I must admit I am a little sad about today’s book as it is the final book in a series that I have been working on. Finishing a series is always a little sad, at least until I remember that I can always reread the books if I want to. The Desolations of Devil’s Acre is the sixth and final book in the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series by Ransom Riggs. It opens with Noor and Jacob in the immediate aftermath of Caul’s resurrection. The problem though is that they are not in the loop with V and the tornadoes but are instead in Jacob’s grandfather’s house in Florida. After reuniting with their fellow peculiars they discover that things are once again rather dire for the inhabitants of Devil’s Acre. The loop is constantly being beset by a series of weird and bizarre events such as a rain of ashes, which are referred to as desolations that seemed to have started almost immediately after the resurrection. Deciding to trust in the prophecy about Noor they start trying to figure out what they need to do to stop Caul and his forces once and for all. This leads to a number of rather sticky situations as they end up having to loop hop back to the front lines of the First World War in order to decipher the rest of the prophecy. In doing so, Jacob and Noor end up piecing together a wide variety of information to better prepare for the final showdown with Caul.
This book was an incredible ending to a fantastic series. It really felt like it wrapped everything up, as much as it could for this world and these characters. I say that because many, if not all, of the various problems these characters faced are removed by the end of the book. Jacob has finally figured out most of the secret elements associated with his particular peculiarity and how it came to be and what it means for the future, as well as became a little more adept in how to use it. They figured out the prophecy that was revealed in book four and have a greater understanding of how the world of peculiardom will function going forward. Many of the characters are also starting to come to terms with being peculiar. Jacob is finally starting to feel like he is part of the peculiar world and understand how that would influence his ability to interact with the wider world. He finally comes to terms or comes to peace with having to choose between the peculiar world and the normal world, or between his friends and his ability or his parents. That being said, I didn’t actually like the idea that he had to choose between the two and would have loved to see him be able to reconcile his two worlds and achieve a level of peace that way. However, I can see why he felt like he needed to and why he chose the way he did. I also liked how this played out into the ending, which was very heavy on the nostalgia factor. Though I won’t reveal the exact ending, I did feel like the book had come full circle in many ways by ending the way it did. As previously stated, a great ending to a great series and one that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I am giving it four out of five stars.
This book and this series is one that I greatly enjoyed and would recommend to others. I will say that the series is heavily fantasy so if you don’t enjoy fantasy than you may not enjoy this series, especially as it falls more on the weird side of the fantasy spectrum. It also is the final book in a six-book series and you should definitely read the earlier books in order to understand this book as it is a direct continuation of the previous books. This series also is primarily aimed at young adult readers, something you can definitely tell by reading it. I don’t think this should stop adult readers from reading it as it is still a great read but it may stop some readers so I figure I should mention it. Adding to that, I am not sure if it would be appropriate for younger readers as there is a decent level of violence and other similar content that may make it unsuitable for kids. In my opinion, older teens are probably the youngest age range that should consider reading it. Overall, it is ultimately a great book and I hope you will consider reading it. If you do feel free to share your thoughts about in the comments.