Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes

24 reviews

bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Grief, Self harm, Murder, Violence, Blood, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Domestic abuse and Child abuse

meganmustachebeard's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror

shay43geek's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death, Violence, and Mental illness

Moderate: Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Body horror, and Blood

j_squaredd's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Gore, and Body horror

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Child abuse

smilagros's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I listened to this on audio. I had high hopes for this one because I was OBSESSED with her previous book, Dead Silence. It took about 66% of the book for something to really happen. I still have no clue what was the big reveal. I have to acknowledge that S.A. Barnes knows how to write creepy ass scenes. Even though I was not obsessed with the book, her descriptions had me checking dark places and checking my arms to see if anything was on them. Even though I was not obsessed with this one, I will continue to pick up whatever she writes. Oh! Also, there was absolutely NO REASON to have any romance in this book. It did not go with the book. It changed the scene. I normally am a romance girlie but this time, I wanted no romance. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Gore, and Gun violence

Moderate: Colonisation

quetzel90's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

I loved this book. S.A. Barnes' work feels like it is tailor made for me. The book felt a bit more like a tense mystery then horror, but that might have just been me. The slower pace gave me a lot of time to get invested and to wonder about the mystery. I love just how much of a mess Ophelia is. Living proof being a therapist doesn't mean you've solved your own issues. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Blood, Mental illness, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Murder, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Child abuse and Suicide

vexatiousbird's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Didn’t love it as much as Dead Silence, but decent sci-fi horror with some skin-crawling body horror. Pacing is better here actually, it just didn’t grip me in the same way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Death

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Domestic abuse

nadiajohnsonbooks's review

adventurous 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

4.5

S.A. Barnes is now an auto-buy author for sure.

I loved Dead Silence, and Ghost Station delivered on a lot of what I liked about her horror debut. Set in an abandoned research facility on an alien planet, Ghost Station follows Ophelia, the company-mandated therapist on a small research crew. Sent to monitor the crew for signs of a particular type of psychosis that frequently affects these long-term interplanetary missions, she finds herself equally haunted by the legacy of her own messed up family. The crew don't trust her, but when things start to go awry on their mission, they are forced to come together to stay alive.

I love (well-written) horror that forces you to question what is real and what is a product of the protagonist's own mind. S.A. Barnes delivers that in spades without relying on lazy, stigmatizing depictions of mental illness. She gets it.

The root of the horror in this book was completely novel (to me, at least), and I loved watching Ophelia piece it together. Quite literally, my only complaint with this book is that I wish there was more of it. I'm dying to know more about the planet's original inhabitants, and I wish there was more meat to the epilogue. I have questions, Ms. Barnes!!!

All in all, Ghost Station was a creepy, fascinating, and totally unique horror story that nevertheless called to mind the things I love most about Dead Silence. I can't wait to dive into some more sci-fi horror, or whatever S.A. Barnes writes next.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Blood, Mental illness, Self harm, Body horror, Suicide, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

barometz's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

Definitely a slow start, slowed down further by the amount of time that Ophelia spends mooning over Severin*. At almost no point could I take her seriously as a medical professional. But once the horror kicked off, I was still totally sucked in. Ultimately, I wished we could have had more time with

the alien entity

before the book ended.

*I think I jokingly whined to a friend who was also reading this book that it was too heterosexual for me, but it did make me very glad to see queer people included even if just as background characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Medical content, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, and Death

Moderate: Self harm, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

aileron's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Body horror, and Death

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Medical content

Minor: Death of parent and Dementia