Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs is the third novel in the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series. I have also reviewed the previous two books, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and Hollow City.
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After the events of Hollow City, Jacob, Emma, and Addison on are on their own in their quest to rescue Miss Peregrine from the wights. And now the wights have the rest of their friends as well. With the help of the intrepid Addison’s Peculiar-sensitive nose, they are able to track the wights and their captives to the loop entrance leading to Devil’s Acre. They must pay for passage from a mysterious boatman, who warns them to trust no one and swears not to help them beyond transporting them safely to the shore.
Setting
While Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs begins in modern-day London, but by chapter two Jacob, Emma, and Addison are in Devil’s Acre. The exact year of the time loop is never stated, however, it was long before the invention of modern plumbing as its inhabitants dump their waste in the river. Sharon, the boatman, describes Devil’s Acre as containing, “Nasty things… Dreadful things. Vile things. Anything you like, so long as what you like is nasty, dreadful, and vile…” It is home to outlaws, mercenaries, and exiles.
Ransom Riggs’ talent for descriptive writing means that we get to see Devil’s Acre in sordid detail, from the stinking water of The Ditch to the flower boxes on Oozing Street.
Characters
I was pleased that Addison the talking boxer returned in this book, as I enjoyed him immensely in Hollow City. He is proud, courageous, and loyal to the point of recklessness, as indicated by how he charges off anytime he thinks Miss Wren, his ymbryne, is nearby. In fact, his pride and recklessness results in him often blurting things out, revealing that he is a Peculiar dog at inappropriate times, such as around Normals.
Jacob grows braver and more sure of himself. However, he retains his natural timidity, which means that he is cautious and doesn’t fall victim to the typical male protagonist brashness. If Jacob had his way, there would always be time to come up with a plan. That’s not his reality, though, so he has learned to be more flexible and to think on his feet as the series grows on. I’m very pleased with his growth from a bored, nihilistic teenager to a brave, selfless young man.
The brashness belongs to Emma. Emma has a strong sense of justice, which gets them into more than one mess. She can’t bring herself to look away from people being treated poorly, even for the sake of rescuing Miss Peregrine, who she loves like a mother. She is far more than a love interest, and does her part to advance the plot.
There were also a number of new characters introduced in this book.
Sharon
I knew from the moment we met our seven-foot-tall, hooded boatman that I was going to love him. He’s sarcastic, he’s morally-ambiguous, he’s got pet rats that he refers to himself as “daddy” to. I was guaranteed to like him. So I hope that he would stick around for more than that one scene, and sure enough Emma and Jacob were able to convince him to help them navigate Devil’s Acre. Sharon is a Peculiar, but his power is never explained. I, personally, am assuming it has to do with rat communication. Sharon is a nuanced, round character, and he is my favourite of the new characters in Library of Souls.
Mr. Bentham
The younger of Miss Peregrine’s brothers. The council of ymbrynes exiled him to Devil’s Acre for his part in creating the hollows. Bentham is weak both physically and mentally, often requiring his grimbear bodyguard PT to carry him around his own house. He has a checkered past of good deeds and bad, and neither Emma nor Jacob trust him despite the assistance he renders to them.
Caul
The older of Miss Peregrine’s two brothers. Caul, whose birth name is Jack, is the leader of the wights. While he appeared in Hollow City, we get to see more of him as a character in Library of Souls. Caul is sadistic and selfish, with no loyalty to his own men or his siblings. All Caul wants is to rule the world. To achieve that, there is nothing he isn’t willing to do. Torture children? Threaten his own brother? All fine in Caul’s book. While his motives aren’t complex, he is sensible enough to never put himself in harm’s way. He holds deep bitterness for his sister, Miss Peregrine’s, status as an ymbryne, which gives her great status in matriarchal Peculiar society. This seems to have factored in to his desire to rule Peculiardom as its king.
Mother Dust
Mother Dust is not a major character, but I feel she is worth mentioning. She is a healer in Bentham’s employ who gives Emma and Jacob a tool to help them infiltrate the wights’ fortress. To use her healing power, she has to rub her flesh into dust to sprinkle on wounds. This means that her power harms her each time its used. When Emma asked her about it, Mother Dust said through her assistant Reynaldo that this is how she was chosen to serve. The narrative implies that she has no tongue, so she never speaks directly. Reynaldo translates everything she says. Mother Dust might be French, as Reynaldo has a French accent.
Final Thoughts on Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs
I loved Library of Souls from start to finish. It was one of those books that I was sad to see end, though I was satisfied by the conclusion. The first thing I did after reading the last page was excitedly tell all my friends how much I enjoyed the book.
I know that there are more books in the series, so I’ll definitely be picking them up. Library of Souls tied up the loose ends from the previous two books, so I’m curious about what the other books will be about.
Definitely recommended! However, there are applicable trigger warnings: torture, madness, human experimentation, unlawful confinement, slavery, drugs, needles, blood, injury, and child abuse.
