♪ Oh, the weather outside is frightful, and the ghosts are feeling spiteful… ♪
What would you do if you were snowed in at a haunted ski lodge with your two best friends? Would you:
A) Sit back, relax, and chill with the besties! There’s no such thing as ghosts, after all.
B) Climb under the nearest available blanket and not come out until the coast is clear.
C) Go ghost hunting because you like to walk on the wild side and laugh in the face of danger. Ha ha ha ha! (And yes, that was A Lion King reference.)
Well, “C” is exactly what happens in Katherine Arden’s Dead Voices, and let me tell you, it’s a chilling experience.
My Review of Dead Voices
What I Liked
- Katherine Arden is back at it again with her beautifully atmospheric writing! While Small Spaces was Autumn-themed, Dead Voices is perfect to read during Winter. It describes the season so vividly that I could practically feel the frigid snow falling on my nose, the frost burrowing its way into my bones.
- This book is just the right amount of creepy. Delightfully creepy, I would call it. Perfect for a Middle Grade audience (or a wimp like me who can’t handle any amount of horror without having nightmares for weeks).
- Coco, Ollie, and Brian’s friendship is too pure for this world (total #squadgoals). Also, I love that this trio is two girls and a boy – I feel like it’s usually two boys and a girl.
- We get to hear part of the story from Coco’s perspective! I liked that she was kind of the star of this installment.
What I Liked Less
- Dead Voices wasn’t as strong of a story as Small Spaces was. There are too many antagonists, which bogged down the plot and made it feel disjointed. It’s almost as if Arden was trying to stuff all of her wonderfully spooky ideas into a single book for maximum creep effect, but ended up achieving just the opposite.
- While Coco really shines in this book, Brian sort of takes a back seat. Hopefully Brian gets to be the hero in the next installment. I want to see him grow too!
The Final Verdict
Although the plot was more disjointed than that of its proceeder, Dead Voices is a delightfully frightening ghost story perfect for a cold winter’s night and a few mild scares.
TODAY'S WAFFLE RECIPE
Dead Voices
From the Kitchen of: Katherine Arden Servings: Small Spaces #2 Cooking Directions:
Bestselling author Katherine Arden returns with another creepy, spine-tingling adventure in this follow-up to the critically acclaimed Small Spaces.
Having survived sinister scarecrows and the malevolent smiling man in Small Spaces, newly minted best friends Ollie, Coco, and Brian are ready to spend a relaxing winter break skiing together with their parents at Mount Hemlock Resort. But when a snowstorm sets in, causing the power to flicker out and the cold to creep closer and closer, the three are forced to settle for hot chocolate and board games by the fire.
Ollie, Coco, and Brian are determined to make the best of being snowed in, but odd things keep happening. Coco is convinced she has seen a ghost, and Ollie is having nightmares about frostbitten girls pleading for help. Then Mr. Voland, a mysterious ghost hunter, arrives in the midst of the storm to investigate the hauntings at Hemlock Lodge. Ollie, Coco, and Brian want to trust him, but Ollie's watch, which once saved them from the smiling man, has a new cautionary message: BEWARE.
With Mr. Voland's help, Ollie, Coco, and Brian reach out to the dead voices at Mount Hemlock. Maybe the ghosts need their help--or maybe not all ghosts can or should be trusted.
Dead Voices is a terrifying follow-up to Small Spaces with thrills and chills galore and the captive foreboding of a classic ghost story.
Purchase Your Ingredients:
Have you read either Dead Voices or Small Spaces?
What did you think of them?
What are some other books that are perfect for wintertime?
3 Comments
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Great review Kat! I loved the atmosphere in the first book but Ollie frustrated me as a character. But I do want to give this one a try and see if I like it more :)
Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that this one wasn’t as good as the first one. I’m happy to hear that Coco got her time to shine in this book, but I do wish we got to see more Brian in the next book. And I’m glad to hear that the writing is still as atmospheric as with the author’s other books!
I did not realize she’d come out with another one! I really liked Small Spaces!