Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

9 reviews

eatingbrains's review

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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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keen's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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? Yes

4.5


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ellie_the_banshee's review against another edition

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adventurous tense 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

3.5


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corirarrick2's review

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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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joshuas_space's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0


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whatathymeitwas's review against another edition

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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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clea's review

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

4.5

A brilliantly plotted science-fiction thriller which is mind-bending while being surprisingly profound and grounded. It is a story about choices, regrets and the fundamentals of one's identity. What makes "us" really "us"? Are we the sum total of our choices or do other constituents play a role in defining our true self?
The book was suspenseful with an interesting concept and loveable protagonists - it has everything a great thriller should have (maybe except for surprising plot twists; I found them all a little bit too foreseeable). 

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kendallreadsbooks's review against another edition

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

3.5


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lilifane's review against another edition

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

4.0

Blake Crouch.... Blake Crouch, man....
I... I have no words. 
This is a mindfuck movie in book form. 
So, I was intrigued at the beginning. Then absolutely in love with the whole middle part. And I hated the last part. Well, hated is maybe a little too strong of a word. Let's say it was already a mind blowing book but then Crouch went one step too far for my taste and it was a little too hard to process for me to fully enjoy that part. I'll give bonus points here though because I really didn't see some of the things coming. And the ending was in fact... good? It made sense for the plot and wrapped things up satisfyingly. Which I was not counting on tbh. 
Despite my personal issues with it, this is an amazing book as a whole. Its a super fast paced Sci-Fi/Thriller with a cool story and cool settings. It's very action packed which I usually don't enjoy, but I guess Blake Crouch books are an exception to this rule now, because I really like his action sequences. Maybe because they are still clear and easy to process/imagine and just fit so well with the story. 
On the other hand it explores some super interesting themes. Who are we, what exactly makes us the individuals we are? Are there decisions we regret and would we change them if we had a chance? 

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