Last month was Middle Grade May and I tried (and failed to be honest) to read a bunch of MG books. One of the books I really wanted to read was the sequel to Small Spaces; Dead Voices. These MG books are very creepy, but I did love the first one so I finally read the second book in the series. And today I want to tell you what I thought about the book. So let’s jump in!
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.
Dead Voices by Katherine Arden
Series: Small Spaces #2
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on 27/08/2019
Pages: 256
Goodreads
Cover
I really like the cover. It’s in the same style as the cover for Small Spaces was. I really like the illustration and there are a ton of details to be discovered. You can already tell this will be a spooky read, just by looking at the cover. This is definitely a book I would pick up in a bookstore to check out.
“Wiser and greater men than you have tried outsmarting me, as you put it. They are dead now.” “Well,” said Coco very coldly, “that’s too bad for them. But I’m a girl, and I bet I can beat you at chess.”
Review
We once again follow Ollie, Coco and Brian. They’ve gotten very close after the events of the first book and are ready to take a trip to a ski lodge. Ollie’s dad and Coco’s mom are going as well. However, there are some weird things happening in the ski lodge and the trip turns into a nightmare. This is not a super big book so I won’t say too much about the rest of the plot.
I will say, this was once again a terrifying book. Admittedly, I do scare easily, but I did think this was quite scary. As I did the first book haha. It made me want to read very fast to hopefully get to the happy ending. The plot was also quite interesting, so that definitely helped me read fast.
“I believe in memory. I believe in remembering someone you love so well that it becomes kind of like a ghost. You remember someone so hard that it feels like they’re in the next room, just around the corner, that they could walk in any minute.”
The characters were really interesting to read about in the first book, and in this book I really liked them as well. I might’ve liked them even better this time around. They have grown due to the events in Small Spaces and I think they are great kids. Super cute to read about their friendship, inspiring to read how they deal with their struggles and overall very entertaining.
I loved the plot. It was a separate story from Small Spaces but it was still connected. I also liked that the characters didn’t forget about the traumatising events of the first book but that it was mentioned multiple times and you could read how they were impacted. This was really well done!
I would highly recommend this book. Even if you scare easily, like I do, I do think this could be a horror book you might enjoy. Since it’s MG it’s not too scary but it’s still very much thrilling. Have you read Small Spaces? Do you plan on reading the series? Let me know down below!
