So I'm not one who tends to read a "buzz" book when the buzz is still humming. This isn't on purpose or because I have any issues with everyone's-talking-about-it books. Oftentimes, I'll actually *buy* the books everyone is talking about when they're hot and then the books just get put in my endless, teetering TBR pile, which means I'm reading them late.

BUT this time, I'm happy to say that I read the buzz book during the buzz. DARK MATTER by Blake Crouch seems to be everywhere, but it came to me through my Book of the Month Club membership. (For more info and a big discount on the Book of the Month Club, click here.) For the BOTM club, you get a choice of 5 curated books each month and usually something cute like this wine koozie. Choosing out of the five books was tough, but this one called to me for the hook-y premise. And turns out, I made an excellent choice! :)

So first, here's the back cover from Amazon:

“Are you happy with your life?”

Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.

Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.

Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”

In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human—a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we’ll go to claim the lives we dream of.

Got your attention yet?

So first, I'll say that, though I read it on occasion, I'm not a science fiction reader generally. Don't let that stop you if that's usually not your thing. This is a genre-blending kind of book that is science fiction, thriller, and horror rolled up into what is ultimately, a love story. Yes, a love story.

I won't go into the plot too much so as not to spoil anything, but I can say that there was a twist I feel like I should've seen coming and I totally didn't and I was all...

shocked in #shocked

I love that. I love when a book pulls a "gotcha" on me. And that was another reason I'm glad I read this early. I probably would've been spoiled at some point.

This book was also a very quick read. There are many pages where each sentence is its own paragraph, creating that quick, staccato type rhythm where you're flipping pages faster than you realize. Very effective. And the black moment (where all seems lost) was truly a black moment. I couldn't help thinking, "How in THE HELL are they going to get out of this?" When an author can make me doubt that it's going to work out, they've done a good job. And don't worry, though this is definitely set up for a sequel, there is a satisfying conclusion.

So two thumbs up! Now go get it! :)

thumbs up in #ThumbsUp

What are you reading right now? Has anyone else read this one yet?

It's been a while since I've done a Friday Read. I was in the throes of deadline hell finishing my book, so time for reading has been slim. But I got the chance on a recent trip to read a big one. If you've read anything by R. Lee Smith before, you know the books are GIANT and cross all kinds of genres. These books aren't for everyone. The heroes tend to be non-human and grotesque--which sounds bizarre, I know. I remember someone talking about the alien lizard hero in The Last Hour of Gann and I was like--uh, no. But then the buzz was too much to ignore and I picked it up. Turned out to be one of my favorite reads that year. (See my review here.)

So when I saw that Smith had a new book out and people were talking it up again, I knew I had to pick it up. This one is a mix of romance and horror and dystopian and a little science fiction? I never know how to label these books, lol. All I can say is that there IS a romance and an epic one at that. If you don't have patience for long books, this won't be for you. The story stays interesting throughout, but it's over 700 pages so you're signing up for a long story.

And I'm always short on reading time and have a huge TBR pile, so a big book takes a commitment from me. But when a long story is well-written, there's an epic factor to the story that I so enjoy. So that's what these books do for me. You feel so much more invested and the story stays with you because you've been with the characters so long.

These books aren't for everyone but they're filled with fabulous world-building, heartbreak, flawed characters, adventure, and romance. The Last Hour of Gann will remain at the top of my list as my favorite by this author, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. And even if this isn't your normal thing (it's not mine!), I suggest you give it a try.

About the book:

SHE WOULD DARE ANYTHING TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM HIS RULE.

EVEN HIS BED.

He ascended from the darkness years ago—Azrael the Eternal, Azrael the Undying, Azrael Who Is Death—bringing with him the black rains, the fires, the souring of the sky, and the Eaters. Now he rules in the walled city of Haven with his favored Children and his dead court, while all that is left of the living struggles to survive in the ruins of a world that used to be their own. But even as extinction looms, humanity will never surrender to their monstrous conqueror.

For Lan, this brutal life has been the only one she’s ever known, but she still believes it can change. If the war can never truly end until the Eaters are ended, she will go to Haven, to Azrael himself, and demand he end them. To her surprise, she does not immediately die the hero’s death she expected. Instead, Azrael offers her a chance to convince him, and all she has to do is submit herself to the chill embrace of the lord of the Land of the Beautiful Dead.

From the author of The Scholomance and The Last Hour of Gann comes a new vision of erotic horror! This book contains explicit sex and gore and is intended for mature readers only.

Buy the book: Amazon (This one's an Amazon only book and is also in Kindle Unlimited)

What are you reading? What good books have you read lately?