PopSugar 2020 Reading Challenge Prompt: A book with a bird on the cover

Other PS 2020 reading prompts this would satisfy: A book published in 2020, A book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads,

TW: Violence, kidnapping/abduction, death



Let's say I forgot all about the Miss Peregrine's series until I saw that The Conference of the Birds was being released, and Ransom Riggs' book tour was stopping in Atlanta. So I bought tickets to meet him, and the book was included in the ticket. So I hurriedly picked up A Map of Days to read, and tried to read it in a hurry. Then I sped through Conference of Birds.


Jacob Portman has once again disobeyed Miss Peregrine's direct orders and escaped Devil's Acre, and he has one true mission: keep Noor Pradesh (the light-eater) safe and deliver her to V, a women who used to save peculiar children alongside Jacob's grandfather, Abe. For there's a prophecy about Noor, and she may be the only one who can save peculiardom. That may be difficult, though, because the wights and the hollowgast, both recently locked up in a impenetrable prison in the Acre, have escaped. And Jacob's the only one who can see hollows. So, his hands have become quite full.  


I actually really struggled through A Map of Days, but The Conference of the Birds literally picks up right in the middle of the scene AMOD ends with, so reading them back to back was really helpful, and I breezed right through TCOTB. The book was jam-packed and filled with action from start to finish, which made it really easy to get through. Not to mention, there's a big piece of the story focused on some characters I felt super invested in.

At times, the book can be a little corny, messy, and confusing, but overall I really enjoyed being connected with the story and the characters again. The ending had me messed up, and I definitely need the continuation of the next book (which Riggs says he's already in the process of writing, so hopefully we can expect it rather soon). What's really irksome to me is the timeline in the story. I'm pretty sure all five books so far just take place over a summer. And I have questions - is Jacob ever returning to school? How long are his parents on vacation for? Is no one checking in on this actual child? WTF IS HAPPENING IN THE PRESENT DAY? It's all very concerning.







A lot of the times, this book reminded me of everyone's favorite fantasy series - Harry Potter. There's a prophecy, a chosen one, a bird-like adult who is strict but caring, but it's certainly unique in a ton of ways too. The weird, old pictures definitely add a perspective that other books just don't have, and afterall aren't those really the heart of the series?




Goodreads rating: ★★★★☆