Mar Romasco-Moore

Deadstream was a modern ghost story that used technology as a medium to produce some frights. It also dealt with mental illness, suicidal thoughts, panic disorder, family dynamics, and in a loose way, explored the dangers of the internet and the dark net in our society. After a car accident, the MC suffers from panic disorder and has difficulty leaving the comfort of her room so she turned to social media and other online platforms to make connections with other people. When she streams a show more live video of something terrifying, she doesn't know what to think so she asks the community their thoughts, something that propels her own account to explode, leaving her susceptible to everything that entails in the online world.

I thought the book was fun and interesting, and I really loved the format. While I am not really all that familiar with the gaming side of things, I have seen enough when my son is online to understand Twitch and ARGs, etc..., so I liked how the author really highlighted the messaging and comments that would be made in such a scenario. The story flipped from what was happening in Teresa's world to the online world, a flip that was easy to follow. Personally, I liked the formatting and though it was well done.

I think there are very few people who don't have social media platforms anymore, so this one certainly made me think about a lot of things. While not overt, the theme of technology in our lives and how much we rely on it is subtly explored as well as the abuse. Personally, I don't think the consequences of the technology was explored enough; I know it will be here to stay, but we really need to understand how much of our privacy is undermined by the technology and how much we are willing to put up with before we say, enough! While the story was fairly predictable, and I don't necessarily think the horror went deep enough for what was occurring, it was still riveting. And when I say the horror didn't go far enough, I am not only talking about actual horror elements, although it was those too, but the effects of people who obsess about their stats and their numbers and will do anything to improve them.

I did think the mental health aspect was well done, and I appreciated the glimpse into anxiety/panic disorder/trauma that was explored in this book. While I don't think it is quite that easy to do the things that Teresa did, the author did write them well and with compassion. I would have liked to have seen a bit more character development, not just from Teresa, but from some of the secondary characters as well as more in-depth formation on the relationships that are developed online.

Verdict
Deadstream definitely made me think about the technology that I use in my life as well as the friendships I have made online. The author highlighted how important these online platforms are for people who suffer from trauma and panic disorders, but at the same time, was warning about the consequences, so it begs the questions, How much time should we spend on our technology? How real is the online world? How do we learn to teach young people how to be critical thinkers when it comes to technology? While we know technology is here to stay, we do need to stay in touch with those around us and live in the real world. Lots to ponder, that's for sure. And while I don't think it went far enough and the character development was a bit lacking, I would recommend this book for anyone interested in a technological horror novel. show less

This was quite a snappy, fast-paced book interspersing the narration with text messages and chat logs. It kept the tension high throughout the beginning and middle. The way the internet and the videos allowed the ghost to operate in an altered reality that let it invade and violate any space (or any person) with a connection destroyed any sense of safety. That worked especially well with the main character whose fear had already cut her off and locked away. Her safe space became her trap; show more her escape mechanism left her powerless but to watch. I was a little worried that the story would get too caught up on rote ideas of how the internet is rotting our brains – making us callous, feeding unhealthy parasocial relationships, killing our ability to form ‘real’ relationships or socialize – and get overly preachy. Teresa worries about her motives in continuing to post about everything as people are actually suffering and dying – she wants to help and doesn't know how else she can, but she also gets a thrill from seeing the views tick higher and gaining recognition. Typically the chat and the messages Teresa gets heavily show off some of the worst behaviors of the common social media user. And the ghost, when we learn more about them, is a bit of a played-out stereotype of a certain type of person online. Mostly I don’t think it went too far with that though your mileage may vary. The internet also gives Teresa a place to explore her identity – bringing forward different parts of her personality, experimenting with her gender identity and expression – and connects her with genuine friends when her mental illness makes that impossible in person.
Towards the end, the story did start to lose some momentum. The strong atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia maintained throughout most of the book gave way to more direct conflict with the antagonist and a type of horror that didn’t match as well with what had been building up. That last confrontation, everything that was happening inside of Teresa’s mind, the body horror elements, they were unpleasant but distanced. They didn’t fit with the limitations and fears that defined Teresa’s character or the themes relating to internet culture that defined much of the book and heightened horror elements up to that point.
The very ending was also an interesting choice, both with regards to how it left Teresa and the ghost. I’m not totally sure how to feel, good or bad. Maybe it deserved more time, maybe I just need to embrace the open-endedness. show less

Deadstream is perfect for YA readers who are looking for a horror/thriller revolving around the world of online streamers that will keep them turning pages at top speed! Get ready to be terrified! And get ready for the inevitability of a neck injury after you whip your head around to check behind you one too many times while reading.

I loved the agoraphobic protagonist, Teresa! While I’ve come across agoraphobic side characters in books, I think it’s the first time I’ve read a book show more with an actual agoraphobic protagonist. And while I can’t speak to how accurate the portrayal is here, as a reader it felt incredibly realistic. I was really impressed by how much sense Teresa’s thought process made to me, which is absolutely due to Romasco-Moore’s skill as a writer.

As a fan of the movie Rear Window, I appreciated the clever nod to the classic film within the setup of the book. Towards the beginning of Deadstream, Romasco-Moore writes: “Teresa turns away from the real window to the other window, the better window. Through this one she can see not just a few backyards but the whole world.”

As easy to wolf down without stopping for breath as a bag of Cheetos, this book is over 300 pages but feels snack-sized in the best way. When I wasn’t reading it, I was wanting to read it. The writing style of Deadstream is simple, clear, easy to follow and consume quickly. While it sometimes felt a little tedious to read through the twitch stream multimedia sections, for the most part I enjoyed those sections because it helped me feel more immersed in the online-ness of the book.

One aspect that could have brought this book all the way up to 5 stars for me has to do with the romance in Deadstream. I think it would’ve worked better if it had been a thread all the way through the book. Instead, it feels squeezed in at the last minute. Alternatively, Deadstream would’ve totally worked just as well without any romance at all, just friendship. I think that might’ve been even more powerful. But it’s certainly not enough to detract from what is a very enjoyable book.

I’d love to read more from Romasco-Moore! I hope they write more horror in the future.

Thanks to Goodreads and the publisher for sending me a physical ARC of this book! show less

With all of the online streamers and many of us living on our phones and/or laptops, this story of online terror is very relatable.

I was rooting for all of the main characters, not knowing which of them would be afflicted or worse.

The main character has anxiety from a prior event that makes it admirable when she ventures to try to solve a problem that no one else believes exists. This is perfectly understandable, because it is almost impossible anymore to know if what we see online is real show more or not. Her trauma echoes at the end of the story, giving it more depth.

I really liked the way the author presented the online conversations in the manner anyone who has watched a stream will recognize. I didn’t really like the first paragraph describing each streamer. It felt more like setting the scene for a play than a story (though I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a movie someday.)

Several of the characters are LGBTQ+, but the relationships weren’t spicy. I don’t like spice in any books that I read, so I really appreciated this. show less