This is a straight up terrifying horror story, told with themes of addiction and dependency - their own forms of horror. Sometimes this made the characters difficult to connect with but they still felt real and the plot kept me going. It was a little slow and heavy at first but picks up nicely and builds to a stellar ending. Three storylines interweave with some great ghost tales, and is a overall a great read.

A book that made me feel physically upset - in such a good way!

Ghost Eaters was a story about friendship, love, grief, and even betrayal. I felt sorrowful and anxious at times. The end was very surprising. Spooky!

This was an interesting concept and while I don't think that it was executed perfectly, I did enjoy reading this book. The idea is what kept me hooked even though the writing wasn't all that great. I did like how the author portrayed addiction but there were some things that just didn't seem to work. There was a whole storyline that got dropped about halfway through the book that was never given a conclusion. Overall, not perfect but an interesting book nonetheless.

4/5 stars!

I loved this book!! I did not know what exactly to expect with this book, and I was not disappointed! It kept me invested throughout the entire story, and I found the entire plot extremely unique! I also enjoyed the writing from this author!

The one issue I have is why it took me SO long to finally get to this one! Lol!

3.5 stars. This book amazed me. Incredibly unique and super scary. However, things went off the rails at about 65%. It was too difficult to keep everything straight. Who was a ghost? Who was dead? Who was possessed by a ghost? I couldn’t tell! I hate trippy and druggy anything (movies, books, songs, etc.) but this was just so interesting that the addiction aspect didn’t bother me. But again, just went too far. Thank you to NetGalley for an copy.

This was such a fun book! I read it in totality in about 2 days. A must-read for horror buffs who love a good ghost story that packs a punch!

A ghost story that is also a thriller. Horror, drama and a mystery make for a great story. What if you can take a pill that allows you to see the dead, would you take it? A wildly imaginative premise and a well written story. I enjoyed every minute of this journey.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Quirk Books for this review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Beautifully written, haunting depiction of addiction. This literary horror will get under your skin and leave you thinking long after the book is closed. A close study of relationships with unhealthy boundaries with some social context in regards to social drug use.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2023 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2023/01/2023-reading-list-announced-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

I found this story to be quite unique. I thought the characters were well written and the atmosphere well described. It did seem to be a little slow at different points throughout the story but the storyline itself was enough to keep me reading. This book is definitely worth picking up and reading!

What:
About: a drug promises users the chance to speak to the dead.
Features: interconnected stories, addiction issues, layered stories of those who have died over time, radial injustice
Assets: creepy and disconcerting, uncomfortable, and bleak, bleak, bleak. The atmosphere is the draw here and the reader becomes part of it's churn.
Obstacles: it's not exactly a linear narrative, which may challenge those expecting a straightforward drug-that-makes-you-see-ghosts-BOO story.
Who it’s for: remember when you saw the Sixth Sense for the first time, and it was like nothing you saw before? This will have you reeling at the end!

Usually, I have enjoyed this author's previous books, so I was excited to receive this. Unfortunately, I haven't been having luck with books in 2023, cause this is the second that I haven't enjoyed so far. This book had a good premise but poor execution and it pains me because like I said, I've enjoyed the author's other books before.

I don't feel like I'm having much luck with my kick-off reads for 2023. This story felt confusing and all over the place. It's almost like the author couldn't decide which way to take the direction of the story.

Just got this on NetGalley, thank you NG, and the publisher! My group, HA, is reading this month and it's getting a lot of buzz. So excited to get to start today. Update coming!

Excellent read! I am kind of a lightweight with horror, but I do have a fun wicked self that enjoys a good scare sometimes. I recently joined the Horror Aficionados group here on GoodReads and it was the December group read. I am glad I checked it. It does have some graphic images that might be hard for some to digest, but, I had fun with it. The group had a good discussion and I love to talk about books so it worked for me.

The title is very clever and you will see that soon. There are some gross ghosts in here. Get past that and you will learn what the book really is about. Don't read too much about it before going in because you will want to be surprised. I am not sure about that ending, but, ok, it can work. Bwhahahahaq. Find out for yourself!

Good character development and plot. I read it quickly and found it to be mostly a page-turner.

Highly recommended!
2 likes


READING PROGRESS
December 18, 2022 – Shelved
December 18, 2022 – Shelved as: to-read
December 19, 2022 – Started Reading
December 19, 2022 – Started Reading
December 19, 2022 – Shelved as: netgalley
December 19, 2022 – Shelved as: buddy-read
December 19, 2022 – Shelved as: group-read
Finished Reading Add a date
December 20, 2022 –
52.0% "This is a wild ride!"
December 22, 2022 –
75.0% "This is really good! I want Erin to be ok."
December 25, 2022 – Finished Reading
January 6, 2023 – Shelved as: horror

Post a comment »COMMENTS Showing 1-2 of 2
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message 1: by Jennifer ~ TarHeelReaderDec 26, 2022 09:04AM
Jennifer ~ TarHeelReaderI look forward to your full thoughts on this one!

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message 2: by debbicat *made of stardust* - rated it 4 starsDec 26, 2022 02:57PM
debbicat *made of stardust*Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader wrote: "I look forward to your full thoughts on this one!"

You got it! I am still processing the ending. Not what I expected! ;-)

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4 creepy and scary stars!
Just got this on NetGalley, thank you NG, and the publisher! My group, HA, is reading this month and it's getting a lot of buzz. So excited to get to start today. Update coming!<br /><br />Excellent read! I am kind of a lightweight with horror, but I do have a fun wicked self that enjoys a good scare sometimes. I recently joined the Horror Aficionados group here on GoodReads and it was the December group read. I am glad I checked it. It does have some graphic images that might be hard for some to digest, but, I had fun with it. The group had a good discussion and I love to talk about books so it worked for me. <br /><br />The title is very clever and you will see that soon. There are some gross ghosts in here. Get past that and you will learn what the book really is about. Don't read too much about it before going in because you will want to be surprised. I am not sure about that ending, but, ok, it can work. Bwhahahahaq. Find out for yourself!<br /><br />Good character development and plot. I read it quickly and found it to be mostly a page-turner. <br /><br />Highly recommended!

Four friends, Erin, Silas, Amara and Tobias are college friends trying to find direction on life after school, Silas is an addict who Erin is unable to say no too, she has bailed him out too many times. She is adamant this will be the last time she bails him out of rehab but days later he is dead. Tobias then tells her of a new drug, ghost, that enables you to see the dead, they all takes it with devastating consequences as once you take it nothing is ever the same again. If you could would you want to see your dead loved ones again?

This is an interesting concept and very well written, the story did slow in places but was otherwise fast paced and a real page turner. There are horror elements, there is some very descriptive body horror, but this is more than that, it really shows the damage and selfishness of addiction. Not only on the addict but all those around them, the power of addiction is really excellently portrayed.

This is a really unique take on what happens to us after death and our compulsion to want to connect to those we have loved and lost, it taps into the addiction of grief and loss.

As usual please check the trigger warnings on this before reading.

Thank you for the arc Netgalley!
I really enjoyed this book, it was a very well written horror. A fascinating premise well fleshed out! Kept me reading into the small hours.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ghost Eaters! It was a quick read with a really captivating story. Some of the descriptive language really got to me and I found myself squirming at some parts (which I can imagine the author wanted readers to feel like this).
I will definitely read more from this author in the future.

Ghost Eaters was one of my favorite novels I read in 2022. The book handled realistic horror in such a terrifying and surreal way that many times I felt as if I were having the same trip as the characters.
Chapman's political statements throughout the novel are well integrated into the story while still allowing the reader to lean into the fiction.

Let's get haunted!

I could not finish this book. I thought Net Galley had an option for books that reviewers could not finish, but I cannot find that option. I tried quite a few times to finish it, it I was not able to. I looked at a review on Goodreads to help articulate it, and one said that it had incredibly disjointed storylines which helped me understand the root of the problem. I could not get invested in the characters, world, or plot because the storylines did not flow together (or even on their own) nicely. It was very *very* slow, and for a book that I wanted to at least attempt to scare me in some way- that was disappointing.

Ghost Eaters is an original story that has a little bit of everything, drug addiction, the supernatural, chills, and some good ole fashion gore. Without giving too much away, Chapman did a great job keeping you guessing what the characters were actually addicted to, an illicit narcotic or something else? Fast paced with plenty of surprises, recommended.