Review: Hollow City - Ransom Riggs

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
Series: Miss Peregrine's #2
Genre: YA, time travel, supernatural
Published on January 14, 2014
Published by Quirk Books
Pages: 400
Read From: 3.4.15 - 3.9.15












SYNOPSIS

Having escaped Miss Peregrine's island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.

Review

Initial Thoughts: Rereading the first book - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - helped me to be excited for this second installment. The first time I read Book #1, I didn't like as much because it wasn't what I had expected. The second time through, though, I really liked it. And I was very, very eager to see what would happen next.

Characters: I can't complain about anyone. Jacob is an awesome protagonist, who is doing everything he can to help the peculiars, but it also having the realistic struggle of having abandoned his parents while he's stuck in the time loop. While I like characters who jump head-first into adventure, I also like to see some realistic thinking, such as, What are my parents thinking of my sudden disappearance? There's very little character development for any of the cast, but it isn't really necessary, they're all so interesting the way it is.

The Romance: Maybe I'm getting soft, but the romance between Jacob and Emily isn't as weird as I first thought it was. Sure, she's from the past and loved Jacob's grandfather. But given all the weirdness and time warps and stuff, it doesn't really matter. The romance doesn't take up much of the overall plot; just enough to keep it from sinking into the background.

Plot: I can't; it would give too much away of the first book. It picks up right where Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children left off: the peculiars in a boat, searching for a way to save their headmistress. And along the way, they meet more peculiars - including peculiar animals (!!) - and revelations abound. The plot was fast-paced, but started to feel a little repetitive. The peculiars dodge from one place to another, barely avoiding the hollowghasts and wights. After a while, I was like, "Okay, let's wrap it up." But I did overall still enjoy it. Especially the end.

Believability: Not applicable.

Writing Style: First person, past tense. It was actually a little weird; Jacob is the narrator, but at times the book actually felt like a third-person narration because he expressed so little of what he was feeling, and he even felt like a secondary character. It weirdly worked, but was also odd.

Other Nigglies: None.

Conclusion: This is where I decided that yes, it was a good sequel. Some fast twists are pulled that I didn't quite see coming, and now I can't wait for the third one. Now that I know what to expect from this series, I like the books a lot more. It's not horror, though the hollows are certainly terrifying. It's just weird - and fun.

Others in the Miss Peregrine's Trilogy:

1)Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

2)Hollow City