by Mar Romasco-Moore
Release Date: April 1st, 2025
2025 Viking Books for Young Readers
Softcover ARC; 320 Pages
ISBN: 978-0593691885
ASIN: B0D8KFHC4F
Audiobook: B0D8MQGJBP
Genre: Fiction / YA / Horror / Supernatural
Source: Review copy from publisher
3.5 / 5 Stars
Summary
After surviving a car accident that claimed the
life of her best friend, Teresa is now terrified to leave the safety of
her bedroom. But
one night, the safe world Teresa created starts to break down. A shadowy
figure appears in the background of her favorite streamer's video,
and his behavior mysteriously changes over the next few days before he
dies in front of thousands of viewers. Teresa finds herself at the
center of a life-and-death investigation as the world tries to figure
out what or who this figure could be . . . especially as it begins appearing in the other people's streams, compelling them to "open the door"
and let it in—including Teresa’s own. In order to save herself and the
rest of the internet from this relentless entity, Teresa must venture
outside of the mental and physical walls she’s created. But will she be
able to conquer her fears before anyone else loses their life?
My Thoughts
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 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.