Reviews with content warning for Medical trauma - Ghost Station

This book had and lost me so many times. It feels like it never got edited, so much of it is both unnecessary and unenjoyable. The romance is obligatory and the personal drama isn't well done. This is basically an inferior version of the author's last book. Any flaw has been magnified. The ending doesn't really make sense because they already ruled it out earlier in the book as course of action and it's incredibly unclear what changed.

The exposition is extremely clunky. At times I felt talked down to, but the worst part was having something explained to me the having it explained to the characters multiple times. That should really only happen if it's complex information.

I really don't understand the protagonist at all. "I loved my evil father because he was only 99% evil" definitely is a take.

The good points of the book rely entirely on the fact sci-fi horror is a rare genre and is enjoyable in terms of content exclusively in that domain.

The characters are wildly unlikable and mostly do not grow at all. I don't know how I feel about that but it sure was a choice.

Content Warnings

skywardstorytelling's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Pros: Very creepy. There were a lot of little details that all coalesced to create the horror, which was very effective to maintain tension. The novel covers a lot of good points re: mental health and dealing with trauma, using horror as a lens to talk about these things. The Big Bad was quite nightmarish and a well-conceived blend of a couple of sci-fi horror tropes.

Cons: Unlike Dead Silence, I felt as though this narrative didn't have a lot of force behind it. The stakes felt lower, despite being objectively higher - the foundations for the shock at the plot reveals and rooting for the characters were not as well laid here. I found Ophelia a frustrating protagonist - she is ineffectual at the best of times, which made her denouement feel almost out of character. The plot was more amorphous and I had a lot of questions left by the end of the novel, making some of the major scenes feel more like set dressing for shock value rather than major plot points. I also disliked the implied romance between Ophelia and Ethan - it follows a disappointly generic romance novel arc and yet has no real payoff. It seems like it was the only way the author could think of to get Ophelia to care about Ethan, even though their conversations were good setup for mutual respect and trust without lingering on the potential of "more" that we never see played out.

Content Warnings

maregred's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

lbelow's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense

3.75

Ironically, the only reason I read this book to the end is because the author isn't very good at building the tension. I'm not a horror reader, so I liked that this felt more like a mystery than a horror book. I loved the interweaving of the main character's traumatic past with the present narrative. I found that this interplay really helped to ground me in the character. I also liked all the thought that went into the world building—the corporations, the psychological ramifications of space travel, the side effects of cold sleep, etc. All these little details really made the world come to life!

Content Warnings