Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Synopsis
Filled with chills, New York Times bestselling author Katherine Arden’s latest installment in the creep-tastic Small Spaces Quartet is sure to haunt. Now in paperback. Until next time. That was the chilling promise the smiling man made to Ollie, Coco, and Brian after they last outsmarted him. And as the trio knows, the smiling man always keeps his promises. So when the lights flicker and a knock sounds at the door, there can only be one explanation: he’s back and a frightening new game is afoot. But before the three friends can unravel the smiling man’s latest nightmarish scheme, they set sail on Lake Champlain, where it’s said Vermont’s very own Loch Ness monster lives. Brian is thrilled. He hasn’t sailed since visiting family in Jamaica, and even the looming threat of the smiling man can’t put a damper on what is guaranteed to finally be a day of fun—even if it is awkward being stuck on a boat with his former best friend, Phil, and his new best friends, Coco and Ollie. But when this crew find themselves shipwrecked on a deserted island and hunted by a monster on both land and sea, fun becomes the last thing on their minds. The smiling man has at long last set the stage for a perilous rematch. But this time, Brian is ready to play.
Is Dark Waters (Small Spaces Quartet) appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 10 and up.
Children face supernatural horror with the return of the smiling man antagonist and encounters with a lake monster. Contains moderate scary elements and peril including being shipwrecked and hunted, appropriate for middle grade readers comfortable with scary stories.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include monster/creature attacks, peril, and supernatural threat.
Who'll love this
A thrilling horror-adventure where three friends must outwit a sinister supernatural villain while stranded on an island and hunted by a monster.