Dead Voices – I Literary Can't!

“Brian belatedly realized that if you told a lot of lies, even if it was for a good reason, like trying to keep people safe, it started to get hard to trust that other people were telling the truth.”
Katherine Arden, Dark Waters

The previous year was unlike any other for friends Ollie, Coco, and Brian. After surviving two season’s of the Smiling Man’s games, the group is wary after his last sinister message, “until next time.” It is spring and the kids and their families are taking a boat ride in Lake Champlain. They board a vessel with a captain who tells them of the lake monster who is said to have taken down crews many years ago. All seems to be going well until the kids, including Brian’s old friend Phil, receive a message that triggers the start of a new game. The boat and its passengers are in peril, and it is up to Brian and his survival skills to see them through to the end.

I was very excited to receive my signed copy of Dark Waters in August. The “Small Spaces” world is oddly comforting despite the constant terrors. This book delivered on the cozy details that Arden is so wonderful at writing. Anytime she writes about Ollie’s dad and what he cooks or even the kids clothing, I am entranced by the soothing imagery. Speaking of, something that really brought this series together, in this book specifically, is how much we hear from the parents. It’s Middle Grade so I don’t expect there to be that much parental involvement, but it was nice to see them along for the boating excursion. They were pretty involved in the game throughout the entire book whereas they weren’t as prevalent before.

After the scary pumpkin patch and haunted inn settings of the first two books, I was a little less into the piratic themed setting of Dark Waters. Don’t get me wrong, the story is as strong as its precursors, and I am willing to admit that this opinion comes down to preference, but I just didn’t find the stakes as spooky as the first two. I have read similar comments from other reviews. It reads a bit more like an adventure story rather than the scary adventures that Arden has written before.

Nevertheless, I am a huge fan of the “Small Spaces” series. I am eagerly waiting for the summer book, especially after a massive cliffhanger. If you still, after all of my yakking, haven’t at least considered reading the first book, then please do so now! Small Spaces and Dead Voices will make your hair stand on end, and Dark Waters is a lot of stressful fun!

Thanks for reading.

Ollie, Coco, and Brian, are best friends after surviving an encounter with the smiling man in the fall. They spend every possible hour together in Ollie’s house playing chess and eating her dad’s famous baked goods. As the snow falls heavily in Vermont, Ollie’s dad and Coco’s mom take the kids on a short holiday to a newly re-opened ski lodge that they, and few others, won a vacation to. This is when the trouble begins. It is snowing so heavily that their only choice is to press on and not look back. Once at the lodge, the kids and parents learn that they are the only ones able to make it. Visions of frozen children and an icy evil plague the friends as they work to get through the blizzard. Before they can get too comfortable, though, there is a knock at the door. A man who hunts for the paranormal is interested in the lodge, but brings a price with his stay that is up to the kids to work out. Once again, it is on the trio’s shoulders to find the strength and save not only themselves, but their loved ones too.

This book is great! After reading book two, I have definitely picked up on Arden’s theme of the changing seasons in her writing. To be perfectly honest, this is one of the reasons that I love the Winternight Trilogy as much as I do. Yes, this is children’s horror, but the winter is the coziest time of year. I think that mixing a cozy atmosphere with scary stories is all the better. In the way that Small Spaces takes place in the fall and features scarecrows…aplenty, Dead Voices is set during the winter and incorporates elements of spook that can be associated with the cold. *eyes frozen open*

What this book has even more so than book one are paranormal interactions. While enjoying the story, I spent a good deal of time wondering how Arden would flesh this out enough for kids while also not…scarring them for life. (No worries, I am a big advocate for creepy children’s books.)There aren’t only the occasional glances of “someone” lurking around, but a force that is actively pursuing them in an “Other Mother” fashion. This story also uses a Ouija board. Through stories and countless movies, many acknowledge this gateway to paranormal communication a big no no. In this book, at first it is introduced to shock readers, but then serves an actual purpose that proves to be helpful for the kids in the end.

As far as characters go, the star of Dead Voices is Coco. In my review of Small Spaces, I wrote that she has the most character growth and this holds true in book two. In fact, she takes the spotlight over Ollie. At first, I wasn’t too sure of how I would like this, but as soon as Coco found her courage, I was all for “Tiny” kicking butt. She proves that it doesn’t take a big person to save the day, but courage and wit.

Similar to Small Spaces, the children are forced to play a twisted game if they want to escape the antagonist. This runaround is more complicated than that in the first book and, if I am being honest, a little hard to follow. In the end, there was a piece of the puzzle that I either didn’t catch while reading or understand. I figured that it wasn’t answered during the chaos as Coco explains it to the other two. I still didn’t see the connection, but it didn’t matter, really.

A story line that I loved was that of Ollie’s dad and Coco’s mom. It isn’t a big part in the book, but impactful to Coco and Ollie. On their trip, the girls notice hand holding, laughing, and a lot of mush. Coco is overjoyed at the prospect of getting to spend even more time at the Egg, Ollie’s house, while Ollie feels a bit strange. It is difficult for her to accept someone else into a space that was once filled by her mother. I was happy to hear of the small gestures that were noticed, though. I felt bad for Ollie’s father who had a rough time being alone.

As you can tell, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I anticipate that the next two will follow occur in spring and summer and that Brian will be the hero of the story! I would love to hear thoughts about these books in the comments or on Instagram. If you have/know children looking for a creepy book, gift them, or yourself, the Small Spaces series.

Thanks for reading.

-Kendall

Tag: Dead Voices

Dark Waters • Katherine Arden

Dead Voices • Katherine Arden