The only thing better than a spooky book, is a spooky ghost book! Anyone who knows me, knows I live for ghost stories of any variety, which is why I’m thrilled to participate in the Dead Voices blog tour from Penguin Random House.
Since I am a huge fan of good middle grade horror, it should be no surprise that I was a huge fan of Small Spaces, Katherine Arden’s first book in this series. You know Small Spaces. The one that horror dreamboat RL Stine called “Terrifying and fun.” True story.
I love how this book starts off. It’s the middle of a snow storm and anyone who has seen The Shining, knows this isn’t a good thing. I love the imagery of being snowed in, with raging fireplaces and electricity out, in a giant old mansion in the middle of nowhere. Which, naturally, is exactly where Dead Voices is set.
I guess this is where I should tell you a little bit more about Dead Voices.
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.
PRE-ORDER
Penguin Randon House website | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million | Target
INSPIRATION COLLAGE
Kirkus starred Dead Voices. In fact they said, “Vividly eerie descriptions evoke the very best of horror for this age set. Genuinely bone-chilling.” You know I can’t read a good book and not create an inspiration collage.
So I did. I made one inspired by Dead Voices. Enjoy some of my favorite elements from this book. The snow. The mirror. Skeleton bones. A girl leading the charge to solve a mystery. A spooky old place in the middle of the woods. Magical, mystical, strangeness. Ouija boards.
This book is soooo freaking good!
AUTHOR BIO
Born in Austin, Texas, Katherine Arden spent a year of high school in Rennes, France. Following her acceptance to Middlebury College in Vermont, she deferred enrollment for a year in order to live and study in Moscow. At Middlebury, she specialized in French and Russian literature. After receiving her BA, she moved to Maui, Hawaii, working every kind of odd job imaginable, from grant writing and making crepes to guiding horse trips. Currently, she lives in Vermont, but really, you never know.
BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE
Get snowed in on this book tour and follow along to all the stops for some awesome inspiration, including a post from the author and a free recipe!
Week One
August 19 – The Midnight Society – Inspiration Collage
August 20 – Fangirl Fury – Review + Inspired by the Book: Baking Recipe
August 21 – Teachers Who Read – Reviews + Author Guest Post: Why spooky for middle grade readers?
August 22 – Bookishgals – Creative Instagram Picture
August 23 – Liezel and Angie’s Book Blog – Review
Week Two
August 26 – Word Spelunking – Inspired by the Book: Baking Project
August 27 – By Hook or By Book – Review
August 28 – Vicariously & Voraciously
August 29 – The Book Deviant – Review
THANK YOU
I want to give a huge thank you to the amazing Friya at Penguin Random House, the author Katherine Arden, and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read an early copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This book rules. You should read it!