Small Spaces -Review

Author: Katherine Arden

Genre: Middle Grade

Format: Kindle

Pages: 218

Between Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon, and my library, a lot of book recommendation fall in my lap. No book series has been recommended to me more than the Small Spaces series. Usually the third book in the series, Dark Water. And every time I think I should put that on hold, only to realize it's the third of four books.

Finally, when the book popped up again on my Library for You page, I snagged the first book. I had high hopes for this book because Katherine Arden is my roommate's favorite author, and she always tells me how much I'd love this series. 

So with her telling me it's a good series, and how the entire internet telling me to read this series. I jumped in with both feet with no working knowledge of this series, other than the Children of the Corn vibes that the cover gave. 

The entire story is told through Ollie's point of view, and she's just experienced a pretty big loss. So she's isolated herself recently, quitting all things she once loved, and just sort of existing. But, even then she has a big heart that we see quickly as she comes to the quick rescue of a classmate she doesn't necessarily like all that much.

It doesn't take long for the story to kick off, or get all that creepy. I will say Olivia is braver than I was at her age. I don't think I'd confront a crying lady trying to throw something in a lake, but considering Ollie's parents, I wasn't surprised she'd done it by the end of the book. 

The pace of the books is quick, there's no lag anywhere, and the backstory fits perfectly in with the front part of the story. Small Spaces starts out more of a mystery book, than a ghost story. However, that quickly changes once you hit about the halfway part of the book.

That is when it starts to lean into those Children of the Corn vibe. 

The two best parts of this book are how well our three kids (Ollie, Coco, and Brian) eventually start to work together. Like with any Middle-Grade novel, each of those three brings something important to the story. Though Coco's surprised me, she quickly became my favorite character. She just tries so hard.

But, all three are great characters.

The second thing was how Katherin Arden wove this story together. It is a fast story, but there is foreshadowing throughout the entire book. And, if you pay close enough attention you start to pick up little hints. So before the book ended, I had a pretty good idea who the Smiling Man was. 

Bonus points for how clever the mystery was. While I figured out who our villain was, I still wasn't really sure how they were going to get back home. Because I spent the whole book trying to figure out how mist becomes rain. To the point, I had to stop myself from Googling it. 

But, the answer was right in front of my face the whole time.

I've already put the second book of the series, Dead Voices, on hold at the library. If I don't do anything else this year with my reading, I will finish this quartet!

HAPPY READING!!