THE SPACES IN BETWEEN

New guests bring new adventures.

In this second installment of the series, supernatural forces are still preventing siblings Willow and Ash McGinn and their parents from leaving the Exit 13 Motel. Despite their predicament, the mood lifts when a group of alien-loving convention-goers arrives. Soon the little inn is bustling, and Willow and Ash pitch in to help clerk Kristoff and handyman Mr. Do. Events take another turn when Kristoff goes missing, a creepy guest sends Willow on a harrowing chase, and Ash and the alien aficionados find themselves in an otherworldly forest. Preller’s latest has short chapters with brisk pacing; however, despite the narrative energy, more questions are raised than answered. The McGinns keep unearthing one new thing after another—possible monsters, a mysterious book, and more—but little is explained or resolved, making for an exasperating reading experience. Additionally, key worldbuilding points are stretched too thin to make sense, namely why some can come and go from the motel and others cannot. Black-and-white comic panels interspersed throughout begin to feel gimmicky, not adding depth to the shallow characterizations. The depiction of Mr. Do feels especially superficial and tokenizing; attempts to convey his Korean heritage are surface-level, and his clipped speech patterns—even in his internal monologues—seem othering. Willow and Ash are biracial; Kristoff is described as pale.

Frustrating.