I am not a big YA reader as the ones I have tried before were unimpressive regardless of their popularity. The first in the Miss Peregrine series, however, kept me entertained throughout after I bought it and the sequel Hollow City on a whim with a gift card a couple of weeks ago. 
 The book follows Jacob Portman whose childhood was filled with his grandfather's stories about kids he used to know during wartime who all had special abilities. The family put these down to how much of an impact the war had on evacuees and Jacob's father is particularly resentful of how little closeness he had with his dad, unlike what Jacob received. After his grandfather dies - in circumstances which seem as though Jacob's grief is making him see monsters - a letter begins a journey to a small island in Wales. 
 The entrance to the time loop feels hugely Wonderland-esque which was good for a fan of that fantasy series also and there was not a doubt when reading that this was the way in. All the locations were described incredibly well so the reader could visualise where they were at all times - the interior of the house when Jacob first lays eye on it was wonderful in the detail of how rundown it had become. 
 In my opinion it took far too long to tell us how Abe (the grandfather), and ultimately Jacob, were able to gain entry to the loop. Simply, it did not feel quite special enough although it is vital to the group's quest of how to overcome the villains. The plot does get a little lost in itself in the second half where the author knows what he's trying to convey but I felt I was losing track of which setting the children, 'hollowgast' and 'wight' were in. 
 Emma's relationship with the young men of the Portman family makes me quite uncomfortable, although I love her as a character. Considering her relationship with Abe made his children believe he was a cheat and that Emma never got over her love for him and the hope he'd come back, why does Jacob still want to be with her. Fine, make them good friends but as Jacob did comment at one point, it feels pretty incestuous. I get that Emma might be trying to relive her happiest time but I can't understand his reasoning other than she is attractive. I don't get why he goes against his initial thoughts, which are accurate on their potential relationship. Or how they even got to that point because I saw no romantic spark between them until the kiss. A romantic subplot was almost unnecessary in this novel, especially with the historical one being a main part of the story. 
 The thing that makes this book stand out from the crowd is the pictures. In Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children there are 50 real photographs which Ransom Riggs uses to describe how the peculiars and their enemies look. They are old snapshots printed in black and white which really set us into the historical feel of September 3rd 1940 as compared to the words by Jacob about his mobile phone and television. 
 I will be reading Hollow City soon as I want to continue the adventure that was only just beginning after Jacob's dad had to come to terms with another generation linked to him being gone for an unknown time. I have another couple of books that I want to read more though so it will not be right away. 
 (also posted on my blog: paperbackrooms.blogspot.com)