A Map of Days

I hardly ever cry when it comes to books. But did I cry when I found out that Ransom Riggs was working on A Map of Days? You bet I did. 

(You can read the complete review on my blog!)

MY RATING:
This novel follows the events in the previous three books. Go read those first for the best results!

The plot built up pretty slowly, but it continued to get more interesting along the way. At about page 400, the plot just... well, the only way I can describe it is like this: if the first 400 pages was like a gentle-yet-fun rollercoaster, then the last 80 pages was like the end of the rollercoaster where your stomach just drops and you're having fun but you're also scared for your entire life.


Everything in my little heart is longing to give this book 5 stars, just because I can... but my brain is telling me that wouldn't be an honest review. 

So 4 stars it is!

PROS:
- All your favorite characters are back! And in America! 
- If you think the peculiars would have difficult yet hilarious times getting to know modern America, you would be 100% correct. 
- Jacob, who continues to be one of my favorite characters and is secretly the male embodiment of myself.
- The pictures! Even more of them appear, and they're still creepy.
- More adventures! More peculiarities!

NOT REALLY A PRO OR CON:
- It didn't start to actually get interesting until around page 90.
- If we're going to talk about creepy levels, the pictures in this book weren't that creepy.
- While this book did seem overly long, I remained interested throughout the whole novel and there was never an “ah yes, this is just a filler scene” moment for me.  
- The ending scene? I can't say much, but: the next book may be very much different than the previous ones.

CONS (I guess):
- Have you ever read a sequel, and you just knew in your heart that something was different but you couldn't describe it in words? That's what this book is like.
- While I think the idea of Jacob and the peculiars trying to live in the modern world is fun, it is very truly... different than the other books. Maybe in an out-of-character sort of way. I could feel that perhaps the author moved these characters along to fit them into the story he wanted, and I've been secretly feeling this way for the past couple of books. 

Overall, as a personal preference, I choose to see through these cons when it comes to the Peculiar Children series. Why? I don't know. All I can say is that I relate to Jacob on so many levels, and I care about him enough to follow his character through whatever happens. 

Sometimes you just feel that way about a character. 

I'm still here for you, Jacob. Even if you sometimes make crazy choices.