A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

Starting off it needs to be known that I need the next book. That ending floored me. It was a perfect sudden but inevitable. The Ymbrines needed to not have unlimited power over the Peculiars, though obviously, the American system is not a good one either. 

Another very interesting thing in this book was the slow undercurrent of the new big bad introduction. I can’t really say much about the new big bad, mostly because they are still in the shadows, but I am very interested in this new plot line. 

Jacob and Emma. I will admit I rocket between ‘I love them’ and 'I love them but it is a bit odd’. But their relationship in this book was so nuanced and interesting. I cried once in this book and it was during the first half of that conversation. The second half was amazing and angry and perfectly executed. And the way the book ended with their relationship. I am very interested to see where these two characters go. 

Really the way this book ended with the relationships between Jacob and all of the children, and the children with each other were all interesting and all something that I am interested in the future of. This book continued to suffer a tiny bit from its larger cast, I am constantly being confused by which child is which child. Enoch is the grumpy necromancer ish dude? Who is apparently cute? Is he also the foodie? And Millard Nullings is the invisible boy. I could but putting the right last name for the invisible boy on the wrong child. But I don’t think I am. The children all have different personalities and aren’t one big mass but sometimes it is easier to lump them into one big mass plus Emma who is easy to separate. Because of the separation of the children in this book, it was easier to see them as individuals, but obviously, that only helped for the children that were with Jacob.

Despite my slight complaint that there are so many characters in this world one of my favorite parts of this book were the new characters. It does seem like I am trying to have my cake and eat it too with this juxtaposition, but the new characters are just so good. And because they are new I think the separation issue isn’t there. 

I specifically loved Paul. I am so bummed that we don’t seem to be going to spend more time with Paul, but I would love to be wrong about this. Paul was an excellent character on his own, I am very interested in his peculiarity and his personality, but Paul was also the catalyst for Jacob to have to confront the legacy of racism in past and current America. I thought that direct connection to the past and present with Paul was a wonderful addition in a book series that has been quite white throughout. Not the whitest, but you can see Riggs adding more people in a manner that is maybe more thoughtful. Basically, I want a whole book of Paul. That is what I am saying. 

Noor and Lilly are great as well! Loving more ladies, loving the disability rep, and we have an Indian American character. All this is wonderful. Love the flirtation that develops, hope we somehow get more of that but I have no idea how that would be possible. I ADORE that Noor takes no shit, she looks at the plot and says 'I see what you want me to do, but I am new and don’t know you so politely fuck off’ and I am so excited that we will 100% be seeing more of her. She is excellent. 

The beginning was tense and upsetting and wonderful. Then I was a bit bored for a hot second. Then the mystery of this book begins to slowly unravel and really pull you through this action-packed last third. 

I also loved the location hopping. Getting to see peculiar America was fantastic and I am so excited to get to experience more of this world. 

If you liked the first trilogy then 100% jump into this, it seems like this ride is going to be awesome.

I gave this book five stars on Goodreads and finished reading it on December 10th, 2018.