Review: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
As a new parent, it's rare that I'll trade anything, let alone some extra time at night, for some precious, much coveted sleep. Yet, as I closed in on the last handful of chapters of Blake Crouch's latest, I found myself laying in bed, eyes barely open, promising myself, "Just a few more pages. I'll finish this chapter and then go to bed." And then ultimately deciding last night, no, I will finish this tonight. I must finish this tonight - not because I had other books to read (there's lots and lots of those!), but because I had to freaking know how this damn thing ended!
Earlier this month, I gave up on a book less than halfway through. I had been bored and struggling with that previous title, and was finding myself in a bit of a reading slump. A few cyber book buddies who knew I had an ARC of Dark Matter, and who had already read and raved about this one, suggested-slash-demanded that I read this book immediately. I took their advice and...
Holy. Crap.
This book kept me on my toes nearly the whole way through. Every time I thought I had a grip on things and thought I knew where Crouch was going with the story, he veered off into a whole other thrilling direction. This book is tense and has a number of shocks throughout. Right when you start to feel safe, Crouch lobs another crazy curve ball to bean you upside the head.
I found myself consistently awed at how Crouch is able to constantly raise the stakes without making the story feel bloated and bogged down, or, even worse, tiresome. The only thing this book is thick with is suspense! There were a number of times that I was caught off guard, and Crouch makes some bold decisions in his storytelling here that I flat out loved.
I don't want to give out any spoilers, and Crouch puts so many twists and turns into his narrative that even talking about the basic premise seems like a risky gambit that would reveal too much about this book's Big Ideas. Dark Matter is one of those books that I want to talk about, but can't. So just do me a favor and go pre-order the damn thing. It comes out in July. You can thank me later.
[Note: I received an advanced review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley.]
