Dr. Ophelia Bray volunteers to be an on-site therapist to an exoplanet survey crew as self-imposed penance for a tragedy that is not her fault. She then proceeds to prove that she is unqualified and generally unfit for the mission.

Horror stories tend to rely heavily on people making poor decisions to drive the plot, so Ophelia really does fit in well with legions of genre characters; the problem here is that she is surrounded by a crew that is qualified, experienced, and all around more stable than she is, which just makes her look that much worse. The book would have been so much better if Ophelia had dropped her self-martyrdom earlier and actually put her brain to use.

On the whole I don't regret reading <i>Ghost Station,</i> but I can't help but think my time would have been better spent rewatching <i>Alien</i> or <i>Event Horizon.</i>

Oh my goodness, I didn't realize that I could have a new favorite niche drama, but here we go. Space horror with a light dusting of psychological terror is just the best. And S.A. Barnes tells it like no other. I loved the character arcs, I was on the edge of my seat, and I cannot wait for her next book.

SA Barnes is capable of something few other authors are; getting me to read sci-fi horror. I am not a big fan of sci-fi. I prefer monsters over tech, and the horrors of humanity over those of space. Barnes' previous book, Dead Silence, was a huge exception to that, and was one of my favorite books that year, so when I got the chance to check out Ghost Station, I jumped!

I will say that this book didn't hit the same horror notes I loved from DS, but it was still very entertaining, and dread inducing. I loved the dynamic between the characters, and how they navigated each new revelation, despite their mistrust. The main character's backstory was intriguing, and honestly I would love to read a prequel dealing with that massacre.

I also really enjoyed the sense of hopelessness that creeped in as the characters realized what had actually happened on that planet, and what their future would likely be.

I think the only downfall was it was a bit tech heavy for my taste, however that's a me problem and I know that lovers of sci-fi horror won't have the same issue. Overall, it's we'll written, and the story is engaging. The characters are fully flashed out, and I was drawn in to their world, and invested in what happened to them.

Thank you to Tor and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

I wanted space horror, and I got it! my one issue was that it didn't feel too much like that's what I was getting for the first half of the book, but then the pacing really kicked into gear and gave much more of the horror and action. I think that build-up was necessary for the overarching plot, but it also made me a little bored at first even once they were on the new planet.

I loved the body horror and the way that mind games kept being played with all of the characters. It was so easy to see the conflict and understand why it was all going down that way. Kinda like a train wreck that you could see from miles away but had no way of stopping. I really enjoyed the psychology twist to it and how that added so much more of the dread to the whole situation.

Overall, this was a great read for any space horror fans out there!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this free ARC.

Another great addition to the Space Horror genre. It was hard to get connected to some of the characters because they were just so annoying but otherwise great book!

Giving this one 4.5 stars actually, as it was almost a near perfect book for what I’d want in scifi-horror. The dread, the isolation of an abandoned HAB, an extraterrestrial civilization that is soooo creepy. Yes, yes and YES! S.A. Barnes is truly a master of scifi horror and I hope to be able to read more from them in the future.

I also really enjoyed the subplot of the secret family drama. That added an extra layer of mystery and intrigue that I felt played really well into the whole story.

Ghost Station did something I really liked by having a therapist who is running from her past as the main character. It was a good reminder that therapists might have more of the answers, but that doesn’t mean they’re always able to apply them.

There were a couple of moments where I could feel the tension of the group’s plight. Each of them not knowing who to trust or how to get home definitely threatened to destroy all of them.

Recommended for horror and sci-fi fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

High stakes, yet utterly boring, with a dull main character who I could not find myself to care about.

Ghost Station was wonderfully eerie! I loved the suspense and how slowly things were revealed. The author really took her time setting up the story, and I was pleasantly surprised with how things unfolded. The super creepy alien atmosphere only added to the appeal. If you like audiobooks, I definitely recommend listening to this one. The narrator did a wonderful job and only heightened my feelings of unease.

Ophelia has a dark past she wants to keep locked away, but we see how her circumstances bring long-buried memories to light. Her crewmates already have preconceived notions about her, and when certain truths are revealed, she loses what little trust and comradery she'd managed to build between them. She desperately wants to prove she's more than her name, but the crew she's been assigned to has secrets of their own that impact their decisions and reactions on this mission.

When they arrive on the planet, there are signs that its previous inhabitants left in a hurry. The generator, building, personal items, etc. have all been left in disarray, which isn't what anyone expected. Everyone is quick to shrug it off, but there are lingering feelings of unease amongst the crew. It's also weird that the previous owners of the planet would sell the rights to their competitor, which should have been the first clue that something was amiss.

They're on the planet to collect samples, but their seemingly simple mission is upended when one of their crewmates starts behaving erratically. Ophelia thinks it's ERS, something she's been working on with her patients for years, and employs methods to try and mitigate the symptoms. Unfortunately, no one could have anticipated what was actually going on, and her efforts fail to help and cause more tension between her and the rest of the crew.

As things escalate, people's secrets are revealed and relationships are tested. I really liked how determined Ophelia was despite the reception she received, and thought her gradual - if somewhat begrudging acceptance - was hard-won and well deserved. She didn't give up when things were difficult, and I honestly think the challenge was good for her. She proved herself to be capable and was able to convince most of them that she had good intentions.

You have an ancient alien civilization (they've been dead for a while), unpredictable weather and visibility when outside the "ghost station," and some unidentifiable thing to contend with. It would have been stressful and scary without the tension between the characters, but I think the danger and "unknown" elements added to the unpredictability of the story. I definitely recommend this one if you like horror. Ghost Station kept me guessing the entire time, and I'm happy with how things were resolved at the end.

Ghost Station introduces you to Dr. Ophelia Bray, a psychiatrist who joins a space mission to investigate a mysterious syndrome affecting astronauts. As her crew explores an abandoned alien planet, tensions begin to escalate, and unsettling events begin to unfold. Barnes masterfully builds suspense by creating a creepy and unsettling atmosphere. The characters are well-developed, each with their own secrets and struggles, making the story even more compelling. If you love space horror with a slow-burn thriller vibe, this book is a must-read.

This book was enjoyable overall, felt similar to The Luminous Deep. Very Psychological focused. The ending felt a little lackluster.

When Dr. Orphelia Bray wakes up from cold sleep as a member of Resilience, a small exploration crew, she knows immediately her job as a psychologist will not be respected or wanted by the crew.

Bray’s life long study of ERS- a space-based condition that leads to patients often committing violent acts-drives her to unravel the mystery of what happened to the crew on their last mission. But when they land on a desolate, ancient planet, a new mystery becomes even more important to solve.

What lead to the hasty departure of the previous colonizers? Are crew members starting to have symptoms of ERS, or is an outside evil infecting the crew?

This is a very, slow-burning horror story. I’d say there is little to no horror until the last third of this book. It’s much more a character study of Bray, her past, her motivations for taking this mission, and her fear of the crew discovering her past.

I enjoyed the slow pace at the beginning, how we came to know the crew, learned how they lived both in space and when they landed on the planet. There isn’t a lot of hard science, but there’s enough explanation of how the space station works, and about the planet itself that I found fascinating!

The horror itself is subtle yet chilling. Barnes does an amazing job of creating an atmosphere of quiet dread, unease and hopelessness, although I wish the horror elements would have been woven sooner into the narrative and that so much time wasn’t taken up with Bray constantly obsessing over her past. We didn’t get much character development for the rest of the crew, which made it harder to care about what happened to them.

If you enjoy space horror, character-focused stories, and alien planets, I’d recommend Ghost Station! I’m looking forward to Barnes’ next novel Cold Eternity coming out in April

*Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the digital arc.

Oh, I gobbled this up. My only regret is that I put off reading this ARC for so long.

In the early pages, I was a bogged down by all the heavy sci-fi themes. A guy named Rayon. Brains hardwired to the internet. Unnecessary digitization of everyday objects. It just didn't feel like this book was for me, so I left it on the shelf for... awhile.

But I pushed on, and once I got a feel for the way this spacefaring world worked and what Ophelia was here to do... it paid off.

The burn is slow, early reveals are more like peeks, and the juvenile characters kind of put me off at first, but once I hit the midpoint, I honestly did not stop reading until the end. Seriously, I lost a few hours of my day to this juggernaut writing style. I also really appreciated the way the overt themes were pounded home while the subtler concepts were just a feather-touch to make your brain itch.

Someone with a better "feel" for sci-fi might not need to get so far into the story before it becomes gripping, but for me, this was cool. This genre (and author) may make more appearances on my reading list this year.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Took a bit to get through this novel. Not because the quality of writing was bad, more that I could feel myself getting absorbed into the world the author creates and felt like I would lose myself reading through it and then I would feel sad it was over. I took my time. Savored it. Really allowed myself to get sucked in page by page. Loved it.

💀GHOST STATION💀 by @authorstaceykade is a horror space mystery that kept me looking for hiding places! Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publishers, @tornightfire and @macmillan.audio for the audio-ARC and finished copy.

Well I sat on this one WAY too long this year and I am not even sure why but I am so happy I finally picked it up! This was my first Barnes but I have heard she has a formula if sorts which is essentially smarty-pants woman gets stuck in a pickle of a mystery while on a space station or spaceship and has to amateur-sleuth their way out of it while fighting for their lives. Liked a locked-in mystery in space with horror elements. This is basically the plot for the movie Alien and I am here for it all day.

So yes, I very much enjoyed this space horror mystery, but feel you should experience the specifics for yourself. If I have a complaint it would be that there were parts that felt like they dragged on a bit so it felt a bit longer than necessary. I will be keeping Barnes in my repertoire of authors for sure!

A quick read and a fun horror/thriller

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this review copy and the opportunity !

This was good quick horror-thriller. The main character was fleshed out well and while the other characters could have been fleshed out slightly more, you still cared about what was happening to them. The setting and the build of the horror all contributed to a well-paced suspenseful read. I will definitely be checking out more books by the author in the future.

This was truly just okay. It all felt a little rinse and repeat to me. It reminded me so much of Dead Silence, and I ended up leaving disappointed. I will try Barnes one more time before giving up.

I don't read a lot of space operas, but my husband reads nothing else, and this was a book that we were both interested in. It's an interesting premise, a group that doesn't quite trust each other sequestered on a foreign planet and trying to solve a gruesome murder while everyone's seemingly got secrets to keep. The characters and their motivations are not quite convincing enough, and the action lags a bit in some parts, but it was a solidly enjoyable read for the most part.

Space horror mixed with corporate green is a timely niche and I'm here for it. SA Barnes knows how to write intense situations and characters with deep heart. I may have preferred a bit more horror but it was a top notch sci fi.