Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #3) by Ransom Riggs

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

My Rating: ★★

Suddenly separated from most of his new friends, Jacob finds himself trapped in modern day London and surrounded by hollows when something curious happens. He can speak the same language as the hollows and has some control over them! Jacob is also not alone. He’s got Emma and Addison, and they have a plan to rescue their friends. Traveling all the way from modern day London to Devil’s Acre, a time loop set in Victorian England, the trio fight tooth and nail to save everyone they care about.

I wanted to like this book. Instead, I was left disappointed. Much of this book had me wondering where all the foreshadowing was in previous books if it was all leading up to the mythological Library of Souls. Jacob’s unusual abilities turn out to be so much more than he ever could’ve imagined. Sadly, they’re also much more than we ever could’ve imagined as well because the foreshadowing is just not there. His abilities also should’ve started developing in the direction they did much sooner than they do in this book. Instead, his storyline came off as rushed and ill-planned.

Sadly, I also found myself bored and losing interest because the pace was weirdly fast and slow at the same time. Jacob seemed to suddenly be all knowing at times, and the blow by blow battle scenes got old fast. Plus, the vintage photos did not aid the story like it did in the previous books. They didn’t fit the story and seemed shoehorned in. There were times that the photos were hilariously ill-fitted for who or the location they were supposed to be, and it really took me out of the story.

There are some good things about the novel, so it’s not all bad news. We spent a lot of time with Emma and Addison. I love Addison and was excited that we got to see them again. We also met a cast of new and interesting characters in addition to meeting and spending time with a character that I thought we likely wouldn’t see. It was also interesting to see a darker side of the peculiar community and learn more about what is accepted as normal and what happens if people crash and burn.

All in all, I feel so let down by this book. It turns out that the entire series hangs on the Library of Souls in this installment, yet the foreshadowing to hold this up is simply not there. The pacing is off, Jacob’s abilities suddenly greatly develop, and the vintage photos are ill-suited for the story. While I do like the cast of characters and learning about new sides of the peculiar world was interesting, it’s not enough to save the story. I will read the next book in the series, but I am surprised that the story continues when it was wrapped up very neatly at the end.