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shinyscout's review against another edition
Had to return to library! But still interested
kaeliwolf's review
2.0
I have absolutely no idea why this book was so frustratingly long. I have no idea what was happening most of the time. I don't believe I will ever pick up another book by this author whether because I'm too brainless to understand the complex ideas or some other reason.
tmholsman_1994's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
If you do not have a "what the f**k am I reading" moment while you read this book...than it's probably not for you. I admit that it took me a while to get into the story because it is so bizarre and abnormal, but I love it. I absolutely loved this book. I loved the kookiness and bizarrness of the story.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
1.0
1/5
Ok, What in the world did I just read? First off, I had this book on my Libby app and it told me it was over a thousand pages. I Haven't read a book that long in a long while. Here is the thing, for me to read a book that long it has to hold my attention. I thought it would considering how the description sounded but oh. OH. I didn't know what I was getting into. The first few chapters were alright. I was excited to learn about the mystery. But then it started to drag on and the characters were just.. odd. On top of this I found myself wondering if it was a middle grade book but it reminded me it wasn't when their would be some heavy cursing at random parts. The doors were so confusing to me. The whole mystery part of the book through me for a loop. Not to mention the talking carrots and Napoleons head? (??????)
Ok, What in the world did I just read? First off, I had this book on my Libby app and it told me it was over a thousand pages. I Haven't read a book that long in a long while. Here is the thing, for me to read a book that long it has to hold my attention. I thought it would considering how the description sounded but oh. OH. I didn't know what I was getting into. The first few chapters were alright. I was excited to learn about the mystery. But then it started to drag on and the characters were just.. odd. On top of this I found myself wondering if it was a middle grade book but it reminded me it wasn't when their would be some heavy cursing at random parts. The doors were so confusing to me. The whole mystery part of the book through me for a loop. Not to mention the talking carrots and Napoleons head? (??????)
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
I have a love/hate relationship with VanderMeer and was fully expecting to DNF this one. (It took me several tries to get through the first two books in [b:Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy|22752442|Area X The Southern Reach Trilogy (Southern Reach, #1-3)|Jeff VanderMeer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1412547809l/22752442._SX50_.jpg|42299018]). However, I enjoyed the parallel Earth in the story, it's silliness reminded me of [a:Terry Pratchett|1654|Terry Pratchett|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1235562205p2/1654.jpg]'s Discworld, but this was a bit darker.
loont's review against another edition
1.0
"How many tropes can I pack into the opening of a book?"
That's apparently the challenge the author took up for themselves, and upon doing so began writing this book. It was a struggle to even get past the opening so let's make a checklist: Fish out of water teenager, yep! Mysterious note promising intrigue and adventure, handed right to him! Unwanted boarding school, yes in England, with unwanted high expectations from grown ups, uh huh!
I would go on, there's more, there's literally another paragraph of them in the first ten pages of this book. But wait, because even within that span that last one I stopped on doesn't make any sense. Who, exactly, has these high expectations of the main character. His mom is missing, presumed dead by our protagonist even as he states "no, it's silly to expect her to not be dead even though she's only stated as missing", a statement that reads like a 12 year old non prodigy's attempt at foreshadowing.
Ok, wait, go back, criticizing this book is hard because almost every sentence has some point that doesn't make sense. Back to "who is it that expects our protagonist to achieve great things at their unwanted boarding school." Because f**k if I know, the protagonist just tells us this as if uninterestedly checking off a "list of plot points a book should have". Because his mom is missing and she didn't send him to the school, and his dad is gone or something so he didn't. And his grandfather doesn't talk to him or communicate with him at all. So wait how did he even get to the boarding school, who sent him there, who put these "unwanted expectations in his head"?
I don't know. And I tried reading a few more pages, but there's no answers and it gets no better. The plot is spun out as some uninterested, distant and emotionless drivel. This isn't a novel. It's a checklist of plot points filled out by a cynical, worn out person hoping to wring a paycheck out of whatever fans they have left from their previous successes.
That's apparently the challenge the author took up for themselves, and upon doing so began writing this book. It was a struggle to even get past the opening so let's make a checklist: Fish out of water teenager, yep! Mysterious note promising intrigue and adventure, handed right to him! Unwanted boarding school, yes in England, with unwanted high expectations from grown ups, uh huh!
I would go on, there's more, there's literally another paragraph of them in the first ten pages of this book. But wait, because even within that span that last one I stopped on doesn't make any sense. Who, exactly, has these high expectations of the main character. His mom is missing, presumed dead by our protagonist even as he states "no, it's silly to expect her to not be dead even though she's only stated as missing", a statement that reads like a 12 year old non prodigy's attempt at foreshadowing.
Ok, wait, go back, criticizing this book is hard because almost every sentence has some point that doesn't make sense. Back to "who is it that expects our protagonist to achieve great things at their unwanted boarding school." Because f**k if I know, the protagonist just tells us this as if uninterestedly checking off a "list of plot points a book should have". Because his mom is missing and she didn't send him to the school, and his dad is gone or something so he didn't. And his grandfather doesn't talk to him or communicate with him at all. So wait how did he even get to the boarding school, who sent him there, who put these "unwanted expectations in his head"?
I don't know. And I tried reading a few more pages, but there's no answers and it gets no better. The plot is spun out as some uninterested, distant and emotionless drivel. This isn't a novel. It's a checklist of plot points filled out by a cynical, worn out person hoping to wring a paycheck out of whatever fans they have left from their previous successes.
_leitmotif_'s review against another edition
a boring version of ‘a starless sea’. vandermeer is an astonishing author, but inconsistent. the annihilation trilogy is intricately unforgettable. but this one is not that.
musingswithmiranda's review against another edition
3.0
Jeff VanderMeer is one of my favorite authors. I really enjoy how creative and weird his works are, and this is no exception.
A Peculiar Peril is the first book in VanderMeer’s new young adult duology. With his mother missing and his grandfather dead, Jonathan Lambshead inherits his grandfather’s mansion. He is tasked with cataloging its contents, so he enlists the help of his friends, Rack and Danny. However, Jonathan finds three doors that lead to other worlds. One leads to an alternate version of Earth called Aurora, which is filled with magic, talking animals, and a dictator named Aleister Crowley who is on a rampage. Soon Jonathan learns that he has a role to play in The Order, a secretive group that seeks to monitor and control doors and portals, to help save Aurora and protect Earth.
If you have read a book by Jeff VanderMeer then you must understand how it can be difficult to make sense of them or find the words to describe what is going on. The ones I have read so far are definitely a mix of weird and nonsense, including A Peculiar Peril.
I really enjoyed most of the characters in this book. The story jumps around between location and perspective, but I loved the main cast of characters - Jonathan, Rack, and Danny. At first, I really struggled with getting into this because of the chapters that followed Crowley. They were just so boring for me because I could not connect to them. As the story developed, I appreciated these perspectives more.
Aurora seems mind boggling but very cool at the same time. I loved the whole alternate world aspect as this is something I enjoy in a lot other books too. Aurora is even more unique because I never knew what to expect. I really liked the talking animals though.
The plot of this book was really mixed for me. Sometimes it was very eventful and engaging, but I lost interest in certain parts. When it picked up, it was really enjoyable though. My advice would be to not take it too seriously and just go with the flow.
A Peculiar Peril is a wild ride. I appreciate VanderMeer’s voice and creativity, but I expected a little more in terms of plot and character development. Certain things felt slow or unnecessary, so I wish the story really stuck with the great parts more. While this was not a perfect read for me, I am still very interested in checking out the second book.
A Peculiar Peril is the first book in VanderMeer’s new young adult duology. With his mother missing and his grandfather dead, Jonathan Lambshead inherits his grandfather’s mansion. He is tasked with cataloging its contents, so he enlists the help of his friends, Rack and Danny. However, Jonathan finds three doors that lead to other worlds. One leads to an alternate version of Earth called Aurora, which is filled with magic, talking animals, and a dictator named Aleister Crowley who is on a rampage. Soon Jonathan learns that he has a role to play in The Order, a secretive group that seeks to monitor and control doors and portals, to help save Aurora and protect Earth.
If you have read a book by Jeff VanderMeer then you must understand how it can be difficult to make sense of them or find the words to describe what is going on. The ones I have read so far are definitely a mix of weird and nonsense, including A Peculiar Peril.
I really enjoyed most of the characters in this book. The story jumps around between location and perspective, but I loved the main cast of characters - Jonathan, Rack, and Danny. At first, I really struggled with getting into this because of the chapters that followed Crowley. They were just so boring for me because I could not connect to them. As the story developed, I appreciated these perspectives more.
Aurora seems mind boggling but very cool at the same time. I loved the whole alternate world aspect as this is something I enjoy in a lot other books too. Aurora is even more unique because I never knew what to expect. I really liked the talking animals though.
The plot of this book was really mixed for me. Sometimes it was very eventful and engaging, but I lost interest in certain parts. When it picked up, it was really enjoyable though. My advice would be to not take it too seriously and just go with the flow.
A Peculiar Peril is a wild ride. I appreciate VanderMeer’s voice and creativity, but I expected a little more in terms of plot and character development. Certain things felt slow or unnecessary, so I wish the story really stuck with the great parts more. While this was not a perfect read for me, I am still very interested in checking out the second book.
adalieslittlelibrary's review
I'll come back to this one. I just have to have the time/be in the right mood for it