Empty Smiles (Small Spaces #4) - Katherine Arden⁣

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 3/5 ✰⁣

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⚯͛ Reviewing for the whole series.⁣

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⚯͛ I oddly remember pennywise throughout the whole journey. He's like the version of it, but in these series, they called him the smiling man.⁣

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⚯͛ What I love about these kids is even though it's too big and too strange for them, they did their best to solve every hard situation and help each other to the best they can.⁣

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⚯͛ The author has a great way of portraying terrifying scenes in your head. It's fun and terrifying at the same time. I don't know if I can survive if I were in their situation.⁣

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⚯͛ About the ending... Wow. It ended too soon. It felt rushed. 🙄🤔 It was disappointing. Hmmm. I was just in the momentum of anticipating the climax of this story, but it ended abruptly I was completely lost. I felt betrayed. I have expectations about this one, I thought oh yes there's a clown involved. This must be the creepiest book in the series. (-_-)⁣

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⚯͛ I still recommend you to read it. I might have a different perspective than yours. It's definitely worth your time.⁣

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(The rating of 3 stars would be for the last book. The overall rating for the whole series is 4 stars.)⁣

█║▌║▌SYNOPSIS ▌║▌║█⁣

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⚯͛ A boy who went missing at a nearby traveling carnival appears at the town swimming hole, terrified and rambling. He tells anyone who'll listen about the mysterious man who took him. How the man agreed to let him go on one condition: that he deliver a message. Play if you dare. 🤡⁣

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⚯͛ Game on! The smiling man has finally made his move. Now it’s Coco, Brian, and Phil’s turn to make theirs. And they know just where to start. The traveling carnival is coming to Evansburg. 🎠⁣

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ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ : 08/12/2022⁣

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𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 26 | 50⁣

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ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: Middle Grade, Horror, Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction, Paranormal⁣

#augustread2022 #emptysmiles #katherinearden #book4 #series #middlegrade #bookstagram #bibliobibuli #randomunbosom #bookwhore

Dark Waters (Small Spaces #3) - Katherine Arden⁣⁣

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 3/5 ✰⁣

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⚯͛ It's not the strongest storyline and plot in the series. The book cover is fantastic but the book itself was just too short.⁣

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⚯͛ This just felt flat and dull. Great idea but poor execution. I felt that the atmosphere is not scary or creepy. Also, I don't think adding Phil to the trio is necessary. It doesn't make sense.⁣

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⚯͛ I wonder if this is written by the same author? 🤷 Because it's different from the first two books. What happened?! Seriously? I'm afraid to read the last book. 🤦⁣

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█║▌║▌SYNOPSIS ▌║▌║█⁣

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⚯͛ When they're left shipwrecked on an island haunted by a monster on both land and sea, Brian's survival instincts kick in and it's up to him to help everyone work together and find a way to escape.⁣

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⚯͛ One thing is for sure, the smiling man is back and he wants a rematch. And this time Brian is ready to play.⁣

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ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ : 08/12/2022⁣

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𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 24 | 50⁣

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ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: Middle Grade, Horror, Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction, Paranormal⁣

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#augustread2022 #darkwaters #katherinearden #book3 #series #middlegrade #bookstagram #bibliobibuli #randomunbosom #bookwhore

Dead Voices (Small Spaces #2) - Katherine Arden

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 4.5/5 ✰

“Perhaps only to frighten us. Weaken us. Ghosts like it when you’re afraid. It means you acknowledge them.”

⚯͛ A MASTERPIECE! Terrifying but a fun read! Even better than the first book!

⚯͛ The adventures of the trio keeps getting better in this second installment of Small Spaces series. I remember Harry Potter but in a creepy way. The friendship is solid. How they care and fight for each other.

“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.”

⚯͛ I got goosebumps reading this! This book is eerie and creepy in the best way ever. SO ATMOSPHERIC! KUDOS Miss Arden! A great ghost story for everyone!

⚯͛ Yay! Highly recommended to everyone who loves creepy middle-grade stories.

█║▌║▌SYNOPSIS ▌║▌║█

⚯͛ Having survived sinister scarecrows and the malevolent smiling man in Small Spaces, newly minted best friends Ollie, Coco, and Brian are ready to spend a relaxing winter break skiing together with their parents at Mount Hemlock Resort. 🎃

⚯͛ Ollie, Coco, and Brian are determined to make the best of being snowed in, but odd things keep happening. Coco is convinced she has seen a ghost, and Ollie is having nightmares about frostbitten girls pleading for help. 🏔️

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ : 08/11/2022

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 23 | 50

ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: Middle Grade, Horror, Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction, Paranormal

#augustread2022 #deadvoices #katherinearden #book2 #series #middlegrade #bookstagram #bibliobibuli #randomunbosom #bookwhore

Small Spaces (Small Spaces #1) - Katherine Arden

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 4/5 ✰

“Avoid large places at night. Keep to small.”

⚯͛ Fast-paced, creepy, and fun. A must-read!  

“You might get to know characters in books, Ollie thought, but getting to know a human was an entirely different thing.”

⚯͛ I love the characters. The friendship. The eerie atmosphere. I didn't expect the twist about the smiling man. Though I like the whole story, there are still plot holes. I have questions that hopefully will be answered by the next book.

⚯͛ Yay! Highly recommended to everyone who loves creepy middle-grade stories.

█║▌║▌SYNOPSIS ▌║▌║█

⚯͛ After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie who only finds solace in books discovers a chilling ghost story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who loved her, and a peculiar deal made with “the smiling man”—a sinister specter who grants your most tightly held wish, but only for the ultimate price. 🎩🃏

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ : 08/11/2022

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 22 | 50

ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: Middle Grade, Horror, Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction, Paranormal

#augustread2022 #smallspaces #katherinearden #book1 #series #middlegrade #bookstagram #bibliobibuli #randomunbosom #bookwhore

Koi wa Ameagari no You ni (After the Rain)⁣⁣

ღ Akira Tachibana, a reserved high school student and former track runner, has not been able to race the same as she used to since she experienced a severe foot injury. And although she is regarded as attractive by her classmates, she is not interested in the boys around school.⁣

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ღ While working part-time at the Garden Cafe, Akira begins to develop feelings for the manager—a 45-year-old man named Masami Kondou—despite the large age gap. Kondou shows genuine concern and kindness toward the customers of his restaurant, which, while viewed by others as soft or weak, draws Akira to him.⁣

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ღ Spending time together at the restaurant, they grow closer, which only strengthens her feelings. Weighed down by these uncertain emotions, Akira finally resolves to confess, but what will be the result?⁣

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[Written by MAL Rewrite]⁣

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Tags: Comedy Drama Romance Seinen Work Life Based on a Manga⁣

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Rating: 9/10 ✨⁣

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SURPRISINGLY GOOD!⁣

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Not the usual genre or anime I watch. I'm happy I came across the first episode on one of my anime applications. Curiosity got the best of me. It didn't disappoint me! 🤍⁣

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Story of finding and accepting yourself, passion and friendship. I enjoyed it a lot. Wholesome and heartwarming.⁣

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The ending is satisfying. Highly recommended! ☂️🌧️🌈🪄⁣

#anime #aftertherain #seinen #comedy #romance #basedonamanga #worklife #drama #animelove #august2022 #animewrapup

Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari (Poco's Udon World)

ღ Taking a break from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, Souta Tawara returns to his hometown in Kagawa. Though his parents are no longer around, his former home and family-owned udon restaurant reminds him of the times his family was still together. Reminiscing about his childhood, Souta enters the udon restaurant and discovers a grimy young boy sleeping.

ღ At first, Souta thinks nothing of the chance encounter and provides the boy with food and clothing. However, to his surprise, the boy suddenly sprouts a furry pair of ears and a tail! Souta soon learns that the nameless boy is actually the rumored shapeshifting tanuki that has been inhabiting Kagawa for many years. Thinking that the boy has been living a lonely life, he decides to take him in and name him Poko.

ღ Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari follows the heartwarming relationship between Souta and Poko, and through the time they spend together, Souta recalls his own past, the place he left behind for the city, and the relationship he had with his father.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Tags: Seinen Slice of Life Iyashikei Japanese Mythology Supernatural Youkai Based on a Manga

Rating: 9.5/10 ✨

☸ A heartwarming, whimsical story with a bittersweet ending. I love Poco from the very first episode. All the characters are likeable and relatable.

☸ Everything about this anime is remarkable, powerful and effective! The twists and turn, the adventure! It portrays how life sucks at times. About compassion, kindness, happiness and healing.

☸ Even though I cried at the ending, because it's a bittersweet reality. I know in my heart that life is not always rainbows and butterflies. I still like how it ended.

☸ HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! 🥺❣️

#anime #pocosudonworld #seinen #sliceoflife #japanesemythology #basedonanovel #animelove #june2022 #animewrapup

Gyokou no Nikuko-chan (Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko)

❀ Easy-going, cheerful, passionate and always ready to eat something delicious, mother Nikuko falls for the bad guys. Her happy motto: "Being ordinary is best of all."

❀ Naturally Nikuko's loud and bold spirit embarrasses 11-year-old Kikuko, her daughter. With nothing in common except living together on a boat at the port, a miracle occurs when their secret is revealed.

Source: ANN

Tags: Drama Ship Based on a Novel

Rating: 9.5/10 ✨

ஐ Whimsical, heartfelt and a masterpiece!

ஐ This is a random movie for me. It's a hidden gem and underated anime. I love it. It's simple yet captivating story. I definitely rewatch this soon. 🥺♥️

ஐ Highly recommended!

#anime #gyokounonikukochan #fortunefavorsladynikuko #drama #ship #basedonanovel #animelove #june2022 #animewrapup