Review: The Peculiar

The Peculiar (The Peculiar, book one)
By Stefan Bachmann, read by Peter Altschuler
Published 2012 by Greenwillow Books

Bartholomew and his sister are Peculiars - changelings. They try their best to remain unnoticed. But when a mysterious lady arrives in his neighborhood, seemingly up to no good, it's going to be very difficult for Bartholomew to keep himself away.

It's never a good sign when I start a review by saying I think I would have done better with this one in print rather than audio. I'm really sad that's the case with this one, because I was really looking forward to it.

When it held my attention, I really enjoyed what I was hearing. But that's the problem here - this book did not continuously hold my attention in audio. I've a feeling that, plot-wise, it's not exactly a thrill-a-minute and didn't translate well to audio. However, the story was interesting and well-written. I liked what I heard, but unfortunately, I had a hard time staying completely engaged in the audio. As such, I'm not sure what more I can write in this review. I liked the alternating of the story and, as I said, when it held my interest it was enjoyable. I think I'll read it in print before picking up the sequel, as I'd like to have a better idea of what I missed in audio and I am indeed interested enough to want to pick up the companion novel.