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morganborders's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Body horror
tshepiso's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Dead Voices like its predecessor Small Spaces was a charming middle-grade horror with a rich, spooky atmosphere and fun characters. With the bonus of an added POV and the setting of a haunted orphanage turned ski lodge I had a fun time unpacking the mystery.
The protagonists Ollie, Coco, and Brian (who unfortunately didn’t have a POV in this book) were especially fun to follow because of the intense friendship between the three. After the horrors they faced in Small Spaces it was lovely to see how protective they were of each other throughout this book. These three had a fierce connection and I can’t wait to see them grow together as the series continues.
Arden continued to capture an authentic and appropriate level of terror in this middle grade. In some respects that made facing down the ghost and ghouls less horrifying. However, the more youthful tone didn’t take away from the fantastic creeping suspense woven throughout the story. In some respects, I found reading Dead Voices even more harrowing because seeing children in peril and isolated from adults raised the stakes even higher. Katherine Arden is a master at creating atmosphere and the mounting, piercing cold chilled me to my core despite reading this book in late spring.
I also appreciated that Dead Voices felt like a true sequel to Small Spaces. While I’m not against episodic tales this story was all the better because it directly built off of the foundations established in its predecessor. Seeing how the mystery in this novel directly tied to the previous installment made it all the more engaging to see unfold.
Dead Voices was a fantastic entry in this series. I can’t wait to see where this story goes in future instalments and I’m sure Katherine Arden will continue to blow me away with her suspenseful mysteries and lush settings.
The protagonists Ollie, Coco, and Brian (who unfortunately didn’t have a POV in this book) were especially fun to follow because of the intense friendship between the three. After the horrors they faced in Small Spaces it was lovely to see how protective they were of each other throughout this book. These three had a fierce connection and I can’t wait to see them grow together as the series continues.
Arden continued to capture an authentic and appropriate level of terror in this middle grade. In some respects that made facing down the ghost and ghouls less horrifying. However, the more youthful tone didn’t take away from the fantastic creeping suspense woven throughout the story. In some respects, I found reading Dead Voices even more harrowing because seeing children in peril and isolated from adults raised the stakes even higher. Katherine Arden is a master at creating atmosphere and the mounting, piercing cold chilled me to my core despite reading this book in late spring.
I also appreciated that Dead Voices felt like a true sequel to Small Spaces. While I’m not against episodic tales this story was all the better because it directly built off of the foundations established in its predecessor. Seeing how the mystery in this novel directly tied to the previous installment made it all the more engaging to see unfold.
Dead Voices was a fantastic entry in this series. I can’t wait to see where this story goes in future instalments and I’m sure Katherine Arden will continue to blow me away with her suspenseful mysteries and lush settings.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
cristy's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Creepy fun sequel that builds on its predecessor. Sometimes, books for kids nail the scary factor better than adult ones. Thumbs down for HP references.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Child abuse, Child death, and Grief
aseaoftomes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I had so much fun with this!
This book once again follows the trio from the last book; Ollie, Coco and Brian, on another crazy horror-filled adventure. This time they're on a trip with Ollie's father and Coco's mother at a ski lodge in the winter, but from the time they begin their journey, everything starts going wrong.
Just like the previous book, the writing was really well done. Very descriptive and captured the horror atmosphere really well. It was less atmospheric than any of Katherine Arden's other books, but still had excellent pacing and descriptions nonetheless.
The setting was also incredibly well done as well. This time the majority of the book took place inside of this haunted lodge, but the creepy factor went way up in this one I felt and I loved it. From the descriptions of the lodge to the beings and people they encountered while they were there, it was all excellent.
The plot was also a lot of fun. It had similar elements and themes from the first book, and a similar structure, but the overall storyline was fun. Ollie, her friends, her father, and Coco's mother all go on a trip together intending to ski, but instead get caught up in a haunted and horror story with suspense at every turn. And as I mentioned above, I loved it.
Finally, the characters. While the first book primarily focused on Ollie as a protagonist, this book did things a bit differently. Coco was our main protagonist and the majority of the book was told from her perspective, but Ollie was also a heavy presence. Brian was also there, but in a lot of ways still a side character. I love him so much though. He's arguably my favorite character of the three - though I absolutely love all of them. I loved getting to see more of Ollie's interactions with her father and see her struggle to deal with her grief again in a different way as well. And of course the big bad guy was excellent and even creepier than the first book. I also really loved the other characters we interacted with in this as well.
Overall, another wonderful installment and I can't wait for the third book!
This book once again follows the trio from the last book; Ollie, Coco and Brian, on another crazy horror-filled adventure. This time they're on a trip with Ollie's father and Coco's mother at a ski lodge in the winter, but from the time they begin their journey, everything starts going wrong.
Just like the previous book, the writing was really well done. Very descriptive and captured the horror atmosphere really well. It was less atmospheric than any of Katherine Arden's other books, but still had excellent pacing and descriptions nonetheless.
The setting was also incredibly well done as well. This time the majority of the book took place inside of this haunted lodge, but the creepy factor went way up in this one I felt and I loved it. From the descriptions of the lodge to the beings and people they encountered while they were there, it was all excellent.
The plot was also a lot of fun. It had similar elements and themes from the first book, and a similar structure, but the overall storyline was fun. Ollie, her friends, her father, and Coco's mother all go on a trip together intending to ski, but instead get caught up in a haunted and horror story with suspense at every turn. And as I mentioned above, I loved it.
Finally, the characters. While the first book primarily focused on Ollie as a protagonist, this book did things a bit differently. Coco was our main protagonist and the majority of the book was told from her perspective, but Ollie was also a heavy presence. Brian was also there, but in a lot of ways still a side character. I love him so much though. He's arguably my favorite character of the three - though I absolutely love all of them. I loved getting to see more of Ollie's interactions with her father and see her struggle to deal with her grief again in a different way as well. And of course the big bad guy was excellent and even creepier than the first book. I also really loved the other characters we interacted with in this as well.
Overall, another wonderful installment and I can't wait for the third book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death, Child abuse, and Child death
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