Darcy Coates‘ latest novel, Ghost Camera, is a re-release of an earlier novel with some slight tweaks and added short stories. While the story is not exactly original, Coates makes it her own and gives a few chills along the way.
Ghost Camera follows Jenine after she stumbles upon an abandoned polaroid camera that captures unsettling images of ghosts. After sharing this information with her best friend Bree, the two are on a mission to find out more and how to stop the possible dangers that lay in front of them. With each picture taken, the danger gets ever closer, leading to chilling tale.
Ghost Camera offers a twist on the classic ghost story, bringing a fresh perspective to the concept of spirits trapped within photographs. While the premise may not be entirely original, Darcy Coates manages to make it her own with her signature writing style. The eerie atmosphere she creates throughout the novel does give off a feeling of being watched, wanting us to read the pages with the lights on.
As fans of Darcy Coates we were excited to read this one. However, we were underwhelmed. The dialogue seemed awkward and strained at times leaving us wanting more. Additionally, the story itself seems a bit too unbelievable when our guess was that was not the original idea. The two main characters find a camera that captures eerie ghosts and you keep using said camera without finding out more about it?
Coates ability to craft a story is wonderful, just not as much in Ghost Camera. The short stories added to this in the second half of the novel gives us a reprieve from the main story at the front. While we are usually not fans of short stories, these give us a good reason to grab the paperback on release.
Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates is not perfect by any stretch, but is a solid addition to the horror genre. A ghostly story is always worth reading and one that can give you chills is even better. Coates is a fantastic writer and we will continue to read anything she puts out.
Ghost Camera hits bookstores everywhere on July 30, 2024.
