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lscholling's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
practicallysprout's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
skyladawn's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
rachael_ellis's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
netflix_and_lil's review
4.0
Finally got around to the sequel of my most unanticipated favourite read so far, Darcy Coates Voices in the Snow, a apocolypse-centric novel I picked off a library shelf at random and wound up having the best three days of reading ever? The first book carried this unmatched atmosphere of suspense, the kind of book that gave you zero clues about what was going to happen next. And of course, a sequel after everything has been revealed was never going to be about to replicate those big 'what if's' - however hard it tried - but Secrets in the Dark was still a lot of fun.
Getting Clare and Dorran out of Winterbourne was the only plausible way of continuing the story, however much I loved that creepy gothic mansion Coates writes so well. But she smartly realised that whether or not the garden was going to survive wasn't enough of a plot hook, and the ticking time bomb of rescuing Beth added an element of urgency to the story I enjoyed. The scope of the global disaster was widened, and there were some excellently nauseating moments of realisation as Clare pieces together what has been going on in the weeks they were 'safe' at Dorran's. Coates recreated what the streets would look like after weeks of neglect under layers of snow, and while the story was not as engaging as I'd hoped, the atmosphere was enough to keep me invested for the most part. However...
One of my only complaints for the first book was it's repetitive nature, and this was present in the sequel too. There was a lot of dark houses/streets/boats, footsteps in corridors and BAM written jump scare, which obviously doesn't have the same effect as a visual. The presence of hollows became so predictable that I would have been more surprised if they'd opened a door and there HADN'T been a monster behind it. The hollows appear in greater numbers, which is great for the variety of gore Darcy Coates excels in writing about - her ill-proportioned humanoid monsters are nightmare fuel all on their own - but unfortunately in their greater numbers they seemed to pose less of a threat. In the first, fighting three hollows nearly killed the protagonists, and their ruthlessness meant that Clare and Dorran had to plan extensively on how to get past them. Now they are running through hordes of them, shamelessly flaunting their plot armour with no regard for reader immersion.
Let's talk about the romance, because I feel like Clare's mother over here yelling 'ISN'T THIS ALL MOVING A BIT FAST? SURE HE'S A NICE BOY AND ALL BUT WHAT'S THE RUSH? WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LOVE HIM, IT'S BEEN A MONTH.' Yeah, Dorran and Clare's inexplicit transition from nervous lovebirds to married couple with terms of endearment and vows of felty felt a little unorthodox. I get that Dorran's traditional and they're in the end times but what was with all the forehead kisses and 'my dear'? Did this apocalypse also genetically remove everyones libido? I kid, obviously the romance was sweet but I did have to check the last book to remind myself that these take place back to back, not years in the future. Dorran and Clare's relationship was a highlight of the last book and I'm still rooting for them, but I also felt without the tension of 'is Dorran a serial killer' from the last book, the layers to their relationship fell a little flat. Coates tried to spice things up after they visit Marnie, but that conflict is resolved within a chapter - sure, Clare holding onto resentment would have been hypocritical and selfish but I feel like it would have made for an interesting reconciliation after she comes to realise the realities of the world later in the book. I'm just not sure where their relationship goes from here.
In the latter half of the novel, when we finally learn the reasons for the hollows and the stillness, I was surprisingly not disappointed despite my general preference for unsolved mysteries. Sure, it was mighty convenient for the protagonists to stumble into an exposition machine and I saw how that storyline would end WAY in advance, but I liked the unique reason behind the apocalypse and how the hollows look the way they do. Honestly, 'magic' was my ultimate guess so good on Coates for finding something plausible there. This series scratches a very specific itch for me and I will continue even if I'm not fully sold on the direction it's taking; it's just too much fun to quit with its batshit mutants combined with survival thriller.
Getting Clare and Dorran out of Winterbourne was the only plausible way of continuing the story, however much I loved that creepy gothic mansion Coates writes so well. But she smartly realised that whether or not the garden was going to survive wasn't enough of a plot hook, and the ticking time bomb of rescuing Beth added an element of urgency to the story I enjoyed. The scope of the global disaster was widened, and there were some excellently nauseating moments of realisation as Clare pieces together what has been going on in the weeks they were 'safe' at Dorran's. Coates recreated what the streets would look like after weeks of neglect under layers of snow, and while the story was not as engaging as I'd hoped, the atmosphere was enough to keep me invested for the most part. However...
One of my only complaints for the first book was it's repetitive nature, and this was present in the sequel too. There was a lot of dark houses/streets/boats, footsteps in corridors and BAM written jump scare, which obviously doesn't have the same effect as a visual. The presence of hollows became so predictable that I would have been more surprised if they'd opened a door and there HADN'T been a monster behind it. The hollows appear in greater numbers, which is great for the variety of gore Darcy Coates excels in writing about - her ill-proportioned humanoid monsters are nightmare fuel all on their own - but unfortunately in their greater numbers they seemed to pose less of a threat. In the first, fighting three hollows nearly killed the protagonists, and their ruthlessness meant that Clare and Dorran had to plan extensively on how to get past them. Now they are running through hordes of them, shamelessly flaunting their plot armour with no regard for reader immersion.
Let's talk about the romance, because I feel like Clare's mother over here yelling 'ISN'T THIS ALL MOVING A BIT FAST? SURE HE'S A NICE BOY AND ALL BUT WHAT'S THE RUSH? WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LOVE HIM, IT'S BEEN A MONTH.' Yeah, Dorran and Clare's inexplicit transition from nervous lovebirds to married couple with terms of endearment and vows of felty felt a little unorthodox. I get that Dorran's traditional and they're in the end times but what was with all the forehead kisses and 'my dear'? Did this apocalypse also genetically remove everyones libido? I kid, obviously the romance was sweet but I did have to check the last book to remind myself that these take place back to back, not years in the future. Dorran and Clare's relationship was a highlight of the last book and I'm still rooting for them, but I also felt without the tension of 'is Dorran a serial killer' from the last book, the layers to their relationship fell a little flat. Coates tried to spice things up after they visit Marnie, but that conflict is resolved within a chapter - sure, Clare holding onto resentment would have been hypocritical and selfish but I feel like it would have made for an interesting reconciliation after she comes to realise the realities of the world later in the book. I'm just not sure where their relationship goes from here.
In the latter half of the novel, when we finally learn the reasons for the hollows and the stillness, I was surprisingly not disappointed despite my general preference for unsolved mysteries. Sure, it was mighty convenient for the protagonists to stumble into an exposition machine and I saw how that storyline would end WAY in advance, but I liked the unique reason behind the apocalypse and how the hollows look the way they do. Honestly, 'magic' was my ultimate guess so good on Coates for finding something plausible there. This series scratches a very specific itch for me and I will continue even if I'm not fully sold on the direction it's taking; it's just too much fun to quit with its batshit mutants combined with survival thriller.