Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

15 reviews

eatingbrains's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

The good:  I enjoyed the UberChat.  I felt that right when that was introduced a different ending could have spawned that turned into a lighthearted rom-com and I like to imagine that.

The bad:  I knew pretty early on that this was not going to be a favorite.  I don't read a lot of thrillers in general but I enjoy sci-fi so I figured I would give it a shot.  I couldn't stand the main character.  And thus, the book was doomed in my eyes.  The pacing was jumpy, and the plot was predictable (as in, I guessed what really happened in the first chapter and the main character didn't figure it out until the ~50% mark).  There was some promise for some thoughtful introspection but the approach was heavy-handed at best.  Some of the descriptions were vivid and others were flat out whacky.

I don't know if I will try another book by the author, but I don't think I was the intended audience for this work so who knows what the future holds.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abandonment, Body horror, Classism, Confinement, Torture, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, Self harm, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexism, Violence, Alcoholism, Cancer, Car accident, Child death, Infidelity, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

faeriefox's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was incredible.

Spoiler

The worldbuilding between all of the worlds Jason went into was incredible; you really got the essence of each world from the start.

I also really loved *our* Jason. He never lost his moral compass, unlike so many other versions of him, and as a result, Daniela chose him over the others. It was so touching, too, when so many Jasons let the family go free once they knew what Daniela wanted, culminating this beautiful love story. 

I really got emotionally attached to the characters as well; I was devastated when Amanda left and constantly afraid for Charlie, Daniela, and Jason.

 

This book made me think a lot; it challenges so many ideas about life, love, identity, and choice. 

I also appreciated the fairly easy-to-understand scientific explanations; the fact that they were understandable added so much to the book, as well as just being very interesting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing

Moderate: Gun violence, Drug use, Sexual content, Medical content, and Violence

Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Mental illness

katiefurms's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Not only is this an incredible concept for a story, but it is so phenomenally well written that i could not put it down. Absolutely incredible book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Cursing, Death, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Drug use, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Murder

Minor: Gun violence, Infidelity, Pandemic/Epidemic, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Addiction, Body horror, Car accident, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Mental illness, Medical content, Pregnancy, Vomit, Dysphoria, Gore, Suicide, and Violence

ottercorg's review

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Looking for an introduction to the sci-fi genre, an Internet list pointed me to this one. 

I enjoyed the main characters and plot, felt that Crouch told the story well. The reason I've avoided sci-fi for so long is that my brain is not good at comprehending the science part. But this book made it palatable and mostly easy to understand - which made me enjoy it even more! Only a few times did risk going over my head. 

Overall, an interesting tale that kept me invested, and not just because I had nothing better to do. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Grief, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Body horror, Car accident, Death, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Kidnapping, Blood, Gun violence, Death of parent, Gore, and Stalking

raneyak's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective 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

3.0

Overall I found the story compelling and enjoyable. However, there were some moments that missed the mark throughout the book. My overall critique of the book is that much of it seemed to be trying too hard to be a good book. Certain dialogue and character choices used to convey a philosophical message or advance the plot seemed unnatural in context. In addition, the ending wrapped up a little bit too perfectly and I feel like I missed out on the emotional complexity I had anticipated going into the final scenes. 

It’s a relatively short book and contains a lot of interesting science and philosophy, and while it isn’t perfect I still enjoyed it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Alcohol, Murder, Blood, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Gore, and Grief

Minor: Pregnancy, Child death, and Sexual content

clevelandbookgirl's review

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Stalking

Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, War, Alcohol, and Animal death

pich's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

i didn’t think i would be as interested in such a concept as the multiverse, but i was pleasantly surprised.

Spoiler

i figured out the kidnapper fairly quickly, but it didn’t necessarily make the book less interesting. i thought the whole logic behind all the science was really interesting, and i liked the almost dystopian vibe at the beginning. i think i would’ve like a bit more development on characters like amanda, since it almost seemed like her and jason had a more complex background; maybe a scene where he sees her again would’ve been cool.

i’m not a fan of fast and tell-don’t-show writing styles, but with the whole plot of this book, it makes sense for it to be so quick and easy to understand. overall, i liked it—a media adaptation would look really cool.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Violence

Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content

amiegold's review against another edition

dark inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Dark Matter is a fun psychological thriller that gave me a feeling reminiscent of The Midnight Library and What Alice Forgot.  From the beginning, the message is clear: our relationships are the greatest accomplishments of our lives.  I enjoyed this read and had moments that I was shocked and excited by all of the questions and ideas it introduced.  There were a few times that the characters began to act in ways that drove the plot but didn't make total sense to me.  If you struggle with violence, sex or cursing, this may not be the book for you.  But, overall, I enjoyed this book.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Gore

Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content

corirarrick2's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping, Cursing, Grief, Blood, Death, and Murder

Minor: Terminal illness, Sexual content, and Medical content

whatathymeitwas's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Well that hit like a truck full of bricks. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Stalking, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Drug use, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Child death, Cursing, Death, Grief, Gun violence, and Terminal illness