At the end of the third book of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children, The Library of Souls, we saw Jacob finally return to the U.S. In the fourth book, A Map of Days, we see him and his friends continue their adventures in the world of the peculiar but in the U.S instead of in Europe. It starts with Miss Peregrine and her wards coming to stay with Jacob in an attempt to learn how to navigate more modern times, having unintentionally found a way around the aging forward that would normally occur. During what should have been a shopping excursion they end up going to Abe’s house, Jacob’s grandpa, in order to attempt to move on from his death. However, they instead find an underground bunker filled with secrets, such as mission logs from his time hunting hollows and rescuing peculiars. Deciding to follow in Abe’s footsteps, Jacob convinces his friends to try and get in touch with some of Abe’s former colleagues. They quickly discover that there is more to the peculiar world than any of them knew and that none of them were prepared to navigate that world here in the U.S., despite their previous experience. As they travel across country and with a few minor trips through loops, they find that they are in very far over their heads. What should have been a fairly straightforward mission goes completely off the rails and ends with them in an untold amount of trouble, especially with Miss Peregrine.
Much like with the previous books in the series, we get to learn more about the world of the peculiars in this book. However, there is a drastic change in the world the characters are exploring as the location changed from Europe to the U.S. I say that because of the most significant difference between the two locations. The U.S. peculiar world functions almost entirely without ymbrynes, the peculiars who are able to create and maintain the loops. In fact, the U.S. appears to have not had any for almost a hundred years creating a rather remarkable difference in the peculiar culture. There are still loops throughout the U.S. though as this book introduces a new concept, that of a demi-ymbryne, someone who is able to maintain and reset a loop but is unable to create a new one. There also appear to be other similar types of peculiars who are able to maintain loops but not create new ones. However, they seem to be responsible for maintaining several different loops at a time so they tend to move around some. By introducing this concept the book also returns to the concept first introduced in the first book, that a loop must always be maintained properly or it can collapse. There were a few times in the second and third books that this seemed to have been disregarded so it is intriguing that it reappears here only to be changed and modified. Another thing I found fascinating is how the relationships between the characters are evolving over the course of this book. With Jacob and Emma reuniting in the U.S in modern times we see them both beginning to kindle hope that they can actually manage to have a future together. However, this is quickly put under strain with Emma having to deal with her past relationship with Jacob’s grandfather Abe. At the same time Jacob’s own relationship with his grandfather is put under strain as he comes to the realization that he knew very little about his grandfather and that his grandfather knew he was peculiar but didn’t tell him on purpose. As each of them continues they have to come to terms with their relationship with Abe and how it affects their relationship with each other, in both positive and negative ways. I am giving this book four out of five stars.
Ultimately, this book lives up to the previous books in the series as it continues exploring the world of the peculiar and adding to its ever-growing lore. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers, especially young adults as that is the age range it is aimed at. Again, much like the previous books I would also suggest if you are an adult who happens to be a fan of the fantasy genre that you consider reading this series. It is a great read and highly enjoyable as we watch the characters travel across countries and through time as they explore their own peculiar world. If you do decide to try the series feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.