Reviews

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

mhariwarner's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

ellakostka's review against another edition

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3.0

★★★☆☆ 2.5/5 i didn’t think it was as deep as everyone makes it out to be. i still enjoyed it, though!

was0018's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

elyrinda's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

marimbagirl22's review against another edition

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5.0

So freaking good. I love the level of science that was used and how believable it really seemed. It kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat. It made me think what moment is my 'defining' moment? You'll be asking yourself the same question.

I'm excited to read more of his work.

catsnebulareads's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

3.75

opaulino's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

This book has some interesting ideas, but I don't think it was executed very well. I was bored for most of this book. I was hoping to enjoy this one because I loved his other book Recursion

chicitytyty's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

a_chickletz's review against another edition

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2.0

Hrm.

I think people are being WAY took kind to this book, or they're new readers to sci-fi/thriller.

I give it two stars because I thought it was interesting and it had a catchy 'popcorn flick' feel to it? The whole book is pretty much 'identity gets stolen, man has to get back his identity, has a sidekick/chick who works with him to accomplish this, all the while there is a scientific backstory/oh woe is me feeling of dread'. I'm leaving out the catch to this story or the 'twist' because where it comes across as a spoiler, to me it wasn't from the moment the 'twist' showed up (which is pretty early on).

Honestly. If you're new to genre read this book and enjoy it... but if you're a seasoned fan or well versed in your cliches, then you probably would do better avoiding this to not be disappointed.

hilarymofi's review against another edition

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3.0

Dark Matter is preceded by a line from a poem by Robert Frost that has been picked apart and used over and over in advertisements and on film and in TV shows. Most mediums that use all or part of the poem get the interpretation on a surface level as the poem is about choices. To dig deeper, it is also a poem about how choice essentially returns us to the same dark place or crossroads where we started. Our lives are a series of choices.

So, the book is about the choices we make or don’t make, the repercussions of those choices, and the constant fight with ourselves about whether or not we made the right choice. Overall, Dark Matter is wildly suspenseful until it’s not. It’s not suspenseful when I start to pose questions about parts of the plot that have holes or don’t make sense. I won’t ruin that here, but they are big enough to leave huge impressions on a detail-oriented person like myself which is why I took away a couple stars in my rating.

Also, what’s up with describing some characters by their ethnicity, race, or nationality when it doesn’t serve the plot? The author describes one woman by her “Spanish” eyes even though he’s told the reader the woman’s last name is “Vargas” a million times or telling us a car service driver is Russian with a thick accent. Why are those two things important to the story? He doesn’t say “my white coworker Amanda”. So, that kind of bothered me, but overall an interesting, imaginative (though predictable) science fiction read.