As the author puts it in the notes this is Jurassic Park but with ghosts. We follow two teenagers who've fallen apart into a theme park full of real ghosts. When setting a book in an environment like this it's easy for an author to lose you in the various places, but this one does a good job.

The ghosts within are vividly described and the man villian is set up well. The book does get lost a few times in getting away from the fun with some long explanations, but overall I think this is a fun read and well written.

Thank you @netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After experiencing a near-fatal heart incident following a terrifying encounter with the star attraction of a soon-to-be haunted theme park, Ben and his estranged friend Lil agree to spend the day together at Ghostland on its opening day. When the park system malfunctions and hundreds of angry ghosts are let loose upon hordes of innocent guests, brutal deaths abound. Ben and Lil will need to draw upon their love and knowledge of horror films, video games, and books to escape an equally as terrible fate.

While I was reading, I kept thinking, "this book is Jurassic Park meets Thirteen Ghosts", which definitely makes for an interesting premise! Jurassic Park is one of my favorite reading experiences of all-time, and while I am not a big fan of horror movies, I thought the story of Thirteen Ghosts was equally as compelling.

(minor spoilers)
I had a couple of issues with the storyline, and probably my biggest gripe was that I wish the theme park had been more fleshed out prior to the major turning point in the story. I really wanted to hear more about the attractions as experienced by the characters prior to the ghosts being turned loose. We do visit several areas of the park as Ben, Lil, and friends try to make their escape, but I wish the build-up as a theme park had been greater.

Without delving into major spoilers, I had a couple of issues with the characters' stories and how things resolved. Some of the science / paranormal science seemed far-fetched, but with a plot like this you can suspend belief.

All in all, I found it to be a fun read that I would recommend for horror fans.

The descriptions of the dead bodies were somewhat graphic, but with the gore from more of an observant view seeing it described in action, it was more tolerable to me.

It is my first time reading this author and I'm really surprised, in a good way. The idea of the plot was very good and I liked the story just as much as I enjoyed the idea. The fact that the story had interactive notes made it even more enjoyable. Overall I loved the characters and their evolution from the beginning to the end of the book. This book is very hard to put down and I would recommended it to anyone who likes ghost stories.

“Ghosts are real.”

If you want to visualise the gorefest that is ‘Ghostland’, imagine the ectoplasmic mayhem that would have ensued if ‘Jurassic Park’ had been populated by ghosts instead of dinosaurs. Featuring such haunts as a prison, an asylum and Garrote House, home of “the Most Terrifying Man in the World”, and 300 ghosts (at the beginning of the book) ranging from former prisoners to an evil sex nun, the promised fun of this amusement park quickly descends into a “concerto of chaos”.

Putting their knowledge of “All Things Horror” and gaming skills to the ultimate test are Lilian Roth and Ben Laramie. Ben has serious physical health problems and Lilian’s thanatophobia, a result of a trauma she experienced four years ago, add to the potential dangers these former best friends will be facing.

Joining them on what may be their final day as corporeal beings is Dr Allison Wexler, Lilian’s therapist. Having your therapist along for the ride is not awkward at all …

Exposure therapy has never been so intensive!

“What’s the worst that could happen, right?”

You do realise you’re one of the main characters in a horror novel, don’t you Lilian?

Don’t bother trying to form any emotional connections with any of the breathers who decide that opening day is a good time to visit this amusement park. Chances are they’re going to be the recently deceased before they get their $40 ticket price worth of scares.

Usually when I read horror stories I tally a body count but there’s just no point here. Even if I counted all of the bodies I tripped over along the way, I would have missed dozens of them. Not as many people died in front of me as I had hoped but I did get to witness the results of a fair amount of the carnage as Lilian and Ben attempt to navigate their way out of Ghostland, hopefully with heartbeats.

“This is what happens when you mess around with things you can’t possibly comprehend.”

I haven’t had this much fun anticipating footnotes since Mark Z. Danielewski’s ‘House of Leaves’. While the “Know Your Ghosts” guide occasionally only repeated the text in the chapters and didn’t seem necessary, I enjoyed the majority that provided additional information. I expect they’re going to be useful in the sequel. Incidentally, if ‘Ghostland’ is ever made into a movie, I’ll be there for the ride.

At times it felt like there were an over abundance of similes and I simply shook my head when our lambs to the slaughter took the time to locate toilets on the map. If all hell was breaking loose and I had to use the bathroom I doubt I’d risk my life further by detouring to find a public toilet. A few question marks appeared over my head as I was reading, including when Dr Wexler contradicted herself about how long Lilian had been in therapy for, but they are essentially quibbles in what was a fun bloodbath.

My disappointment came when, after such a build up, I blinked and missed most of the final battle. Maybe I’ll get to enjoy the hopefully bone snapping, blood spurting, organ squishing climax in a flashback scene during the sequel but right now it feels like a crucial chapter was accidentally deleted.

Favourite phrase: “You cain’t be alive. You ain’t got a head.”

You can download a free copy of the short story prequel, ‘The Moving House’ when you subscribe to the author’s website. There’s also a Ghostland website to explore.

“Please keep your head and hands inside the ride and enjoy your time at Ghostland, the most terrifying theme park on earth!”

Content warnings include mention of death by suicide and paedophilia.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Shadow Work Publishing and Victory Editing for the opportunity to read this book.

Ghostland by Duncan Ralston was a fascinating read. I was given a digital copy for review by Netgalley and Shadow Work Publishing. The story starts right out and grabs your attention from the first page. Two childhood friends, Ben and Lillian have grown apart and find themselves together again going into a haunted theme park. Shortly after arriving things go haywire in the park and ghosts are set loose to do what they want on the living. Ben and Lillian will need to use their knowledge of video games and the horror genre to navigate the angry ghosts and ghouls within the walls of Ghostland.

The author does an amazing job with visuals in this book. As I was reading I kept thinking to myself, this is a story of Jurassic Park meets 13 Ghosts. What's crazy is the author actually acknowledges Jurassic Park in the back of the book. Job well done and message conveyed! I was also glad to see a change in the typical ghost story. This was something I hadn't heard or seen before and was a breath of "decaying rot air" in a good way.

Not only does Duncan Ralston give us an amazing story but he takes it a step further. In the book is an actual map of Ghostland that you can check back to and follow the team through the park. He also set up an online presence for Ghostland that you can go to at www.ghostlandpark.com that has all kinds of information about "that day" at the park. In addition to all of that there is a classification of ghost index that you can turn to in order to figure out all they types of ghosts in the story.

This book hit the money in storytelling and consumer interaction. This is a definite must read for young adults and adults who enjoy twists, turns and a good ghost story. I can't wait to see what's next.

This book is a great YA novel and would have been my idea of a perfect read when I was a young teen. It has just the right amount of spookiness and gore, and two extremely likable and relatable characters.

As an adult however, the book didn't do a lot for me. I didn't find it scary, but it was interesting enough to make me keep reading. I wish the author would have explored the amusement park a bit more before everything fell apart. Part of the reason I chose the book is because a story about a haunted amusement park really hasn't been done in this manner, and I was intrigued by that.

Overall, a pleasing read. If you have some teens in the house who want a creepy book to read, this might be a good one to offer them.

Hi all!
Before I begin, I just wanted to let you all know I've created a couple of bookish templates on my Instagram: @my_bookish_universe - so go check them out if you like! Here's an example of one I created on an app called Canva. 

Today I am back to review another new release – Ghostland by Duncan Ralston  – which was published on November 8th 2019. I was permitted to read an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) thanks to NetGalley. This horror story follows former best friends, Ben and Lillian, who decide to check out Ghostland (a spooky amusement park) on opening day together. But when a computer virus sets the ghosts free and the park goes into lockdown, the pair find themselves trapped in an endless nightmare. With their video game knowledge and expertise on all things horror, Ben and Lillian must stay alive for as long as possible or become Ghostland's newest exhibits. As always, I am going to provide my honest thoughts and let you know whether I think it’s worth checking out or not. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

This is a snapshot from my NetGalley account
WHAT THIS BOOK DOES RIGHT 
Everything! This book is by far the best I've ever read and reviewed on NetGalley. I was hooked from the very beginning. I was also extremely impressed with the amount of detail. There was an actual glossary at the back outlining every different type of ghost, plus some history on the famous spectres mentioned throughout. The author has even created a website completely dedicated to the park itself. You can check it out here. The story begins when Ben and Lillian are young children and then flashes forward to present day where they are struggling to reclaim their friendship after a tragedy that occurred in the past. With any horror, it has to have a good story to keep my interest and this one ticked every box. I read some of it at night and was legitimately scared. Because it was so fleshed out, I was able picture myself inside the amusement park; running and hiding from the ghosts. There are a lot of twists, plenty of action, gore and a wide-open ending, which leads me to believe that a sequel is in the works. I hope it is! If you love a good scare, amusement parks, video games, tales about friendship and survivalism, this is for you. 
WHAT THIS BOOK DOES WRONG
You would probably assume I have nothing negative to say about this book...but that's not true. There are two things I took a slight issue with, but they were very minor. 
1.) Lillian's therapist Allison, accompanies her to the park because she is curious about the Recurrence Field technology used to bring the attractions to 'life.' I don't know what it's like in America, but here in Australia your therapist would never join you on an excursion. To do so would break a law or two I would imagine? 
2.) The ending was a little bit rushed and confusing, so I would like to re-read it just to fully understand it. 
OVERALL STAR RATING 
I gave this book 5/5 stars. It's definitely going on my top reads of 2020 list.
If you are interested, you can order a copy here.
I hope you enjoyed this honest review. Let me know your thoughts down below. I appreciate all feedback. Thanks for reading!
Peace & Love xoxo

Another really good book by Duncan Ralston! Will definitely look for more of his work soon. Thanks for letting me read it.

Ghostland, or "When Jurassic Park meets The Stand." -Duncan Ralston

This story was sick!!!! Kuddos to Mr. Ralston for coming up with this terrifying ghost theme park which gets taken over by the ghosts themselves. I enjoyed the main theme of friendship throughout the book: Lilian Roth and Ben Laramie are two nerdy teenagers from small town Duck Falls. They are besties. The first scene sets the tone and dives right into the heart of the story. "Most Terrifying Man in the World" Rex Garrote, famous horror writer, has been dead for years, and Ben, his #1 fan, sees Rex's house floating by his house through his window. He reaches for the window, not believing what he is witnessing. He stares at the moving house and he sees the worst thing you can ever imagine: Rex is at one of the windows, starting back at Ben, with the scariest look you can imagine on his face. This causes Ben's heart to stop beating.

Fast forward 4 years later.. Ben is still alive. He had open-heart surgery and his parents safely turned to home-schooling. All his friends stopped talking to him, to include Lilian. That Rex episode scared her so much that she distanced herself from her best friend. But Ghostland is about to open to the public and Lilian's therapist, Alison, pushes her to visit Ghostland with Ben in order for Lilian to get over her fears. Ben, Lilian and Alison enter Ghostland and things very quickly go south..

If you like horror and not turned off by gory scenes, bloodbaths, and evil, you will love jumping on the Ghostland ride. Not only is this a scary book, but it also has a good story with strong characters. I particularly enjoyed entering the exhibits of the park and learning the story behind each one of them, along with meeting the haunting ghosts attached to them.

Thank you very much Net Galley and Shadow Work Publishing for this e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.

While Ghostland is extremely well written and has a fascinating, completely in-depth narrative the ending came rather quickly and left things a bit open ended. Which may have been the point; maybe there are plans for a sequel, I don't know.
Up until the last chapter I loved it COMPLETELY. It had the right amount of character building and backstories. I loved the added information about each ghost we encounter. The coming of age angle hit just right. The characters themselves are likeable. I loved it all.
Now, even with the ending leaving me a bit wanting I still give it 5 stars. It has quickly become one of my top favorites and I'm secretly cross my fingers for a continuation.

OH MY GOODNESS! What a creepy, scary fun ride this book was! Blood, gore, ghosts and mayhem! I really enjoyed this book. I love amusement parks and the idea of an amusement park complete with REAL ghosts just sounded like the ride of a lifetime!

Ghostland is centered mainly on the character of Ben, a sensitive teenage boy who loves all things horror and has read every book by Rex Garrote. He is his number one fan! He is fourteen when he watches the authors house rolling by his window thru the middle of town. It is headed to the site of construction for the Ghostland park. When he sees who he believes is Rex Garrote in one of the houses windows, he instantly has a heart attack!

Fast forward to four years later when Rex is currently ostracized by everyone including his former best friend Lil (Lillian is what she prefers to be called now). Ghostland's grand opening its coming and Ben is determined to go to it with Lil in tow.

What follows is the story of that crazy day when Ben, Lil, and her therapist Allison do go to the new amusement park and all the insanity and murder that ensues.

This is a wild ride and so so good. I have not read a book in this genre that was this good, in so long!!! What a refreshing surprise! I highly recommend this book for lovers of a good, old fashioned, straight up horror story!!!

Thank you so much to Shadow Work Publishing, and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this real gem!

This book is for all you B-list horror movie fans. If I were to describe it very quickly I’d say this book is a mash up of Jurassic Park, 13 Ghosts, and House on Haunted Hill. It was an absolute romp. Just like a horror movie in all its excess – gore, sex, and camp.

Lilian and Ben were childhood friends. One day, as they’re playing a video game together, Garrote House comes down the street on its way to what is to become a ghost filled amusement park. Ben sees something in one of the windows of the house that scares him so badly that he suffers a heart attack – with Lil still on voice chat! This incident very rapidly destroys the friendship.

4 years later, Ghostland is finally opening its doors to the public. In a series of circumstances, despite their estrangement, Ben and Lilian are going to opening day together with Lilian’s therapist Dr. Wexler. Of course things go wrong. Is it not the nature of the beast?

So my few hang ups are this. Of the entire cast of characters I only ever found myself liking Ben. I felt bad for him even. When he almost died what that netted him was torment and bullying at school. Enough that he was pulled out. And on top of this his best friend ghosted him (hah). This did little to endear me to Lillian and I never warmed up at all by the end. Sorry.

The next bit I found myself disliking was the smattering of almost random bits of geekiness the author would sometimes put in. Did not expect to see the word vidya actually show up. I cringed so hard I had to walk away for a little while. I would consider myself a geek, so you’d think I’d feel happy seeing references to things I’ve played before but it just felt forced in.

Despite this, it really was fun. As a lover of horror as a genre it hits the right notes. That ‘what the actual f—’ you utter when things start to hit the fan in any horror movie? It is here in spades.

Thank you to Shadow Work Publishing and Netgalley for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After suffering a heart attack and nearly dying after seeing what he thought was a dead author in the doorway of the author's home whilst the building is in mid-transit to Ghostland, Ben becomes an outcast. Even his former best friend, Lilian, has deserted him. So Ben decides to visit Ghostland - which houses a host of murderous ghosts in a technological theme park which includes areas such as an asylum and a prison. Ben not only wants to reconnect with Lilian, but to take his revenge on whatever he saw that first day, but things go wrong and the ghosts escape.

I enjoyed this for the most part. It was fairly pacy, and this meant that character development was sacrificed a little, but it worked in the main. I also liked the descriptions of the different types of ghosts and the background to the exhibits that you could flick back and forth between whilst reading the main story. I was slightly disappointed in the ending as you don't find out what actually happens to one character and it leaves you feeling slightly cheated. Overall though, I thought it was an entertaining read and certainly a novel idea, but it was rather gory in places.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Shadow Work Publishing, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

After a near-death experience, Ben is forced to readjust his life. Homeschooled, unable to do anything that could risk another heart attack, he has lost touch with his former best friend, Lillian. In turn, Lillian actively avoids anything that could risk her own life, scared so deeply from what happened to Ben. When the park Ghostland opens, Ben asks her to join him on opening day. Lillian does so, with her therapist as chaperone, and the three head for the attraction, but things take a deadly turn when the ghosts break free and wreck havoc.

I can definitely see the appeal for this, and can imagine a lot of people thoroughly enjoying Ghostland, but on a personal level, I think this one just wasn't for me.

It sounds like Jurassic Park with ghosts, and it essentially is. The author even admits as much at the end of the book. Although the core idea is intriguing, the execution falls a little flat. For the most part, the book feels convoluted, with too many different ideas vying for space. This is a world where science has discovered ghosts are real. Some people still question their existence, but it’s not made clear how widely this is accepted. The idea is also jammed in a little forcefully as the characters make their way to Ghostland, as if it was suddenly remembered that the reader needed to be aware of this before their arrival.

So ghosts are real…or are they? No one seems to question the technology used in Ghostland, considering they’re encouraged to wear AR headsets all day and can only see the ghosts using them. There were some interesting ideas here and it felt like a missed opportunity not to explore them a little more.

The book itself felt long, and to me it really started to drag. It read like a game, in that the characters were travelling along a set route, engaging with different enemies each escalating in difficultly, and the settings themselves added to that. I felt like I was reading Batman: Arkham Asylum, travelling through the different sections of the game to get to the big boss. The constant reference to the character’s gaming activities did nothing to help that comparison.

The characters…Ben and Lillian are verging on adulthood, and this event will likely push them into that realm quicker than they anticipate. Ben wants to be more involved with life, Lillian less, which should make for an interesting dynamic. Thing was, throughout the book neither of them seem to use the abilities the other praises them for, and every advancement they make it because of other people, rather than their own skills. Which is fine! If we weren’t constantly told how amazing they are, while seeing no evidence.

There’s also the matter of the AR goggles used – there were points when it seemed like they had been dropped or broken, only for it to be mentioned a few chapters later that the characters had them and were wearing them. It got a bit frustrating.

Mainly, I enjoyed certain aspects of the book, but there were a lot of moments where I just kept wishing it would end – it stretched on for too long, read like a guide book for a video game without the enjoyment of actually playing one, and left unexplored the most interesting aspects of this world.

I couldn't get through the first 25 percent of this book. The first chapter had me, but then when the story slowed down to set the scene, I found myself disinterested. The characters seemed immature and underdeveloped. Also the flip in Lil's character was unexpected and jarring.

All right, are you all strapped up tight and ready for some action ? Because this book will toss you around and drive you wild for over 400 pages !

I requested this book on Netgalley because I'm in this huge paranormal reading phase lately and I'm also a massive amusement park lover. Ghostland has both of those elements so yeah, I kind of threw myself on it. The best part is it's just been released last week so you and I can hype it up real good people ! Fair warning though : it's not for the faint of the heart. If you don't like violence and gore, you should stay away from Ghostland. I'm pretty tough when it comes to those things and even I got sometimes surprised by how graphic the descriptions were. So, be careful about that !

The plot revolves around Ben, Lilian and Allison, two teens and a therapist (yes, I know, that sounds weird) who decide to go to the latest "amusement" park in town, Ghostland, that is exhibiting real ghosts (because yes, here ghost have been proven to exist). Except something goes wrong and the ghosts are all released from their virtual cages and are let loose in the park to unleash their violence. Ben, Lilian and Allison must try to escape and survive this whole nightmare while uncovering the secrets of the park.

The plot itself is fantastic ! I loved the fact that over 90% of the book is actually set in the park and stayed true to its promise. The whole park adventure is thrilling and action-packed. There's really no dull moment, no time to breathe. Once the real action had started, I didn't put the book down and had to finish it, because I wanted to know what happens ! I really liked the fact that the author put "real life" ghosts in his story. We get little references to Annabelle, Robert the doll etc. and that was a nice touch. Truth be told, I kind of want to visit an IRL Ghostland, even after reading about ghosts unleashed in the park.

A few things were a little annoying but nothing too repulsive for me. The beginning of the book throws you right in its world, with very little context. I didn't realize ghosts were actually real there until 15-20% of the book where it's written. Meaning I was a little confused about things until then. I also think the ending was rushed. We get this peak in the action, you feel that this is a big moment with crucial decisions, and.... Right at that moment there's a time ellipse skipping all the finale action to the epilogue. And that's it. I mean, I wanted to read more about what happens towards the end... That's the only thing that disappointed me.

The characters are all pretty okay, even though it makes no sense to me why Allison the therapist would take two kids to a ghost park just for the sake of "social experimenting". Besides that, I didn't think any of them was too remarkable, but Ghostland isn't the type of book you read for the characters. You read it for the plot, and that was perfectly executed. I did like Ben best though. He seems to be the most down to earth of the trio, even when all hell lets loose. There could have been some more character development for some characters such as Garotte but hey, we can't have everything !

If you enjoy horror and paranormal story, this is a gem for you to read. It seriously is amazing and will keep you entertained until the end !

Amazing book! I couldn't put it down. This book pulls you in and is one check of a thrill ride. This was my first read of Duncan Ralston and it definitely isn't the last.

What a wonderful and terrifying rollercoaster ride this book was!

The whole time I was there in Ghostland with Ben and Lil and it was great. I loved the vibe, the characters, the worldbuilding, the overall voice of Duncan Ralston. The friendship of Ben and Lil was slowly building again and the fact that both of them are horror nerds was so endearing. There were also strong side characters like a former detective and Lil's therapist.
And the ghosts! Let's just say that the tortured beings of the movie 'Thirteen Ghosts' would feel right at home here.

So, without wanting to spoil anything, the only thing that bothered me, though, and that I would have loved to know at least something about was a certain character's ending. He was there at the final stand and then, fast forward a few months, he was not really there anymore... I even went back a few pages to see if I missed anything somehow, but no, it was just over.

Overall, this story is still awesome and has a great twist on technology, too. If Ghostland was real, I would totally go for a ride. It's to die for!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received a copy of this novel from net galley in return for an honest review. I have never read anything by Duncan Ralston, in fact I have only heard of him a few times from authors that I follow recommending his novels to their audience and nothing really jumped out at me screaming "read me" until Ghostland. I am not sure if it was the cover, or the description that drew me in first...I do know seeing Duncan Ralston's name as the author caught my eye because finally here was a book by an author that continued to be recommended to me that I might enjoy. So here I am the day after starting the novel writing this review and low and behold I freaking loved it. I loved that it had interactive notes within the story that brought you to a more in-depth story of the ghosts we were coming into contact with but I also loved the characters and the way the story wove seamlessly from initially meeting the characters all the way through to the very bitter end. I really hope there is more to come in this little series as it was a great ride to take. I would recommend this to anyone who likes fast paced reads about ghost and theme parks.