In “Library of Souls,” the final book in the “Peculiar Children” series, I was finally, to my great joy, surprised. The characters continued to be predictable to me, but the plot took some really exciting twists and turns down some very imaginative paths that I couldn’t have seen coming, but were well-laid-down-for in the first two books.
This was a satisfying and thrilling end to a series that I really enjoyed reading, even if it did also lay me low with a whole bunch of despair and fear.
I’m not going to share much of the plot here, because third book spoilers, you guys. But I will take an opportunity to highlight how satisfying Jacob’s mastery of his “peculiarity” is when he finally is able to put his finger on the nature of it. His growth is believable and rich, and his contribution to the team is finally commensurate with the leadership with which the group had been until now kind of dubiously charging him. He finally earns it, and how, and it’s beautiful, even if it’s all still tinged with the sadness and fear that are at the heart of this series.
It’s still all far darker than I feel like I had signed up for. I felt the need to warn a friend whose 10 year old daughter is loving Harry Potter that this series is far too old for her. I thought these were YA books, but honestly, they are bloody and scary, and filled with evil. Did I mention that there are Nazis?
I hate Nazis.