Dead Voices (Small Spaces Quartet)

I hugely enjoyed Small Spaces, which I read earlier this year, so logically, in the middle of summer, I finally thought: A story about a group of kids and their clueless parents stuck in a creepy ski resort on Hemlock Mountain, what better fit for a summer read? I wasn’t sure Arden could do what she did in Small Spaces and turn a MG novel into a creepy read for an adult, but I wasn’t disappointed, or rather I was, when I read it too fast and it was over, and there isn’t another book in the series in sight. We don’t actually get to see the kids do any skiing, but that is fine as their supposed stay at the mountain resort quickly turns into a life-threatening situation as they are snowed-in and the electricity and heating stop working. To top it off, the resort is haunted both by creepy ghost children and their former caregiver, Mother Hemlock, who had a bit of a sadistic streak. In my mind I envisioned her a little like the Lady in Black. The book has Coco and Ollie as viewpoint characters, which works well and I enjoyed seeing a bit more of Coco than in Small Spaces. I just hope the next book comes out soon.

I love a good ghost story. Katherine Arden knows how to weave a spooky story that will have you looking over your shoulder and sleeping with the lights on. This may be middle grade reading level, but it's a top tier bit of story telling. Part ghost story and part creature feature, this book was a total delight. The Smiling Man reminds me of a more charismatic, better-dressed Pennywise; a veritable monster hiding in a hum-drum human suit. He's playing for keeps and a sore loser, but Ollie, Coco, and Brian aren't your average 11-year olds. I just can't help wondering how long they'll manage to hold him off before their luck runs out...

So, much like the last book this book had a rocky start. If you didn’t know- this book is the sequel to “small spaces”. Also keep in mind these are middle grade books!

But I gotta say, WOW, this book was so much better than small spaces. And that’s saying something because I actually ended up really liking small spaces. I will talk highly of it, but I do have some small criticisms too. So keep that in mind while reading.

In all the areas small spaces annoyed me, this one really didn’t at all.

I loved the atmosphere of the creepy haunted snow lodge so much. It was a lot spookier than the first book in the atmospheric sense. Lots of amazing dark wintery aspects.

The world of the smiling man is portrayed differently in this book which I absolutely love. And there’s even kind of a side ghost story going on aside from the smiling man. The smiling mans servants are just all around scarier in this book. The scarecrows were cool.... but this was just creepy af.

Ollie has also grown as a character so much. You guys know I hate spoilers so I won’t be giving any. But she does face a bit of an internal conflict concerning a side storyline going on with her dad. But she actually handles it really well and doesn’t lash out in any raw or harsh feelings, and instead she focuses on her friends and staying safe.

Coco has literally totally obliterated any first impression I had of her. She’s such a strong character and honestly I think she may slowly become my favorite out of the three of them. I love them all- but coco is the most well developed in my opinion. I give her credit for being the brains of this one.

It does seem Katherine is trying to give each kid their own spotlight in these books. The last one is focused heavily on Ollie, and while Ollie played a huge part in this , I feel like it really focused on coco. Will the next one be Brian’s time to shine?

I really hope so because I honestly felt like he was barely in this book. He’s supposed to be a main character and well... he felt like a useless background character in this one. That’s one of the things I didn’t like. He was there of course, and did SOME important things. But it’s almost like his character growth regressed in order to let coco shine. He was bland, scared and just went with the flow. I don’t remember him being like that in the last book.

The rocky start was simply that I was bored. For some reason the book felt the need to recap the first book in a few info dumps here and there instead of just focusing on memories when important. Which isn’t something I see in a lot of series. Maybe it’s a middle grade thing? Not sure honestly but it did put me off.

These being the only things wrong- they’re very manageable and do not affect my love for the book.

Genuinely, I think this is a 5 star book.

Went into this for a fun time and left incredibly satisfied. While this book is for a middle grade audience, there were genuine moments of horror that gave me goose bumps. I love these characters and this was such a fun setting. If I had one critique, it's that I wish there was a little more to the ending after the climax; it led to kind of an abrupt ending.

Finished reading… ~Dead Voices (Small Spaces.2) by Katherine Arden | eBook

Another great creepy, scary story from Arden. I love the characters. They’re like old friends now. Friends I wish I had when I was a kid. Arden fleshes them out so well. Personalties that feel real and the range of emotions they go through so to does the reader. No matter what age they may be. The other great aspect of Arden’s novels is the story. She writes a solid novel. Plot, dialogue, character development, locale, all brilliant. She tells a very haunting and atmospheric story. She writes scary ass scenes, with frightening descriptions of the spectral evil entities. This is a juvenile horror novel, but damned if I’m not spooked from reading it in the dark. Hearing things that aren’t there, or might be there…

Definitely rec this book, and the series. Looking forward to book 3!

JSR: 📚📚📚📚

I've read enough middle grade horror to know that a lot of the books within the genre are mostly harmless, spooky fun. There are a lot of conspicuous exceptions, of course, but for every Coraline there are at least a hundred Goosebumps (and, look, I love Goosebumps as much as the next reader, but let's be real — it's mostly just goofy and schlocky fun).

Katherine Arden's books fall more towards the Gaiman-end of the spectrum. There's still no "real" horror here, but what Arden does deliver — in abundance — is atmosphere. Which is fine by me: the spooky stories I find most effective are those defined by ambience rather than horror — and Dead Voices has ambience to spare. Arden's language is beautiful, her descriptions chilling and commanding. There are passages here so vivid that I could almost feel the New England cold down in my bones. (Which is — as I mentioned in my previous review for Pumpkinheads — quite the feat when you consider I live on a Caribbean island in the midst of one of its hottest years on record.)

A follow-up to last year's excellent Small Spaces, Dead Voices follows our main trio — principal protagonist Olivia, stoic and reliable Brian, and bubbly-but-insecure Coco — and their respective parents on their way to a skiing trip to a local Vermont mountain. They are overwhelmed by a particularly strong snowstorm however, and soon find themselves stuck in the vast and newly renovated lodge in which the are making their stay. Arden has mentioned in interviews that one of the main inspirations for this story is The Shining, which should give you some idea of what is to come.

As I mentioned above, mood and setting are what sets this story apart, but it also features charming, believable, and resourceful characters, and it's very easy to root and feel for them. Particularly great is Ollie's father, Roger, who had a small part in Small Spaces but a much expanded role in this book. A widower trying his best to raise a daughter as a single parent. A cook and lover of puns. Someone trying to kindle a relationship with someone new while still grieving an old flame. His is a realistic, rounded, and sympathetic portrayal, and a welcome breath of fresh air in a genre where parents are mostly absent and absent-minded.

Lyrical and atmospheric, Dead Voices is much more than a worthy sequel, and a great Hallowe'en read.

When three best friends find themselves in a place haunted by ghosts, they’ll have to work together to save themselves and the adults with them. If they don’t, they’ll become ghosts too and their loved ones will forget they ever even existed. Author Katherine Arden brings back her fearless trio in the mostly solid novel Dead Voices.

Ollie, Coco, and Brian know all about adventure. They survived one during their class trip in the fall when they escaped the scarecrows and their creepy leader who tried to force the trio to join his legion of straw people. If they never have another adventure like that again, it’ll be too soon.

That’s why a trip to a new ski resort during winter break sounds like the perfect getaway. Ollie’s dad won the getaway at work, and he, Ollie, Coco, Coco’s mom, and Brian are chugging along through the snow to the resort. Even before they arrive, however, Coco starts to get weird vibes from the place. She could have sworn she saw a person standing in the middle of the road on the drive to the resort, but when Ollie’s dad stops the car no one’s there.

Ollie and Brian try to reassure Coco that everything’s fine, but she’s not so sure. The fact that the power is out at the resort doesn’t make any of them feel better. Then Ollie starts having nightmares about young girls with messages none of them understand. Brian keeps insisting that the preserved animals in the lobby are changing positions—sometimes they’re standing, sometimes they’re on all fours. Sometimes they’re glaring right at the kids.

An unexpected guest, Mr. Voland, comes to the resort talking about hunting ghosts. The power is still out and the generator doesn’t work, and he thinks it’s the work of the ghosts that haunt the resort. He convinces the three friends that the only way to make things right is to find the ghosts and communicate with them.

Coco doesn’t like the sound of any of it; Brian is flat out skeptical. But Ollie becomes obsessed with the idea. What if Mr. Voland can help her talk to her mom? She wavers then agrees to Mr. Voland’s plan—and that’s when the three of them really get into trouble. If they want to escape the resort and go home with their loved ones, they’ll have to think on their feet. They’ve done it once before, but none of them know if they’ll have the capacity to do it again.

Author Katherine Arden brings back her three beloved characters for another ghost story that will make target readers and adults alike shiver. The story starts on a foreboding note and continues to build in intensity. Arden lets the tension increase until readers become just as worried as the main characters about what will happen next.

Arden excels in building the emotions of the middle schoolers. Their concern and compassion for one another shine, but Arden also lets them be real friends. They disagree with one another, make mistakes, and doubt each other’s opinions all while keeping the foundation of their friendship strong.

If the book exhibits any weaknesses, it’s in the fact that Ollie and Coco both get the opportunity to share their stories firsthand while Brian doesn’t. Considering that he is just as important to the trio of best friends as the girls, it’s surprising that readers never hear directly from him. Also, during the climax of the book, Brian fades into the background for a handful of pages. The explanation he offers when he reappears doesn’t ring wholly true to the story at hand. The plot would have felt more three-dimensional had Arden offered readers the chance, even a handful of times, to let Brian lead in the storytelling.

As with her previous book Small Spaces, the friendships take center stage here and cover the weak spots. In the end, readers will find themselves breathing a sigh of relief and then wishing for more books about Ollie, Coco, and Brian, if only to give Brian the chance to share a story about him. Fans of Small Spaces will most certainly enjoy this one. That’s why I say Dead Voices Borders on Bookmarking it!