I loved the concept and the interesting cover that pulled me in. The story is very eerie and stays true to the sci-fi genre here in terms of its storytelling.

I loved the idea of this group exploring ERS — a space based condition that wears away at your mind leading to aggression and mental degradation. This psychological thriller did a marvelous job with keeping the tension tight and thick.

I absolutely LOVED this book.

this felt like the equivalent of those ads for games where they are playing it so frustratingly wrong you just want to take over. I have never felt so much hatred for a main character that wasn't supposed to be unlikeable before and have never needed to take a breather because I'm so frustrated by the clearly dumb choices made before. The first 75% of this book is filler and "gotcha, that one wasn't real" and the rest was "how many obviously wrong choices can we make to add conflict"

I’m not big on sci-fi but this book sounded interesting. It starts out pretty slow and I’m not going to lie I wasn’t sure I would make it to the end but after taking a break I got back to reading.
It has more of a creepy strange feel to it than a straight up horror novel and I wasn’t too fond of the characters. Overall it’s written well, just not my style nor genre.

#GhostStstion:

Massive thanks to @tor for my gifted copy!

If you’ve been around here for a minute, you know Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes is one of my favorite books (and audiobooks) ever. The atmospheric sci-fi horror gave me nightmares in the best way. I was hooked on Dead Silence and could not stop reading.

Holy Ghost Station viberonies. If there’s one person I can count on to scare me and my nightmares it’s S.A. Barnes. Zura Johnson was creepy, but not Lauren Ezzo creepy. I ended up reading more underneath a blanket with a flashlight like I was 8 again because I was scared, but the audio was decent enough for when I was traveling to and from work.

I’m not sure why I waited so long to read this book, maybe when I first picked it up, I wasn’t in the mood for dark, atmospheric, grim science fiction? Not quite sure. I do know that once I finally opened it for a second time the other day, I read it straight through to the end in one sitting.

Ghost Station is told from the POV of Dr. Ophelia Bray, a psychologist with a complicated backstory who ends up on a small exploration crew to study ERS (a condition commonly suffered by crews when they are in deep space or cold sleep too long) and to support the crew after a death of one of their members.

They arrive on an isolated planet that has mysteriously been sold by her family’s company to the competitor she currently works for. Immediately things start to go wrong, and Ophelia can’t tell if she’s in the beginning phases of ERS herself, or the things she’s seeing and imagining are real.
As the other members of the crew begin to experience similar physical and psychological problems, a grisly murder occurs, and everyone must work together to fight an unknown entity and find a way to get off planet and save their lives.

I will admit that the beginning of this book was slower paced as the backstory and worldbuilding were built. But once Ophelia finds herself on planet, and mysterious things began to happen, I was all in. The bleak, cold, surroundings and Ophelia being an outsider to the group lent an ominous feeling almost immediately. Every page ratcheted up that feeling until I was gripping my Kindle in worried anticipation of how they would manage to save themselves and who would be left alive in the end. I was thankful for the epilogue that definitely calmed my nerves

This is my first read by this author, but it won’t be my last. I look forward to whatever S.A. Barnes releases in the future.

I received an ARC of Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes through NetGalley. This was my first time reading this author, and I found the book to be a gripping and atmospheric read that kept me engaged throughout. Ghost Station follows Dr. Ophelia Bray, a psychologist specializing in the study and prevention of Eckhart-Reiser Syndrome (ERS), a space-based condition that can lead to mental deterioration and violence. Ophelia joins a small exploration crew on a mission to an ancient, abandoned planet. As they begin to establish residency, they uncover disturbing signs left by the previous colonizers, who departed hastily. The situation escalates when their pilot is found gruesomely murdered, leaving Ophelia to question whether ERS is to blame or if something more sinister is at play. The narrative is a slow burn, building tension as Ophelia tries to integrate with the crew, who are initially resistant to her presence. The crew's investigation into the planet's eerie history and the mysterious disappearance of its previous inhabitants adds layers of suspense. As the crew members' secrets come to light, trust becomes a scarce commodity, and the line between reality and paranoia blurs. The climax is both surprising and satisfying, tying together the various threads of the story. Overall, Ghost Station is a well-crafted science fiction horror novel that combines strong character development with a suspenseful plot. I highly recommend it to fans of the genre and look forward to reading more from S.A. Barnes in the future. #netgalley #ghoststation

Well that was definitely not what I thought it would be. Who's reading for Therapy in Space? and also Gaslighting in Space? and also huh???? Very confused all around with stuff. I didn't think the romance was at all necessary for the plot and could have done well without. I feel like I didn't get to know any of these characters really and Ophelia pretty much annoyed me almost the entire time. I just feel let down. Glad I got through it but oof that just was not the spooky space time that I wanted. It did get a little good in terms of action by the end but so much of the book was spent with just Ophelia trying to get in with the crew that I feel like it wasted so much time.

Ghost Station was the second book I've read from S. A. Barnes. Though I will admit that I enjoyed the previous title, Dead Silence, even more I did overall enjoy Ghost Station.

Ghost Station is full of space travel, shady corporations and a deadly virus that makes for some possibly unreliable narrators so if that isn't your thing you may not enjoy the book. But I did, even though it did get a little confusing with some of the flashbacks/psychosis going on.

I liked the characters and the descriptions of the abandoned planet. I felt as though it was described in a way that helped me to visualize how it looked. I liked how all of the characters were pretty fleshed out with faults and personality traits. And I liked how the mystery of the place and everyone's backgrounds kind of unraveled throughout the telling of the story.

Overall, I very much enjoyed Ghost Station by S. A. Barnes.

Rating: 3.5/5 Rounding up to 4 stars

After reading Barnes’ previous book Dead Silence, I couldn’t have been more excited when I heard this new book was coming out. I loved Dead Silence, finding it creepy and haunting. And with the premise of this one, I couldn’t wait to pick this one up!

From the start, I was hooked. I found our main character, Ophelia interesting to get to know, with her background and dedication to helping others with their mental health. However, the further I read, I started to question who I could trust or believe including our main character. There were just so many secrets and the drama we were seeing at this abandoned planet just increased the tension among the crew members.

I had no idea what to expect as I made my way through this story, the twists and turns really had me going through a loop. I had so many questions, trying to figure out what was going on, what happened at this abandoned planet, with this crew that Ophelia was assigned to, and why they were required to have a psychologist join their team to go on this mission.

I found this to be a truly haunting read as well, as we see the horrors on this planet and the abandoned station left by the previous discovery team. The horrors were so vivid and felt so real with how Barnes described them. I could easily visualize everything, even if my brain did not want to. I still get shivers remembering a few particular scenes.

My only disappointment was that the ending felt so abrupt. It seemed like we didn’t truly see everything resolved. I was left with even more questions after we got to the epilogue. It reminded me of how sci-fi movies end sometimes. Not truly showing us what happens after all the horrors we see. It was frustrating to me! But at the same time, I can’t stop thinking about it. So I guess it did its job! The ending is one I just love to hate!

If you enjoy horror and sci-fi, especially around space, aliens, and exploration then definitely look into S.A. Barnes! Both this and Dead Silence are great picks! I already can’t wait for their next book!

Oh, this was another fantastic read! I really enjoyed her first sci fi horror under the name S.A. Barnes, and this story sounded just as good, and I had to keep reading it, to find out what creepy horror was going to happen next!

The idea of mental health in a sci fi horror is such an interesting one, since space is pretty lonely and dangerous, and that's no great on a person's psyche. So playing with that idea, that was definitely one of the biggest creepy factors in this horror book!

Ophelia is running from her past, from her rich family that disapproves of her, and the secrets that she holds, that make her passion for this space-based condition, all the more understandable. And as things got worse and worse, and the tension mounted, I needed to know what was going on!

Once all the pieces were put together, it was interesting to see how they were going to navigate their way to safety. This story was thrilling and engaging until the end, and I just had to keep reading! I just wonder, was there a romance brewing? I'm not sure, because I saw some moments that seemed to indicate something maybe was, but there wasn't anything concrete...

Loved reading this book and I can't wait to read more by this author, under S.A. Barnes or Stacey Kade!

Ultimately this entertained me enough to keep going, but I was missing a bit more creepiness. I thought there would be a bigger twist, but this basically did what I was expecting it to. The ending was unsatisfying, and I didn't really like the main character—her past gets hyped up so much at the beginning, but it takes a long time before we find out what, exactly, happened. She was easily manipulated by the other characters, and, for someone who specializes in psychology, she's sure blind to her own shortcomings. There was also no need for the hints at a possible romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing company for this Digital Advanced Readers Copy! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Look, I don't know what to say. S.A. Barnes is amazing at space horror. I have read Dead Silence more than once, and I will reread Ghost Station. Also, I, as a library employee, love the fact that she is a high school librarian (she posted on facebook when she got to catalog her own book to put in her library and it was adorable!). I have not yet read her books written as Stacy Kade - I think they might be YA/different genre and I'm here for the horror.

Ophelia is not a well liked person right now. She blames herself for a mass murder, and while that is misplaced, the guilt is real. People are judging her, so she is put on a crew that's going off to do space things. They land on a weird planet that had previously been explored, but everyone was missing. Then...the pilot is murdered. Who did it? Is someone still alive? What are these weird things happening?

I am of the mind that stories in the sea and in space are just creepier because they are both so vast and unknown, and I love the way S.A. Barnes plays into that in her writing.

Free eARC provided by NetGalley for reviewing purposes.
DNF this book at 21%.
Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I requested it because I was intrigued by the premise and I had heard great things about the author's first space horror book, Dead Silence, so I went into this book with high expectations. However, I cannot get past my dislike for this main character/ narrator. It's very much giving poor little rich girl, as well as therapist who needs a lot of therapy herself. I don't want to listen to her tell this story anymore, and the rest of the characters and the plot are just not compelling enough for me to want to see this through. Maybe someday in the future I'll come back to this, but for now, I can only say that this book might suit some other readers better.

This science fiction story is about the adventures of a small exploration crew (plus a guest psychologist) as they investigate an eerie, ancient planet and attempt to unravel the mystery behind the strange structures left behind by the planet's original inhabitants and the previous colonizer's hasty departure.

However, the initial focus is on interpersonal relationships. We meet psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray as she prepares for cold sleep. She is running away from a professional disaster (which may or may not be her fault, but she feels guilty) and fending off her family (from whom she is largely estranged). When she awakens from deep sleep on an exploration vessel in space, she is immediately thrown into interactions with a crew recovering from losing a member. Plus, they do not want her there.

So, there is plenty of drama even before they land on Lyria 393-C for six weeks of investigation. Things become increasingly surreal as the days go on: Ophelia starts experiencing nightmarish hallucinations that are very personal (going back to a horrific event in her childhood that she has tried to keep secret). The crew's pilot is found horrifically murdered. Other crew members begin acting strangely, and they are finally convinced that it has something to do with their exploration of the alien ruins and the samples they took.

The climax is full of revealed secrets, an alien possession that justifies the "Ghost Station" title, and the sort of skin-of-the-teeth escape frequently found in science fiction films. So much happens in the concluding chapters that it made me question the storytelling pace. There was a very slow buildup, but the finale was satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Advance Readers Copy.

Ghost Station sounds a lot like the cult classic film, Event Horizon, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting something like the movie. Unfortunately Ghost Station was trying to cramp too many storylines and everything ended up sort of confusing at the end.

There were just so many things left unexplained or would’ve been better if the story focused on one thing and explained the backstories?

Instead, we get complicated family history of FMC Ophelia, secret past of her current spaceship crew, some weird alien organism, all of them felt half baked and the ending just wrapped up super fast too.

Could’ve been an interesting sci-fi thriller but I was left with more questions.

What a dark and uncomfortable tale. The dread and unease absolutely jump off the page!

Ophelia has joined a space crew out to bop around to a few planets to get samples and status checks, and then head home. The crew itself is suffering from a recent loss and Ophelia is there as a new psychiatry check to ensure they are all still mentally well enough to be traveling. She's there to ensure everyone keeps their cool.

But as soon as they arrive to the first plant, a very cold and storm riddled spot, the first station shows signs of distress and misuse. From there, the whole crew must decide what is going on and what they will do pull through.

The story was compelling. At first I wasn't sure who was the weakest link and I actually worried our own mc Ophelia might be the most unstable of them all. But as soon as they pull the prank and then the left over suit, the dread and discomfort were absolutely in every part of the story. S. A. Barnes excels at making me uncomfortable but also completely unable to stop reading!

Spooky, creepy - this is the perfect fall season read!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This book seems to please everyone who likes SF Horror. Alas, I don't and I should never have asked for this title. I didn't finish but not because the book isn't good it's just that I really don't like horror.

I had such great hopes for this book. The synopsis caught my interest right from the start. I even loved the first few chapters and was very engaged. Sadly, I started losing interest towards the middle of the novel., I just needed more layers to the various characters beyond the protagonist. I give Ghost Station 3/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I also received a copy of this book for free at StokerCon, and I definitely wanted to read it based on the plot. Space horror? Yes, please!

Set in the far future, an exploration team is exploring an abandoned planet trying to figure out why the previous team never made it home. As it is an alien planet, the team is trying to understand who the native inhabitants were, as they are long gone. Because this is a horror book, the characters have to deal with some terrible things along their journey.

The main character is a psychologist who is there to support the team because the team had a previous team member die. She watches the team be infiltrated by some health issues that their medical equipment can’t identify. This book was good but a bit slow for me. The characters are well-developed and interesting, and I did enjoy it. But it could have been shorter and more intense.