Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs Review + #Giveaway #TipsySpooktacular Stop 4

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children
Book # 1
Ransom Riggs

Genre: YA Paranormal Fantasy, Fiction
Release Date: June 7, 2011
Publisher: Quirk Books

ISBN: 978-1594744761
ASIN: B004FGMDOQ
Pages: 352

Goodreads Rating: 3.81
My Rating: 4.5

Book Description:

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

My Take
This book is 1 of 3 novels currently released with a movie coming out sometime in 2016. It’s a book was really excited to read as it was recommended to me by my sister, who may or not be a pain in the ass but most definitely knows my style when it comes to books.

I really enjoyed it! At first I was enthralled with the back story, the way Jacob describes his grandfather and even the portion of the tragic event that befalls his family and then it just seemed to make a screeching halt. It slowed down and you are given a lot of information that is not exactly necessary but enlightening. When the story picks up again, it’s difficult to put the book down.

It’s not the hide under your covers kind of book but it has got a serious creep factor associated with it. This comes off as a mostly haunting tale, with secretive and wary characters with a dodgy past that I couldn’t wait to read more about. As each clue was revealed I became more and more enthralled. Like I said, it's not your typical scary story but the creep factor is definitely there especially with the use of these old eccentric photographs, all pictured in black and white. If anything… I felt like the photographs were the real star of the show, that’s not to say that the story wasn’t great or unique because it was and that’s not to say that Mr. Riggs is not an excellent story teller because he is, but there is just something about the photos that accompanied certain parts of this story that takes all the attention and occasionally caused a chill to run down my spine.

4.5 Quills

I found that I liked every character, good and bad. They were all likable and realistic in a sense and intriguing. Also, there's a bit of a romance in this book but it's not a huge one and it doesn't take over the book it's kind of a minor back burner which I found helped relieve some of the ick factor that was associated with it in my opinion. I look forward to reading the next book in this series and seeing where Jacob’s story goes!

Check Out The Rest of The Series

About The Author

Ransom Riggs grew up in Florida, where he spent his formative years making silly movies with his friends in their various backyards, snorkeling, and complaining about the heat. He studied English at Kenyon College and film at the University of Southern California. He lives in Los Angeles. He makes films you can watch on his YouTube page. He enjoys traveling to exotic lands and complaining about the heat. He would like to thank you for reading this short biography.

Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook
Tumblr | Instagram | Twitter

Enter The Giveaway Here

I'm giving away some paperbacks to US residents and a few ebooks.

Books will be from the ones you find on the #TipsySpooktacular Stops

Must be 13+ to enter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by,

“I purchased this book with the intent to review. I was in no way compensated for this review and all opinions are expressly my own”

Em & Em by Linda Budzinski Book Review + #Giveaway

(Click the banner to see the schedule)

 

Em & Em
Linda Budzinski

Genre: YA Contemporary
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Publisher: Swoon Romance

ISBN: 978-1942664628
ASIN: B013CWICCA

E-book Pages: 181

Paperback Pages: 300

My Rating: 4.5

Book Description:

The last thing sixteen-year-old Emily Slovkowski wants is to move away from her home at the Jersey shore, gorgeous surfer boyfriend Zach, and her entire identity. But that’s kind of how Witness Protection works, and Em must prepare herself for an epic do-over as she starts a new life in the Midwest.

Even as she pines for sandy beaches and the night life of the shore, the newly-named Ember O’Malley finds herself making new friends, taking photos for the high school newspaper, and thinking an awful lot about the paper’s editor, an oddly cute cowboy named Charles.

When Em stumbles upon a shady beneath-the-bleachers exchange between one of the school’s football coaches and a student, she refuses to get involved. The last thing she needs is to be witness to another crime or call attention to herself. Besides, she finally has some real friends – well, real except for the fact that they don’t know a single thing about her – and she prefers to keep it that way until the trial.

But as her day in court approaches, Em begins piecing together what she saw that day beneath the bleachers. And, as her own past secrets start to catch up with her, Em needs to figure out who she really is – Em or Em.

My Take:

Aww that was so cute.

I mean it has some serious subject matter that's definitely no joke but everything else was really cute and sweet.

I enjoyed the portrayal of the subtle differences in high schools and the development between each character and Emily/Ember.

I really like Charles and the way his character breaks all sorts of stereotypes. He's pretty much the perfect character to pair with Emily, add a dash of Claire, who happens to be the best best friend you could imagine for a character like Em, into the mix and you have a great supporting cast.

The only flaw that I could find that confused me and had me scrolling back a couple of chapters multiple times was the way the flashbacks occurred and were timed.

The time frame seemed wrong, but then I realized that it was coinciding with the current timeline, which was moving forward. It just kinda killed the flow for me since I didn't really notice how much time has passed since the only time the date was mentioned, was when she's told when to expect a court date.

Logically, I was aware that time was passing as the story progressed but it still took time for me to pull myself out of the story so that I could wrap my head around the new time frame.

I feel like it would have been easier to follow and less confusing is a date was included in the title, for example September 12th, so and so many weeks earlier. It still gives you a grasp on how much time has passed while reminding you that this is happening day(s) after the previous flashback.

4.5 Quills

Book Purchase Links:

BAM | Chapters | Amazon | B&N | TBD

About The Author

Linda Acorn Budzinski decided in the second grade that she wanted to be a “Paperback Writer,” just like in the Beatles song. She majored in journalism in college and now works in marketing and communications. She spent 18 years at a trade association in the funeral service industry, where she discovered that funeral directors are some of the bravest and most compassionate people on earth. Linda lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, Joe, and their chihuahua, Demitria. She has two step-daughters, Eris and Sarah. THE FUNERAL SINGER is her debut novel. She is represented by Andrea Somberg of Harvey Klinger Inc.

THE FUNERAL SINGER is Linda Budzinski's first novel.

Connect with Linda 
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE

One (1) winner will receive a digital copy of Em and Em by Linda Budzinski and a $10 Amazon GC (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by,

Tour Organized By:

 “I received a free copy of the book from the author/publisher for my honest opinion. I was in no way compensated for this review and all opinions are expressly my own”

Em and Em by Linda Budzinski Book Blitz Excerpt + #Giveaway

Em and Em

Linda Budzinski

Genre: YA Contemporary
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Publisher: Swoon Romance

ISBN: 978-1942664628
ASIN: B013CWICCA
E-book Pages: 181
Paperback Pages: 300

Synopsis:

The last thing sixteen-year-old Emily Slovkowski wants is to move away from her home at the Jersey shore, gorgeous surfer boyfriend Zach, and her entire identity. But that’s kind of how Witness Protection works, and Em must prepare herself for an epic do-over as she starts a new life in the Midwest.

Even as she pines for sandy beaches and the night life of the shore, the newly-named Ember O’Malley finds herself making new friends, taking photos for the high school newspaper, and thinking an awful lot about the paper’s editor, an oddly cute cowboy named Charles.

When Em stumbles upon a shady beneath-the-bleachers exchange between one of the school’s football coaches and a student, she refuses to get involved. The last thing she needs is to be witness to another crime or call attention to herself. Besides, she finally has some real friends – well, real except for the fact that they don’t know a single thing about her – and she prefers to keep it that way until the trial.

But as her day in court approaches, Em begins piecing together what she saw that day beneath the bleachers. And, as her own past secrets start to catch up with her, Em needs to figure out who she really is – Em or Em.

Short Excerpt from Em and Em

Ember hesitated. She should keep her mouth shut. She didn’t need to be a witness to another crime, and she certainly didn’t need to be nark-ing out the one person in Boyd County who knew her real identity and could expose her at any time. Still, a part of her wanted to confide in Claire. She was so sick of lying, of pretending, of keeping secrets.

“Ember, are you okay?” Claire reached out and touched her arm.

Ember grabbed her hand and held it. “If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anyone?”

Claire nodded, her eyes wide. “Of course.”

“During the homecoming game, I saw something I shouldn’t have. Under the bleachers.”

Claire drew back. “You mean … Tommy Walker?”

“Yeah.”

Claire jumped up and plugged her ears. “Ew, gross. Don’t tell me. I don’t want to hear it. Ew, ew, ew.” She grabbed Ember’s shoulders. “I realize you can never un-see that, but you have to try to forget. Understand?”

Ember laughed and nodded. Claire had the wrong idea—a very, very wrong idea—but something about her reaction, her sweetness, her innocence, snapped Ember back to reality. No way could she confide in this girl. That huge ball of lies, pretending, and secrets she was living formed the entire basis of their friendship.

Purchase:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the Author

I live in Northern Virginia with my husband, Joe, and our feisty chihuahua, Demitria (also known as Dee Dee, The Puppy, and Killer). I'm a sucker for romance and reality TV and have been known to turn off my phone's ringer when watching "The Bachelor." My favorite flower is the daisy, my favorite food is chocolate, and my favorite song is "Amazing Grace."

I write young adult romance. My novels, both published by Swoon Romance YA, are EM & EM and THE FUNERAL SINGER. I am represented by Andrea Somberg of Harvey Klinger Inc

Author links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Enter The Giveaway Here

$10 Amazon gift card + eBook copy of Em and Em

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  Thanks for stopping by,

Book Blitz Organized By: