Movie Review: Miss Heregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Rating: PG-13

Score: ❤❤❤❤❤

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Hello, everyone! So today is a day that I have been looking forward to all month and pretty much ever since I first read the book about a year or two ago. The release day of the Miss Peregrine movie. GET ME TO A THEATER NOW!!!

I literally just now got back from seeing the movie and immediately hopped onto my laptop to write this review up for you guys since I'm so darn excited about talking about this movie I can't contain it any longer. I hope you guys enjoy my review of the movie so please enjoy!

1. The first thing I seriously freaking LOVED about the movie was the casting. I honestly can't picture any other actor playing any of the characters. They were all so well cast that the actors pretty much became their characters and I thought that was just awesome. They really brought the characters to life and gave them the perfect on-screen personalities that made them such unique characters in the book. I have to say my favorite portrayal was that of Miss Peregrine herself. I might just be a tad bit of a fangirl when it comes to Eva Green and her awesomeness . . .

So yes, I quite liked the cast a lot. Especially Eva Green. She's perfect.

2. Can we just talk about those Hollows though? They were seriously SO COOL and creepy, but still VERY COOL. They looked exactly like how I pictured them in my head while reading the book and my brother noted they looked like something straight out of Silent Hill. Which I was very happy about since the Hollows aren't exactly the most cuddly creatures. They eat eyeballs for goodness sake. The editing for all the other effects such as the kids' superpowers, the giant literal bomb dropping, the action scenes, and all the little details in between was so fun to watch play out on screen and it felt like I was glued to the screen the entire time I was watching. 

3. The movie was just so entertaining and worth every second of it. I thought the pace was great, although a little bit of a weird jump from event to event in the beginning of the movie but it wasn't anything to ruin the movie itself. There were also some subtle changes to the characters such as changing the ages of Olivia, Hugh, and Fiona, switching the powers of Emma and Olivia, and changing up a few details and the way some events play out but once again, nothing huge and actually some of the differences made sense in hindsight for the film. I think even if you aren't a fan of the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series, this movie is totally a great one to see if you love sci-fi, action, mystery, adventure stories.

4. I think the only problem I really had with the film which I'm actually not mad about was the way the movie ended. If you've read the book, the last few chapters set up the story for the second book in the series, Hollow City, which takes place just after the first books ends. The ending of the movie was pretty different from the actual book and while it was pretty neat to watch the new ending and be surprised, I really wish the movie had been left open for a sequel should the studio go ahead with making a second installment in the film series. As of right now, there isn't any talk of a sequel that I've heard about but it would have been nice to have the movie end with the hope of a sequel since I seriously want a sequel. Like, right now.

Overall, I really loved the movie though the book was better. Then again, the book is always better so it's not surprising. I think huge mega fans of the series will love this movie since I'm pretty much obsessed with the books and I was dying to see the movie ever since it was announced that it was in development. I think people who haven't even read or heard of the books could really enjoy the movie and find at least one thing they loved about the film. I'm a huge Tim Burton fan so I might just be biased in saying it's one of his greatest films but I don't care. Tim Burton is a mastermind and I think he did an amazing job of capturing everything I loved about the book for a screen adaptation.

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So I hope you guys enjoyed my little mini-review of the movie and let me know what you thought about the movie if you saw it in the comments! I would love to know! Read on, bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Review: Library Of Souls by Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine's Children #3)

Library Of Souls by Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine's Children #3)

Rating: PG

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal

Score: 4.5 stars

Page Count: 458

Book #3 in the Miss Peregrine's Children series

Publisher: Quirk Books

Published: September 22, 2015

A boy with extraordinary powers. An army of deadly monsters. An epic battle for the future of peculiardom.
The adventure that began with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and continued in Hollow City comes to a thrilling conclusion with Library of Souls. As the story opens, sixteen-year-old Jacob discovers a powerful new ability, and soon he’s diving through history to rescue his peculiar companions from a heavily guarded fortress. Accompanying Jacob on his journey are Emma Bloom, a girl with fire at her fingertips, and Addison MacHenry, a dog with a nose for sniffing out lost children.

They’ll travel from modern-day London to the labyrinthine alleys of Devil’s Acre, the most wretched slum in all of Victorian England. It’s a place where the fate of peculiar children everywhere will be decided once and for all. Like its predecessors, Library of Souls blends thrilling fantasy with never-before-published vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience.

Review:

PROS:

1. One thing I both love and hate about my favorite series' is starting and finishing the last book in that series. It leaves me both wanting more and satisfied with how things wrapped up and this series is no exception. Before I get all teary eyed talking about how yet another amazing story has ended, let's just get to the review (sniffle, sniffle).

2. I cannot seem to talk enough about how much I love these characters. There's just such a great aspect about them, how they're completely themselves without holding anything back. They are peculiar after all so they can't exactly be judged by each other. I love each and every character, my favorites being Olive and Horace, and I just love seeing them go through some changes as the stories go on in each book and how they all grow more confident, stronger and a little more annoyed beyond belief at the hollows and wights and even each other. Everyone is all about teamwork, even when it seems they can't trust certain people. They really learned to rely on each other when it came to rescuing Miss Peregrine and other peculiar children even when they weren't too sure about who they should trust or believe.

3. Do I really need to say anything more about the pictures in these books? They're just so freaking interesting! I love photography and hope to do it for a living one day (fingers crossed!) so I just adore looking at the photos strewn throughout these books and really looking at just how different and eerie they are. I love the more creepy ones that look like something out of a Tim Burton film but some of them can be quite humorous at first glance. Basically, if you love creepy, odd photos and photography itself, you should really read this series.

4. I just can't get over how unique this series is, especially this last book. There's a lot more action in this one than the previous two as well as even odder characters such as talking decapitated heads, walking bears, a mysterious man in a mask and much more. I loved the storyline in this book even though the ending was just a little bit of a cliff hanger and one of my favorite characters dies though I won't name names since, you know, SPOILERS. But I will say I was in denial about this certain character being dead up until now. The oddity that is Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children is just so enjoyable and fun and makes me even more excited for the movie coming out in December!

So since this post turned into more of a talk on how awesome this series is instead of an actual review on things, I will just say that I loved this book so much even though I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous two. I can't really put my finger on the reason for this but I did love it in the end and plan on hopefully rereading this series sometime in the future, probably when I need to be reading more important things but whatever.

So that's it for this book review! I really hope you guys enjoyed it. Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

What's your favorite series of all time?

Review: Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2)

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2)

Rating: PG

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal

Score: ❤❤❤❤❤

Page Count: 399

Book #2 in the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series

Publisher: Quirk Books

Published: January 4, 2014

This sequel to the first novel, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, 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 vintage photographs.

Review:

PROS:

Review: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

1. So I might be just a tad bit obsessed with this series. I freaking loved the first book in this series so I was dying to get my hands on the sequel for the longest time afterwards! When I finally did pick up a copy back in November, I was so ready to read it that I set it on my desk where it stayed for an entire week as I rushed to finish a book I was currently reading then. I loved this sequel and I'm so excited to pick up the third and final book to see how things wrap up! Special thanks to my big sister for buying me the third book for my birthday ;) 

2. Can I just tell you guys how much I love the characters in this book? Because I love them way too much for my own good. I love how much character development you see in all the characters as the story plays out. This book is also a little funnier than the last because of their development and they start to loosen up just a tad even though there are so many enemies hunting them down. I really love Jacob and all the peculiars, especially Olive, Enoch and Horace. I think Jacob is an interesting character because you get to see how comfortable he starts to get with his special ability and how much stronger he gets as a character. The story really shows off his determination to protect his friends and help Miss Peregrine and any other people he meets along their journey. I love the peculiars so much because of how different they all are from each other, and not just because of their abilities either. I love how quirky, sweet, moody and humorous each of the children are and their disagreements and childish bantering just makes the book all the more fun to read. 

3. One of my favorite things about this series is the amazing and creepy pictures strewn throughout these books! I'm a fan of all things creepy and dark, which is why I love horror movies and Edgar Allen Poe so much, and I just love how this series combines two of my favorite things; books and creepy photographs. Enough said. I love how unique the pictures are and I love how they make the story feel so much more real being able to actually see the characters and the locations being described instead of relying on just your imagination to picture all of them (no pun intended). 

4. Lastly, I'm just in love with the world of these books and the uniqueness of it all. Never would I have thought that time loops, monsters and children with superhuman powers could create something so enchanting and addictive. I think this series has a little something for everybody. It has creatures straight out of nightmares, peculiar photographs and characters, interesting twists and turns and it continues to surprise as the story goes on. If you haven't read this series, please do! I beg of you!

I honestly couldn't read it fast enough. Like seriously, I was dying until the very last page.

And in case you didn't know, the Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children movie is set to release next Christmas so that gives you plenty of time to check this series out before then. Click HERE to read about the movie and I hope you enjoy these books as much as I did.

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I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! Read on, bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Rating: PG

Score: ★★★★★

Genre: Horror, Dark Fantasy

Page Count: 348

Book #1 of the Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children series

Publisher: Quirk Books

Published: 2011

 It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen year old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that Miss Peregrine's children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow- impossible though it seems- they may still be alive. 

Review:

Pros:

1. This creepy yet fascinating book is definitely a book unlike any other I've ever read. If you're in the loop with all the newest updates about what everyone is currently reading, then you should have seen this book before about a million times. That's what happened in my case and I just couldn't let this book sit on my shelf any longer. Let's just say, I don't regret picking this one up!

2. One thing I really loved about this book was the characters but for different reasons this time around. The characters were very . . . well, peculiar to say the least. I thought it was really interesting to see what each child could do, what their "power" was and how they used it. I loved how the unique abilities between the children weren't those that were common. Consisting from super human strength to being able to bring non-living things to life, the children were very interesting to read about.

3. I really loved how the old vintage pictures used to create the story were so well interwoven that it seemed as though the photographs were taken especially for the book itself. The pictures were sometimes creepy and just hands down terrifying, but others were sweet, funny and even a little witty. I love how the story gave the pictures such a unique meaning and really made me as a reader want to dive in deeper to know more about the pictures.

4. The story is dark and somewhat horrific but was also funny and witty. I got a Lemony Snicket kind of vibe from reading this book, seeing that there was so much mystery and unique characters and had a darker, almost Gothic, kind of tone. It was also lighthearted at times, though rare, but it made me smile, laugh, and sometimes was creepy and scary, almost getting under my skin. It was an enjoyable read that I couldn't stop thinking about even after I finished reading it.

5. Overall, this book definitely deserves the hype that it's been given and so much more. If you're a fan of a mysterious and dark type of book, perfect for a rainy day, then this one is the next book you should pick up! Come on, you know you want too!

Age Recommendation: 12+

I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! If you have any other book requests you would like me to review, just leave a comment or send me an email! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Be sure to read this one before the movie hits theaters in March 2016!!

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