I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Titan of the Stars by E. K. Johnston is a mixed third and first person multi-POV YA sci-fi horror combining Alien and Titanic. Celeste and Ren are two young engineers on the Titan, a space cruiser heading to Mars, and were chosen for being young survivors of a massive earthquake that ripped through Ottawa, Canada. Dominic is another survivor of the earthquake and was adopted by rich, opportunistic parents who used his circumstances to better their own. When the three meet and are introduced to fossilized aliens, they couldn't have expected what would happen.

A major theme is how the rich tend to not think of others and will use the misfortunes of others to gain the upper hand. Dominic’s mother is a politician who paraded her son around to really boost her career but is also extremely controlling and doesn't support his artistic talents. Dominic's father is even worse and his boyfriend, Adam, cares more about sex than he cares about Dominic. Celeste and Ren reveal parts of their childhood where the rich came in and gave ‘opportunities’, but many of those chances left the people who took them in a worse spot.

The pacing is on the slower end but is what I would expect of a horror novel. Horror needs time to build that atmosphere and to really set the stakes when things start to happen and not a page feels wasted here. The character arcs are fairly tightly written as are the bits and pieces we see with the aliens on display, such as their neon coloring and how many eggs are in the nest. The worldbuilding and atmosphere really worked together and sold that Alien meets Titanic concept.

Celeste and Dominic have a somewhat complicated dynamic because of their shared past but this is also the first time they've ever met. Celeste isn't very interested in getting to know a spoiled rich teen, though Dominic soon proves to be different from Adam. Meanwhile, Dominic is looking for some kind of connection to what happened when he was too young to remember, but he also starts to develop feelings for Celeste that go beyond that. There's mutual trust and respect that isn't made more difficult by misunderstandings because the aliens are enough.

Content warning for depictions of child abuse

I would recommend this to fans of YA horror looking for something more sci-fi and fans of space horror

I love space horror! Likeable characters and a good 'creepy' factor. I really want to read the sequel!

Titan of the Stars by E.K. Johnston is an intense and imaginative YA science fiction horror novel that delivers on its Alien-meets-Titanic premise. Johnston expertly builds tension aboard the Titan, blending the grandeur of space travel with the creeping dread of the alien threat. The dual perspectives of Celeste, a determined apprentice engineer, and Dominic, a conflicted passenger, add depth to the story, highlighting themes of class disparity and personal agency. The pacing is mostly tight, though some slower moments in the buildup detract from the urgency. The alien menace is chilling, and the action-packed sequences are thrilling. A compelling read that balances sci-fi spectacle with emotional stakes, perfect for fans of survival horror in space.