george_tte's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I love sci-fi horror. This was terrifying… I was up all night reading it and then couldn’t go to sleep. Definitely check it out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Death, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Vomit and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Death of parent
lefthandlou's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Decently spooky book with an interesting twist and consistent throughout. I liked that this didn’t have the usual drop off in believability 3/4 through that so many horror novels have. The plot was steady and holds up. I found Claire’s character to be very irritating, however, and the “I’m broken and dangerous” schtick to be tiresome. Ultimately satisfied with this read, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Vomit, and Torture
Minor: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Cannibalism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, and Animal death
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book from the tour organiser/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.
This is one of the books I was looking forward to so so so much this year! And so I was totally excited when I got the chance to review it! YAS! And after reading this book I can tell you that it definitely is a book I want to re-read sometime in the future. A bit of a slow start, but when it gets going... it goes. And there is no stopping.
"Water and air collide at the back of my throat, and i Have to work not to cough and spray pills everywhere. She's one of them."
Because yes, the opening to the book, the first part before they get to the Aurora... was very slow. It didn't help that Voller was intolerable, and Claire was willing to commit suicide (suicide is not a topic I can read about). But as soon as they got to the Aurora. When they went on the ship, first Voller and Claire, and then the rest. Then it started. The questions. Why is everyone dead? Why does it seem like a hell happened here? And then slowly scary things happen. Boy, the writer sure knows how to write horror, because I was on the edge of my seat (or curling up very tight in bed).
"So, when my eyes first meet hers - the blank space where hers should be, where that strip of torn white sheet covers them instead- I freeze for that extra second, my brain trying to make sense of what I'm seeing with what I expected to see."
It also didn't help that Claire has a past. A quarantine gone wrong. Everyone dead. That Claire can see things. It makes things tricky. Because we are seeing the events through her eyes. Is what she is seeing truth, is she seeing the dead, or is it something else entirely? And that also made the book so good. It was scary as hell, but for a part of the book we just didn't have a clue what was true and what was not true. As the story continues we do get a more clear grasp on it, especially when the others are also experiencing stuff. But still, is it a trick or not? I love unreliable narrator books~ Love figuring out the details and see what is true or not.
"But what I saw was real," Lourdes says immediately. "I was there. I saw her."
I absolutely loved the characters. Well, OK, most of the LINA crew. Voller was just a horrible character. I am sorry, but he was. Constantly ragging Claire. Constantly making remarks. Doing things that are stupid. And more. And of course the Verux guys can all go to hell as well. But I just adored Claire and loved learning more about her, about what makes her tick. I love that despite everything she tries her best for her crew. Lourdes was such a sweetheart! Nysus was so interesting, and I love how many connections he had and how he kept finding the right information for the situation they were in. From maps to small details. Then there is Kane. Ah, Kane. He was so charming and sweet. I loved how he was with Claire, and with that I don't just mean the romance part but all the parts. He listened, he was there for her.
"Ahead of me, one of Montgomery's team members jerks hard to the right, the light on the end of his weapon illuminating the darkened doorway. It's empty, the door still firmly shut.
After a moment, his shoulders go up and down in a shrug. "...thought.... saw something." His words come through patchy and faint.
One could blame it on nerves.
But I know better.
It's starting."
I loved that the book contained a now and a then. In the now we see Claire on Earth, locked up in a mental institution. She escaped the Aurora. But to what cost. In the Then parts she tells us the story of what happened. How they found the Aurora and how things went so horribly wrong. Eventually the Then stops as we get to the point of Claire losing her memories and mysteriously finding an escape pod and we move on with the Now. In which we see Claire (and Verux) going back to the Aurora. For many reasons from very dark and WTF to well that seems logical despite all the freaking danger. I was all with Claire, on the one hand let's go back because maybe someone is still alive from her crew, on the other hand, fuck nope because that just screams bad idea! Those Now parts got REAL good when we got to the Aurora. Things immediately got spooky. People were getting creeped out. And a lot of other things happened. Things I loved like all the spookiness and scary stuff. Things I am still not sure about, like what actually caused all of the things to happen. I mean it is a pretty ingenious idea (but also very horrifying and WTF).. but I also had expected something much much grander. Something more supernatural.
""But it lives up here." He jabs at his temple with his finger. "Eating and chewing and devouring.""
The ending, the epilogue, it was just fab and it made me smile! It was a great conclusion to the book. To everything that happened.
So all in all, I really loved this one! This was spooky and haunting. Scary and OMG NOPE. Sad, but also exciting. There were parts that were a bit too gore-filled for me (I mean, I really don't need to read some descriptions). I would HIGHLY recommend this awesome book to all. It will scare the wits out of you.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
This is one of the books I was looking forward to so so so much this year! And so I was totally excited when I got the chance to review it! YAS! And after reading this book I can tell you that it definitely is a book I want to re-read sometime in the future. A bit of a slow start, but when it gets going... it goes. And there is no stopping.
"Water and air collide at the back of my throat, and i Have to work not to cough and spray pills everywhere. She's one of them."
Because yes, the opening to the book, the first part before they get to the Aurora... was very slow. It didn't help that Voller was intolerable, and Claire was willing to commit suicide (suicide is not a topic I can read about). But as soon as they got to the Aurora. When they went on the ship, first Voller and Claire, and then the rest. Then it started. The questions. Why is everyone dead? Why does it seem like a hell happened here? And then slowly scary things happen. Boy, the writer sure knows how to write horror, because I was on the edge of my seat (or curling up very tight in bed).
"So, when my eyes first meet hers - the blank space where hers should be, where that strip of torn white sheet covers them instead- I freeze for that extra second, my brain trying to make sense of what I'm seeing with what I expected to see."
It also didn't help that Claire has a past. A quarantine gone wrong. Everyone dead. That Claire can see things. It makes things tricky. Because we are seeing the events through her eyes. Is what she is seeing truth, is she seeing the dead, or is it something else entirely? And that also made the book so good. It was scary as hell, but for a part of the book we just didn't have a clue what was true and what was not true. As the story continues we do get a more clear grasp on it, especially when the others are also experiencing stuff. But still, is it a trick or not? I love unreliable narrator books~ Love figuring out the details and see what is true or not.
"But what I saw was real," Lourdes says immediately. "I was there. I saw her."
I absolutely loved the characters. Well, OK, most of the LINA crew. Voller was just a horrible character. I am sorry, but he was. Constantly ragging Claire. Constantly making remarks. Doing things that are stupid. And more. And of course the Verux guys can all go to hell as well. But I just adored Claire and loved learning more about her, about what makes her tick. I love that despite everything she tries her best for her crew. Lourdes was such a sweetheart! Nysus was so interesting, and I love how many connections he had and how he kept finding the right information for the situation they were in. From maps to small details. Then there is Kane. Ah, Kane. He was so charming and sweet. I loved how he was with Claire, and with that I don't just mean the romance part but all the parts. He listened, he was there for her.
"Ahead of me, one of Montgomery's team members jerks hard to the right, the light on the end of his weapon illuminating the darkened doorway. It's empty, the door still firmly shut.
After a moment, his shoulders go up and down in a shrug. "...thought.... saw something." His words come through patchy and faint.
One could blame it on nerves.
But I know better.
It's starting."
I loved that the book contained a now and a then. In the now we see Claire on Earth, locked up in a mental institution. She escaped the Aurora. But to what cost. In the Then parts she tells us the story of what happened. How they found the Aurora and how things went so horribly wrong. Eventually the Then stops as we get to the point of Claire losing her memories and mysteriously finding an escape pod and we move on with the Now. In which we see Claire (and Verux) going back to the Aurora. For many reasons from very dark and WTF to well that seems logical despite all the freaking danger. I was all with Claire, on the one hand let's go back because maybe someone is still alive from her crew, on the other hand, fuck nope because that just screams bad idea! Those Now parts got REAL good when we got to the Aurora. Things immediately got spooky. People were getting creeped out. And a lot of other things happened. Things I loved like all the spookiness and scary stuff. Things I am still not sure about, like what actually caused all of the things to happen. I mean it is a pretty ingenious idea (but also very horrifying and WTF).. but I also had expected something much much grander. Something more supernatural.
""But it lives up here." He jabs at his temple with his finger. "Eating and chewing and devouring.""
The ending, the epilogue, it was just fab and it made me smile! It was a great conclusion to the book. To everything that happened.
So all in all, I really loved this one! This was spooky and haunting. Scary and OMG NOPE. Sad, but also exciting. There were parts that were a bit too gore-filled for me (I mean, I really don't need to read some descriptions). I would HIGHLY recommend this awesome book to all. It will scare the wits out of you.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
letjollyread's review against another edition
4.0
I finished it and now I'm sad. I truly enjoyed this story and it was definitely creepy. I'm often disappointed by horror novels but I really enjoyed this one. I really liked the characters Claire, Kane, and Nysus.
This reminds me of the Ghost Ship, Event Horizon, and The Silent Sea.
This reminds me of the Ghost Ship, Event Horizon, and The Silent Sea.
bluinred's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
hrrrrnng's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A wonderful, dark, delve into scifi horror that conjures imagery from classic stories of the same genre.
fdeinparvar's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
twaldrop's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicide
krustations's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
_natsumikan_'s review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0