Rating: 4.5/5
Summary: Jacob has always been ordinary, he’s lived an ordinary life though he yearns for the extraordinary. His grandfather used to tell him fantastical stories of his childhood and of kids with unique and peculiar powers. Jacob believes the stories until he watches his grandfather die in his own arms. After finding a mysterious letter, he knows that he must travel to the island of his grandfather’s childhood. What he finds there is even stranger than he expected and Jacob begins an extraordinary journey into a peculiar world.
This book has garnered a lot of hype, while looking at other reviews the main thing that comes up in each of them is the vintage photographs the author uses. These are real photographs of strange occurrences, from a floating girl to a boy with bees living in him. I enjoyed the photographs, they complemented the text and allowed the reader to really see what the author was creating. Not only do they add to the mystery and creepy tone of the novel, but they make it stand out. While this book is most certainly YA, it has a uniqueness by telling the story traditionally and with the photos.
The plot of this book was kind of slow in the beginning. What slowed it down was Jacob’s own doubts, he started to disbelieve his grandfather’s stories and it sent him into a downward spiral. Once Jacob left to find the island of his grandfather’s childhood, the story picked up immensely since that’s basically where everything goes down. The plot kept me guessing the whole time and I was always curious to know what would happen next.
I’m always kind of scared with male narrators, it can be a risky place for a young feminist reader. The whole notion that to be a man you have to like sports and violence is ridiculous and dumb. Also, I would have no interest in such a flat and stereotypical character. However, Jacob is a very pleasant narrator, he is really just a kind boy who misses his grandfather and wants to know the truth. It was so easy to like him, he’s kind of like Percy Jackson in that regard. They both are very likable characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would highly encourage anyone to read it. Unless you get nightmares easily, then you might want to stick to lighter stories. While I don’t think I’d consider this horror, it is definitely a creepier book. Lastly, you should read this book because Millard: Sassy invisible boy, that’s all you need to know.