The Miss Peregrine’s Series becoming a favorite with every reread 💕

Hello fellow bookworms 💕 I recently did a reread review for Vampire Academy and found out that I enjoyed both a) doing a series review and b) talking about books that I love and have reread. Therefore, I’m coming to you with another series review, this time of the Miss Peregrine’s series! I’m including my general thoughts about how I discovered the series, what I thought of the spinoff/expansion, a ranking of the books in the series & then the individual reviews. I have shortened the reviews because there are so many books in the series, but the covers link to my full GR review! The only full review is for The Desolations of Devil’s Acre as it’s the final book and a favorite of 2021 🥰

Origin Story + Reread Thoughts

I first read the originally Trilogy in 2016 when I was on holiday (because Jesse @ jessethereader kept recommending them on his YouTube Channel) and immediately got hooked 🥰 After the end of the original Trilogy, the author announced that the series would be expanded to 6 books, meaning 3 more books following Jacob and his friends as they explore Peculiar America. Spinoffs/Expansions of Series can be a hit or miss, but I personally liked the new books even though they are a bit different from the original books! The author did a great job showing the aftermath of the original Trilogy and expanded the world he had created. Generally, I do think that books 5 and 6 are slightly weaker than the rest of the series, though I still like them. I just wasn’t a fan of how the romance developed in the new books and some of the other choices made in the narrative. [HIGHLIGHT FOR SPOILERS] I’m talking about (1) Emma and Jacob breaking up, which I thought was okay BUT Jacob and Noor’s new romance felt underdeveloped and like insta love & (2) Caul coming back as the antagonist in books 5 and 6 when we thought he had been defeated. I didn’t like when villains are ‘revived’ and the sixth book felt a bit too close to the third book when it comes to finales.

I have reread the books many times in the last 5 years, most recently because I was getting ready to read The Desolations of Devil’s Acre. The reason I’m doing this post is that I’ve loved the books more with each reread and the series has become such a comfort to me! I originally rated the books 4.5 stars but pushed my rating to 5 stars because I kept thinking about the series and how much it meant to me. Rereading books very often and feeling nostalgic/comforted by them is always a sign for me that I’m dealing with a favorite book ❤ With each reread I grew fonder of the characters and even those like Emma that I was originally not a big fan of because characters that I liked to read about. I even began to like the complicated relationship between Emma and Jacob!

If you’ve read the books, Jesse did a fantastic reread vlog of the series in preparation of book 6 that I highly recommend!

Ranking ⭐ (Fave to Least Fave)

1. Library of Souls (Book #3)
2. Hollow City (Book #2)
3. A Map of Days (Book #4)
4. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Book #1)
5. The Desolations of Devil’s Acre (Book #6)
6. The Conference of the Birds (Book #5)

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

➽ The idea of the book was really great! The special thing about this book is that it works with photographs to underline the story. However those pictures are not normal ones, but older, strange looking snapshots that the author carefully chose from the collections of different, dedicated collectors. I personally liked how well the pictures and the story worked, creating a very visual novel and setting the rather creepy atmosphere.

➽ The reason the photographs work so well is that this book deals with children with special abilities, but not only the ones that one would imagine. E.g. fire manipulation, shape-shifting, etc. might be abilities that are seen as cool and heroic, but there were also abilities that were more creepy and not so useful and shiny, which I really liked. These people are called Peculiars and are a different subsection of humans.

➽ Apart from the amazing idea and concept I really liked the writing and plot. I wouldn’t call it fast paced, but I didn’t mind that. I actually liked that the protagonist was getting to know this whole world bit by bit, which kept me on the edge because I wanted to find out more too. The plot, therefore, didn’t feel too rushed, because it did not give away everything at once and instead slowly built suspense.

➽ I liked Jacob because after what happened to him and what he saw, I could FEEL his fear. It was like I was in the story with him, feeling all his horror and fear of the never ending nightmares he experiences. I also liked his dad, which accompanied him on his trip to find out the truth. His wife and her family have much money and own a store brand, so he feels judged for not accomplishing some sort of job because his books never get finished.

➽ Concerning relationships, I liked how much Jacob connected with his grandfather and his weird stories and how close they were and how much he discovers about him. What I didn’t feel was necessary was the romance element, I just didn’t feel the need for that as it did not contribute something to the story. The girl also had a rather complicated relationship with his grandfather.

Hollow City ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

➽ I liked that we got to explore London in 1940 and saw indications of the second world war like the bombings and the terrible state of the city. Apart from London, we explored places like the menagerie, where we finally meet some peculiar animals. I really liked that the author did not only show humans as peculiar but animals as well.

➽ Along the journey we also meet way more peculiars, like the boy with the caravan and the girl they meet during the bombing. Not to mention the people they meet in the raided loops and picked up to tag along. I was very intrigued by these new abilities and really enjoyed seeing all the people we meet along the way.

➽ Concerning the peculiars from the first book, I still liked Jacob very much. In a way, he’d represent me if I ever came to be in such a situation. He’s very relatable and trying to be brave in the face of all that evil and uncertainty. It’s also shown very well how seeing the past affects him and that he’s trying the best he can. However, I’m very pleased to say that I liked Emma much more than I did in the first book! Back then I found her bossy and rude, mainly because she was so suspicious of Jacob. In this book, she acted rather brave and like a leader to the peculiars. There’s much pressure on her shoulders and you see that she tries to care for everyone and wants to help all of them at the same time.

➽ Another aspect I enjoyed was the Tales, because I found it quite realistic, that the Peculiars had their own stories and legends. The writing style was very good like in the first book and kept me reading, it was just the right amount of description and combined with the photos it captured me completely.

Library of Souls ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

➽ I was a big fan of how everything was brought together in this finale. We discover so much more background story and everything begins to have a higher sense. Secrets are revealed and things from the beginning of the story are explained in a new way, giving them a completely new meaning. It was like all the loose threads were spun together and made a thick and complex net of truths and continuity.Nothing was left uncertain and Rigg’s did an awesome job of blowing my mind with all those new facts and explanations. After putting me through some angst and anxiety, I finally got the ending that I wished for and was so relieved. The author kept me on my seat for the last dozen pages, but in the end, everything turned out fine.

➽ I’ve also liked the journey that Addison, Emma, and Jacob went on in order to save their friends. Firstly I was worried that it would bother me that the other children were not with them as characters, but in the end, I was happy with the plotline, because I liked all three characters a great deal. Especially interesting was the story once they got to Devil’s Acre because it was described so vivid and really hooked me, as much as it creeped me out. The place had many surprises and many of them not very pleasant, but that was what made things very interesting and thrilling.

➽ I really enjoyed the new characters as well, especially Sharon. There was just such a gruff mystical air around him that really made me like him a great deal. I found him to be a very fun, loyal character to be around and liked the way his backstory was explored because it gave him such depth. Seeing how peculiars are treated here and hearing about new things like the vials and the Library of Souls also really sparked my interest. I grew to like Jacob even more than before now that he transformed into someone else, while still remembering who he used to be. I really liked to see his ability to grow as well and explore it in-depth.

A Map of Days ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

➽ I loved getting to know Peculiardom in America, as it was so different and unique, I like that things are different here and the history took another turn. There are peculiar gangs here and there are not really Ymbrynes around, making it a new world with new rules to follow. The book neatly fitted into the ending of the third book and I liked seeing the implications of the big finale of the Trilogy. Peculiardom in Europe is just being rebuilt by all the havoc that was being caused by the Wights and I liked that the book showed what a challenge that was.

➽ I liked that one of the themes was also questioning those in charge and breaking free. A lot of the Peculiar Children are feeling like Miss Peregrine is a bit too overbearing, as they are almost all 80+ years old and no longer clueless children. I liked seeing the struggle of them and especially Jacob who grew up different, to resist being told what to do and setting out to go on an adventure of their own. I understood his anger, in the end, he made mistakes but rethinking the society and the rule of the Ymbrynes proved to be an interesting topic.

➽ Once again, I really liked Jacob, he is trying to go into the footsteps of his grandfather and sets out to do what he once did. I liked this secret society of hunters for the Peculiars and how he discovered the Peculiars in his home country. There are quite a few new faces appearing. It was hard to see him struggle with finding his place, as his parents are being very difficult, and he is seen by the Peculiars as both hero and also a liar.

➽ I liked seeing the Peculiars adapting to the modern time, it was quite fun! I did like how the author explored Emma and Jacob’s complicated relationship as it revolves a lot around his grandfather and who he was to both of them.

The Conference of the Birds ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

➽ I was a bit nervous because this is the shortest book in the series, but it was packed full of action. There was never a dull moment and compared to the previous book it’s definitely more fast-paced. So if you found A Map of Days to be a bit too slow and long, you’ll definitely like this book a lot more.

➽ I definitely liked the different plotlines explored in this book. It tries to balance the ongoing conflicts within American Peculiardom with the rebuilding in Devil’s Acre and the fallout of the Wights that’s still going on. On top of that, the last book introduced us to a mysterious prophecy concerning new peculiar Noor, who seems to have to play a big part in it alongside six others. So with the help of Jacob and his friends, she’s trying to figure out what exactly the strange and brooding snippets of text that H left behind mean. This book also brought the search for V – the mysterious acquaintance of H and the hollow hunters – and answers about Noor’s past as she barely remembers anything.

➽ Apart from that, the book is also full of peace talks and meetings between the European Ymbrynes and the American Clans. They’re trying to prevent an all-out war between the Clans while building connections with each other to unite Peculiardom. I liked that we’re still dealing with the remaining Wights and consequences of Caul’s defeat, because that threat is not fully gone. In general, the entire atmosphere is made up of mistrust and difficulties to unite all peculiars. Then there are those who think that the Ymbrynes have been the leaders of Peculiardom long enough and that it’s time for a new Area. All this political climate was explored thoroughly and I found it really interesting how it all connected.

➽ The found family vibes in the story were also very strong. The book does a great job balancing all these characters and giving each of them their little spotlight. Jacob himself is still struggling with his purpose, as part of him still wants to live up to the legacy of his grandfather and actually make a difference like the hollow hunters did when they rescued peculiars. However, he’s also learning to not go off alone and instead rely on his friends. I also loved how we saw a different side of Miss Peregrine. She’s come to realize that her wards have proven themselves capable and should be included in the action at times

The Desolations of Devil’s Acre ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

➽ Once again, I loved seeing the characters gear up for a final fight and deal with the revelations of the past books. With Caul on the rise the prophecy that concerns Noor is finally coming into play and we explore what it truly means for her and the other six. Meanwhile we see Caul trying to destroy Peculiardom from the inside out, sowing mistrust and jealousy between the Peculiars in order to turn them again the Ymbrynes. Conflicted that I am about his resurrection, I appreciate that the author had him try a different tactic, focusing on Caul trying to use the mistakes of the Ymbrynes and the resentment of the Peculiars that don’t agree with their leadership and want loop freedom. I liked seeing how he played the Peculiars against each other and used fear as well as greed to further his goals. With him being more powerful than the last time they faced him, we see Jacob and his friends take on their biggest challenge yet. Once again, I liked seeing both our old beloved characters and exploring some new faces. I especially liked revisiting the American Clans and how they involve themselves in this issue when they usually do their own thing. There were a lot of great plotlines and twists all coming together!

➽ This was a solid finale with a great end to the series, but the ending also felt rushed. I’m glad that this book was 500 pages, as book 5 was the shortest book in the series. When it comes to action and suspense, The Desolations of Devil’s Acre definitely delivered, as there is a lot at stake for the characters. Despite being on the longer side, there is never a dull moment as the author tries to tie up all his plotlines 👀 While I liked that the end felt like coming full circle and provided a great resolution for the characters it also felt rushed and too short. The very climax of the finale battle was too late and barely left any room for a resolution that concerned all characters. It also mirrored Library of Souls a bit too closely, which is why I think a different villain than Caul would have been good, as he served his purpose in the original books. [SPOILERS] I loved seeing Jacob making a sacrifice to transform into a hollow (and learning more about the origins of his story) but it was barely touched upon as he quickly turned back. Also the Library of Souls being the final battle ground made sense story-wise but felt repetitive. I also lowkey wish for even MORE books because this book kind of exposed peculiardom to the normals, which is a game changer and this ‘new area’ that the prophecy must have talked about where Noor is also supposed to help.

Have you read the Miss Peregrine’s series? Who is your favorite character? What is your favorite book in the series? 💕

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