allisonsmith120's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
emily_mh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Arden absolutely NAILED making this book scary. I mean, the CLOWNS? I was genuinely terrified and I am literally 24. I don't know how middle-graders are coping with the level of spooky here, but big ups. Because it was frightening from the off, I was utterly hooked and really enjoyed my time reading. I also found the plot compelling, seeing Ollie trying to escape, and Brian, Coco and Phil trying to find her. The carnival provided a great backdrop for all the action.
However, the pacing was again off. It felt like it took an age for Brian, Coco and Phil to get anywhere. Additionally, I think the watch should have been featured more. Finally, I don't think the Smiling Man needed to be humanised.
However, the pacing was again off. It felt like it took an age for Brian, Coco and Phil to get anywhere. Additionally, I think the watch should have been featured more. Finally, I don't think the Smiling Man needed to be humanised.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Kidnapping
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Grief, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Child death, Murder, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Major: missing loved one Minor: drought, loss of loved one, illness, self-injurydivine529's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Let me start this off by saying I hate clowns, so I always knew this book was going to be hard for me to read, and I wasn't wrong. But while I had a hard time with it, I also loved it a lot.
This is the final installment in the "Small Spaces" series and as with the previous books, it's themed around a season; this one is summer and deals with a carnival with creepy dolls and clowns (not a fan). We're back with the whole crew - Ollie, who is with the Smiling Man, Coco and Brian who are figuring out how to save her. And as always chaos and suspense ensues.
This was by far the creepiest book of the 4 for me. The other three had creepy factors, but in more of an eerie way. This one was a lot more of the jump scare type in some ways, but still heavily focused on the eerie. I suppose that's not too surprising because as the series goes on, the stakes are higher.
As always, I loved Ollie, Coco and Brian, but I also loved that we got to know the Smiling Man a bit more. I've always found him to be a fascinating character and I'm glad we got to know more, but still by the end I wanted even more still. That's a thing I've noticed about Katherine Arden's works, and particularly her endings, I've always got more questions that I want answered, but I'm also satisfied with the ends. That was the case here for me too.
I know a lot of people who didn't like this ending, and while I had my issues with it (it could've used a few extra chapters to make it feel less abrupt), I also found it to be a good ending and very fitting.
Overall this is an absolutely fantastic series, and one I can definitely see myself revisiting year after year. I love this world and these characters and Katherine Arden's work, and I'm looking forward to revisiting these again in the future.
This is the final installment in the "Small Spaces" series and as with the previous books, it's themed around a season; this one is summer and deals with a carnival with creepy dolls and clowns (not a fan). We're back with the whole crew - Ollie, who is with the Smiling Man, Coco and Brian who are figuring out how to save her. And as always chaos and suspense ensues.
This was by far the creepiest book of the 4 for me. The other three had creepy factors, but in more of an eerie way. This one was a lot more of the jump scare type in some ways, but still heavily focused on the eerie. I suppose that's not too surprising because as the series goes on, the stakes are higher.
As always, I loved Ollie, Coco and Brian, but I also loved that we got to know the Smiling Man a bit more. I've always found him to be a fascinating character and I'm glad we got to know more, but still by the end I wanted even more still. That's a thing I've noticed about Katherine Arden's works, and particularly her endings, I've always got more questions that I want answered, but I'm also satisfied with the ends. That was the case here for me too.
I know a lot of people who didn't like this ending, and while I had my issues with it (it could've used a few extra chapters to make it feel less abrupt), I also found it to be a good ending and very fitting.
Overall this is an absolutely fantastic series, and one I can definitely see myself revisiting year after year. I love this world and these characters and Katherine Arden's work, and I'm looking forward to revisiting these again in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Confinement, Grief, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
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