Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

I bought the Kindle edition of Library of Souls on release day back in September, but I had a backlog of books to review. I had the opportunity to purchase the Audible edition at a discount because I already owned the Kindle edition. I didn’t have anything to listen to in the car/house, so Library of Souls moved to the top of the queue.

Library of Souls is the third novel in Ransom Riggs’ Mrs. Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series. The books do need to be read in order, so if you have not read the first two books, please be aware that this review might contain spoilers for the first two books.

At the end of the second book- Hollow City– protagonist Jacob’s peculiar ability was finally revealed. While it is certainly a “game changer” as they say, Jacob and Emma and Addison the talking dog must still rescue their kidnapped friends. The trio travels to an unfamiliar time loop- a wretched hive of scum and villainy in the heart of Victorian London. It is there that they hope to finally confront the man who has been kidnapping peculiar children in order to harness peculiar capabilities. Their success or failure will determine the fate of peculiardom.

Library of Souls is a little different than the other two books because the majority of the ensemble characters have been kidnapped. I definitely missed the banter between the peculiar children. Removing most of their friends does allow Jacob and Emma’s friendship to develop, but it also sets up obstacles for them because they don’t have the benefit of their friends’ peculiar abilities.

I would absolutely recommend Library of Souls, as well as the entire Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series. Library of Souls wraps up most loose ends, but it ends with the potential for more adventures. Riggs has not indicated any plans for more entries in the series, so we’ll just have to wait and see whether or not we get a fourth book. I am looking forward to his next book, whatever that might be, as well as the movie version of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.