Jacob has grown up with his grandfather Abe’s outlandish stories and had become more and more skeptical as he got older. When Abe dies in a bizarre circumstance, Jacob tries to piece together his grandfather’s life and have some closure with the traumatic event by travelling to the island that Abe had grown up on.
The most striking thing about this book is that the story is written from actual bizarre black & white photographs. The origins and circumstances behind these pictures may be known or not, but Riggs has concocted an amazingly fluid narrative that ties these together. It was amazing to think that these photos actually already existed and weren’t taken for the purposes of the book.
I actually had no idea what to expect with this book prior to picking it up. The cover looked creepy, and I was intrigued. The story that develops between the covers is so well thought out and so much more than just a collection of “bizarre photos”. I felt it a bit reminiscent of Big Fish, where one may think another’s stories have been so embellished through the years that the truth of it has been lost. That journey to find the origin of those outlandish stories is what Miss Peregrine’s reminded me of.
The cast of personalities that Riggs has created are so vivacious and full of character that they really fit with the images. You felt like you were actually seeing photos of the people he was describing. While the plot does take an unexpected turn, a twist that’s even stranger than the photos, it does leave it open for a future installment, which is tentatively slated for June 2013.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ (4/5 stars)
Available: June 7, 2011
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I’m definitely intrigued by this one! I love the photo element, and if I ever get up the nerve I will read this one, haha… hopefully it’s not too scary?
Ashley @ Book Labyrinth recently posted..Sherry Soule’s Favourite Moments from the Spellbound Series
It’s not really scary at all actually! I was expecting it to be terrifying but it’s more bizarre & creepy than “scary”..
Michele | Just a Lil Lost recently posted..Review: Spookygirl: Paranormal Investigator by Jill Baguchinsky
Awesome review!! I am almost done listening to the audiobook of this. The audio from my library came with the PDF file with the photos and stuff. I thought that was really neat. It’s such a cool story. So far it’s not really too creepy or anything, but I still have about an hour and a half of audio left.
Amy @ Book Loving Mom recently posted..Review: Ironskin by Tina Connolly
I loved Big Fish!
Now I’m even more excited to read this book and see what everyone’s talking about.
Christa recently posted..Halloween Book Week: Red Rain by R L Stine
I liked this story! Though, I have to say that I preferred the first half over the second — as well as the first half of the photographs over the second. They did add a certain creepiness to the story! I’m not sure how I feel about a sequel … I guess we’ll see when it’s released!
Great review, Michele!
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