What a moving and touching book. I’m not even a mom (and probably never will be) but Kelly Corrigan’s descriptions of her life as a mother, while grapWhat a moving and touching book. I’m not even a mom (and probably never will be) but Kelly Corrigan’s descriptions of her life as a mother, while grappling with grief from a parent and friend lost to cancer, felt very relatable.
The prose flows, is easy to read and deceptively deep.
Kelly Corrigan has a way of making us see the beauty in magic in our everyday lives....more
STORY: When he was a kid, Jacob believed his grandfather’s fantastic stories of levitating girls, bee-controlling boys, and monsters in a far-off orphaSTORY: When he was a kid, Jacob believed his grandfather’s fantastic stories of levitating girls, bee-controlling boys, and monsters in a far-off orphanage from World War 2. After all, there are pictures to prove it. He’s now 16 and feels betrayed by his grandfather’s lies. But a devastating event leads him to question his beliefs and propel him on a journey to find out who his grandfather really was.
WRITING STYLE: Ransom Riggs is an author I’m going to watch out for. I liked his poignant portrayal of Jacob’s love-hate for his grandfather. I was surprised at how deep Jacob’s insights and depth of feeling were at times� I couldn’t believe it was a YA book.
ENJOYMENT FACTOR: The concept of the Peculiar Children was bizarre and interesting. The creepy photos supplementing the book add to the otherworldy feel. It wasn’t only the mystery that kept me turning pages� Jacob’s emotional turmoil and internal conflicts, deftly conveyed by the author, enthralled me more. I would rate the first half of the book a full five stars. HOWEVER, once the monsters…err� hallowgast came in, it all went downhill for me. The Peculiar Children and time loops were fantastic of themselves, but adding man-eating monsters into the mix diluted the story and turned it into one shallow cliche.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS (The X Factor): As I mentioned previously, I thought the first half of the story was gripping and well-written. The second half however was a slippery downhill slope due to the shallow antagonists and the clumsy set-up for a sequel. However, the good still outweighs the bad so I'm watching out for the sequel....more
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