Empty Smiles By: Katherine Arden

Scared, afraid, panicked and fearful. These are the emotions the characters Ollie, Bryan,  Coco and Phil face in the novel Empty Smiles, the fourth and final book of the Small Spaces series by Katherine Arden. It’s been three months since Ollie made a risky decision and made a deal with the smiling man to save all of her loved ones. The smiling man still promises them that they can still get Ollie back, but they worry that he lied to them and they can’t get back together and she’s gone forever. The smiling man makes his move but now it’s on Coco, Bryan and Phil to make their life changing decision. While they make their decision Ollie finds out the horribleness of the Smiling Man and his leadership. They will do ANYTHING to save Ollie but quickly realize this “game” is getting more threatening and deadly than it was before. If they don’t beat him soon the game will end for everyone. But, they only have till sunrise so time gets much more limited. Every time the Smiling Man conquers someone, they turn into a clown. Ollie currently is trapped behind the mist which is like a whole different world. There was a boy who went missing at a nearby carnival and is at the swimming hole. Will the game get so deadly and dangerous to Coco, Brian, and Phil that they will have to end the game for everyone and let Ollie suffer? Will they put their friendship with Ollie first and see each other again? To find out, read Empty Smiles By Katherine Arden. 

If you liked Empty Smiles by Katherine Arden you might also enjoy The Story That Cannot Be Told by J. Kasper Kramer. These books connect together because in The Story Cannot Be Told, Ileana is scared after getting sent off by her parents to live with her grandparents. Another connection is that Ileana knows that danger is never too far from her, like the secret spies and police. Ileana knows  Will Ileana help save her grandparents and others, or will she chicken out and be scared of getting caught by the secret spies and police? To find out, read The Story That Cannot Be Told By J. Kasper Kramer, but don’t forget to read Empty Smiles By Katherine Arden.