Peregrine Harker and the Black Death by Luke Hollands

(Started: December 27, 2013; Finished: February 22, 2014)

Summary/Description:

Let's admit that there are books that are much easier to comprehend than others. Whenever I've finished a tear-jerking, overly dramatic novels or those stories that give us heavy burdens, I always opt to read books that cater to a younger audience; like Artemis Fowl, the first Harry Potter book or the 39 Clues. What can I say? I am still definitely a kid at heart and will forever be one. Don't you agree with me that such tales are instant happy boosters? :) That's when I saw Peregrine Harker and the Black Death on Netgalley and read its blurb. I cannot resist to explore another childish world and unleash the big dreamer in me.

Like with Artemis, Harry, and Dan & Amy, one of the many reasons I like about Peregrine Harker is his ability to dream bigger than himself. There's the ambition, the drive, the goals and he acts on it quite damn fast that he even dissuades his superior to get the juice he needed to write an article. He's a journalist which I also liked about him since I've always wanted to be a writer. Well, maybe someday. You'll never know. He's also very brave even if he knows he's in a dangerous spot. I have to give him that. Plus of course, his personality and the accent I imagined this boy to have completed the whole package. You gotta have some accent, kid! Funny thing was, despite liking a character, Peregrine still has flaws that somehow popped my bubble. He was the damsel-in-distress. At first, I was like, "yeah, he definitely did not see it coming. Good thing someone helped him." But in the long run, it came to a point that it looks like a vicious cycle of putting himself in danger and being rescued by worse, a girl. Maybe he's not athletic but it was mentioned that he was good with a sword since he was trained by Archie Dearlove. He was definitely smart and good in analyzing but I was wondering why he wasn't able to solve everything that was happening to him. I eventually got the memo when I reached the middle part of the story but Peregrine was still clueless and naive. The discrepancies were very noticeable. I just wished he did something remarkable. Maybe something that wasn't initiated by the minor characters. Something risky since he sounded like someone who can be really impulsive.

Plot-wise, I think it was a good story. The feel of mystery was there and the narration was not dull. I like how Luke Holland's witty way of writing. It is refreshing and it will definitely get you glued. In all fairness to him, I was hooked with the story. I wasn't bored and pissed after reading it. It was not a bad book. It has so much potential. That's why I'll be giving Peregrine a chance and I will still read the sequel.

Overall, Peregrine Harker and the Black Death needs a little bit of polishing and it needs to be consistent especially with character building. It tickled my curiosity and it was still a fun book to read. Kids will definitely enjoy reading about Peregrine's adventure. I expect more action-packed and spine-tingling mysteries in the sequel. Well, I hope so. I also have to commend the 'Praise' page. It was quite funny and it was really gutsy of the author to do that. The humor and wittiness of Luke Holland definitely transcends to the book.

For the quotes I got this from the book, please visit my Tumblr:

http://arraabella.tumblr.com

Happy Reading Everyone!