Dead Voices is the sequel to Katherine Arden’s book Small Spaces. The book picks up a few months after the end of Small Spaces. 

SPOILERS FOR SMALL SPACES AHEAD

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Having survived possessed scarecrows in October, along with beating the evil ‘Smiling Man’ Ollie, Coco, and Brian are ready for a quiet winter break with Ollie and Coco’s parents at a newly opened ski resort Mount Hemlock Lodge.

But things start off weird, Coco sees what she thinks is a ghost on the road during their drive up the mountain and this shakes her up. But she’s not the only one, on their first night there Ollie starts having dreams of a strange frostbitten girl who is looking for her bones.

But when a snowstorm traps them in the lodge, they try to make the best of it, setting up board games and roasting smores, only to be interrupted by a ghost hunter, Mr. Voland, who claims the lodge has a sinister history.

Despite the owner’s denial of the possible ghosts, Ollie is intrigued, especially when the ghost hunter claims he can help Ollie connect with her mother. Brian and Coco, aren’t so sure but they want to support their friend. When Mr. Voland helps them escape from a malevolent ghost, he starts to earn their trust.

However, the little girl in Ollie’s dream warns her not to ‘listen to the dead voices’ and her mother’s old watch, which helped the group escape from the ‘Smiling Man’ warns her to BEWARE. There are even more questions about who or what they should help and trust.

And when the propane and generators start acting up, and the kids realize things might not be as they seem and they are in for a long night of ghostly adventures. They are about to find out that while they didn’t give a second thought to the world behind the mist after they escaped the ‘Smiling Man’. The shadow world may not have forgotten about them.

Rating: 4.5

This was maybe even creepier than Small Spaces. Our group has to face sinister forces by themselves, and they can’t trust what is around them. This book is especially focused on Coco, which I really enjoyed. She defies stereotypes and is a smart character and Ollie’s equal. Both girls have to face evil things but their friendship helps keep them strong and connected even through impossible barriers. I can’t wait to read the next addition to this series.

Photo by Madison Olling on Unsplash