I really really liked Dead Silence so I was excited to get an alc of this one.

Ophelia is a psychologist sent on a mission to help a team that just lost a teammate to help them navigate their grief while they continue on their planet exploration. But when she gets there everything feels charged and creepy.

Ugh this was a bit of a slog. It took so long for anything to happen that by the time the scares were supposed to be coming in I didn’t care. Maybe it was a character issue I couldn’t root for anyone nor care about them at all lol. I did like the ending and the realizations Ophelia had about her nature.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an alc.

S.A. Barnes is a master of the sci-fi horror atmosphere. You can really picture the environment and can feel the intense senerios described.

As soon as the crew reaches the planet you get a sense that something is not right and it builds a mystery of what happen to the prior team there. At the same time both Ophelia and her new crew have many secrets themselves. The biggest question is; are the monsters outside, within the team or buried within yourself?

It is hard not to compare to "Dead Silence", whichbI did enjoy more. But "Ghost Station" was still a great read and had the perfect blend of both Sci-fi and horror.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced audiobook for review.

GHOST SHIP is a science fiction story taking place in the future. Planets have been colonized, yet capitalism remains the one truth left from the past.

To me, I just couldn't get into the story. I found myself constantly thinking how the main character could be responsible for others psychology, when she is constantly wallowing in her own self pity. She took away from the story instead of adding to it for me. I just couldn't get past the fact other members of the crew had their problems, yet the only one whining constantly was the psycologist. From the description I was looking forward to it, but was disappointed. It was the reason it has taken me so long to finish it.

Maybe I wouldn’t have disliked this so much if I hadn’t read a book a day ago about a similar let’s say character with a certain type of father similar to the main character in this one... But really if I’m honest that wouldn’t have mattered because this just isn’t good and neither was the other book I read...

Ophelia... a psychologist that clearly needs extensive therapy herself, takes a job to evaluate a research crew on a trip to another planet. A crew member has recently died and there is some type of medical/psychological condition that can occur to people who have spent extensive time in space that can lead to self inflected death. What’s the condition called you say? Doesn’t actually matter it’s pretty much irrelevant. Shortly after arriving to the planet everybody starts experiencing odd things. What’s odder are the discoveries they make regarding the civilization that once lived on the planet. Could they all be losing their minds? Or is there something else going on? Something Alien?

Ophelia is rather self centered and everything is about her. Stuff that happens all must revolve around her. Things that happened in the past that were not her fault is about her. I don’t know if it’s because it’s all told from her POV but ugh she’s exhausting. Especially everything to do with her father that’s really annoying and very obvious from the first mention. Of course that’s her background and of course that’s all somehow about her. Can you tell I didn’t like Ophelia? To be fair nobody else is all that likable either.

I knew I might not like this book as I wasn’t overly fond of Dead Silence but couldn’t resist some space horror. Figured giving the author another chance couldn’t hurt and I was wrong because I liked this even less than Dead Silence. If I had the actual book I would have skimmed it but I have the audiobook arc so I listened to the end out of curiosity and.... nope not good. I have learned my lesson. Maybe other people will like it I don’t know but I’m not one of those people.

3.5 stars

Barnes absolutely nails the creepy, uncertain tone that pervades Ophelia's, the main character's, experience throughout this sinister adventure.

Ophelia is a psychologist who focuses on the at times dangerous psychological impacts of space exploration. She has a special interest in this relating to a family secret, and it's fascinating to observe her as she navigates her current experience, memories, and questionable realities.

I really enjoyed the plot and this character and the general setting in which these events occur, but I did have trouble with the pacing at times.

I'm interested in reading more from this author and will recommend this one to folks who can manage a slower burn.

While I was not familiar with Dead Silence, the author’s previous book that has apparently gotten a lot of attention, I do love sci-fi and after reading the description I was really excited to read it. Overall this book is a pretty solid sci-fi horror. I really enjoyed the plot and after reading this book I’ll definitely be checking out Dead Silence. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC audiobook.

I really wanted to love this one and I felt like it was just okay. The pacing was a bit slow and I reallllly did not like any of the characters especially the main character. I did like that some parts were creepy, but I definitely wanted more of that. I have heard really great things about the authors other work, so I will give that a try.
Audiobook was read really well so appreciate the narrator for that!

Top tier sci-fi horror from one of the best in the genre.

This book has everything I want in a sci-fi horror. We have aliens. We have a crew with secrets. We have an unknown planet with constant storms. Yes. Yes and Yes. If you're looking for a story that puts you right in the action, this is it. If you enjoyed S.A Barnes' previous standalone book, "Dead Silence" you will will love listening to this.

Our main character, psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray, is sent on her first ship to study and hopefully mitigate the effects of 'ERS' (a sort of space PTSD) for crews on long missions away from Earth. Dr. Bray has a secret, and one of the crew knows it. The team is sent to a planet to claim habitation rights on behalf of their employer (a huge corporation), but arrive to see the hab unit they'll be living in dark, like everyone who was previously there left in a hurry. When our first crew member shows up dead in a horrific way, the crew races to understand what's happening before someone is next. What is real, what is trauma, where do both intersect?

S.A Barnes does an amazing job keeping you guessing the whole way through. The creeping feeling of dread starts at a rolling boil and does not let up the entire time. The pacing is great. The characters are really compelling and the ending (no spoilers) is satisfying.

I read this as an audiobook and Zura Johnson does an amazing job embodying Ophelia. Zura isn't just reading, she's emoting and get's quiet when the story demands it and I could feel her stress when the horror elements of the book ramps up. I really enjoyed their narration. I haven't listened to any other audiobooks by them, but will definitely be keeping an eye out now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced listener copy. I will be recommending this read to everyone from now until it's release date, April 2024 and beyond.

This book is best read while isolated on a dead planet, trapped with strangers, by storms. All the more opportunity to read without interruption.

Between mushrooms and microscopic aliens, the letter M is really beginning to strike fear into my heart when it's found in a horror.

This was a solid book! Was it as good as Dead Silence? No, I'm sorry to say. That was one of my favourite reads last year and I can confirm that it was simply a way better executed horror story. It's just a fact. That said, while this registered far less on the scare scale, it still had a great overall tone of ominousness. Something bad happened, something bad is happening, and something bad will happen, and the book takes the reader through those emotions well. It kept me on my toes and I was riveted the whole time wondering what would come next, what part of the mystery would unravel next.

I do wish this had committed a bit more in terms of the horror elements, especially after the resounding success of that in Dead Silence. Likewise with building out the characters a little more. It was good but it needed a little nudge to be deemed great for me.

I am just recently getting into horror and sci-fi and this book delivered on both fronts. It's one of those books where the audio didn't take away from the story and potentially added to it. I was engaged and on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was so interesting to hear the secrets the team was carrying in a future where space travel is common. It was definitely spooky but since I'll probably never go to space, I'm not too scared.

I was aware of this author after her debut, Dead Silence, was popping up everywhere. Sci-fi horror is my jam but the reactions to Dead Silence were so mixed that I've been hesitant to check it out, something I'll correct after reading Ghost Station.

It's not peak *chef's kiss* literature but this is some solid sci-fi horror. The author's inspiration screams through - Event Horizon, Dead Space, Aliens, The Thing, Tacoma, The Expanse, etc in the descriptions of the setting (both space ship, space station, and alien planet), the characters, the world building, even the situation. I don't want to get more specific than this as it will give away parts of the story, lol, but I will say that when I got to the description of their ship quarters I was immediately picturing the Lewis & Clark from Event Horizon lmao

It is a slow build as well, though the end goes wild and gets gross, and then we get a kind of silly fairy tale ending but, again, in an Event Horizon way, so... I can see some not wanting to go through the journey though, but I loved the world-building and setting, especially as Barnes does employ a cool plot device - this is a universe in which yeah, there are aliens, but all the humans see of them are ruins. Ruins so old that little can be gleaned. I thought this was just a little nugget of world-building, just a little tickle for setting-reason, but it turns out to be a big plot point and one I really liked and would love to see more of in the genre. There's something so deeply sad about humans going out into the final frontier and finding everyone else is already dead. Or maybe I just want to re-watch Stargate: Universe after reading this.

I honestly deeply enjoyed Ghost Station though, in the same way I enjoy ice cream - it's not healthy or much substance but it still tastes good. The only part that gave me a bad taste were the random occasionaly paragraphs attempting to set up some romance between the MC and the ship's Captain... and it's just as goofy and awkward as you can imagine. Two people, never met before, don't have a good first impression or impressions of each other in general, are going through something incredible stressful and horrific (mentally, emotionally, and physically!) and the aliens are more realistic than these two lusting after each other. Every time was jarring and you could literally remove any sentences referring to the romance and change nothing else. Especially as none of the characters are particularly likable? It feels very shoehorned. Either these two characters needed a history, or the romance should've remained light flirting, or the promise of a potential for more at the end of the story, any of which would have felt more natural in the situation. Anyway, I dedicated this entire paragraph to, maybe, two paragraphs worth of romance in the entire book haha so don't let this dissuade you, as it really barely appears. I just have a lot of feelings about insta-love, quick romances, and a general lack of 'read the room' when it comes to the fiction I consume.

The audiobook is quite good as well, though the narrator, Zura Johnson, has a Shatner rhythm when they're reading, unless they're doing the character voices. Takes some getting used to lol

It kind of ends open-ended and I wouldn't mind a sequel.

4⭐️

S.A.Barnes has solidified themselves as a go to author for me. This definitely a slow burn space horror while diving deep in a character study and deep topics, I absolutely loved it.

Similar to Dead Silence the characters are flawed and not necessarily loveable. They come off as real people with authentic flaws. I really appreciated this take on these characters. In this book we are dealing with large amount of grief and bottling up of emotions, or avoidance/blame. I really appreciated this a lot. It gave depth to this book than just the horror in space.

SA Barnes also writes romance books under a different name and part of the reasons I love these books as much as I do is she creates this romantic tension even in these horror books. However it doesn't take over the story line, it's just there simmering. I need more of this and I hope it continues in her future books.

Similar to Dead Silence this book was easier to digest in an audio format for me personally. I really enjoyed the narrator. She did a great job representing the characters and made it easier to follow. With this being a slower paced book, I struggled reading this physically while retaining what I read. There is just a lot of information being shared.

I would recommend this any readers who enjoy psychological horror/suspense, slow burn sci-fi horror, strong character depiction, and the hint of romance mixed in.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this advanced listener copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Title: Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes
Publication Date- 04/09/24
Publisher- MacMillan
Overall Rating- 3 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The audio production was spectacular.

I always promise to give everyone and honest review. It is with a sad and heavy heart that I have to report I DNF’d this book at 55 percent in. I still gave it a 3 star overall review to be fair to the author. I do think many of you will enjoy the book especially if you enjoyed her previous work Dead Silence. What I’ve come to learn is that S.A. Barnes can get my attention, get me roped in but can’t hold me through the story. I wish there would have been more horror elements, the sci-fi was solid and one of the enjoyable parts of the story. Her world building is unique and makes sense. That is a strong suit to her works. Often when I read sci-fi I am confused and easily and therefore frustrated. That was not the case here, I really enjoyed those aspects.

Personally, I struggled with how the story was being told and what attention to detail was being put where. I found the pieces of the story that are meant to build tension, create interesting characters and add to the plot to be lackluster. I will own that I think a lot of this comes down to personal preference which is why I couldn’t rate it less than three stars.

I don’t think I will be alone in feeling this way. Dead Silence, I gave 3 stars but had some of the same feelings. Sadly, I think this lacks in comparison. Like I said, I really enjoy her horror elements and wish there would have been more of that. She builds tension well and is able to put the reader on edge. We got into some of that at the 55 percent mark but it wasn’t enough to keep me invested.
Lastly, I felt that the story was very slow paced. Which is fine, but I would like the slower moving parts to build tension and/or help me get to know the characters and I just didn’t feel that way.

This might sound confusing but I will try this author again. There is enough there that I do enjoy and I’m interested to see how she develops as an author and where her stories go.

Ghost Station was full of deep space tension and terror. It gave me some serious Aliens vibes, heading to a strange planet, trying to figure out what happened to previous inhabitants. But that is where I'll end the comparison, because Ghost Station does its own thing. There is some pretty interesting backstory for characters and things definitely took some twists and turns that I didn't expect.

Things to know: the story is a bit of a slow burn, but I thought that helped build tension. Also, it isn't crazy scary, but I was ok with it because of the looming dread and isolation of the crew throughout.

Overall, I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for some creepy sci-fi vibes with enough mystery and thrills to keep you going.

The audiobook was narrated by Zura Johnson and she did a great job. It's the first audiobook I've listened to from Zura and I'll definitely keep an eye out for future work.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing the audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Ophelia is a psychologist who travels with space teams process trauma - and she has her own past and her own grief to deal with as well. The current team goes on a mission with a connection to Ophelia's past.

The setting is eerie and unsettling and this novel thrives in the delicious ambiguity of "is the danger we sense coming from without, or from within?" This book has its own invented space-related mental illness with very dangerous consequences. The stakes are high.

This is a slow burn book especially suitable for people who have a sense of dread about being trapped in outer space (in other words.... rational people haha).

The best part of this book is the last third where the pace and tension escalates considerable.

Thank you Goodreads and TOR books, always a fun ride.

Original, creepy and creative.
I loved the concept - a therapist from a wealthy family has a dark past. Providing therapy for those returning from deep space missions, Ophelia's reputation takes a hit with the suicide of a patient. Determined to prove her worth, Ophelia agrees to travel with a crew - a crew experiencing the loss of a member, potentially a victim of ERS, a contagious mental health breakdown.
The crew obviously are unwelcoming - yet Ophelia does her best to push through. The crew begins to show signs of instability - and a suspicious rash. Is it ERS?
I like this book - though it could have been cut back by at least 50 pages.

I received this DRC (audiobook) from NetGalley.

I thought the narrator did a good job. Although the main character was a bit whiny for my tastes, and there were a couple of tropes I didn't love, the story kept me engaged to see how it would play out. I'd give it 3.5 stars.

Oh man, Ghost Station just wasn't for me. I couldn't stay interested in the story and the writing style wasn't what I enjoy. I can see an audience for this, but it's not me. The FMC, Ophelia, spent so much of the story trying to be taken seriously by others. It became redundant. Also, nothing about this was really horror to me.

I listened to this on audio. Zura Johnson did a great job narrating. I will listen to more from her!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC.

Overall the story was good. The set up took a hot minute and you never really get an answer to what's going on. Ophelia is also pretty annoying, but the atmosphere makes up for that well enough. If you liked Dead Silence, you'll like this. I would definitely label this a thriller as opposed to horror.

3.5 stars ⭐️ This was was of my most anticipated releases of this year so thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook arc!

I love when sci-fi and horror mix, especially when it’s set in space. This had such a promising premise although I think it failed to execute it quick enough. The first 30ish% dragged so badly to the point where I didn’t even want to pick it back up. However, once the horror finally started picking up, the pacing became a lot quicker and the story started being actually interesting.

This book follows Ophelia Bray, a psychologist with a tragic past, who signs up on a mission to go to a planet to obtain artifacts. Ophelia soon realizes the crew is hiding something and is trying to figure out why the previous crew had such a hasty departure from the planet.

This book was very atmospheric and interesting, especially in the second half. I just felt like the first 30% should’ve been condensed down so it isn’t such a slow beginning.

Again, thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook arc in exchange for my honest review.