Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Listen, this may be 5 stars, honestly. I have to sit with it for a little while and sort through the well of big feelings this book brought to my life. Around the middle, I kinda detached from the story a bit but that may have just been a me thing so… stay tuned.
For now, I will say that this book genuinely had me scared and creeped out several times and pretty consistently through the entire read.
The main characters, their stories and connections are instantly relatable. Then, the spooky stuff starts and I was in no way prepared. My toxic reader trait is that I try to guess the endings and twists, even when I go in blind as I tend to do. I was unsuccessful here, I had no clue what was coming next. The excellent writing and atmospheric, haunting story kept me in the dark and it was deliciously horrifying.
I opted for the audiobook version and the narrator did an incredible job at creating an extra layer of immersion into this already fantastic story. Genuinely unsettled and scary.
I’ve now talked myself into it- 5 stars, go read it.
For now, I will say that this book genuinely had me scared and creeped out several times and pretty consistently through the entire read.
The main characters, their stories and connections are instantly relatable. Then, the spooky stuff starts and I was in no way prepared. My toxic reader trait is that I try to guess the endings and twists, even when I go in blind as I tend to do. I was unsuccessful here, I had no clue what was coming next. The excellent writing and atmospheric, haunting story kept me in the dark and it was deliciously horrifying.
I opted for the audiobook version and the narrator did an incredible job at creating an extra layer of immersion into this already fantastic story. Genuinely unsettled and scary.
I’ve now talked myself into it- 5 stars, go read it.
It started out shaky. I wasn't a huge fan of the main character's voice at first and it took a long time to get into the meat of the plot. Honestly, the end was a bit of a mess too, but I really enjoyed the premise even though the execution was lacking.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Erin loses her ex-boyfriend and best friend, Silas, and then she finds out about a drug that might be able to let her see his ghost. Then we go on a ride that (for me) was quite similar to how people describe Trainspotting in making me not want to participate in recreational drug use.
This was a fascinating look into addiction and the varying ways it can show up.
This had some well written horror scenes. I thought parts of it were quite scary and I kind of regretted staying up and reading it until 1am and then having to go to bed after. Luckily no nightmares, but I definitely thought I would have some with how my brain works.
I saw some people saying this book starts out a bit slow, but I don't think it was. The book sets a strong foundation to uphold the story of Erin's relationship with Silas and their addictions, and then we move pretty quickly into the main plot of this weird new drug that lets you see the dead. The book needed this foundation to make it impactful and to make it so the reader believes Erin's actions. The build up in the beginning worked for me, but maybe go into it with the knowledge that it might be slower at the beginning for your personal reading tastes.
The ending gets wild, and I couldn't put it down until I finished. I can see why some people might feel that the ending does too much, but I thought it was cool.
Overall book was great, give it a try.
This was a fascinating look into addiction and the varying ways it can show up.
Spoiler
Erin is addicted to her unhealthy relationship with Silas, who is a drug addict as well, and their other friends experience addiction to varying degrees as well. We see Erin pull away from the fresh start she was trying to have for her life by dating, and how she is pulled away from her new job and her friends as she becomes consumed by the drug Ghost and her search for Silas.This had some well written horror scenes. I thought parts of it were quite scary and I kind of regretted staying up and reading it until 1am and then having to go to bed after. Luckily no nightmares, but I definitely thought I would have some with how my brain works.
I saw some people saying this book starts out a bit slow, but I don't think it was. The book sets a strong foundation to uphold the story of Erin's relationship with Silas and their addictions, and then we move pretty quickly into the main plot of this weird new drug that lets you see the dead. The book needed this foundation to make it impactful and to make it so the reader believes Erin's actions. The build up in the beginning worked for me, but maybe go into it with the knowledge that it might be slower at the beginning for your personal reading tastes.
The ending gets wild, and I couldn't put it down until I finished. I can see why some people might feel that the ending does too much, but I thought it was cool.
Overall book was great, give it a try.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
I just found the whole thing sad. Very very sad. Great work describing the gore and the horror , but I just thought the plot was sad
I think this book should've come with some warnings. I wish I had known beforehand about the majority of the plot being about addiction, in various ways, and toxic friends. I'm not sure I would describe it as scary, but definitely unsettling. I did find myself captivated by the storytelling and read it way faster than usual for me.
3.5. The ghosty parts of this story were the best. Not as big a fan of the drug addiction parts, but overall solid.
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow what a book. I finished it in one sitting— grim and macabre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Cannibalism