Reviews

Frissons au mont Hemlock by Katherine Arden

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sareasley's review against another edition

3.0

Not quite as strong as the first one. I liked the setting better, but the story didn't pick up until about halfway through. It became clear why we alternated between Ollie and Coco's perspectives, but it felt disjointed and awkward at the beginning. And poor Brian hardly got to do anything. It was great to see Coco shine, though.

sashathewild's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

4.0

bethanjane21's review against another edition

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mysterious

4.0

jullkz's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

mehsi's review against another edition

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5.0

“I believe in memory. I believe in remembering someone you love so well that it becomes kind of like a ghost. You remember someone so hard that it feels like they're in the next room, just around the corner, that they could walk in any minute.”

The second book in the Small Spaces series and FINALLY the library had it. I would have bought it earlier but I got so many books I want and not all the money in the world. So I am delighted I could read the story and see what would happen to our characters now.

This time our characters are off to a brand new lodge but from the start... there is a lot of snow, the kids have dreams, and they even see ghosts. Yep. I just knew this story was going to rock and that the goosebumps would be plentiful. And I was not wrong. It was just so much fun to read and at times I was eager to just hide under my blankets and all the other stuff I had on my bed (I was mostly reading this in my bed late at night). The kids and the adults even get snowed in! Yep. There is so much snow and doesn't seem to stop. Which made the story even more awesome as I love a good creepy story where characters get snowed in.

Then there are the ghosts and the spooky going-ons. The ghosts were frightening as hell! Especially Mother Hemlock. NOPE NOPE NOPE. There are also spooky mirrors (which made me fear mirrors even more than normal) and oh yes, there are strange things happening that can't be explained (like the lights not working properly, strange sounds). Oh and the dreams were freaky as well. Goosebumps all around!

I loved seeing our friends again and see how they are feeling after the events of the previous story. I did feel bad for them as they were looking forward to skiing and relaxing, instead they just go from one creepy story to another.

I am glad that Coco was getting so much character development. She definitely gets stronger and braver in this one and I was cheering in delight.

I was also delighted with a certain thing happening between Coco's mom and Ollie's dad. Oh yes! I hope we see more of that in the next book(s).

I have to say I loved the whole ghosts stuff, and I love the haunted lodge and moving dead animals and the scary mirrors of doom, but

Spoiler

I just wasn't a too big fan when Seth, the Smiling Man took over and things turned into a game. And it wasn't even a fun game as it was just too much like a game of chess, and sorry, I am not a fan of chess.
It was just so good and could have done without Seth. I would have definitely rated it 5 stars if it was just a good old haunting and having the characters find the cause of everything and solve the mystery. You could still have them be dragged to the mirror world and have them do things from both sides, but no game. Please. Maybe have Seth pop up in the end with a grin that this was just the start. That they would face even worse things.

I also wasn't too happy with Ollie at times. I get that she just lost her mother. I get that she is still very much mourning everything. But I got a bit pissed at how she at times treated Coco, how she got pissed at Coco for getting angry with her mom because she should just be grateful that she had a mom. WTF Girl? I love my mom, but our relationship isn't the best, I love her with all my heart, but sorry I have chosen for myself. And back when I was kid, sorry, but you will have arguments with your parents. And how Ollie just seemed to lose all common sense when her mom was mentioned. The thing with the mirror? Could have easily be prevented. Again I understand that she misses her mom, but given the events in the previous books she should be WAY more careful.

Oh, and I would have liked to see the name of the girl currently as MC. We switch between Coco and Ollie, but at times I had a hard time seeing who was the MC. It also didn't help that we switched in between chapters making it even more confusing.

But outside of these points, I had a lot of fun reading this book and it gave me a lot of goosebumps. I am already not a fan of mirrors and there were plenty of mirrors used here. I can't wait for the next book, though I am also a bit worried it will have the same pattern as this one had. I hope the author makes something creative out of it.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

leandrathetbrzero's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny 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

3.5

I love that the author expanded the POV to Coco this time, and the atmospheric tension of the setting and the stress of freezing temperatures were excellent. I did like Small Spaces better though. Will continue the series!