“Strange, I thought, how you can be living your dreams and your nightmares at the very same time.”
Jacob is a peculiar who can see the deadly hollows when no one else can. He can even sense them when they are near. His grandfather also had that power, but Jacob only came to discover his by accident after his grandfather died. He thought he was going crazy with what he thought he had seen kill his grandfather, so he decided to visit the island to see if his grandfather’s stories were true. During a walk, he discovers a loop (a place where a day repeats over and over and can only be entered into by peculiars) and the truth. (See the review of book 1 here.)
In the second book of the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series, the story continues of Jacob and the peculiar children trying to find a way to fight off the deadly hollows. They have left their island of safety after their caretaker (a ymbryne who can change into a bird) has been injured and is stuck in bird form. Their journey takes them to another island where they find a loop where there are peculiar animals. The animals tell them their caretaker has left to go to London to try and save all the caretakers.
I recently read the first book in this series after seeing a movie is coming out based on the novels. It’s young adult fiction that is too mature for my children right now, but I’m enjoying the plot and characters. I will be reading the third and final book soon to see how it all ends.
The children, Jacob and their caretaker bird have to first find a way to escape the wights and hollows on the island before they can get to London. Once there, they then have to find a way to contact and locate another caretaker so theirs can be cured. They have to accomplish all of that within three days or the caretaker will be stuck as a bird permanently. If they are successful in their mission, Jacob will have to decide to remain with the children and the girl he is falling in love with or return home to his parents.
I would recommend this book to any teenagers or any adults who have children who will read it or see the movie. A few things are on the scary side, but there’s nothing objectionable.