Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Ghost Station

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

mrsredfield's review

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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kennabrooke's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

It kept me locked in for the entirety of the book, however the stakes they set up during the book were not the same stakes the book ended with. I feel like the ending/epilogue did not match the writing and tenseness of the rest of the book, in my opinion.

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emilyatoz's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark 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

3.0

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kaneebli's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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leandrathetbrzero's review

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

After a small exploration crew loses one of its members under mysterious circumstances, psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray is assigned to join them on their next trip. Phe has dedicated her life to the study and prevention of ERS—a space-based condition that can lead one to experience paranoia and hallucinations, and they may become a threat to themselves and others, among other symptoms. The crew is less than happy to have Phe with them as they begin to establish residency on an abandoned planet, but that should be the least of their worries when it becomes clear that this planet has some secrets of its own...

Before entering this novel, it is important to know that this read is a slow burn. The tension and suspense come from atmospheric tension, environmental stressers, and strained relationship dynamics among the crew members. The novel eventually barrels you to the end once the true threat is established, but the book is far slower in pace compared to SA Barnes's Dead Silence. Elements I loved include the social commentary on corporate greed, the moments in which Phe feels she is being watched, and the bread crumbs we got surrounding Phe's life before she and her mother moved back on Earth in her childhood. With that said, I did find the depiction and development of interpersonal relationships to be weak and surface level in this narrative. This may be rooted in Phe acting as outsider, so she has only known the crew for this single brief trip. I found the romantic subplot in these pages to be forced and unnecessary; it was a bit awkward at times. While I appreciated the uniqueness of the threat the crew faced, I think I would have liked more answers/explanation surrounding that threat by the story's close. I also just wanted these characters to have more common sense. I would certainly try this author again, because I loved Dead Silence and ultimately liked Ghost Station for what it was. NOTE: I buddy read this with two friends who only had access to the audio, and we seemed to agree that I was the best one off with the ebook, as there are some information heavy passages.

Actual Rating: 3.25 stars

Original Pub Date: 9 April 2024

Reading Format: ebook

PREVIOUS BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR:

Dead Silence—5 stars

Thank you NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and Tor Publishing Group for an E-ARC copy in exchange for this honest review!

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theebster's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Deliciously creepy. Delivered on my expectations after loving Dead Silence! Really enjoyed the tension and unreliable narration in this one.

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skywardstorytelling's review against another edition

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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.

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