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gracefulraven's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Suicide attempt and Alcohol
lazydazey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Gore, Suicide, Death of parent, and Murder
emilyspex's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
- The horror elements were excellent
- The mystery was compelling up until the reveal
Things I didn't love:
- The reveal was a monologue, which I loathe
- The main character is very pessimistic and constantly blames herself for things that are obviously not her fault. This actually makes sense with her backstory, but it's just not something that I love to read in first person.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Gun violence, Death of parent, and Alcohol
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
“Somehow I suspect that “third time’s a charm” does not apply to narrow escapes from death.”
➽ Dead Silence reminded me that I should check out more Sci-Fi Horror, as it works for me so well! The story follows Claire Kovalik and her beacon repair crew who are on their last mission before being made obsolete. Claire's ship might be tiny and old, but she's proud of it and has complicated feelings about having to quit her job. When they pick up a distress signal from the Aurora, a luxury space-liner that went missing decades ago, Claire decides to put off retirement and investigate the wreck. I loved the setting and premise, it definitely feels like Titanic in space with a dash of Horror. I immediately wanted to know more about the Aurora and the more the crew investigated the ship, the more questions came up. Why did the ship disappear? What happened to the passengers? The crew hopes to make some money with the salvage of the ship, but it has other things in store for them! The story itself is so creepy and the Horror was definitely chilling!
➽ Claire's a complicated protagonist and I loved her! The story is told in two timelines, the present when Claire is locked up in a mental facility and the past which follows the crew's exploration of the Aurora. I loved the suspense, as we're left to figure out what happened to everyone and why Claire's the only one who made it back. The corporates are investigating her, so she's forced to relive what happened on the Aurora and figure out why it leaves her with such an ominous feeling. Claire struggles with her memory and mental health, so it's a very twisty story where you can't trust your perception. Claire's got a dark past that ties into her struggles and her seeing things that shouldn't be there. I liked how her mental health and trauma were explored! I was invested in her story from start to finish. The only complaint I have is that the past chapters left off so abruptly. I wanted the exploration of the Aurora to last longer!
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness, Vomit, Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic
shelfofunread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
brookey8888's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
gondorgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
stephjlw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
the first 200 pages of this novel were fantastic. the atmosphere was amazing, the tension was high, the mystery was... mystery-ing. but then, a couple things happened.
one, I didn't like the explanation for why things on the Aurora were so fucked.
two, a lot of Claire's weird personal shit just doesn't get resolved. she still holds herself responsible for events that occurred when she was a literal child, AND she has a weird moral equivalency that decisions she made that had bad outcomes (she couldn't possibly have predicted) makes her as morally reprehensible as the corporation that intentionally acts maliciously and covers it up.... girl be so real right now you are not the same.
I don't need characters to be THAT fleshed out in a horror novel. for me they need to exist enough on the page so that I can imagine myself in their shoes, and inside the scariness. However, if they have glaring delusions, I would like for those to be resolved by the novels end IF the book is aiming for a resolution. this novel was, it gives the characters an ending and arc. Claire, manages to do some dealing with her aversion to forming close relationships and you know.. wants to live. But those things I mentioned above were also significant to her character, and they were just left. Bothered me. Especially because the novel goes a timeless - corporations being evil route, which I support BUT the characters should probably honestly conceptualize themselves on the victim to complicit scale. Claire viewed herself as far more complicit in Verux's crimes than she had any business thinking, and that was delulu.
whateverrr, it's not that serious. also this is a very impressive debut novel, and I would definitely read whatever Barnes writes next.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
lefthandlou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child death, Torture, Vomit, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Cannibalism, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
hauntthetale's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Vomit and Pandemic/Epidemic