Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Ardens quartet of seasonal horrors concludes with sinister clowns at a carnival.A dry summer in East Evansburg sends friends Brian, Coco, and Phil to Lethe Creek to cool off. But theres been an Ollie-shaped hole in everyones lives since the dastardly smiling man took her. The smiling man releases one of his other trapped children to deliver a message: theyll need three hidden keys to win Ollie back. Meanwhile, Ollietraveling with the smiling man and his carnivaltries to figure out a way to escape him on her own. When the carnival moves to East Evansburg, the stage is set for the final showdown. By day, its a fun-filled paradise. By night, the carnivals clowns hunt wayward children to turn into dolls. Without the keys, Ollie and friends will be next. While predatory clowns and humans-turned-dolls are far from new territory, Arden once again flexes her gift for atmospheric writing to envelop readers in the storys eerie mist. The expert use of pacing and sensory cuessights, sounds, and smellshelps heighten the genuinely terrifying chase scenes. Chess matches and conversations between Ollie and the smiling man humanize the shape-shifting villain, exposing just enough of his motives to wrap up unanswered questions. Earlier volumes establish that most characters are White and Brian is Black. A thrilling and chilling end to a standard-setting series. (Horror. 9-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Arden’s quartet of seasonal horrors concludes with sinister clowns at a carnival. A dry summer in East Evansburg sends friends Brian, Coco, and Phil to Lethe Creek to cool off. But there’s been an Ollie-shaped hole in everyone’s lives since the dastardly “smiling man” took her. The smiling man releases one of his other trapped children to deliver a message: they’ll need three hidden keys to win Ollie back. Meanwhile, Ollie—traveling with the smiling man and his carnival—tries to figure out a way to escape him on her own. When the carnival moves to East Evansburg, the stage is set for the final showdown. By day, it’s a fun-filled paradise. By night, the carnival’s clowns hunt wayward children to turn into dolls. Without the keys, Ollie and friends will be next. While predatory clowns and humans-turned-dolls are far from new territory, Arden once again flexes her gift for atmospheric writing to envelop readers in the story’s eerie mist. The expert use of pacing and sensory cues—sights, sounds, and smells—helps heighten the genuinely terrifying chase scenes. Chess matches and conversations between Ollie and the smiling man humanize the shape-shifting villain, exposing just enough of his motives to wrap up unanswered questions. Earlier volumes establish that most characters are White and Brian is Black. A thrilling and chilling end to a standard-setting series. (Horror. 9-13) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.