Dark Matter was a very quick read, at least it was for me since I couldn’t put it down and ended up reading it all in one day! I think this book is a winner for a couple reasons. For one, the characters are extremely likeable. It usually takes me awhile to really get attached to a character, but right from the start I found myself nervous for the main character, hoping that he would make it out alive. Personally, I think characters are the most important aspect of a story, they can really make or break a book and in this case they definitely made it. This novel is great for all kinds of readers, seeing as it crosses over multiple genres: sci-fi, thriller, romance; some of my personal favorites.

Dark Matter is a great introduction to science fiction for a reader who has never read the genre. Crouch does a great job of not being too in your face with the sci-fi elements and although there is a lot of explaining to do on Crouch’s part, it never gets to be too info-dumpy. The content had the potential to completely go over my head, but Crouch always kept the reader in mind. He simplified scientific topics in a way that the average reader would be able to understand, without dumbing anything down.

Right from the first chapter, Crouch already has you turning pages at an alarming rate. After the first 10 pages, I was already completely invested in the storyline. I was in a constant state of needing to know what the ~heck~ happens next. Jason Dessen is the protagonist, just your average quantum physicist. Jason now works as a professor, teaching what he once had a passion for, physics. He used to devote all his time and energy to his research but after he met the love of his life, he gave up everything so that he could be there for his family.

One night, Jason doesn’t make it home in time for dinner, he’s been kidnapped by a mysterious man with an unknown agenda. The last thing Jason remembers is being syringed with a strange liquid before he wakes up the next morning in a life that isn’t his own. We follow Jason as he attempts to figure out what world he’s in and how he can get back to his life, if he can get back.

This book will have your mind racing and your heart beating a little faster than usual, it wasn’t good for my anxiety but it was well worth it.