The Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs is the third part of the Peculiar Children Series and marks halfway between the beginnning and the sixth and last part.

The series is set in a world where some children have special, peculiar abilities, that set them apart from the "Ordinaries". They mean no harm and live peacefully under the guidance and protection of "Ymbrines": peculiar ladies who can shapeshift between human and bird. But all is not well in peculiardom: "Hollowgasts", and "Wights", peculiars who tried to achieve eternal life, are out to attack them because they feed on their eyeballs. Ymbrines and Peculiars have hid away in "time loops": places where the day recurs over and over and over again – meaning that while in the time loop nobody ever ages, but also meaning that nothing anybody ever does has consequences beyond the end of the day. 21st-century youth Jake accidentally enters such a time loop, is sucked into the 1940s on a small island off Wales and of course immediately needs to save (peculiar) civilization as Wights and Hollows invade and destroy their time loop.

The first part of the series is constructed around vintage photos collected by the author, early predecessors of photoshopped or ai-ed images that claim to show children with supernatural powers. This undoubtedly explains some of the unexpected plottwists and a general, friendly bizarreness of setting and plot. Unfortunately, the charm has worn off in the third installment. The vintage photographs are still there, but they no longer carry the plot, more often than not they have only loose connections to peculiardom or the events of the novel. Also, tone and speed of the narration are more hectic than in the first and second part. Right from the start we are thrown into a desparate chase under permanent attack and ever-new threats. There is rarely a moment of rest and rebuilding, almost no reflection on goals, ideals oridentity. Which is a pity, because the confrontation of 21st and 20th century, of everyday-life in the US and world-saving heroism in Europe offers a lot to reflect upon.

As I said: this is only the third of six volumes, but it is a in-between finale. It also appears to be a good point to stop and not read on for another three volumes.