Dark Waters (Small Spaces, #3)
Katherine Arden
New York Times bestselling author Katherine Arden returns with another creepy, spine-tingling adventure in this follow-up to the critically acclaimed Small Spaces and Dead Voices. Having met and outsmarted the smiling man in Dead Voices but fearful of when he'll come again, Ollie, Brian, and Coco are anxiously searching for a way to defeat him once and for all. By staying together and avoiding remote places, they've steered clear of him so far but their constant worry and stress is taking a toll on their lives and friendship. So when Ollie's dad and Coco's mom plan a "fun" boat trip on Lake Champlain, the three are apprehensive to say the least. They haven't had the best of luck on their recent trips and even worse their frenemy Phil is on the boat as well. But when a lake monster destroys their boat, they end up shipwrecked on a deserted island. This isn't just any island though. It's hidden from the outside world in a fog and unless everyone works together to find a way to escape, they won't survive long.
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0 03.5 stars
Cover 4; Characters 3; Plot 3; Pace 4; Engagement 4; Worldbuilding 3; Readability 4; Theme 3; Enjoyment 4
I'm going to call book 3 my favorite of the series so far and a large part of that is because of the ending. This took a distinct turn from the style of ending that we've seen in books 1 and 2 and I really enjoyed it.
Dark Waters definitely had good creep factor and made me wonder what was going to happen next.
My one issue with this book (and series overall so far) is the message about keeping secrets from adults. I know that the adults being in the dark is a common theme in MG and YA books, but in this one it feels especially present. The kids regularly discuss telling their parents about what the smiling man is doing to them but ultimately decide not to because he's threatened their parents safety if they do. I think it's wrong to give kids this idea because oftentimes in the real world when children are abused they are told to keep quiet or risk their parents being hurt.
I'm not faulting the author for this choice, I don't think it's intended to have a negative impact on children, it's just part of the story. But if your kids are reading this, it's worth noting.
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