Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

I read this book over a period of about 2 weeks, which is an uncommonly long time for me. I don't know why, but I haven't been in much of a reading mood lately. Pair that with the fact that this book, especially at the beginning, is fabulously creeptastic, and you've got the makings of an interesting novel.

The book I'm talking about is this:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

A horrific family tragedy sends Jacob, 16, to a remote island off Wales, to the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, where he finds unusual old photographs.The children, one his grandfather, were more than peculiar, perhaps dangerous, quarantined for good reason - and maybe still alive.

I think what makes this novel so unique (and scary!) is the pairing of the written words with the pictures that are found throughout the novel. If it were just the words and my imagination, it wouldn't seem so real, but the pictures really just up the "realness" factor about 5 notches. Let me give you a couple examples, outside of the floating girl on the cover:

A little too flexible, no?

Ahhh! The reflection, my friends! The reflection!

Even still, I suspended some belief because I get royally goosebump-y and nervous with horror-ish things and didn't want to think about the possibility that the pictures hadn't been doctored. The craziest thing is that they hadn't been touched! These were pictures from private collectors, everyone, and that seriously freaks me out.

Outside of that part of the book, I thought the writing was great, and the story was interesting, even if it took me so long to get through it. All of us have felt like Jacob at one point, where we feel like our lives really have no point or meaning. Unfortunately for Jacob, through awful experiences, he realizes that his life will never be the same and that he was always extraordinary, if not in the ways he thought he could be. And the peculiar children had pretty awesome "peculiarities" that I loved reading about, like conjuring fire in your hands, being invisible, and having super-strength. (I know, at this point, it sounds like X-Men, but it's really not like that!)

Cleanness: It's been a week since I finished, so I don't remember much. There were probably a couple swear words, but if there were, it was at the beginning before all the action happened. If you read it, please let me know about the language. There were no inappropriate scenes, but there were allusions to an idea of someone cheating in marriage and also some innocent kissing.

Stars: I give this book 3 1/2 - 4 out of 5 stars. I know I complained about how creepy it was, but I have a really low tolerance for anything that can scare me! Haha. Go me. Anyway, it was a pretty darn good book and the first in a series (the next book is scheduled to come out sometime next year), though I'm not sure I could handle the ensuing jumpiness I would have if I read the next one... we shall see.

Just One Year by Gayle Forman

I finished this book a few days ago:

Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

Just One Day. Just One Year. Just One Read.

Before you find out how their story ends, remember how it began....

When he opens his eyes, Willem doesn’t know where in the world he is—Prague or Dubrovnik or back in Amsterdam. All he knows is that he is once again alone, and that he needs to find a girl named Lulu. They shared one magical day in Paris, and something about that day—that girl—makes Willem wonder if they aren’t fated to be together. He travels all over the world, from Mexico to India, hoping to reconnect with her. But as months go by and Lulu remains elusive, Willem starts to question if the hand of fate is as strong as he’d thought. . . .

The romantic, emotional companion to Just One Day, this is a story of the choices we make and the accidents that happen—and the happiness we can find when the two intersect.

Here was my initial reaction to the book, which you can also see on Goodreads:

Gah! The ending for this book was just as abrupt as the first, but at least it told you what happened. Good grief, I almost had a heart attack, waiting until the VERY LAST PAGE to find out! Ahh!

It was interesting to get everything from Willem's point of view, hearing what all he did during that year. I can see now why Gayle didn't write what happens after he opened the door in Just One Day, because you have to know his story to know why what he does is important.

But honestly? It wasn't fleshed out at all! I wish that we could've had more than just that last page to help us see that everything works out in the end.

It was frustrating.

But it was definitely a good book! There were a couple things I didn't like: more swearing, and Willem definitely was a promiscuous guy, especially in his past. Yikes! But I really think he was a good guy at heart and was a perfect fit for Allyson.

I'm so glad I was able to read the two books so close together! I would've gone insane waiting for this companion novel.

4 1/2 stars.

Since a few days have passed and I've conversed with my book-savvy reading sister about the book, I've come to a sort of peace about the ending. It's pretty much alluded to what Willem's going to do after the book is over, and everything will work out to everyone's happiness if he ends up doing what he plans. Anyway, there's that.

But one thing that really irks me is Willem's sleeping around. This might not bother other people, but it does for me. It might not have irritated me so much, but even as he was looking for Allyson, he was with a girl that he had dated previously. I know he was trying to move on, but still. Annoying.

Cleanness: Like I said before, there's more swearing in this one than in the companion book, Just One Day, which I reviewed HERE. Also, multiple mentions of those he's been intimate with in the past, as well as who he's currently intimate with.

Stars: I gave it 4 1/2 stars on Goodreads, but I think I'm putting it down to 4 here. It's still fun to read, just not as good as the first one.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Yesterday I finished a book called Just One Day by Gayle Forman. To say the least, I loved this book. Here is the synopsis for it posted on Goodreads:

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay.
When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Allyson is a good girl who has always done what her parents have wanted her to do: she's gotten good grades, she's been planning on becoming a doctor since she was 13, and she's lived her life cautiously. After graduating high school, her parents send her and her friend Melanie on an educational guided trip through Europe. Her last day on tour, she meets this boy named Willem. He convinces her to free herself of the expectations of life for just one day, and in the process discovers a side of herself she never knew existed. The next morning when she wakes up, he's gone without a trace, and she hobbles back to America, wondering what happened to the boy she fell in love with.

Over the next year, she almost falls apart trying to keep herself from thinking about that one day and how it changed her life. But she's able to pull herself together enough to do better at college and eventually make her way to try to find this boy again.

I loved it. There were many times I connected with Allyson because I had felt the way she did at some point in my life. I admired her bravery in picking up the pieces and making things work in her life.

The only thing I didn't like: the abrupt ending! Ah! There's another book in the series that just came out, Just One Year, that is from Willem's perspective of what happened during the year after he met Allyson. I haven't read it yet, but I have it and I'm going to start reading it today, probably. It's supposed to be a companion novel, but all I gotta say is that it better flesh out the ending better than Just One Day did!

Cleanness: There was some swearing, but not much, and half the time it was in a different language. :) There's an intimate scene, but it doesn't go into details about the act itself. It probably could have left a little more out, but what was included didn't bother me too much.

I would give this book between 4 1/2 and 5 stars. I can't wait to read the next book! If you're curious about it, click HERE to go to Just One Year's Goodreads page.