Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children) MP3 CD – MP3 Audio, 14 Jan. 2014

I've seen some bad reviews and some average reviews of this book; mostly talking about plot holes, poor fact-checking, and silliness (talking animals). For me, this book was as great as the first one and having read it in only a couple of days, I'm heading straight into the third book.Does it matter that there is a soldier carrying a hand-held radio in 1940, or that the inscription on a tomb in St. Pauls is described in a book as being in English rather than the actual Latin? To some perhaps, but it's a work of fiction so shouldn't really have to be factually correct. The author would be well within his rights to simply say this is a world only similar to ours, and be done with it, problem solved.Also, talking animals. Yes, it's a bit silly and definitely far less believable than people that can turn themselves into birds, children who don't age and have special powers and let's not forget the large monsters with tentacles that only certain people can see.Other reviewers are entitled to these opinions, which may have been sufficient to spoil their reading. For me, it just didn't. I enjoyed the book immensely and can't wait to see how the next one turns out.

I've procrastinated about writing this review for the last few days. I think it's because, after enjoying this first book so much, I really did want to like this one more than I did. While the first book was slow burning, it did at least build to something. Hollow City, disappointingly, was severely afflicted by middle novel syndrome. The novel was just all build up, chronicling the journey across war-torn London and occasionally run-ins with wights, but broke off just as it got interesting. Ultimately, this left me feeling disappointed as it meant that this book just felt like 400 pages of build up for the final instalment.The charm of the novel is still in the integration of Rigg's fascinating photographs. These really do add a lot to the tale and allow him to develop his plot in new and exciting ways. While the novel doesn't really contain many twists and turns (unlike the first book), it does help to develop the Perculiar world through the introduction of things like Perculiar animals and the myths and faerie stories of their kind.Yet, this was not enough to save the novel for me. The pacing of the novel was slow and did lose my interest on a couple of occasions. Jacob's first person still seems a bit unnatural, overly descriptive and purple for an American teenager, and his internal monologues could get repetitive. I was also struck this time by how American a lot of the Perculiar children sounded, despite the fact that the were all supposed to be from the British Isles, though perhaps you could argue that this was just down to the fact that the narrator was American.The twist of the novel, as you may imagine from my review, was also frustrating. It left the novel on a bitter note, rendering everything that the children had done a little pointless and not really resolving anything. It left me feeling as though this entire novel had been a bit of a waste of time, as well as making me feel annoyingly obliged to read on just to find out how things will conclude.Yet, the saving grace of Hollow City were the characters. While I was frustrated that this book quickly left behind two of the female characters, leaving a predominantly male team, I did love how unique each Perculiar was. This went beyond their powers, as everyone spoke with a remarkably different voice and was given different ways to develop over the course of the novel.Naturally, most of this develop was saved for Jacob and Emma, whose relationship evolved in a very organic way over the course of the story. While I would have liked to have seen a bit more of this (Emma's sudden rejection of him towards the climax was a bit jarring), it was nice to see the two of them bonding more and it felt as though everything was happening at a very natural pace.So, in all, I was left a bit disappointed. The characters make me want to read on, but this novel was slow-burning and stuffed with unnecessary filler. Hopefully, things will get back on track in the next instalment.

I loved Miss Peregrine’s home for peculiar children and thought i would give the follow up a go. (I am now on book 4). The development of the characters is great and interesting new characters appear in this book. It’s really well written and you get a sense of the peril the children encounter being chased in war torn England. The development of Jacob’s relationship with Emma is sweet and not over played. A great book and well worth reading. The unusual old photos continue throughout and are an interesting addition to the story. its just a shame they are difficult to see on the kindle.

3.5/5 Stars"September 3, 1940.The peculiar children flee an army of deadly monsters.And only one person can help them -- but she's trapped in the body of a bird..."Hollow City proves to be a worthwhile sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, continuing its fresh trend of mixing vintage photographs with a supernaturally charged story. In a lot of areas I have to eat the criticisms I made in my review for the previous entry, but, sadly, new ones crop up in this adventure.We have an enjoyable experience marred by some infuriating plot holes. Part of me doesn't think they're that big, but as they're holes that pepper the world's mechanics, it's sometimes hard to bridge the leaps in logic.I might have to chew on my words again after I read the final novel, but part of me feels trying to fill these gaps might lead to further trouble...SPOILER WARNINGSynopsis (Not a copy from the book, but I always keep my interpretations close.)Trapped in 1940 during World War Two, Jacob Portman is living his best dream and most horrific nightmare.Just as he finds a place he feels a part of, he and the other peculiar children are on the run from an army of monsters.But they're not without a plan.Intent on finding hope, they turn to Miss Peregrine, their powerful guardian.Only, Miss Peregrine is trapped in her bird form, unable to do more than watch as her wards inch closer and closer to death...Plot - 3/5 StarsHollow City starts off strong, picking up where Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children left us. As our cast makes their way to London, Riggs creates some vibrant events that excite and exhilarate. In some ways it feels rather forced together, almost random, but there's no denying that the plot is fun. The pictures throughout bolster the adrenaline-fueled race across a country torn apart by war, and, magically, a thrilling balance of eerie and hopeful is created.The setting - Britain during World War Two - is an apt parallel to Riggs's plot: Terrifying forces hunting and killing those that are different. It's also a horrifying look at history. I always get this strange feeling whenever I read about real-life tragedies in fiction; it's like a hole inside that I'll never truly understand.The first half of the novel is stellar, and while it might not move the overall plot forward much, it does a nice job of keeping the reader interested in what happens next. It's when we reach the latter half that those pesky plot holes begin to eat away at the reader's mind. They war with the fantastic action and twists that we're offered as the book closes.These holes are tied to the series' mechanics, and they impact the fun. It's entirely possible they could be explained in the third book, Library of Souls, but, honestly, that doesn't help them here. Most infuriating is the story's lack of awareness of them, giving us no hint that an answer will be forthcoming.Well, I hear you say, what are they?First up are the mechanics concerning the series' time loops, days in history spelled to repeat themselves over and over. The hole comes in when the cast enters one of said loops at St. Paul's Cathedral. They stumble upon corpses of peculiars who have 'aged forward', and by that I mean they've left their loops and, away from the safety, have aged all the years the loop protected them from. The problem is, how? The plot makes a point of telling the reader that only when a peculiar has entered the present, not another loop, for a few days, will they age. The corpses our characters find are in a loop, therefore protected, so how did they age?It's a small part of the story that punches the reader hard. It calls into question the defining aspects of loops and the impact they have on peculiars. I feel we need more concrete explanations here, because our cast is running around several different loops like there's no tomorrow.The second mechanic put to the test is in the form of Caul, the twist near the end of the novel. He is a wight, one of the enemies of the story, and as we've been told, wights do not have abilities. And yet, Caul, a wight, can transform himself into a bird. Again, this might be covered in the next entry, but the characters and the plot don't acknowledge the sudden break of rules they've put down.In ways, it's just too convenient; a way to move everything forward in a certain direction.Pace - 4/5 StarsRiggs creates a stellar structure: With a mix of action and exposition, he weaves a solid progression, ensuring a steady flow and an interesting adventure.Characters - 4/5 StarsIt's with the cast that Riggs shines. In the previous instalment characters are a bit bland, and our main, Jacob, is downright frustrating. Well, Hollow City does a grand job of building the returning players while also introducing some colourful newcomers.Jacob becomes more of a reluctant hero, shedding his former persona of a whiny rich kid. The other peculiars also step forward and become more solid, giving the reader a more distinctive feel for their personalities. The adventure is better for all of it, giving the reader a potent, and more emotive, journey.New characters are a mixed bunch, which I was afraid of. There are so many cast members coming from Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children that some new faces are overshadowed.Writing - 4/5 StarsRansom writes a vivid world and story, and that's without the photographs; with them, there's a realistic pulse that throws the reader not only back in time, but also into a world full of magic and potential.Overall - 3.5/5 StarsA fine middle novel that bridges the gap between beginning and end.