What do you think?
Titan of the Stars #2
Demon in the Sand
Mad Max: Fury Road meets Alien in this exciting follow-up to the YA novel Titan of the Stars by #1 New York Times bestselling author E.K. Johnston.
After the horrific events on the Titan, where ancient aliens were released on the ship and massacred or possessed most of the travelers, Dominic finds himself on the surface of Mars amidst the wreckage of the ruined vessel.
He made it out alive, along with a small number of other survivors — including Ren, a smart and determined ship mechanic. Against all odds, Celeste also survived the crash . . . but that should be impossible, given she sacrificed herself to save the others . . .
Dominic and Ren attempt to start a new life on the Mars colony, but the horrors follow them there. What starts out as a mild sickness among the colonists turns into a full-on outbreak — and then, half-eaten bodies are found around the base.
Could Celeste have been taken over by the aliens, and is she behind these mysterious deaths? Despite their differences, Dominic and Ren must work together once again to combat an alien menance in this thrilling sequel to Titan of the Stars!
After the horrific events on the Titan, where ancient aliens were released on the ship and massacred or possessed most of the travelers, Dominic finds himself on the surface of Mars amidst the wreckage of the ruined vessel.
He made it out alive, along with a small number of other survivors — including Ren, a smart and determined ship mechanic. Against all odds, Celeste also survived the crash . . . but that should be impossible, given she sacrificed herself to save the others . . .
Dominic and Ren attempt to start a new life on the Mars colony, but the horrors follow them there. What starts out as a mild sickness among the colonists turns into a full-on outbreak — and then, half-eaten bodies are found around the base.
Could Celeste have been taken over by the aliens, and is she behind these mysterious deaths? Despite their differences, Dominic and Ren must work together once again to combat an alien menance in this thrilling sequel to Titan of the Stars!
283 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2026
About the author
E.K. Johnston
23 books2,742 followersE.K. Johnston had several jobs and one vocation before she became a published writer. If she’s learned anything, it’s that things turn out weird sometimes, and there’s not a lot you can do about it. Well, that and how to muscle through awkward fanfic because it’s about a pairing she likes.
You can follow Kate on Twitter (@ek_johnston) to learn more about Alderaanian political theory than you really need to know, or on Tumblr (ekjohnston) if you're just here for pretty pictures.
You can follow Kate on Twitter (@ek_johnston) to learn more about Alderaanian political theory than you really need to know, or on Tumblr (ekjohnston) if you're just here for pretty pictures.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 15, 2026
Picking up minutes after Titan of the Stars, we continue to be traumatized by the adventures of Dominic, Red, and Celeste, trapped in a story that is a combination of Titanic and Alien! On the one hand, the ship is crashing, on the other- ALIENS MIGHT LAY EGGS IN YOUR CHEST.
September 6, 2026
I had to take breaks reading Demon in the Sand because it freaked me out so much.
Dominic and Ren are supposed to have reached safety on Mars, but they're trapped with their worst nightmare in the next room. They can't run because there is nowhere to go. They can't fight it. There is no rescue attempt coming. In most horror novels, the goal is to get out - of the house, the relationship, the cult - but outside is a death sentence on Mars. Inside, there are murderous aliens.
In a stroke of genius, Johnston gives the aliens a point-of-view. It's just one page of thoughts between some of the chapters, but the sense of imminent doom is inescapable. Nothing has terrified me more. The aliens are sentient, they are planning, and they are several steps ahead of everyone. There is nothing more disturbing than knowing that there is a monster and certain death behind every door.
Intense, claustrophobic, and one catastrophe after another, Demon in the Sand is a masterclass in how to keep readers up and screaming in the night.
Dominic and Ren are supposed to have reached safety on Mars, but they're trapped with their worst nightmare in the next room. They can't run because there is nowhere to go. They can't fight it. There is no rescue attempt coming. In most horror novels, the goal is to get out - of the house, the relationship, the cult - but outside is a death sentence on Mars. Inside, there are murderous aliens.
In a stroke of genius, Johnston gives the aliens a point-of-view. It's just one page of thoughts between some of the chapters, but the sense of imminent doom is inescapable. Nothing has terrified me more. The aliens are sentient, they are planning, and they are several steps ahead of everyone. There is nothing more disturbing than knowing that there is a monster and certain death behind every door.
Intense, claustrophobic, and one catastrophe after another, Demon in the Sand is a masterclass in how to keep readers up and screaming in the night.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
WOW. I don't even know where to start this review..... this was insane.
I'm happy that it left off right where the last book ended as that was a huge cliffhanger. I really enjoyed the first novel, so I was glad to see this one was available to request. I will say that it starts off somewhat slow (similar to my opinions on the first book) but dang does it pack a punch about halfway in.
I really enjoy this author's writing style and was already interested in the plot from the first book so this was a very easy read (in the best way). This is a great "starter" sci-fi fantasy read for people who may just be dipping their toes into those genres. With that being said, it still has a rich story with great worldbuilding and character development. I will say that the author seems to make characters either inherently "bad" or "good". For example, Dominic's parents had no redeeming qualities whatsoever that it seemed slightly unrealistic, but, overall the characters were interesting and fun to follow. I would have loved a bit more depth, though. With this being a shorter book, I understand not going extremely deep into the characters pasts and inner thoughts. Hence, why I stated this is more of a starter series. I wasn't sure how I felt about the lack of Celeste POV in this book since she was basically the main in the last book, but I actually enjoyed the pivot.
At about the halfway mark I was unable to put this down. It was INSANE. I'm trying to write this without any spoilers, so I will be as vague as possible but WOW I could have never expected THAT ending. If this is truly the last book in this series that was even more diabolical. If this series will continue, it packs a little less of a punch, but I DO want this series to continue because I need more.
It's been a couple of days since I finished this and I'm still thinking about it. If you read the first one, pick this one up and buckle up.
WOW. I don't even know where to start this review..... this was insane.
I'm happy that it left off right where the last book ended as that was a huge cliffhanger. I really enjoyed the first novel, so I was glad to see this one was available to request. I will say that it starts off somewhat slow (similar to my opinions on the first book) but dang does it pack a punch about halfway in.
I really enjoy this author's writing style and was already interested in the plot from the first book so this was a very easy read (in the best way). This is a great "starter" sci-fi fantasy read for people who may just be dipping their toes into those genres. With that being said, it still has a rich story with great worldbuilding and character development. I will say that the author seems to make characters either inherently "bad" or "good". For example, Dominic's parents had no redeeming qualities whatsoever that it seemed slightly unrealistic, but, overall the characters were interesting and fun to follow. I would have loved a bit more depth, though. With this being a shorter book, I understand not going extremely deep into the characters pasts and inner thoughts. Hence, why I stated this is more of a starter series. I wasn't sure how I felt about the lack of Celeste POV in this book since she was basically the main in the last book, but I actually enjoyed the pivot.
At about the halfway mark I was unable to put this down. It was INSANE. I'm trying to write this without any spoilers, so I will be as vague as possible but WOW I could have never expected THAT ending. If this is truly the last book in this series that was even more diabolical. If this series will continue, it packs a little less of a punch, but I DO want this series to continue because I need more.
It's been a couple of days since I finished this and I'm still thinking about it. If you read the first one, pick this one up and buckle up.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Demon in the Sand follows Dominic and Ren as they navigate life on Mars after fighting for their lives on the Titan as it was overrun with ancient aliens. They thought they were victorious—but the aliens survived and might have taken over their friend. Dominic and Ren must work together to fend off the aliens before its too late.
I loved the first book! It was one of my top reads of last year and I was overjoyed to be able to read the arc of the sequel. However, I didn’t love this one as much as I wanted to. It was still an enjoyable read and a good sequel, but the horror of the first book wasn’t as prominent. I would’ve preferred more horror and action and more scenes of the aliens. The claustrophobic atmosphere was really well done in the second half of the book. The author is good at writing this kind of horror.
I think another factor about this book was that I really missed having Celeste as a perspective. While it makes sense that we follow Dominic and Ren, I did miss her here as I really enjoyed her as a character. We do get more depth to exploring Ren and Dominic as characters and that was nice. I did really enjoy the ending and the twist!
If you loved the first book, I’d recommend picking up the sequel, and if you haven’t read the first book yet, please do!
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen CA for the arc
I loved the first book! It was one of my top reads of last year and I was overjoyed to be able to read the arc of the sequel. However, I didn’t love this one as much as I wanted to. It was still an enjoyable read and a good sequel, but the horror of the first book wasn’t as prominent. I would’ve preferred more horror and action and more scenes of the aliens. The claustrophobic atmosphere was really well done in the second half of the book. The author is good at writing this kind of horror.
I think another factor about this book was that I really missed having Celeste as a perspective. While it makes sense that we follow Dominic and Ren, I did miss her here as I really enjoyed her as a character. We do get more depth to exploring Ren and Dominic as characters and that was nice. I did really enjoy the ending and the twist!
If you loved the first book, I’d recommend picking up the sequel, and if you haven’t read the first book yet, please do!
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen CA for the arc
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
In this second book in the Titan of the Stars series, Dominic and Ren are two of the survivors when their space ship, taken over by aliens, crash-lands on Mars. There’s no way their beloved friend Celeste or any of the aliens could have survived, but inexplicably she does, though she is hospitalized, unconscious. Dominic and Ren are assigned to a three bedroom apartment and they begin their jobs on Mars, hoping that Celeste will recover and join them. If Celeste could survive, might some of the aliens found a way to continue inhabiting human hosts on Mars? Librarians often just read the first book in a given series and second books in a series are notoriously hard to pull off, but Johnston’s confident plotting, witty dialogue, and vivid characterization made this book impossible to put down. I’ll be happily anticipating the next book while book-talking all of Johnston’s titles - though I have not yet recovered from having my heart broken reading Prairie Fire.
September 2, 2026
📚 An emotional thriller where you have to be okay not knowing the actual life status of your bff - after you’ve left your lives on earth only to be pulled in so many directions, not know who to trust, try and start a new path, and experience medical anomalies. There are no easy choices, but are they really choices?
🫠 The ending made my eye twitch a bit … I think I’m going to start reading it again from the beginning (already reread the last chapter) because, excuse me, WHAT?!?!?!?!
🎧 The audio recordings were fantastic! I was so excited to do an immersive type read with this one.
ℹ️ TBH, I got this ARC yesterday (less than 24 hrs before release) and got about 30% of the way through it today before my audiobook hold came in this afternoon (thank you public libraries!). I chose to finish it out in audio form because this would take me another couple of days to visually read. I was planning on rereading it on audio.
🫠 The ending made my eye twitch a bit … I think I’m going to start reading it again from the beginning (already reread the last chapter) because, excuse me, WHAT?!?!?!?!
🎧 The audio recordings were fantastic! I was so excited to do an immersive type read with this one.
ℹ️ TBH, I got this ARC yesterday (less than 24 hrs before release) and got about 30% of the way through it today before my audiobook hold came in this afternoon (thank you public libraries!). I chose to finish it out in audio form because this would take me another couple of days to visually read. I was planning on rereading it on audio.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews