Review: "The Rabbit Back Literature Society" by Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen

Pushkin Press, 2013. 346 pages.
Rating: ★★★★ (4 stars)
Source: The Ceilidh Place, Ullapool 

Summary (via Goodreads): "Only nine people have ever been chosen by renowned children’s author Laura White to join “The Rabbit Back Literature Society,” an elite group of writers in the small town of Rabbit Back. Now a tenth member has been selected: Ella, a young literature teacher. Soon Ella discovers that the Society is not what it seems. What is its mysterious ritual known as 'The Game'? What explains the strange disappearance that occurs at Laura White’s winter party? Why are the words inside books starting to rearrange themselves? Was there once another tenth member, before her? Slowly, as Ella explores the Society and its history, disturbing secrets that had been buried start to come to light..."

My thoughts:

The Rabbit Back Literature Society was first published in Finland in 2006, and published in English last year (translated by Lola M. Rogers). Set in the delightfully bizarre town of Rabbit Back (which one review describes as "where Twin Peaks meets the Brothers Grimm"), home to reclusive children's author Laura White, this is an odd, dark, charming novel brimming with mystery. In short: everything I hoped it would be when I first picked it up.

I should be honest, however, and say that it did take a me a while to warm to this book, and to many of the characters. I liked it well enough, but didn't love it. But this is one those special books that creeps up on you, then all of a sudden wins you over. As the book progresses, the mysteries surrounding Laura White, and the circle of talented young writers she selects to form The Rabbit Back Literature Society, deepen and become stranger. It's almost impossible to resist their pull. It also asks lots of interesting questions about writing, inspiration, reality, childhood memory, and the relationship between writers and the world around them.

For me, the real turning point in this was when Ella starts to play "The Game", a creepy, ritual-like part of the Society, where members challenge each other to "spill" their most raw, intimate thoughts and memories. Through The Game, Ella starts to explore the weird, knotty history of the Society. Each member has their own secrets to spill, which often stir up something new out of the Society's mysterious past. At this point the book really opens up into something magical and intriguing, a real page-turner. I particular loved the mystery surrounding the Society's original "tenth member", who no-one seems to be able to properly remember.

I think it is impossible to review this book without talking a little about the ending. (I'll try to keep this spoiler-free, but please feel free to skip this paragraph if you'd prefer a complete surprise!) There are some books you read, that when you get to ten or twenty pages from the end you start to wonder (and worry) how it will wrap the story up with so little space left. I had that feeling here, and started to fear an unsatisfactory ending, but thankfully I was proved wrong. This isn't a book that sets out to neatly weave in all the loose ends. Any reader going into this book with that expectation will be disappointed. For me, this book is much more about Ella's journey, and about the mystery itself, rather than the solving of it. Overall, I found the ending satisfying and charming, a strange and magical ending to a strange and magical book.

I highly recommend this book if you are looking for something a bit different, particularly if mystery and magical realism are your cup of tea. It's an addictive read, dream-like, nicely paced, and subtly thought-provoking. You might have to persevere for the first few chapters, but personally I think it's worth it. I hope you like it too :) 

Reviews by others:
A Fantastical Librarian. "...an interesting story, with some fascinating exploration of the human psyche and an intricate narrative structure. If you’re looking for something speculative outside of the norm, then The Rabbit Back Literature Society comes highly recommended."

Fantasy Book Review. "With a large cast of characters and back stories to delve into this book will not leave you disappointed, but will hopefully leave you as surprised and satisfied as I felt upon finishing the story."

Review by Catherine Taylor for the Telegraph. "Part philological study, part winter-bound magic realism, Jäaskeläinen has created a world where all is not quite sane; beneath the cosy cups of coffee there is horror at its heart, “a blanket of unending dusk fringed with bad dreams”."

Review: "My Real Children" by Jo Walton

Corsair, 2014. 317 pages.
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)
Source: Amazon Marketplace

Summary (via Goodreads): "It is 2015 and Patricia Cowan is very old. ‘Confused today’ read the notes clipped to the end of her bed. Her childhood, her years at Oxford during the Second World War – those things are solid in her memory. Then that phone call and…her memory splits in two. She was Trish, a housewife and mother of four. She was Pat, a successful travel writer and mother of three. She remembers living her life as both women, so very clearly. Which memory is real – or are both just tricks of time and light?"

My thoughts: My Real Children is a beautiful, immersive and thought-provoking read. I found it effortlessly absorbed both the mind and emotions, and I felt myself instantly caught up in the lives of Pat and Trish. Each time I picked this book up, even if only intending to read a few pages, I found it hard to put down. I stayed up well past my bedtime three nights in a row while reading this book, perfectly content to go to work tired if it meant getting the chance to read just one more chapter.

The chapters of this book alternate between the lives of Pat and Trish, but unlike other books I have read with a similar structure, I didn't find myself preferring one over the other (which I find always spoils the reading experience just a little, no matter how wonderful the book is otherwise). With this book, I found each story was equally intriguing, though for very different reasons. Trish's life is one of personal unhappiness, but set in a world that is much more peaceful than Pat's, or indeed our own ("The world had become quietly socialist, quietly less racist, less homophobic." - Chapter 34). Pat's world, by contrast, was one of violence, destruction and tyranny - a terrifying world of nuclear war, fallout, destruction and death, alongside the accompanying terror of intolerance and a political slide to the right. Yet this is the world in which Pat has such powerful, beautiful happiness of her own. Rejecting Mark's dubious marriage proposal in this world, Pat becomes a successful travel writer and finds true, lasting love in her partner Bee. I found the contrast between the two worlds, on their individual and global levels, a very powerful component of this book. There is a deep sadness in holding the two sets of memories side by side, as each lacks happiness on the level where in the other it shines brightly.

This book is one that really tugs the heart strings. It made me cry a number of times. And despite at times skimming only lightly across the lives of Pat and Trish as time passes, this book still made me care so very deeply for many of the characters, for all the children and grandchildren, for the friends and loved ones in both lives. It also made me feel intensely angry at times - angry at Mark's hateful, bullying treatment of Trish, angry at the senseless violence and destruction in Pat's world, angry at the fact the Pat and Bee could never marry or be officially acknowledged as a family in their world. This book, Pat's world in particular, also stirred up a sense of fear - what would it take for our world to get that bad and would we be powerless to stop it? It's a kind of fear that makes you want to go out and do something - speak up, protest, rage against injustice until the tide turns. Because what if, as Patrica wonders in her final days, it really is just one little thing that makes all the difference? ("Two roads diverged in a yellow wood..." etc.)

While this book definitely falls strongly into the categories of alternate history and speculative fiction, it also has a very domestic focus. I loved this mix. It puts me in mind a little of Kate Atkinson's wonderful Life After Life, which I read earlier in the year. Both are family dramas told in a unique, magical way, and both make you ponder the importance of choices and the power of individual decisions. Both I also found to be deeply captivating, drawing me in deeper with each turn of the page. My Real Children isn't necessarily a flawless novel, but I found the reading experience so rich and charming that I can't help but give it five stars. Quite simply, I adored this book.

Other reviews:
My Real Children review – a high-concept modern fairytale. A review by Gwyneth Jones for The Guardian. Gives a great overview of the book and speculates on what questions it might be raising.

Review by Alix E. Harrow on Strange Horizons. A lovely review. I particularly liked this bit: "My Real Children invites us to wander down the illusory spiderwebs of our own pasts, to find our own breaking points."

Review by Ana on her wonderful blog things mean a lot. This review is a wonderful, thought-provoking exploration of the ideas and questions this book raises. I am very grateful to Ana for her  review, as this was how I first heard about this book (and discovered Jo Walton's writing). Thank you!

April to June round-up (and a few ramblings)

Oh dear, I have been neglecting my blog again. But I have not been neglected my reading, I promise! Since my last update (January to March) I have read nine more books. And here they are:

• The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence
• Gretel and the Dark by Eliza Granville
• Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
• Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
• The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist
• Girl Reading by Katie Ward
• Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
• The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
• Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

All of these I really enjoyed, with the exception The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, which I had high hopes for, but it ended up so tedious and repetitive I wanted to scream. Still, this has been the only book so far this year I haven't enjoyed, so I mustn't grumble.

The end of June is rapidly approaching, and with it the end of my book-buying ban. And I have to say, with all honesty, it's been amazing! It has completely altered my attitude towards owning books, and I feel my attitude towards reading them has been enhanced as a result. I feel I have cut my ties to the materialist nonsense that made me feel that I have to buy lots of books to prove I love reading. Instead, I now love going to the library, browsing for new things to read, books I might have never considered reading before. And I love returning them, knowing that someone else will soon be reading and (hopefully!) enjoying those same pages.

June also means the weather been turning warmer and I've been reading outside a lot. While I'm not a fan of very warm weather (makes me grumpy), I've enjoyed being able to sit out in the garden, in the shade, listening to the birds singing and wind whispering through the trees. With a good book and a nice cup of tea, of course. Very peaceful.

I hope you have been having a fabulous June too. Xxx

Review: "Gretel and the Drak" by Elisa Granville

Penguin, 2014. 368 pages.
Rating: ★★★★ (4 stars)
Source: Library

Synopsis (via Goodreads): "Josef Breuer - celebrated psychoanalyst - is about to encounter his strangest case yet. Found by the lunatic asylum, thin, head shaved, she claims to have no name, no feelings - to be, in fact, not even human. Intrigued, Breuer determines to fathom the roots of her disturbance.

Years later, in Germany, we meet Krysta. Krysta's Papa is busy working in the infirmary with the 'animal people', so little Krysta plays alone, lost in the stories of Hansel and Gretel, the Pied Piper, and more. And when everything changes and the real world around her becomes as frightening as any fairy tale, Krysta finds that her imagination holds powers beyond what she could have ever guessed . . ."

Gretel and the Dark is a captivating, dark and thought-provoking gem of a book about war, stories and escapism. I found it to be a real page-turner that kept me reading well beyond my bedtime on more than one occasion. Always a sign of a very good book for me! I particularly loved the way the two storylines wove in and out of each other to create a rich and powerful tale.

Krysta's story is an intertwining of (often dark) fairytales with real-life horror (it put me in mind of Pan's Labyrinth). It is told in first person, allowing the tragic, monstrous events that take place to unfold though the naivety and innocence of a child's eyes. It felt this added to the power of the book, and made Krysta's experiences feel utterly raw, shocking and devastating. I also loved the way in which Krysta's voice matures throughout the book, as she grows older and her world more terrifying.

The other storyline is a captivating, dark mystery. The Vienna captured in these pages feels very real and provides chilling foreshadowing for the events of Krysta's timeline, like a small but telling window of European history. (The way in which it ultimately links to Krysta's story is very clever, but impossible to comment upon further without giving away any spoilers!)

I highly recommend this book, it's one of my favourites of the year so far. To sum up, there are a couple of quotes I would like to share. I found each to be very thought-provoking and also feel they capture the essence of the book very well:

“Yes, life is hard,” whispers Erika, “but knowing about other people, other civilisations, other ways of living, other places – that’s your escape route, a magical journey. Once you know about these things, no matter what happens, your mind can create stories to take you anywhere you want to go.”

“...soon I shall go from here and everything that I have seen or heard, felt, smelled, tasted, enjoyed, loved, will be extinguished and forgotten. There will be nothing left of me but a number on some ledger. And so, I give the Earth my memories.”

15 (very) mini-reviews - January to March round-up

Where has the first quarter of this year gone? It seems to have flown by. One minute it's dark and soggy January, and all of a sudden Spring has well and truly sprung! My garden has come alive with bluebells and dandelions (nice and wild, just the way I like it!). It's getting warm enough to read outside now (with a nice cup of tea, listening to the birds singing etc.)

My year so far has been filled with lots of lovely books and I am well on track to meet my goal of 50 books this year. I am also doing swimmingly on my book-buying ban... I've actually found it a lot easier than I thought, my library has kept me very happy!

Below is a list of the books I read in January, February and March, with my thoughts on each summed up in one (not particularly grammatically correct) sentence. I'm hoping to get back on track with blogging and regular reviews in the coming months!

1. The First Book of Calamity Leek by Paula Lichtarowicz.
★★★★ (4 stars). Beautifully written, powerful, dark and sad - a twisted tale of sisterhood and survival in the face of extreme cruelty, with a very unique and ambitious narrative.

2. Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake.
★★★★ (4 stars). A demanding read, yet rewarding - a real blast of the grotesque, one of those books that fits in to the category of "not quite like anything else I've read before..."

3. Aurorarama (The Mysteries of New Venice #1) by Jean-Christophe Valat.
★★★★ (4 stars). A mesmerizing mix of fantasy, alt-history, sci-fi and steampunk, with a literary feel and exquisite world-building.

4. The Invention of Hugo Carbet by Brain Selznick.
★★★★ (4 stars). Utterly charming, very sweet and poignant - an ode to childhood, wonder and the birth (and power) of cinema.

5. Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede.
★★★ (3 stars). An American alt-history filled with adventure and magic, a very sweet protagonist and a gripping story, but deeply (and very sadly) flawed - see the reviews on Goodreads for more details.

6. Cold Earth by Sarah Moss.
★★★★ (4 stars). A chilling, very absorbing read that had me transfixed from start to finish (thank you so much to Hannah for sending me her copy of this wonderful book!).

7. Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol.
★★★★ (4 stars). A very charming and spooky graphic novel - a coming-of-age tale with a ghostly twist!

8. Ivy by Sarah Oleksyk.
★★ (2 stars). Another graphic novel, not bad, just a bit too angsty and angry for my tastes.

9. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor.
★★★★ (4 stars). Stunning sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone - I was utterly transfixed, yet again, by this author's magical storytelling.

10. All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wild.
★★★★ (4 stars). A beautiful book, a stark portrayal of fear, old ghosts and painful pasts, but also hope and moving forward.

11. The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince by Robin Hobb.
★★★★ (4 stars). Two simple but elegant tales from a master story-teller, accompanied by beautiful illustrations.

12. Naming Monsters by Hannah Eaton.
★★★★ (4 stars). A very moving graphic novel about loss and bereavement, a thought-provoking study of cryptozoology and the real-life monsters that weave our myths.

13. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent.
★★★★★ (5 stars). Heartbreaking and hauntingly beautiful, well-crafted, stunning, unforgettable.... READ THIS BOOK!*

14. Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
★★★★ (4 stars). Three vibrant, creative stories, accompanied by awesome illustrations by the author's husband that bring the stories (even more) to life.

15. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
★★★★ (4 stars). A very insightful graphic memoir, intelligent, witty and moving - a great read.

*My book of the year so far.

Current library haul

I have been going to the library a lot recently, both the library in town and Brighton's Jubilee Library. In fact, 10 out of the 12 books I have this read so far this year been ones I borrowed from the library, and I have 3 more on the go alongside my current main read, The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist (one from my husband's TBR pile.)

Here is my current library haul (I also have The Universe According to Alex Woods by Gavin Extence on reserve - glowingly reviewed at What Hannah Read recently). Have you read any of these? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts...

• Lips Touch by Laini Taylor - A collection of three short stories by the author of  Daughter of Smoke and Bone (which I reviewed here). This is my current "out and about" read, since the Dahlquist book is a a bit too much of a doorstop to carry with me. I am currently half way through the second story and am thoroughly enjoying it. The stories have a lyrical, magical feel to them that I have come to love about this author's writing. They are utterly compelling and wildly imaginative.
• Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan - This book has been on my to read list since I saw it reviewed at Strange Horizons last year (also recently reviewed at Estella's Revenge). Sounded like it would be my cup of tea!
• The Somnambulist by Essie Fox - I read this author's second novel, Elijah's Mermaid, last year (also borrowed from the library) and enjoyed it enough to want to give her first novel a go. I should confess I have actually wanted to read this book since I saw someone reading it on the bus and instantly feel in love with the cover.
• Transformation by Mary Shelley - A short little book, originally written by Shelley for inclusion in a gift book. Looks deliciously gothic. Waiting for a suitably stormy night to read this one.
• More Trees to Climb by Ben Moor - Three short stories, each originally written for stage performance, that "mix the magical with the everyday in a world just to the left of ours". Very inventive and playful.
• Burial Rites by Hannah Kent - I can't wait to read this book! I have heard so many good things about it. I'm going to dive straight into it just as soon as I've read Lips Touch. I've already sneaked a naughty look at the first few pages... which point to this book being as hauntingly beautiful as anticipated.

Happy National Libraries Day!

"Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries." - Anne Herbert

"Libraries are anything but quiet: they resound with centuries of knowledge and human experience -- and I can think of no more perfect music!" - Kristen Kittscher

Today is a day to say "I ♥ libraries!" Aren't they awesome? Not only as a haven for readers but also as a community hub, bringing together people from all walks of life through a common love. As the cost of living (and reading!) increases, libraries, and the free access to books and information they offer, are as relevant now as they have ever been. And with many libraries currently under treat of closure, now is a critical time to get behind your local library and give them your support.

In the last 6 months I have started using the library more and more and it has been a joy to rediscover what my local library service has to offer. I enjoy browsing the shelves and looking at staff recommendations, which has encouraged me to diversify my reading hobbits habits (i.e. reading fewer books with dragons in!). My library service also has a great online catalogue that allows me to search for and reserve the books I stumble across while internetting.

Using my local library more has also helped me develop a healthier emotional relationship with books. The simple act of borrowing, reading and returning library books has lessened my materialistic urge to own lots and lots of books. Instead, I have come to cherish the feeling of community reading a library book invokes, and of sharing... not only the sharing of the book itself, but the experience. (Did the person who read this book before me love it or hate it? Did they like the same characters as me? Feel moved by the same quotes?) I enjoy knowing that those pages, of that very book, have been read by many others, and will in turn be read by even more still, instead of being hoarded on my bookshelves!

I now also have a second library card, this one for Brighton and Hove Libraries, which means I can frequent the wonderful Jubilee Library in Brighton after work. Jubilee library is an absolute paradise. It is contemporary and welcoming, with really friendly and helpful staff. It has a very large and diverse collection of books to browse and borrow, including a fantastic graphic novels section, loads of CDs, DVDs etc. too, and inspiring displays. When I popped in earlier in the week, I was delighted to see they had a "Blind Date With a Book" display :) (Although being irrational shy, I felt too self-conscious to choose one and take it to the desk to borrow).

I hope you are having a wonderful National Libraries Day. Don't forget to give your library lots of love and metaphorical hugs, and encourage your friend and family to forget what they think they know about libraries. I'm off to read my library book now (with a nice cup of tea), but will leave you with this great video, which perfectly sums up my feeling today. (Edit: Bother. Video doesn't seem to show up on my iPad. Click here for the video if you can't see it either, and please accept my humble apologies for being technologically clumsy!)

(P.S. Read this story too.)

2014 Chunkster Challenge

I have (somewhat belatedly) stumbled across the Chunkster Reading Challenge this week and am gleefully going to sign up. Because, quite frankly: I like big books and I cannot lie. (Except when I fall asleep reading them in bed and they fall on my face. Ouch.) I love getting lost in a long sprawling tale, love the depth big books can go into, the meandering paths they can take.

Last year, my total was 12+ books that fit into the challenge's definition of "chunkster" (450 pages or more), from those just squeaking into the category (e.g Scarlett Thomas' excellent Pop-Co, 450 pages exactly) to the 1,000 page +ers (e.g. Haruki Murakami's 1Q84). This year, I am going to aim for a slightly lower goal of reading 8+ chunksters. Why less? Because this year I have also set myself a goal of reading 50 books, and realistically that's not going to be achieved if I aim to read a load of chunksters as well. Plus, there's many a shorter books I am eagerly waiting to read :)

I do of course also have keep my book-buying ban in mind, but having a look at my bookshelves, my husband's bookshelves, and books available at my library, it's clear I still have a wonderful selection of chunksters to choose from. Here are just a few possibilities to start with:

• Liveship Traders trilogy, by Robin Hobb
• The Court Of The Air, by Stephen Hunt
• Burning Your Boats, by Angela Carter
• The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, by Gordon Dahlquist
• Villette, by Charlotte Brontë
• Under The Dome, by Stephen King
• Hyddenworld, by William Horwood
• Consider Phlebas, by Iain M. Banks
• ... And finishing off my current read, Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy.

Have you read any of these? If so, what did you think? Any other suggestions for chunksters to pursue very warmly welcome :)

My book-buying ban adventure begins

I have recently embarked on a fantastic and terrifying adventure: a six month, self-imposed book-buying ban. This is something I have been thinking about doing for a while now and the start of a new year seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally take the plunge into these dark and scary waters...

Now, I know the very idea of a book-buying ban might fill some readers with dread. I confess I'm a little apprehensive about what I'm getting myself into. But at the same time, I am also quite excited. I think this could be really good opportunity for me (not only to save money!) and nearly two weeks in I am feeling very positive about the whole thing (whether or not I will feel the same come June, only time will tell...) So far, these are the main thoughts going round my brain as to why this might be a Good Thing:

• I want to support my local library service more. Public libraries are a special kind of magic I have just recently rediscovered and they are currently making me very happy. Sure, it's more convenient to order book online and get it delivered to my door than walk a mile or so into town to pick up a book from the library. But during those moments of weakness, I'm going to repeat to myself the following mantra: "I'd much rather my patronage went to the libraries in my community than money-grabbing, tax-dodging scum like Amazon, anyway." And then feel all self-rigorous and smug... just kidding ;)
• I have a lot of unread books on my shelves awaiting the love and attention they deserve. I made a list yesterday of all those TBR titles I have lurking on my shelves (getting rather dusty). I have over 40. No, there I no way I'll be reading them all in the next few months. I'm just not that speedy a reader and some of them are rather long. But I am going to aim to read my way through at least a quarter of this list.
• Diversifying my reading. By reading only those books I already have on my shelves and those I can find though my local library service, I hope I will be forced to read a little outside my comfort zone and discover some wonderful new books/authors I might otherwise have overlooked.

So far, I have read one library book (the wonderfully original First Book of Calamity Leek by Paula Lichtarowicz - review coming soon), have started reading a second (The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick) and am also reading Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy as part of Iris and Ana's Long-Awaited Reads Month. This book has sat on my shelve for a very long time. Ten years at least, possibly up to fifteen. I've always meant to get round to reading into, but somehow never have... Now's my chance! So far I am finding it as slow, strange and dark as I expected. Great book for curling up with for a long period, though hasn't been the easiest commute read as it demands quite a lot of attention. Very glad I'm finally reading it, though.

What the next few months will bring I am eager to find out. It really is an adventure into the unknown for me, as I probably haven't gone even two weeks without buying a book for quite sometime. I will write about my progress, thoughts and experiences on this blog. And please do share your own experiences if you have ever done (or are doing) something similar. Any tips or wisdom to impart? What were your greatest temptations? Did you find it worth it and how has it impacted long-term on your book-buying and reading habits? I'd love to hear from you :)

Review: "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

Quirk Books, 2011. 368 pages.
Rating: ★★★ (3 stars)
Source: Uckfield Library

Summary:
After witnessing the horrific death of his grandfather, 16-year-old Jacob sets of to a remote Welsh island to unravel an old family mystery and discover the truth about the crumbling ruin of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

My thoughts:
As I am sure was the case for a lot of other readers, I was initially drawn to this book by the spooky cover and intriguing title. However, having stumbled across a few not-so-stunning reviews, I'll confess I went into it with low expectations... And was pleasantly surprised! True, it was not without its flaws, but overall I found Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children to a very enjoyable, strange little book.

I've seen a few reviewers criticise the story for solving the main mystery too quickly, saying they found they lost interest in the plot after that. For me, however, the opposite was the case. I found this to be simply the start of a weird and wonderful tale I grew more and more engrossed in as the book progressed.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is wonderful mix of mystery, fantasy, sci-fi and horror, all crafted around a series of creepy vintage photographs. It has a fantastic, unique mythology, which for me is one of the best things about the book. It's magical and creative and really drew me in. I also really enjoyed the use of time-travel in this story. Time travel! (I could just write "Nuff said" here, but then I would have to poke myself in the eye with sharp stick, so I won't.) Time-travel is central to the plot and I felt it was used in a very inventive way. Added this, the story also contains some seriously creepy bad guys (the kind that could very well turn up in your nightmares), who had their own history, inextricably linked to that of the "peculiar children". 
All this put together made for a very engaging read. I also really warmed to Jacob and found the peculiar children to be fascinating characters (and fascinating creepy). The local people from the island were very entertaining, if somewhat caricatured. One reviewer on Goodreads described them as "League of Gentleman- esque" :)

As I said above, this book does have its flaws, and there were two in particular that bothered me. Firstly, the photographs, while interesting, felt gimmicky. They could easily have been removed (or used less) without taking anything away from the story. Some seemed like they were there just for the sake of including yet another creepy picture, while others got in the way of the imagination and creating my own mental image of the characters. Secondly, I saw a twist at the end coming a mile off - the foreshadowing felt very clumsy. While this didn't spoil the ending for me (it was still exciting, nail-biting stuff!), it did lack a certain element of surprise.

I wouldn't let the book's bad points put me off recommending it, however. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is great if you're looking for quick, unusual book to read. It's utterly absorbing and charms you despite its faults. It's fantastic, creepy fun and I am very much looking forward to reading the next book and finding out what's in store for Jacob and the peculiar children.