We are once again returning to the land of the peculiar with today’s book. The Library of Souls is the third book in the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series by Ransom Riggs. It opens on Jacob and Emma having narrowly escaped the hollows and wights but having been unable to rescue their fellow peculiar. Luckily, they discover an entrance to another loop, this one referred to as Devil’s Acre, and a way in through a ferry manned by a fellow peculiar. Within this loop they find the fortress where the peculiars are being held, along with the ymbrynes. However, they also discover the rather seedy side of peculiar life as they roam Devil’s Acre. This is a place where if it can be exploited and a buck be made then it will. Many of the people here are only out for themselves. As they continue to explore to try and find a way into the fortress they are able to find and join forces with the few outliers. While all of this Jacob is also continuing to struggle with his ability to influence the hollows with few breakthroughs, though he does seem to have perfected his ability to sense them. They also work to figure out why the wights seem to be focused on the concept of the soul, specifically the soul of a peculiar.
I have to admit, this series just keeps getting more and more peculiar which also makes it rather fun to read. In this case, it is because more new concepts about the peculiar world are being introduced. We see yet another new type of loop with Devil’s Acre as it seems to be an outlaw or black market type of loop. It perfectly personifies the seedy underbelly of the peculiar world. We see all of the things typically seen in those types of places such as street fighting, addicts, and peculiars for sale. Much like the new loops in the previous book, Hollow City, this is another loop that does not seem to be reliant upon a ymbryne even though all loops are supposed to be that way. If there is one responsible for Devil’s Acre it is not mentioned. We are also introduced to another couple of new concepts though. The first one is still related to the existence of loops. In Devil’s Acre there is an inventor who has created a machine capable of creating and holding secondary entrances to an already established loop. By doing so. One can travel almost instantly from one loop to the next, provided the machine already has an entrance to the loops in question. He doesn’t even have to leave his house. This, in and of itself, is interesting but this machine and its entrances are within the loop that houses Devil’s Acre. I have to wonder if this means there can technically be loops within loops and how that would even work. However, the concept that really caught my attention is the idea of a peculiar soul. This was touched upon in the last book but they expand on it here. In the lore of the peculiar world there is a mythological loop that contains what is called the library of souls. It is essentially a giant repository that stores all of the souls of peculiars in-between incarnations. At the same time, because of this, it also introduces the concept of reincarnation, at least for the souls of peculiars. This has to be one of the few books I’ve ever read that broaches the topic of reincarnation and the only one to utilize such a unique take on the concept. I give this four out of five stars.
I have to admit this was a great addition to the continuing peculiar world. If you enjoyed the first two then I think you will enjoy this one. Meanwhile, if you haven’t tried it but are fans of the fantasy genre then I recommend you try it. I know the books are marketed as young adult but they include topics that would probably widen their appeal to include adults as well. However, due to the inclusion of violence and somewhat dark content I would not recommend it for younger readers. At least not without being careful and aware of it going in. For those who have been following along make sure to keep an eye out for my reviews of the rest of the series and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.