Publication: September 22, 2015, by Quirk Books
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Time Traveling, Fantasy
Pages: 458
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating:
½The 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.
My Thoughts:
Library of Souls initially was one of my most anticipated series finales ever. Did I stress the word "ever" quite a bit? Ransom Riggs is a favourite author of mine and the way he portrays time traveling through Jacob's perspective is truly lovely. I have been waiting for this book to be released for ages, and it has seemed that Hollow City came to my heart years and years ago. Since I know that a lot of us are fans of the trilogy who might have been there from the start and continued to read every book as they were released, it is difficult to remember what happened in the past.
Thankfully, Ransom Riggs did a stellar job at reminding us of who was who, and what had just happened. The rest of the two books passed by in a blur, and I was hesitant to read this novel only because of what happened before. Without going too much into detail, Mr. Riggs hit the greatness spot-on and gave readers a gorgeous experience of the world of the peculiar characters with strange, eerie talents.
You see, every novel incorporates a new adventure for the characters. This time around, Jacob and his friends are travelling to Victorian London to Devil's Acre, which the author will go into more detail throughout the story. Without beginning a whole new plot, the author does hand readers a new experience and adventure which compliments the plot quite nicely. Now, it is the end of the adventure and thrilling fantasy where Jacob has to really understand what his life will consist of afterwards, making his grandfather proud, in a way.
One of the reasons why I love this series so much is for the characters. They are all a different kind of person, all contain different personality traits and flaws. They are imperfect, and not only physically, as Ransom chose photos to compliment them, but they also admit their imperfections. Jacob, a natural, "normal" human, admits his flaws of being selfish, of desiring so much and never wanting to lose the things that he loves. He is so smart but amazing, as are the rest of them. Some characters are easy to forget about, but I will never forget about these. I actually encourage you to test me in a few years. I cannot promise that I will remember, but I do have high hopes that I will.
This series was really the first to introduce me to Victorian, gothic fantasy. There is time travelling, and a bunch of creepy references to abnormal powers that Riggs' characters contain. But the adventure of the crew heading on an adventure to Devil's Acre is memorable. The descriptions are so vivid, I could picture the setting perfectly, with its London grey skies and rain pouring, the voice of Addison whining and Jacob and Emma's chemistry. There is actually an one in a million chance for a book to make me feel this way, and I am glad to admit that this one sure did.
The ending was rough, aside from everything. I could ask for more, I wanted more, actually. It seemed like the sequel could have been a nicer finish than this one, because nothing new occurred that made me rip my eyeballs out of my sockets... that kind of thing if you don't picture the gore. Sorry to get that image in your mind, just, never mind. Questions were answered, la la dee dah, and there is slight chance for some kind of peculiar continuation (see my play of words there?) but that's. It. This was satisfying, and a happy ending when the whole SERIES IS DARK AND GLOOMY. I WANT DARK AND GLOOMY. I WANT SERIOUS FEELS. None of that people, I apologize.
Aside from everything, this is the worst book of the series. I hate typing in those rapid, DARING sentences into reviews, especially when I really, REALLY enjoyed the other books of the series, but the truth has to come out. But please, do not jump on me, fellow fangirls, because it was not hideous or bad or anything. The ending was not pleasing, there was boredom, and that is it. You cannot go back into a story and expect a different reaction unless your tastes have changed, which I somewhat hope that mine will change in a few years. This series is beautiful, and it is a sad farewell from my side, but I do promise that I will get back to it someday because it cannot leave my world like that. Library of Souls does have its place in a library in my legit soul. That is intended.
Thankfully, Ransom Riggs did a stellar job at reminding us of who was who, and what had just happened. The rest of the two books passed by in a blur, and I was hesitant to read this novel only because of what happened before. Without going too much into detail, Mr. Riggs hit the greatness spot-on and gave readers a gorgeous experience of the world of the peculiar characters with strange, eerie talents.
You see, every novel incorporates a new adventure for the characters. This time around, Jacob and his friends are travelling to Victorian London to Devil's Acre, which the author will go into more detail throughout the story. Without beginning a whole new plot, the author does hand readers a new experience and adventure which compliments the plot quite nicely. Now, it is the end of the adventure and thrilling fantasy where Jacob has to really understand what his life will consist of afterwards, making his grandfather proud, in a way.
"That was the most unthinkable of all. I could never; I loved Emma, and I'd told her so, and I wouldn't leave her behind for anything. And not because I was noble or brave or chivalrous. I'm not any of those things. I was afraid that leaving her behind would rip me in half." (19)
One of the reasons why I love this series so much is for the characters. They are all a different kind of person, all contain different personality traits and flaws. They are imperfect, and not only physically, as Ransom chose photos to compliment them, but they also admit their imperfections. Jacob, a natural, "normal" human, admits his flaws of being selfish, of desiring so much and never wanting to lose the things that he loves. He is so smart but amazing, as are the rest of them. Some characters are easy to forget about, but I will never forget about these. I actually encourage you to test me in a few years. I cannot promise that I will remember, but I do have high hopes that I will.
This series was really the first to introduce me to Victorian, gothic fantasy. There is time travelling, and a bunch of creepy references to abnormal powers that Riggs' characters contain. But the adventure of the crew heading on an adventure to Devil's Acre is memorable. The descriptions are so vivid, I could picture the setting perfectly, with its London grey skies and rain pouring, the voice of Addison whining and Jacob and Emma's chemistry. There is actually an one in a million chance for a book to make me feel this way, and I am glad to admit that this one sure did.
"One's peculiarity is a sacred gift," Emma said. "To sell it cheapens what is most special about us." It sounded like she was parroting a platitude that had been drilled into her from an early age." (104)
The ending was rough, aside from everything. I could ask for more, I wanted more, actually. It seemed like the sequel could have been a nicer finish than this one, because nothing new occurred that made me rip my eyeballs out of my sockets... that kind of thing if you don't picture the gore. Sorry to get that image in your mind, just, never mind. Questions were answered, la la dee dah, and there is slight chance for some kind of peculiar continuation (see my play of words there?) but that's. It. This was satisfying, and a happy ending when the whole SERIES IS DARK AND GLOOMY. I WANT DARK AND GLOOMY. I WANT SERIOUS FEELS. None of that people, I apologize.
Aside from everything, this is the worst book of the series. I hate typing in those rapid, DARING sentences into reviews, especially when I really, REALLY enjoyed the other books of the series, but the truth has to come out. But please, do not jump on me, fellow fangirls, because it was not hideous or bad or anything. The ending was not pleasing, there was boredom, and that is it. You cannot go back into a story and expect a different reaction unless your tastes have changed, which I somewhat hope that mine will change in a few years. This series is beautiful, and it is a sad farewell from my side, but I do promise that I will get back to it someday because it cannot leave my world like that. Library of Souls does have its place in a library in my legit soul. That is intended.
What do you think about rereading a great series with a horrible ending? Would you want to? Would you expect something different to come out of it the second time around?
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