A review by dannilmp
Into the Pit by Elley Cooper, Scott Cawthon

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I truly believe it is easier to appreciate these books if you have knowledge of the FNAF series of games and other media. This is a collection of three short stories, which makes it very easy to read 1, 2 or all 3 books in one sitting! I liked the fact we followed different protagonists in different places, despite the fact I feel short stories miss out on some of the plot and character devlelopment you might expect to see in longer books.

I read Into the Pit after the game's release, so I felt I was asking myself questions constantly, referring back to the games and theories of sorts. However, I feel this is actually the weakest story of the three, both in storytelling and the ability to evoke emotion in me. Following Oswald's story made me feel bad  for the boy, but once I'd read the other two stories, I thought he didn't have it half as bad!

To be Beautiful sees us following Sarah in her search for beauty, in order to try and fit into high school. Now, as I was once a teenager struggling with self-image issues, I can understand Sarah's pain and why she was so keen to follow through on Elanor's plan. However, I felt the story, and specifically the ending line really tugged at the heartstrings to read

In my opinion, Count the Ways was the most heart wrenching of the three to read, despite the more vague ending compared to the other two. Seeing Millie's character devleopment in such a short story was impressive, which made the conclusion even more bittersweet.

I don't have too much to say on the epilogue story at this point in time, other than I am aware future epilogues build on this, so I'm looking forward to seeing where the good dective's story goes.