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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Actual rating a 4.5
I loved this book. I loved this series. Didn't absolutely love the ending of this book? It felt a bit rushed, which is why I took the half star off. It just doesn't really feel like the ending of the series? Like I still have that clamoring feeling of anticipation for the next book, and yet, I believe that this is the last one in the series.
Also Essentially what I'm saying is that I NEED MORE! I love this series so much!
I loved this book. I loved this series. Didn't absolutely love the ending of this book? It felt a bit rushed, which is why I took the half star off. It just doesn't really feel like the ending of the series? Like I still have that clamoring feeling of anticipation for the next book, and yet, I believe that this is the last one in the series.
Also
Spoiler
I'm obsessed with the entire concept of the smiling man being lonely, like 1. very delicious characterization but also 2. the comedy potential of the smiling man becoming essentially Olivia's weird cousin that just shows up sometimes. Like not anything quite so overtly evil or dangerous. But just him trying to come up with flimsier and flimsier excuses to come and say hi.The story was great, but it was rushed; the ending happened at warped speed leaving me wanting an ending that finished the story and was more in depth: "what" was the smiling man and where did he come from. It was too open-ended and vague. Everything that happened after they found the second key was just rushed. The Smiling man did everything he could to stop the gang from their goal and he just acquiesced at the end without a fight? When Ollie wondered if he couldn't get to the second key himself, because he was alone, I wondered if the third key that emerged from the first two, was a key to open a permanent door to the human realm like in the olden days. He seemed pretty interested in the door being opened...the reader will never know, though, because it just ended with a whimper that didn't wrap up the series. Is the smiling man truly done with Ollie and her friends?
I am baffled by the ending of this????
Up until the last 5? Pages - I was ready to call this the 2nd best instalment in the series (Small Spaces being first obviously)
It built up to such an intense climax, it introduced so many new ideas and dropped so many little clues, and then out of literally nowhere, it just resolved everything within 2 pages, with no explanation, and wrapped the whole thing up.
It was lacking emotion, it was rushed and honestly, the last few pages were kind of poorly written (waaaay more cheesy and juvenile than the rest of the series)
I actually even double checked, because I thought it was a 4 book series, to see if I was wrong - surely they wouldn’t drop all those open ideas and leave them hanging unresolved? But nope, that was indeed the finale. It honestly read like the author herself had gotten as far as the final pages before getting kidnapped by clowns herself and having to wrap up the ending with minutes to spare.
Super disappointed as I LOVE this series and again, up until the ending, this was easily one of the better instalments- it also felt like she knew her younger readers had grown a few years since the first book came out, and she was leaning into more mature writing and scarier horror sequences throughout the book, so it was even more of a bummer to have the final pages revert back to the most basic, cheesy, stereotypical middle grade vibes.
Really let down by this one :( but still giving it 3 stars because up until those final pages I did love it.
Up until the last 5? Pages - I was ready to call this the 2nd best instalment in the series (Small Spaces being first obviously)
It built up to such an intense climax, it introduced so many new ideas and dropped so many little clues, and then out of literally nowhere, it just resolved everything within 2 pages, with no explanation, and wrapped the whole thing up.
It was lacking emotion, it was rushed and honestly, the last few pages were kind of poorly written (waaaay more cheesy and juvenile than the rest of the series)
I actually even double checked, because I thought it was a 4 book series, to see if I was wrong - surely they wouldn’t drop all those open ideas and leave them hanging unresolved? But nope, that was indeed the finale. It honestly read like the author herself had gotten as far as the final pages before getting kidnapped by clowns herself and having to wrap up the ending with minutes to spare.
Super disappointed as I LOVE this series and again, up until the ending, this was easily one of the better instalments- it also felt like she knew her younger readers had grown a few years since the first book came out, and she was leaning into more mature writing and scarier horror sequences throughout the book, so it was even more of a bummer to have the final pages revert back to the most basic, cheesy, stereotypical middle grade vibes.
Really let down by this one :( but still giving it 3 stars because up until those final pages I did love it.
Solidly creepy. Loved getting to see more of the smiling man. Wayyyy rushed the ending though (as always -_-)
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Has clowns and doll in it
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes