Hollow City
by Ransom Riggs
Our rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 out of 5 stars)
Reviewed by: Melody Wolf
“Hollow City” by Ransom Riggs is the second book in the series “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”. Both the first and the second book are about a boy named Jacob Portman who leaves his father where they are staying in Cairnholm, Wales after discovering what is called a “timeloop”. This particular timeloop keeps Cairnholm stuck in the 1940’s in order to keep its peculiar occupants from being blown up by a bomb. Jacob helps his new strange friends save themselves and their ymbryne (pronounced IMM-brinn), their caretaker who can turn into a bird, from being kidnapped by the hollowgasts and wights. Are his efforts enough to save the group from becoming creature food? What do they want with the peculiars and their ymbrynes?
In the second book, Jacob must now lead the group to another ymbryne who may be able to save their caretaker from becoming a bird for good, but the group must find her first. They travel from timeloop to timeloop in search for the last hidden caretaker using a kid’s book of tales and the directions given to them by a talking dog. Wights and hollowgasts follow close behind them, for they are also seeking the last ymbryne in order to hold her hostage with her sisters. Will Jacob be able to safely guide them? Will Miss Peregrine be a bird forever?
I enjoyed this book immensely. The chapters run a little too long for my taste, but each one holds a purpose and keeps the story running smoothly. The characters are fun and interesting in their own peculiar ways, from a girl who floats to a boy with a hive of bees living in his stomach. It is a highly thrilling series. If you are like me and tend to find yourself reading standalone books rather than series, I can assure you that you will not hesitate to keep reading one book after another. I recommend “Hollow City” and its counterparts to anyone who likes books with a taste of history and gentle macrabre.