Small Spaces

this was such a fun middle-grade spooky read that brought me back to my 3rd grade days of sitting in the library during lunch to read Goosebumps & bringing those books home over the weekend.
I loved following Ollie & friends as they navigate through the ‘other world' to get back home. also, really love the cover! reminds me of jeepers creepers.

3.5 stars

I picked this book up because I loved Katherine Arden's other books, the Winternight Trilogy. I didn't realize this was for a younger audience until I started, so that's my bad.

Jumping into the book. It's a nice spooky little mystery. The kind you want to read as a kid in October for a little bit of spook. The main character comes across a creepy book, visits a farm, and then the creepy factor kicks in.

The book itself did a nice blend between creating a spooky atmosphere and being appropriate for a young audience. There were times it got really spooky, but Katherine did a great job at turning it around to keep kids from getting too scared. Her greatest strength in writing is definitely creating an immersive atmosphere.

Now why only 3.5? A few things, the MC is not very likeable, especially at the beginning of the book. Lashing out, and being overall unpleasant. Yes, she has gone through a traumatic experience, but her attitude and actions towards others is excessive. The other thing that got me was that this book felt old. Not like a classic, but like someone my age trying to write based on their memory of grade school rather than talking with kids currently in that age group. While some actions are similar to kids of every decade, other actions were incredibly out of place. In fact, if you told me this book came out in the mid 90's, I'd believe it.

Overall, it was an enjoyable, quick read. Though I didn't find it nearly as memorable as the Winternight trilogy.