3.75 stars.

I fear I don’t like this as much as we ate the dark. I feel like I liked the characters in that novel infinitely more. I enjoyed the way they interacted with one another in that one too. My favorite scene was Finch and Jo on the fire escape-thing? Is that what it was called idk. Finch was superior. I feel like whenever there’s a character named Finch they’re my favorite. I think I would’ve liked this a lot more if it weren’t just a single pov!! The ending was lovely though. I want that life give it to me

Voice Like a Hyacinth by Mallory Pearson is a horror novel that caught my attention from the first page and never let go. It is excellently crafted, the characters are wonderfully realized, and the tension is unmatched. Highly recommended!

This novel is about an insular, very enmeshed group of friends, with a long shared history between them. It's also a book about change: resisting change, enduring it, and mourning its effects on friendships and relationships. Sometimes, writers who try to capture this kind of dynamic fail, either because there's no way to let the reader 'in' on the friendship, or because it's too difficult to flesh out multiple characters in order to really cement the idea that they're obsessed with each other. Pearson knows what these friendships feel like, how feral they can be, how integral they are to girlhood and young queer women's identities. And so she succeeds in developing several multifaceted characters and their incredibly complex relationships to one another. This book is phenomenal.

Mallory Pearson creates such lush, horrifying worlds. Five best friends at a rigorous art school compete for a spot only one of them can win. Despite the coveted Solo spot being meant for one student, our girls hope the rules may change. What if they were all so good that the spot would need to be shared? A ritual found in a questionable book seems to work until their effigy is disturbed and things spiral out of control. The narrator, Jo, is not ready for their lives to change after the year is done. Her anxiety and obsession with her friends pulls us through the story as she descends into a sleep deprived madness. She's haunted and she can no longer trust if what she's seeing is real. I felt myself holding my breath as I moved through each chapter, constantly wondering if the shadows would finally consume. Pearson explores art, creativity, obsession, and the occult in Voice Like a Hyacinth and left me wondering what horrors are people capable of when pushed to the brink? The line between reality and imagination blurs in this shifting, atmospheric novel.

Thank you netgalley for the advanced preview audio book. I just love getting advance copies! This one lives up to the hype!

There are a lot of books I believe are worth going into blind, but if you are to only pick one, let it be 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘏𝘺𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘩. I went into it expecting nothing but lesbian horror (which is exciting in and of itself, of course), and came away a changed person.

I think it an absolutely precious thing to read about friendships, especially all-consuming ones as depicted in VLAH. Mallory writes such compelling characters, made even more interesting by the devoted love they hold for each other. This is a horror story yes, but it's filled with so much tenderness and reverence for the mundane acts people who belong to each other perform: brewing a cup of tea just how they like, braiding their hair, sharing clothes, coming together around a kitchen table to eat, and to feed.

𝘐𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴:
𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

Mallory's prose is delicious, infused with poetry and art and so, so much life. Her characters come to life in a way I've rarely experienced—I had to pinch myself at times, it felt so much like I was there with them, an unseen visitor standing in the warmth of their kitchen watching their lives unfold. Her women feel so tangible, so real, and I catch myself wondering about them, their daily happenings, their feelings. I hold them close to my heart and wish them the best.
The horror facet of this book is not to be laughed at either; the tension, the uncanny and frightening events that haunt the narrative and the character(s) are masterfully crafted and had my heart anxiously racing more than once. It's a tender and art-full story, but it's also a carefully horrifying one. I loved it.

Turning the last page of 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘏𝘺𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘩 (metaphorically; I read it on my phone), was unexpectedly hard. It is of these books which grow so much on you that leaving them behind feels like a tearing away a part of you. But this only makes them even sweeter to revisit, and I'm planning to revisit this one very often.

Thank you so much to Mallory for kindly sending me an e-ARC of this gem, I am forever in your debt.

this was pretty fun! it reminded me of the secret history at times, and that’s definitely saying something because i adore tsh with every fibre of my being. plus, the fact that it was super duper gay made it all the more entertaining!

I can not wait to get this book in person. author mallory is such a talented writer and cares about her characters and her stories. I am so glad to have read this book.

I love love love this so much!! the best book i ve read rhis year!! thank you to mallory pearson and to the publisher for the e-arc

Voice Like a Hyacinth is a queer horror novel with lyrical writing and quite the slow burn. The first three quarters meander and drag a bit, but it all comes together in a pretty satisfying and explosive payoff.

I especially loved the themes this novel explored. It features a friend group of queer artists in their final year and the pressure to earn the Solo spot at their graduation exhibition is on. Our main character is high key obsessed with her friend group and doesn’t ever want their relationship to change. Which is quite difficult, because friendships and people are bound to change, especially if you bring the occult into the mix.

The novel was a bit too long for my tastes. It feels a bit over-written at times, but I overall had an enjoyable reading experience.

I recommend it if you enjoy horror novels with artsy queer people, dark academia vibes, purple prose, and a slow burn towards an explosive finale.

Thanks to NetGalley and 47North for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book, it's introspective and dreamy, with a cast of art school students vividly painted. I didn't get a great sense of the narrator, but she seemed a bit unsure of who she was too, and her love for the rest of them was in ever page. I wouldn't call this a horror story, but there were some really scary scenes and imagery, and a through theme of being haunted. Also a great cover!

n college, I had a group of friends that I was extremely close with. There were 4 girls and 4 boys. We were constantly together, on campus, in class, at parties. We had designated TV nights at one of the two houses. We had themed dinners/drinking nights. We had a standing Sunday lunch date of just the 8 of us. We slept at each other's house, in various pairs. I thought we could have stayed like that forever, that we would leave school and just all move to the same place.

Voice Like a Hyacinth by Mallory Pearson is the story of 5 young women, all friends in their last year at an art school. It's a story of codependence, of terror, of stress and pressure, and. overall, the story of friendship.

There are art references, some of which I needed to look up, just for clarification, but that did not take away from the story. The fears and longing is a universal feeling. Everyone goes through this at some point in their life, minus the PTSD/paranoia that these girls did. Not everyone is going to go the way that these women did in order to reach their goal, but that's what makes this book fun.

The tone of Mallory Pearson's writing is insightful and deep. I can't help but feel that this is a personal story - with the caveat that I would HOPE she and her friends didn't do the ritual.

The idea of being with your friends forever is ideal. Could I still, 20+ years later, be living with those people? No, but at 21, it was a nice thought.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Voice Like a Hyacinth is an atmospheric, dark, and grotesque (in the best way) story of doing anything for a chance to be great. Five friends at a prestigious art college are coming to terms with the fact that in less than a year they will graduate and go their separate ways. Before that, however, they will all compete for the Solo -- an opportunity to be the single art student to showcase their work. As events unravel, the group finds themselves speaking horrors into existence that will undo everything.

I thought the pacing, tone and style of Mallory's writing was superb. It was a fun read from start to finish. I think it's a perfect book for those who like dark academic stories.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to review this ARC!

Five best friends in a competitive art program, decide to mess with magic in order to bolster their chances at success. A recipe for disaster in any circumstance.

Mallory is a master of the written word. This is definitely a slow burn but this is ultimately contradicted by the prose and the plot, which are both brilliant. The last third of this book had me in a chokehold so strong it deserves to be studied.

Pearson's sophomore novel is an absolute triumph. With characters that are more easy to fall in love with than I care to admit, this heartbreaking and brutal book wormed its way into my all-time top 5 and is set to stay there for a good long while. Recommended for those who adored If We Were Villains, but wished that the friend group was much gayer, and much more all in love with each other in a messy, terrifying way.

P.S. Finch are u free on Thursday pls let me know bc I'll clear my calendar for u in an INSTANT

Wow, I felt this book in my bones. It so perfectly captures that intense period of University when you are completely immersed in your own world, obsessed with your studies and living in your friends' pockets. But Voice Like a Hyacinth goes darker with glorious witchy, occultist vibes, body horror, toxic ambition and the gradual unravelling of one's sanity under pressure. Also, loved the friendships and sapphic yearning.

Summary: "Five young women eager for success rely on the unspeakable to make their dreams come true in a chilling novel about martyrdom, ritual, and obsession by the author of We Ate the Dark."

This is a very easy spooky read! Let me start by saying that the cover portrays stuff perfectly. It's dark, a bit gory and very queer. It portrays womanhood, obsession and relationships in a different and realistic light.

While it's heavy on the art world, it was a delight to read so many details and you can 100% tell it's a passion for the author.

Looking forward to reading more from this author!

"Voice Like Hyacinth" by Mallory Pearson is a slow burn that tests your patience at the start but rewards you with an intense, visceral final act. The first three-quarters are a trudge, weighed down by the main character, whose childish and often unlikeable nature can be grating. However, the last quarter of the book escalates rapidly, delivering a whirlwind of emotions that leave a whiplash effect. The writing is well thought out, though the pacing may challenge some readers. Overall, it's a decent read for fans of slow burn queer horror, offering a satisfying, if delayed, payoff.

At first I caught myself saying just get to the point and this plot could be told in a third of pages but then when I got myself to really focus on the words I became entranced. Pearson's writing is absolutely beautiful and I realized that every word is necessary to paint the beautiful depictions that Pearson is creating.

You will fall in love with the characters and at times you will be screaming "No! Don't do that!" and there are times you dream of being amongst this friendship while they are all nestled in their blanket nest watching scary movies together. I adored this book and it made me so nostalgic for my college girlfriends.

Pearson writes so beautifully and this is a book I see myself revisiting as an escape.

First off, thank you so much to the author for the review copy, I can't wait to get my hands on a hardcopy in January!
I adored this book. I love to read lesbians in my hands, I love to recognize our bullshit on the page and see our mess as it happens and the carnage of loving each other so much. It felt like a slow moving car crash in a way that was so tense and effective for me, I fell in love with these characters and felt so strongly for each of them. Our narrator felt natural to inhabit, and I continue to love this author's prose; it feels so lived in and vivid.