Wilkes takes the story of a doomed Polar expedition and makes it fresh with seances, cannibalism, and tortured homosexuals. Explorer William Day has to return to the Arctic, scene of his previous failed expedition during which his men made meals of each other, in order to find the missing expedition led by his former second-in-command Jesse, for whom he has the forbidden hots. Tagging along with the crew is Jesse's spirit medium wife. I wish the seance stuff had been given more room to grow, but Wilkes adds a delightfully weird superstitious whale-cult angle that I liked a lot. I can't say that I'm a particular fan of the ending, but this is gross and freezing and harrowing and spooky good fun for the most part, and once again Wilkes has given me a queer main character I love

Where the Dead Wait is a creepy Victorian Gothic horror story.
Join William Day, a failed Arctic explorer as he attempts to revive his career and save his previous second Stevens in command who is missing in the freezing tundra. As they travel, he is forced to reckon with past choices and failure via a dogged reporter and Steven's wife who runs seances on board at night. I love a cold weather story, you can imagine the silence and peace as well as the deathly potential of the tempeture!
This eerie story will haunt you! #Atria #Wherethedeadwait #Allywilkes

My thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler books, Ally Wilkes and Netgalley.
Well, one thing I've learned about Ally Wilkes is that a person needs patience.
Thankfully I'm old! Ha! Patience is often rewarded. It so I've discovered.
My first book from Ally was also a bit of a slow burn, but damn I just really loved it!
This one? Yeah. Well, it was also a slow burn. But holy freaking crap, it managed to slightly freak me out at times.
Listen. The whole damn story is just freaking strange, and I ended up enjoying the crap out of it!
Sure, it could have had a faster pace. But really, why?
It's in the Arctic.
That's pure dread right there, for me.

<b>Abandonment. Betrayal. Cannibalism. </b>

William Day hoped to be a celebrated arctic explorer, but his expedition ended in failure and the survivors only survived by eating the dead. Now he is disgraced and the subject of rumors and disgusted looks. It has been thirteen years and his second-in-command, Jesse Stevens, has gone missing and William is given the chance to redeem himself by facing up to his past decisions and actions. Not only will his expedition have experienced seaman, but he will also be accompanied by a reporter and Stevens’ wife, a spirit-medium who performs séances. The search for Stevens will not be easy, not when the dead wait....

I previously read Ally Wilkes book [book:All the White Spaces|58438634] which also takes place on a ship in a freezing unforgiving environment. I'm going to quote myself from that review: "I don't know why I am intrigued by books set in the cold, there is a certain thrill and danger to it, I suppose that I enjoy. Being without help, left to your devices, with the sheer painful cold that chills down to your bones. The atmosphere of a cold environment - ice and snow for as far as the eye can see. I'm in every single time."

Ally Wilkes excels at setting the stage. Her books are atmospheric, descriptive, and tense. They have a gothic feel to them. Her characters are up against the unimaginable - trapped, dealing with lack of food, scurvy, and the bitter, bitter, cold.

In this book, Day is not only dealing with his current circumstances but also his past. He is plagued by his failed voyage, his sexuality, and the ghosts that haunt him. The séances on board paired with conditions both onboard and off, create an eerie and tense vibe.

Not only did this book feel very much like her other book, [book:All the White Spaces|58438634], this book also reminded me of [book:The Terror|3974] by Dan Simmons. As both of her books have taken place on a ship trapped in the unforgiving cold, I hope that her next book goes in a different direction.

I enjoy Wilkes writing and thought she excelled at creating atmosphere and with Day's inner turmoil. The downside was that this book felt longer than 400 pages as there are some slower parts.

I do think that two books of hers that I have read would make great movies.

This was a solid 3 stars for me. It was enjoyable, atmospheric, eerie, and creepy.

The cover and title are what immediately pulled me in. The cover is so creepy!!

The writing style matches the time period perfectly. You feel like you are reading a very old, classic novel. This kind of language and vocabulary can make it feel more daunting and slow moving. I was super excited to discover what happened to Day and his crew but the writing left me wanting more.

The book discusses what happens after death often. Some people need to know there is something waiting for them when they pass. And for Day he knows he has done something horrible and what could be waiting for him but the pits of hell.

My personal favorite parts of the book were the seances. They were beyond creepy and left me feeling unnerved.

I think the most interesting aspect of the book is the original storyline of a crew resorting to cannibalism. I wish that the story focused on that timeline a bit more. I’m not sure I would’ve finished this if it wasn’t an ARC.

If you enjoy classic novels and tales of ships and crews I think you’ll enjoy this book. Thank you to NetGalley, Ally Wilkes, and Atria Books for the opportunity to read Where The Dead Wait. I have written this review voluntarily.

Ally Wilkes loves the snow. But talk about a one trick pony. Seriously. This doesn’t just follow in the snow-outlined footsteps on her debut novel, it literally regurgitates it.
Sure, yeah, everyone’s told to write what sells and everyone loves a formula and all that, but how lazy is this?
Frustratingly so, because Wilkes is actually a reasonably talented writer, and it would be very nice to see her write somethings—anything—different that a Polar expedition gone wrong.
But no, here she goes again, with a queer protagonist and terrors that lie amid the snow and desolation of the Arctic.
With meticulous attention to detail and some nice language, the production ends up dragging under its own ponderous weight and pervasive bleakness, arriving at something like heavy monotone.
I can’t think of a single time an author—a major-league published author, no less—has done their sophomore effort as closely to their debut as Wilkes did. Did the publisher encouraged this, or is this all she can and wants to do? Who knows. Who cares.
Outside of Artic explorer genre connoisseurs (is that a thing?), it’s difficult to recommend this. Thanks Netgalley.

Another great artic thriller from Wilkes. She knows how to write a story to make you feel like you are right there in the cold, icy lands with them. Great characters, great plot. Creepy and engaging. I hope she keeps writing!!

I didn't care for this. It just didn't suck me in like I was expecting it to. I think I was expecting more of an adventure and it ended up being too heavy for my tastes.

This was so creepy and weird and I enjoyed it wholly. I liked this authors writing style and I would definitely read more from them.