Dead Voices

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!

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.

hout out to @arden_katherine for writing another spooky story that satisfied my 8 year old budding horror fan. Remember how he wanted to read @stephenking this summer and I said he had to wait? 🤪.〰️〰️I suggest you clear your schedule if you’re reading this one—once you hit page 75 or so you won’t be putting it down AT ALL. That’s when the adults fall asleep and Coco, Ollie and Brian have to face spooky challenges alone. .〰️〰️🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 and a must buy for all elementary and middle school libraries! Recommended for grades 3+, but only if they like scary!!

Ollie, Coco and Brian are back, as are all the scares and great friendship moments as they once again encounter ghosts in the Small Spaces sequel.I love how spooky these books are, especially for middle grade. Arden doesn’t hold back.Coco has a bigger role in this book, and I loved every minute of it. I like all the characters, but Coco is my favorite.The first half of the book was exciting, a bit like a middle grade version of the Shining, but then it kicked up a notch and I couldn’t put it down.I hope these characters will be back in a third book. I can’t wait.

The first novel was the perfect spooky read for autumn, and this sequel is the perfect creepy read for winter

He enjoyed reading most of this book, although he was scared throughout. It’s a ghost story, which seems to scare my son, but if your kiddos enjoy scary, chilling, well written tales they’re sure to enjoy this! He did love book one, so we got this one, but he has to read in spurts since it’s so chilling to him!

My daughter loved Small Spaces and immediately made me order this one! She loved it!

This is the second book in the series and I love it so much. It looks beautiful next to the first book. It’s exactly as described by the seller.

If you are looking at this review and have not yet read Small Spaces which is the first in the series please go and check it out. I have a review for that one too on Amazon. This series is fast becoming once of my favourites and this second book did not disappoint.I do not want to get into spoilers but this is another amazing atmospheric middle grade from Katherine Arden and the friendship between Ollie, Coco and Brian is so pure and wonderful. They stick together through everything no matter the odds. I really hope there will be another book in this series and soon. I am definitely feeling impatient.