Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (SAY THAT FAST FIVE TIMES)

So I guess my opinions on this book are slightly skewed and the reason they are is completely my fault.

Let me explain.

When I first saw this book at my local Chapters, I thought it was creepy and after looking through the pages a bit and reading like half the summary, this is what I concluded. MPHFPC is probably about this kid who goes to an abandoned orphanage and discovers letters or a book of pictures which documents the torture of these children with peculiar abilities. And y'know, he investigates. It sounded really cool in my head.

Which is why, once I was offered to review the newly released paperback version of this novel I said YEEs!>!?!???. The many acclamations by John Green also helped, because...y'know. John Green.

So thinking I knew what this book was about, I began my journey five minutes after finishing Project Cain and was ready to be creeped out. Man, was I wrong about pretty much...everything.

So what's this book really about?
After an unfortunate event, Jacob feels its necessary to visit a remote island near Wales where he discovers the abandoned ruins of MPHFPC.

So maybe it wasn't completely my fault, the summary offered by the publisher is slightly misleading. To set you straight, there are mentions of time travel, secret societies and yes, romance *sigh*. Three years ago, this would have probably been the Hunger Games of my life. Because although the story is a bit childish, make no mistake: the writing is excellent, the story is creative, and the inclusion of pictures makes the novel that much more magical. THIS IS A GREAT BOOK. It is not nearly as disturbing or creepy as you'd think but it is exceptional. Perhaps it isn't the type of book I can relate to at this time of my life which is probably why I felt so disconnected. Not to say that John Green was wrong, he just wasn't speaking to me.

BUT, I do admit that the romance in the book did indeed creep me out, and felt slightly unnecessary.

I suppose it's all to say that, I am not the target audience for MPHFPC, but I can appreciate what it has to offer: genius, creativity, exceptional writing, and a lovely series for a young audience.

Pick it up, and see what you think of it.

Project Cain by Geoffrey Girard

When offered to review this novel by Simon&Schuester, I read the plot and thought that it sounded quite juvenile, however I then read the whole summary and there was a name drop: Jeffrey Dahmer's.
That's when it got spicy.

So basically, this novel covers the story of 16 year olf Jeff who discovers he was constrructed in a laboratory seven years ago as part of a top secret government project named Project Cain. Also, he was constructed by the DNA of serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer. Oh and there are a bunch more clones running around...and they don't just have Jeff Dahmer's DNA to work with. So...yeah.

Some people may find this story slightly sickening but I thought it was great, it's a story. Not only that but from an outsider's point of view, it seemed to me like the author payed great attention respecting the victims of these murderers, which is something you tend to forget when reading fiction. There's also a large discussion on conspiracies and Lord knows conspiracies fuel my imagination! God, I love a good conspiracy, its a good adrenaline rush.

Here are the two main reasons I enjoyed this novel much more than I probably should have

a) The story is twisted. This is a story about teenagers with an urge to kill, and not just kill peacefully. They want blood and at times, much much worse. If you don't have an a) tolerance or b) interest for any of those things, this will not be the book for you. However, being a big fan of Battle Royale and having the Hunger Games as one of the first books I reviewed for this blog, I really don't have a problem with that type of story. In fact, it's kind of my favourite breed. Sorry, not sorry.

b) I find it incredibly fascinating to learn about serial killers and their motives. Not to glamorize them, but to understand their psyche, much like this novel succeeded in doing. There were mini biographies for each killer mentioned which helped you understand various characters. After some time, I was able to recognize which killer manifested into which character. Educational? Yes. Fascinating? Even more.

ok, so what did I actually think about this book? IT WAS FLIPPING GOOD OK. Being completely honest, I have only read a handful of books this year (tsk tsk tsk) and I struggled to read many of them. But reading Project Cain brought me back to my prime reading time in grade ten and nine when I had all the time in the world. I would read in the bus, in class, and before going to bed (THIS IS A MISTAKE I DO NOT RECOMMEND AT ALL). This book was exactly what a YA novel should be. Gripping, fast paced, creative, engaging. My only bone to pick with this book would probably be that I felt the author took the easy way out at some points. Specifically, when dealing with the deaths of characters. It might be my new found love for Game Of Thrones, but I believe that there must come a time when an author should drop the axe once a character has outlived their believable lifeline. I feel like it is juvenile not to, which brings me back to the beginning of this post. But I will say this, this story is not for children (my 9th grade self just stuck her tongue out at me...she would have adored this book), it is much much darker than you think it is.

Interestingly enough, there is also a "mature" version of this book that you can pick up although I'm not sure whether or not the outcome would be the same.

If you find yourself agreeing with my points a) and b), you should definitely pick up a copy of Project Cain.

Note: After some GoodReads exploring, I've noticed some controversy surrounding Geoffrey Girard and a reply he made to a blogger who reviewed his novel. Not to get in the middle of things, but I read the post and I read his reply and I didn't see the big deal? Obviously, I wash't targeted so my opinion isn't actually valid but this is my blog and I felt like throwing my two cents in (DUH).

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