Peculiar

Mrs Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
By Ransom Riggs

This is a difficult book to review.   I wanted to love it.  It has interesting vintage photographs and a compelling story line.   The book is a mess, quite frankly.  As I read it, it felt like I was reading an early draft of a novel or someone's brainstorm of book they would like to write.   It needs some work.   I gave it three stars because it is a good idea. Yes, it does vaguely resemble a school taught by Charles Xavier but it has enough of its own original ideas that it works. BUT THERE IS SOMETHING MISSING. The characters are not fully developed. Even now, I find myself trying to remember the protagonist's name. That shouldn't happen. I enjoy reading a book that the main character is so firmly implanted in my mind that I feel as though we could be friends. What's-his-name falls short. Emma's character development isn't bad but Miss Peregrine's is very disappointing  An older, pipe smoking school marm should be a very complex character; I thought she was boring. Hopefully, Ransom Riggs can pull it together for the second book and bring a stronger creation to the table.