Summary

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.

–Goodreads

What I Thought

I feel like I’ve just completed a long journey!  I want to start by saying the Peculiar Children series was the first series that I actually read where I was there from the very beginning. I read the first book around the time when it was originally released (it came out in June, and I read it Sept/Oct) and then had to [impatiently] wait years for each sequel’s release. I waited for every tidbit of info, from title names, to movie news, to cover reveals – I’ve been there for it all.  So, I feel like I’ve been very personally invested in this series and the characters for almost five years now. Because of that, I wanted this final book to be perfect. While this book wasn’t perfect, the ending made up for everything else. 

I’m just going to start with discussing what I didn’t like first, so then I can just talk about all the good stuff.  First, I’d have to say my biggest disappointment with this book was the pictures. I’ve always loved the vintage photographs and how they incorporated into the story so well. For me, that was what always separated this series from other books that feature old photos. This time, however, I feel like they didn’t really add to the story or enhance it in a way the previous two books did. In fact, there were times where I felt they were added just for the sake of adding them, because that is what the series is known for. 

Another thing that bothered me a bit was the death of a particular character. I kept waiting for some sort of closure involving their death, and unfortunately, we never get that. Then again, that does happen in real life as well. So, I may just be feeling a bit greedy about wanting everything perfect. 

Aside from those things, I really can’t think of anything else that I really didn’t enjoy, except for the fact that the series is now over. I want to know what happens next! 

Now, onto what I loved!  Like the rest of series, the characters were so good! I just loved all of them so much. I think Ransom Riggs comes up with such creative and original characters.  I loved Addison even more than I did in Hollow City; I think he is just so funny, and even though he’s peculiar, he’s ultimately still a dog, and I just loved that. I also really enjoyed all the new characters introduced in this book as well, particularly Sharon and Mother Dust.  Jacob also had some really good character development in this book. I particularly liked reading more about his peculiar ability. 

Another thing I liked about this book, and really the series as a whole, was the setting.  Too many series only have the protagonist venture out in the last book of the series, but that is not the case with this series! Each book features a fresh, new location, and I loved that. 

One final thing I’m going to talk about is the ending. I won’t say much, because I don’t want to spoil anything, but I just have to say I had no idea how this series was going to end in a way that would 100% please me. Library of Souls ended in, what I think, is the best possible way.  The more I think about, the more I love it, too!

So, overall, this book was lovely. I can’t believe this series has come to an end. I’m really going to miss the characters; the peculiar children have become my friends!  I definitely plan on seeing the movie for Book 1 this December (and crossing my fingers it will be as great as the book) and reading Tales of the Peculiar, which, I think, is coming out this fall. 

I recommend this entire series to anyone who loves adventure, fantasy, and is interested in a unique read.