Author: Ransom Riggs
Publisher: Dutton
Publication Date: October 2, 2018
Pages: 480
Format: Audiobook/Library
The #1 bestselling series returns with a thrilling new story arc set in America!
Vintage photographs reveal the never-before-seen world of peculiar America with a stunning addition—full-color images.
Having defeated the monstrous threat that nearly destroyed the peculiar world, Jacob Portman is back where his story began, in Florida. Except now Miss Peregrine, Emma, and their peculiar friends are with him, and doing their best to blend in. But carefree days of beach visits and normalling lessons are soon interrupted by a discovery—a subterranean bunker that belonged to Jacob’s grandfather, Abe.
Clues to Abe’s double-life as a peculiar operative start to emerge, secrets long hidden in plain sight. And Jacob begins to learn about the dangerous legacy he has inherited—truths that were part of him long before he walked into Miss Peregrine’s time loop.
Now, the stakes are higher than ever as Jacob and his friends are thrust into the untamed landscape of American peculiardom—a world with few ymbrynes, or rules—that none of them understand. New wonders, and dangers, await in this brilliant next chapter for Miss Peregrine’s peculiar children. Their story is again illustrated throughout by haunting vintage photographs, but with a striking addition for this all-new, multi-era American adventure—full color.
Review: I really enjoyed A Map of Days! I loved that this had a much different feel than the first half of the series. For the most part, we're in America. And I loved that it had such a different vibe than the UK. We get to see such a different side of peculiardom and why American peculiardom is so much harder to get a handle on. And I really loved Jacob trying to introduce his friends to modern times. That was quite fun. I also loved that this felt like it had the same pacing and amount of action as Library of Souls, which really made it enjoyable for me!
So I really loved that we take a much bigger dive into Abe life. Instead of just the basics "oh he's peculiar" stuff we got in the first three books, we actually get to really dive into his life in America. So Jacob and friends end up at Abe's house. And they find this hidden bunker under his house. Which opens up a whole new world of peculiardom we didn't know existed. He had this whole secret life helping rescue uncontacted peculiars in America. Which explains a lot of Abe's out of town trips when both Jacob and his dad were younger. And what's even more interesting is the fact only Jacob could figure out his grandpa's passcode for the bunker. It seems as though Abe meant to leave his work for Jacob to take over at some point, even though he told his associates he didn't really want Jacob to get involved in this life. Obviously Jacob feels a pull to continue his grandfathers work after reading through all his logs and talking to his associate.
I thought the gangs and american peculiardom in general was interesting and way different than the UK. Instead of Ymbryne's that reset the loops, they have loop keepers due to the American Ymbryne's having disappeared or died way back when. We have three main gangs that engulf a number of smaller more localized gangs in different parts of the US. We mainly deal with the one that controls the east coast. We see how local gangs tend to add to their numbers and how a number of things are considered crimes in American peculiardom. And we even learn that the main gangs are close to starting a war with each other and the UK/European Ymbryne's are trying to prevent that. Man, learning all this new information was a trip.
I also thought it was interesting that we saw a completely different side of the Ymbryne's in this book. Despite everything our characters went through to save them, they still refuse to keep them in the loop with important things and make them do menial tasks to help the rebuilding effort instead of putting them to better use. After all they went through, I think they deserve better tasks than motivational speaker or mail sorter. And what I think really worked my nerves with this book is that they then get pissed off when they decide to try and do something more important. Maybe, if you a. kept them in the loop about important things, and b. tried to find them better jobs where they didn't feel like their time and talents were being wasted, they wouldn't try to run off on their own and find better things. Idk. I just find it kinda suspicious that the Ymbryne's are keeping so much tight lipped all of a sudden. And clearly a number of people in the story think so too since Jacob actually got invited to a meeting to discuss the Ymbryne's.
One thing that definitely still annoyed me was Jacobs parents. Especially his dad. Neither one of them was really willing to let him talk and tell them about everything. All it was was crazy this crazy that, Jacob you're crazy. It bothered me even more because Jacob's dad did at least hear him out without his mom in the room. And he even said he knew deep down that his dad was peculiar, due to a trip with Abe when he was a kid, and that Jacob was like him too, but he still wouldn't actually accept it. It was easier for him to have Miss Peregrine wipe his memories rather than accept the truth about his dad and his son. How awful of a person.
I'm definitely interested in seeing where the story is going to go now. Despite Miss Peregrine telling Jacob to stop doing what Abe was doing, and to not interfere in the American peculiar gangs and uncontacted peculiars, he decides to go back. His grandfather's associate ends up rescuing the girl Jacob was trying to help, but gets hurt in the process. But he does entrust the girl to Jacobs care and tells him that she is incredibly important with her peculiar ability. She was one of a group of seven (I think) that was foretold that would start a massive change in peculiardom. So she's of very high value and is one they definitely don't want in the wrong hands. I'm interested in seeing if Jacob continues to go against the Ymbryne's to find the others foretold in the prophecy, and what he'll find out about it. I'm also interested in how he's gonna help and hide the girl not only from the people hunting her, but from the Ymbryne's as well until he can figure out how to get them on his side. And I definitely want to know if his friends will come back to his side once they learn everything and also whether Jacob is going to go to that meeting about the Ymbryne's.
So I really loved that we take a much bigger dive into Abe life. Instead of just the basics "oh he's peculiar" stuff we got in the first three books, we actually get to really dive into his life in America. So Jacob and friends end up at Abe's house. And they find this hidden bunker under his house. Which opens up a whole new world of peculiardom we didn't know existed. He had this whole secret life helping rescue uncontacted peculiars in America. Which explains a lot of Abe's out of town trips when both Jacob and his dad were younger. And what's even more interesting is the fact only Jacob could figure out his grandpa's passcode for the bunker. It seems as though Abe meant to leave his work for Jacob to take over at some point, even though he told his associates he didn't really want Jacob to get involved in this life. Obviously Jacob feels a pull to continue his grandfathers work after reading through all his logs and talking to his associate.
I thought the gangs and american peculiardom in general was interesting and way different than the UK. Instead of Ymbryne's that reset the loops, they have loop keepers due to the American Ymbryne's having disappeared or died way back when. We have three main gangs that engulf a number of smaller more localized gangs in different parts of the US. We mainly deal with the one that controls the east coast. We see how local gangs tend to add to their numbers and how a number of things are considered crimes in American peculiardom. And we even learn that the main gangs are close to starting a war with each other and the UK/European Ymbryne's are trying to prevent that. Man, learning all this new information was a trip.
I also thought it was interesting that we saw a completely different side of the Ymbryne's in this book. Despite everything our characters went through to save them, they still refuse to keep them in the loop with important things and make them do menial tasks to help the rebuilding effort instead of putting them to better use. After all they went through, I think they deserve better tasks than motivational speaker or mail sorter. And what I think really worked my nerves with this book is that they then get pissed off when they decide to try and do something more important. Maybe, if you a. kept them in the loop about important things, and b. tried to find them better jobs where they didn't feel like their time and talents were being wasted, they wouldn't try to run off on their own and find better things. Idk. I just find it kinda suspicious that the Ymbryne's are keeping so much tight lipped all of a sudden. And clearly a number of people in the story think so too since Jacob actually got invited to a meeting to discuss the Ymbryne's.
One thing that definitely still annoyed me was Jacobs parents. Especially his dad. Neither one of them was really willing to let him talk and tell them about everything. All it was was crazy this crazy that, Jacob you're crazy. It bothered me even more because Jacob's dad did at least hear him out without his mom in the room. And he even said he knew deep down that his dad was peculiar, due to a trip with Abe when he was a kid, and that Jacob was like him too, but he still wouldn't actually accept it. It was easier for him to have Miss Peregrine wipe his memories rather than accept the truth about his dad and his son. How awful of a person.
I'm definitely interested in seeing where the story is going to go now. Despite Miss Peregrine telling Jacob to stop doing what Abe was doing, and to not interfere in the American peculiar gangs and uncontacted peculiars, he decides to go back. His grandfather's associate ends up rescuing the girl Jacob was trying to help, but gets hurt in the process. But he does entrust the girl to Jacobs care and tells him that she is incredibly important with her peculiar ability. She was one of a group of seven (I think) that was foretold that would start a massive change in peculiardom. So she's of very high value and is one they definitely don't want in the wrong hands. I'm interested in seeing if Jacob continues to go against the Ymbryne's to find the others foretold in the prophecy, and what he'll find out about it. I'm also interested in how he's gonna help and hide the girl not only from the people hunting her, but from the Ymbryne's as well until he can figure out how to get them on his side. And I definitely want to know if his friends will come back to his side once they learn everything and also whether Jacob is going to go to that meeting about the Ymbryne's.