Reviews

Matéria Escura by Blake Crouch

jsbrendle87's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

charlotte_'s review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

thechaliceofaries's review against another edition

2.0

Honestly, it’s a little difficult to properly review this book. I came in with high hopes, having loved the last book I read by this author, but within a few chapters I felt those hopes dwindling away. I’ve been trying to put my finger on what it is about this that just didn’t work for me. I think a big part of it is simply the shaky scientific foundation the story is built on. To me, Dark Matter feels like the kind of story a really stoned college student might come up with after having had quantum theory explained to them for the first time ever. Imaginative and excitable, but ultimately lacking in substance. Another thing that really bugged me was the writing style – it just felt too simplistic for me to enjoy. I get the advantage of having short, abrupt paragraphs in terms of making an action scene feel more fast-paced, but when those short, abrupt paragraphs are also trying to depict the tranquil beauty of a sunset or the first few flakes of snow in the morning it feels watery and insipid. I’m not saying this book needed pages and pages of “purple prose”, just that I personally feel a bit more thought could have gone into crafting the language that was used in this novel.

wisdom_encouraged's review against another edition

Unnecessarily vulgar

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

nujibuji's review against another edition

3.0

Super quick read, mainly due to the fast-paced writing style and compelling story premise. It was fairly predictable to me, except for maybe one part near the end. But overall, it was an entertaining ride and should make for a better movie. A couple things that bothered me was the author's use of "I say" or "She says" BEFORE the actual quoted dialogue. I say, "Why?" It was jarring and didn't need to be there. Also, the whole relationship that Jason has with his wife and son felt very artificial and contrived. The entire book rests on creating a believable love for these two people in his life, and that just fell flat to me.

finnjie's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

catarinagc8's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-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

3.75

cerysrogers's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-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

5.0

elizabethpdrenning's review against another edition

4.0

WILD

katiescho741's review against another edition

5.0

The moral of this book is...do not mess with the multiverse!
Dark Matter is like "All Our Wring Todays" crossed with Bioshock Infinite. It's tense, exciting, and a bit of a head-scratcher in parts.
Much like All Our Wrong Todays, Dark Matter explains the science enough for it to be believable, and it weaves this breakthrough in quantum physics into the real world.
It's hard to talk about this book without spoiling details, so I'll just say that I enjoyed it so much I read it in a day.