Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes
๐ŸŽง Narrated by Zura Johnson

Synopsis (via Goodreads): A crew must try to survive on an ancient, abandoned planet in the latest space horror novel from S.A. Barnes, acclaimed author of Dead Silence.

Space exploration can be lonely and isolating.

Psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray has dedicated her life to the study and prevention of ERS—a space-based condition most famous for a case that resulted in the brutal murders of twenty-nine people. When she's assigned to a small exploration crew, she's eager to make a difference. But as they begin to establish residency on an abandoned planet, it becomes clear that crew is hiding something.

While Ophelia focuses on her new role, her crewmates are far more interested in investigating the eerie, ancient planet and unraveling the mystery behind the previous colonizer's hasty departure than opening up to her.

That is, until their pilot is discovered gruesomely murdered. Is this Ophelia’s worst nightmare starting—a wave of violence and mental deterioration from ERS? Or is it something more sinister?

Terrified that history will repeat itself, Ophelia and the crew must work together to figure out what’s happening. But trust is hard to come by… and the crew isn’t the only one keeping secrets.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.


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. (★★★★☆)

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Top Ten Tuesday [7]

 
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together!

This week's topic: 2024 Releases I Was Excited to Read but Still Haven’t Gotten To

There are a lot of 2024 releases that I didn't get to in 2024, but they're definitely a priority for me this year (especially since most of them are ARCs or review copies I have and really need to read). 

Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst
Ex Marks the Spot by Gloria Chao
The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel
What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould

Exes & Foes by Amanda Woody
Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

Have you read any of these? Which one should I read first? I always have a hard time choosing. ๐Ÿ˜…

Sunday, February 2, 2025

The Sunday Post [69]

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly at the Caffeinated Reviewer! It's an opportunity to share news, post a recap for the previous week, showcase books, and highlight what's planned for the week ahead.

News:

I spent a ridiculous amount of time the other day making Challenge Progress bars for my blog. I'm out of practice and my html skills are a little rusty, lol. I'm really happy with how they turned out though! Sadly, I didn't do much reading this week due to a weirdly busy schedule that didn't allow for it. Although, I was able to start listening to Attached at the Hip - audiobooks for the win!

We've had warm weather this week! It's been in the high 50's and low 60's. So. Lovely. I know we have more cold weather coming up, so I'm trying to enjoy this while it lasts. I think the chickens are feeling the warm weather also, because they've been laying eggs like crazy. We might have to start giving them away to our neighbors soon. ๐Ÿ˜…

My copy of Onyx Storm finally arrived! My plan is to start reading it Monday and hopefully finish it on Tuesday. It all depends on my kids and whether or not they'll leave me alone long enough to get through it, lol.

Previous Week on the Blog:

Monday: ๐Ÿ’ซ
Wednesday: DNF&Y [45]
Friday: ๐Ÿ’ซ

What I'm Currently Reading:
A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson
Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier
๐ŸŽง Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio

I recently started Attached at the Hip and I'm really enjoying the audio so far! The MC is a little over-the-top, but I'm hoping she gets better as the story progresses. I still need to finish the other two. ๐Ÿ˜…

What I Plan on Reading Next:
The Encanto's Daughter (The Encanto's Daughter, #1) by Melissa de la Cruz
We Would Never by Tova Mirvis

What I'm Watching:

Absolutely nothing right now, lol. I can't remember the last time I sat down and turned on the TV. 

Challenge Updates:
I'm setting my Physical TBR and NetGalley goals to 50! I hope I'm able to make a dent in both this year.

Saturday, February 1, 2025

State of the ARC [36]

State of the ARC is a monthly meme hosted by Avalinah at Avalinah's Books and Sarah at All the Book Blog Names Are Taken! It's an opportunity for readers to catch up on their long overdue ARCs, but right now I'm using it to keep up with my upcoming ARCs instead. It helps me stay organized!

The Encanto's Daughter (The Encanto's Daughter, #1) by Melissa de la Cruz (2/11)*
*Goodreads says it was originally published on 3/5/24, but I'm using the date listed on NetGalley
We Would Never by Tova Mirvis (2/11)
Cold as Hell (Haven's Rock, #3) by Kelley Armstrong (2/18)
The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor (2/25)

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (3/4)
When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain (3/4)
Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven (3/4)*
*Goodreads says it will be published on 2/27/25, but I'm using the date listed on NetGalley
Hangry Hearts by Jennifer Chen (3/18)
The Prince Without Sorrow (Obsidian Throne, #1) by Maithree Wijesekara (3/18)

The Unlucky Ones (Black Harbor, #4) by Hannah Morrissey (3/25)

The Sirens by Emilia Hart (4/1)*
*Goodreads says it will be published on 2/13/25, but I'm using the date listed on NetGalley
Where Shadows Meet (Where Shadows Meet, #1) by Patrice Caldwell (4/1)
The Notorious Virtues (The Notorious Virtues, #1) by Alwyn Hamilton (4/1)
The Gods Time Forgot by Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez (4/8)
The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner (4/8)

What Comes After by Katie Bayerl (4/29)
My Best Friend's Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner (4/29)
Night Swimming by Aaron Starmer (4/29)

The Manor of Dreams by Christina Li (5/6)
All We Lost Was Everything by Sloan Harlow (5/6)
Death at a Highland Wedding (A Tip Through Time, #4) by Kelley Armstrong (5/20)
Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts (5/27)

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (6/3)

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox (7/1)
In the Veins of Drowning (The Siren Mage, #1) by Kalie Cassidy (7/15)
Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods (7/15)
Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan (7/22)