seriously, who is she really falling for - Jacob or his Grandpa?!  Ick.  I mean, she's Grandpa's age, but looks Jacob's age and he looks like Grandpa, so what the heck, she'll take him?  And he's ok with that too?  It was too weird for me.

I felt like the story did better before we meet the peculiar children than afterward.  I was disappointed.  Once we met them, the story should have taken off.  I wanted, and felt promised, a creepy, weird and ghostly story.  I got magic and timeloops and confused writing.  Now, I love magic and timeloops, but not when I'm expecting something else.  Hold on, wait a minute.  That's not entirely true either.  I don't even mind that happening if it's done in a cohesive amazing manner where it all flows and makes sense.

Of Light and Darkness by Shayne Leighton

Of Light and Darkness (Light and Darkness #1) by Shayne Leighton
Publisher:  Decadent Publishing
Publish Date:  June 26, 2011
 Available as an e-book
484 KB


Finally, a vampire that acts like a vampire.  I mean, Valek needs blood to survive and he doesn't hid it and he doesn't hesitate to do what he has to do to get it.  Valek rescued a human child about twenty years ago and now she's all grown up and doesn't look at Valek as a father figure anymore.  She's realizing that he's quite the catch and is ready to take on the challenge of being with a vampire.  Charlotte is no wimpy girl, she holds her own against werewolves, elves, vampires and witches.


The setting for the story is inside and just outside of Prague, a city that seems to be getting a lot of attention in new releases lately.  I think it's history lends itself to lots of paranormal stories, it's wonderful to visit someplace new!  There are cities called "Occult Cities" where all the magical folks live and they aren't allowed to leave their cities, the elves passed that law.  But if vampires don't leave, they can't feed.  For years, Charlotte has done the initial hunting for Valek, but now the elves are out for her too.

Of course Valek and Charlotte can't just fall in love and live happily ever after.  The elves are the light-bearers in this universe and they've decided to destroy all the vampires as they are hateful and live in the dark.  The biggest problem is that the next in line for the throne is Aiden, an elf who grew up with Charlotte and who is infatuated with her and determined to keep her from Valek.

The setting for the story is inside and just outside of Prague, a city that seems to be getting a lot of attention in new releases lately.  I think it's history lends itself to lots of paranormal stories, it's wonderful to visit someplace new!  There are cities called "Occult Cities" where all the magical folks live and they aren't allowed to leave their cities, the elves passed that law.  But if vampires don't leave, they can't feed.  For years, Charlotte has done the initial hunting for Valek, but now the elves are out for her too.

This is the author's debut book and I think she's done a delightful job.  My e-reader let me know that my tv was lonely as I was reading this book instead of watching tv during primetime. :)  I think that's a good indication of how wonderful the story is...I gave up watching Big Bang Theory just to finish it. ;)

Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison

Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison
Publish Date:  October 11, 2011
Publisher: EgmontUSA
ISBN  9778-1606841730
Pages:  272


I received this e-galley from www.netgalley.com.



Let's take a look at the Tristan & Isolde legend before we talk about the book, shall we?  There have been tons of retellings of the legend, which is a tragic love story.  Tristan is a symbol of the virtues of chivalry: including honor and bravery.  So he's wounded in a battle and his injuries won't heal.  Oh yeah, a piece of his sword got stuck in his opponent's head.  He goes to a princess, Isolde, who was skilled in healing. His King is impressed and sent Tristan back to seek her for his Queen.  Isolde realizes that Tristan had killed her uncle (remember that piece of sword stuck in his opponent's head?), but she still agrees to marry the King.  Isolde's mother feeds Isolde and Tristan a love potion - they know what it is and drink it anyway.  Isolde marries the King but loved Tristan. Finally Tristan flees in despair, later marrying another Isolde, becoming injured, sending for the first Isolde and dies.  The first Isolde dies when she realizes he's dead.

So the King must be Mark, Izzie's boyfriend, I'm guessing.  He's the football team captain.

Izzie has been dating Mark for awhile now and she hangs out with Mark and her best friend, Branna, all the time.  Izzie's mom drives an ambulance because she's magical and uses potions to help patients she picks up.  Her dad is dead.

Izzie wants to set up Branna with a boy, but can't figure out who Branna's in love with.  Then this new guy shows up...Tristan. He's cute, great personality and runs fast. Mark wants him on the track team and Izzie feels attracted to him, which makes her mad, so she's mean to him.  Branna doesn't seem to care about him one way or the other.   

In the end: Tris and Izzie end up together and Mark and Branna end up together.  My issue with this is that everyone is pretty much instantly ok with it.  C'mon, these are teenagers - it's not that simple!!!!  I hated that Izzie's mom thinks Branna might have magic since she accepts the idea of it so easily.  The battles took too long and there was even romance in the middle of them, seriously?!  Also, just because Tristan is from a sheltered magical community, does he need to speak like he's from medieval times?  I mean, Izzie and her mom only left the community 10 years or so ago, are they that far behind?

I really didn't feel connected with the characters and felt that this wasn't a retelling of the legend, it more or less just used the names and general idea.  That being said, it was pretty well-written, I'm going to have to see what else the author has written and give it a try.