Review by neuroqueer - Small Spaces

neuroqueer 's review for:

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

4.5

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: No

Protagonists

[ ] Hate them
[ ] Dislike them
[ ] Accept their existence
[ ] Like them
[x] Between love and like
[ ] Love them

Side Character

[ ] Forgettable
[ ] Terrible
[ ] They’re ok
[x] Like them
[ ] Love them

Antagonist(s)

[ ] Forgettable
[ ] Terrible
[ ] Cliché
[ ] Serviceable
[ ] Likeable enough to not want to dislike them
[x] Love to hate them

Plot

[ ] Average, generic plot
[ ] Average plot made interesting with creativity
[ ] Crazy plot that is either so bad it’s good or just plain bad
[x] Unique plot that keeps you interested

Writing

[ ] Terribly written
[x] Very simple but effective language
[ ] Average writing that does the job
[ ] Beautiful but accessible writing
[ ] Challenging

Short Summary

This story is so good. This is the first middle grade book I’ve read since…..middle grade and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The main plot is about a young girl named Olivia who lost her mother and is closed off to everyone except her books. Thanks to a series of unfortunate events, Olivia needs to break out of her shell to help her classmates survive against a powerful supernatural entity. Olivia is an intelligent, brave and crafty young woman who I think is a great role model for kids. The other characters are interesting in their own right too. The character growth is just nice to see.. The writing is simple but very effective. I felt those tense moments during chases and stressful situations. I did really care about what would happen to them at the end. At some points, I could instantly tell what was going to happen but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment. I’d recommend this book for a quick, creepy read for kids and adults. I plan on reading the next one.