Hollow City by Ransom Riggs Series: Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2
Publisher: Quirk Books (2014)
Hardcover (400 pages)
Via: Library
Rating:
Also by this author: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Library of Souls
Also in this series: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Library of Souls
Reading Challenges: Read 2015
Synopsis
This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.
Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerizing) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages.
Find the book: Goodreads
My Review
This book picks up where Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children left off. Jacob and his new peculiar friends are fleeing the destruction of Cairnholm with Miss Peregrine trapped in her bird form. They don’t have any concrete plans for where they are going or how they are going to get there or what they are going to do when they get there. They only know that they need to help Miss Peregrine before it is too late.
When London becomes their destination, the children meet some interesting people and creatures. Personally my favorite was Addison, the talking dog resident of Miss Wren’s loop. It is Addison who gives the children their destination, London, and their only hope for a cure for Miss Peregrine, Miss Wren. I also rather enjoyed the gypsies.
I liked this book a lot more than the first one. There was more action and never time for anything to get boring. When the whole book takes place in the space of a few days, stuff is always happening. There is the escape from Cairnholm, running from the wights disguised as British soldiers, stumbling upon Addison in Miss Wren’s loop, running into gypsies, and so on. the action never stops.
This book also had vintage photographs of peculiar things and peculiar people. I love the part where they discover the girl on the front cover. I won’t tell you when because that would be a spoiler. 🙂
Throughout this book Jacob’s peculiarity changes a bit and grows a lot. Jacob himself also changes quite a bit. He has to become the protector of the other peculiar children and he does. He doesn’t always make the right choice but he is always trying. I am sure his grandfather would be proud of him.
Emma is an interesting person. We learn quite a bit about her. Jacob does have a rather large crush on her just like in the first book. That part still creeps me out a little since Emma dated Jacob’s grandfather. Time loops can be rather confusing aparently.
Oh my goodness, the ending! Totally not expected. Not at all. I cannot wait until Library of Souls comes out in September.
Catholic Connections
*Spoiler Alert*
In order to analyze the text and make these connections, there may be some spoilers.
Please do not continue reading unless you have already read the book
or you don’t mind if you read some spoilers.
*Spoiler Alert*
Jacob really steps up to the plate as the protector in this book. He is willing to risk it all for the children and Miss Peregrine. I also love how he grows. By the end of the book he isn’t killing every hollowgast and wight. The ending has left so much hanging but I want to say that something is happening with the hollowgast. They aren’t just plain evil and I think they may be, somehow, redeemable. It is almost as though the one choice they made didn’t send them straight to evil and there is still something within them that wants something more than the life they are living. It is an interesting concept and I would love to see what happens in the next book.
Which Reading Challenges?
- You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
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