The Good: I saw this book on the shelves of the YA Fiction, and I convinced myself that I had to have it. The cover work is beautifully designed. The black-and-white vintage photograph of a hauntingly bizarre floating girl, coupled with beautiful text and Victorian-esque borders caught my eye instantly. The inside of the book is speckled with vintage black-and-white photography that usually adds to the story very well.

The story includes several very humorous moments, and I found the peculiar children very likable characters. I looked forward to hearing descriptions of them, and really liked the interactions they had with the main character. The photography also really added to getting to know the characters.

I found the aspects of time-travel and superpowers (or "peculiarness") really interesting as they were described in the book. I liked how they were described well enough to give a context, but not over-described so that it got boring or too technical.

The Bad: The "big fight scene" of the book seemed a little bit short and drawn-out, without much of a crescendo. I also found the ending rather disappointing, since it sort of leaves off in the middle of one of their adventures. I was wanting to know what happened to some of the characters. Either a sequel needs to come around, or the novel would have been better ending at a later point in the story.

I also was feeling like some of the characters in the beginning needed more exploration. I would've liked to get to know the relationship between Jacob and his father a little bit better, especially before they went to the island. It would have also been interesting to know what his grandfather was like when he was living in the home. I wish that the death of his grandfather in the beginning wasn't the end we really heard/saw him.


Overall, I liked the book. It was a good, quick read. The pace dragged in some places, but it was an enjoyable book. I'd be interested in reading either a prequel or a sequel.