This book. This book is worth the hype. All of it. I had no clue what it was about going into it, which as someone who has read way too many reviews that give away the entire premise, I considered a win. I like Joe Hart, possibly because I may have confused one of his books with Joe Hill when I bought it, and liked it anyway. I knew that he could write with The Exorcism of Sara May. I've realized that he is on my must-read list after this.

Obscura hits all of the right notes in all of the right areas, which is a real diamond amongst books. Most books are somewhere on the Goldilocks spectrum: too long, too short, lacking, over-doing, etc. This one is perfect in almost every way. Yep, I said it.

I received an ARC of this from NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Now I just need a signed/limited edition of this. Please?

One of the absolute best books I have read in a very long time. This would be an amazing movie if done right. I really loved it!! Highly recommended!

I would say this started as a medical/sci-fi story and then became a mystery/thriller with the emphasis on thriller. What a great story! If you think you don't like sci-fi, I think you will probably like this, the world setting is in the very, very near future and the science isn't anything outside of what we are familiar with today and can't easily imagine. I'm holding back just a bit on my rating because the beginning was a bit slow for me, but once it got going it really was a thrill ride. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for something just a little bit different. The story was familiar and current taking the reader just outside of their comfort zone and the plot was engaging and really addicting the last half of the read ;)

So this for me was a wild card. I don’t usually enjoy anything which is set in space, movies, tv or books.
However, this book had me hooked and it kept me guessing until the end.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Obscura was such an eye opening and enthralling book that I couldn't help but take it with me everywhere. I had to know more about what was happening and what was coming next! I couldn't keep my eyes off of the pages because I was so engrossed in the characters and the storyline! At times I felt as if this was something that could definitely happen in real life, and that is a scary thing!

But when things are different because of circumstances that could possibly be avoided but aren't there are always repercussions for those choices made! This novel was such a huge hit for me and I am excited to see what else Joe Hart has written!

When looking at galleys to request for reading and reviewing, I always look for stories that are intriguing, often involving subject matters I find interesting or in genres I enjoy. You never know for certain whether your hopes for a good novel will come to fruition, so each galley is a bit like a leap of faith in which you put your trust in the author to tell a well-written and entertaining story. The leap becomes just that much larger when there is no buzz surrounding a novel or one that is not getting a lot of attention from other reviewers. This is how I felt about Obscura, a novel which I should enjoy given its suspenseful premise and the fact that it takes place in space - two of my story-selecting forms of kryptonite. I do not anyone else who has read it, so there is no buzz, no word-of-mouth to shed some light on the story or at least provide some form of reaction about it. So, opening to that first page was a leap in a way. It is one of the few times I have gone into a novel really not knowing anything more than what the synopsis told me.

Now that I finished the story, I can say that the leap was totally worth it. The story is intense; think horror movie intense. Gillian is alone on a ship in space for most of the novel, except strange things keep occurring that should not be happening if she were truly alone. Not only do you have the fear of the unknown, you have the fear of technology and the fear of absolute loneliness playing with each other. Add to that mental impairment that comes with drug withdrawals and abject grief, and you have a recipe for one of the scarier novels you will read.

Gillian makes for an excellent heroine. She is highly intelligent and fiercely independent yet extremely vulnerable given the losses in her life. She is battling a painkiller addiction, which makes her an unreliable narrator. However, when the truth reveals itself, she becomes the ultimate hero, doing what needs to be done for the best resolution possible, even if it involves the ultimate sacrifice. Her flaws make her real; her determination makes her admirable. She is a character with whom it is easy to sympathize and for whom it is easy to cheer.

The story itself is heart-pounding almost from the opening chapter. You are immediately thrust into the action so that Gillian's nervousness becomes your nervousness because you don't know anything else. Gillian's unreliability only becomes apparent as you understand the forces that put her into space. What happens while she is on the shuttle is downright terrifying as you know nothing and can only see the action through her very faulty eyes. The action on the shuttle is only half the story though. What follows after is crazy science fiction goodness, equally as intense as only a good sci-fi action story can be.

Obscura is the best type of gamble because I so thoroughly enjoyed the story, more than I ever imagined I would. I fell hard for Gillian and her plight, and everything that happened to her or around her while she was on the shuttle and after only served to increase my interest in her success. The writing is taut, providing balance between science and fiction, telling and showing. This is an action-adventure story, so one would not normally expect character development; however Gillian does grow as an individual throughout the mission, coming to realizations about her past and present behaviors that indicate greater self-awareness and an eagerness to get things right. I only wish I could bring greater attention to this fun and scary novel because it most definitely deserves to become a popular summer read.

A fast paced thriller that keeps upping the stakes as the story progresses, OBSCURA, by Joe Hart, is a roller coaster of a book that only slows down when he book is finished. I kept thinking of the unnerving creepiness I felt when I watched movies like EVENT HORIZON and THE ABYSS as I read. Dr. Gillian Ryan is a scientist working to discover a cure for a disease that in this near future timeline is affected much of the population, including her daughter. Gillian is offered a mysterious yet hopeful chance to further her research and potential find a cure for the disease by going into space to help solve a problem and in return she will get unlimited funding research the cure. She agrees, only to find out the space trip is not what she was told it would be and Gillian must find a way back to her daughter on Earth using her instincts, a few trusted allies, and a little luck.
Hart set the book in the near future, meaning the space travel and other sci-fi aspects of the story are still quite relatable and easy to understand. The innovations are just advanced enough to be cool and fun to read about without any of it feeling far fetched and/or unrealistic. Dr. Gillian Ryan, the likable heroine, has flaws (like a addiction to a drug similar to valium), making her layered and complicated person just like we all are and therefore she is very accessible. I am treading lightly on the story, because there are such monumental and exciting twists that I really enjoyed not knowing ahead of time and I want as many readers as possible to experience those moments like I did.
Exciting, fascinating and full of the unexpected, OBSCURA is a book not to missed!

Title: Obscura
Author: Joe Hart
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Publish Date: 5/8/18
Rating: 📖 📖 📖 📖 / 5
// I received this ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review //

The near future for humans doesn't look so bright in Joe Hart's Obscura. The reader is introduced to a world that has been attacked by a new disease called Losian's Disease which has similar symptoms to Dementia. The people affected start losing parts of their memory, even become less of themselves and slip into fits of violence. Dr. Gillian Ryan has lost her husband to the disease and is slowly losing her daughter Carrie as well. She has worked with the disease extensively however cannot fund her research any further. That is when NASA steps in. She is given the opportunity and funding to continue her research....if she travels to space. There are astronauts in space who are suffering from similar to Losian's and it is her job to figure out what is going on and to stop it if possible. However, as she starts to unravel the mystery, she feels as if she is losing parts of herself as well. Gillian struggles with her past addictions and the scrutiny of her fellow travelers. She discovers what the true mission is and whether or not everyone is as they seem.

I had high hopes for this book going in and I was not disappointed. Obscura is a clever mashup of science, horror and psychological elements that leave the reader not knowing where the story will go next. We have main character, Gillian, fighting to save her daughter while fighting herself. But I wasn't left feeling like I was looking at the cliched flawed character. She was actually relatable. And really I didn't know whether or not she was going insane herself. Hart did a good job creating a character and a situation you could really get wrapped up in.

However, I didn't feel this book was necessarily "unputdownable" until about the last 20% of the book. While the story was intriguing, at times there seemed to be either too much or too little going on to keep my attention like I wanted it to. There were little climaxes throughout the story that had no resolution and left me with a "sigh" feeling. But these were not very common so it didn't take away too much from the story. There isn't too much I can write in this review without giving away pivotal details to the story so I will keep it short in this review.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good sci-fi thriller with hints of real-life issues. It truly makes you think about the causes of disease and whether or not this same situation could happen to us today.

#obscura #netgalley #joehart #thomas&mercer #scifi #psychological #thriller #suspense #mrsmadonnareads #accordingtomrsmadonna #reading #books

Wow!! I thought this book was interesting and thrilling. It kept me on the edge of me seat and I hope there's a sequel :)

The Bottom Line:

An edge-of-your-seat read that brilliantly blends science fiction and thriller to create the written equivalent of LIFE meets Alien meets Hollow Man.

My take:

The first thing to know about Obscura is that even though its cover says Obscura: A Thriller, it’s quite predominantly science fiction. The science fiction part of it is quite interesting although I won’t claim to fathom its actual possibility. It’s not Jurassic Park type science fiction; maybe a little simpler. But if you take it at face value, you can really get into the story.

The book has a lot of crazy plot twists. Some are expected, but most aren’t. It moves along at a very brisk pace and keeps you turning the pages relentlessly. But the best part about the book is its rawness. Every character is very real. They’re very human. They’re weak, strong, good, bad, kind, selfish, and everything in between. But more importantly, every emotion is blunt and honest, while not being dramatized. You can really experience the characters’ emotions, and this is done so subtly that the suddenness of those emotions makes them even stronger.

The book doesn’t shy away from reality and, in no way, romanticizes the notion of good vs. bad. It dabbles predominantly in gray areas (for events and people), and has parts that are graphic and disturbing primarily because of their straight-forwardness. Like in life, it offers no guarantees, and all these factors make the entire book very hard-hitting.

The only thing that works against it is that it moves back and forth a lot, which makes it a tag confusing. But other than that, the book has very little to affect the excellent reading experience it offers. While it is a bit difficult to break down the elements that make it a good read, Obscura, as a whole, is very thrilling, beautifully raw, and even emotional. It’s one of those books that stays with you long after it’s done.

I would highly recommend Obscura to:
fans of science fiction
fans of thriller and mystery (who don’t shy away from graphic details)
those who love/enjoy movies like Alien and LIFE

4.5 stars*

This tense thriller is about a new form of dementia, and Dr. Gillian Ryan, desperate to find a cure. The disease ravages both the young and old without discrimination, and it has already taken her husband. Now her young daughter is starting to exhibit the symptoms.

She’s summoned by NASA and an old frenemy to a space station where the astronauts also appear to be suffering from the disease. But before she even gets there, reality starts crumbling for Gillian.

This is equal parts thriller, sci-fi, and a whodunnit mystery. I found it very hard to put down, and raced through the book in about a day. I always fall for novels about parents trying to save their children, and the outer space element gave it a perfect, breathless setting. Also - solid character development!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This book is fantastic. I am someone who is interested in the sci-fi genre but doesn't like fantasy and the two often merge. This stays strictly sci-i with some scary horror elements thrown in. I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope there will be a sequel! I am "hooked", pun intended, if you have read the book. :)

Thank you Netgalley for my copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This new book by Joe Hart is great, a can't put down, seat of your pants thrill ride from start to finish. Science fiction, environmental disaster, mystery all rolled into one really good story. The main character is fascinating, flawed, paranoid but brilliant in trying to find a cure that is slowly killing people on Earth and now on the space station also. The ending was left on a cliffhanger so I'm assuming there will be another book which can't come soon enough.

This was the first book that I’ve read by author Joe Hart. I loved it, and I now own two more that have been added to my TBR pile. Be warned though, Obscura rips your heart out in the very beginning and lodges it firmly in your throat until the very end when it is placed neatly back into your chest. I started it last night before bed, a very bad habit of mine is starting a new book at bedtime, and read way past my bedtime. I read about half last night, and immediately picked it back up this morning and finished before breakfast. Thank goodness I had today off. If I had to go to work leaving this book unfinished I don’t know if I would have been able to concentrate all day.
Obscura is a murder mystery set in space, and it’s awesome. The main character is a real person dealing with real issues. I hate it when the main character of a book is perfect and bad things just happen to happen to them. This is not like that. Gillian struggles with addiction, and it’s a large part of the book. The character development in Obscura is extremely well done. The characters are so real that at times I forgot I was reading a book about fictional people. It doesn’t get much better than this.

I don’t think you could find a more appropriate title for this book: Obscura. Is it a word? It has a meaning-ish to it. But it’s not clear. In Obscura, everything is blurred, nothing is clean and easy…Who is doing what is kept a mystery until the bitter end.

I’m not a huge science fiction fan, but something about Joe Hart’s book piqued my interest. It could have been a new debilitating illness, or the “creeping paranoia” - I’m a sucker for that. All I knew was that I wanted to get my hands on this book.

I got so much more than I expected from Obscura. The characters were deceptive, irresponsible and had enough quirks to keep me invested. There were times that I was as confused as the characters. Hart did a marvelous job of blurring the line between reality and hallucination. I spent so much time trying to figure out what was really happening, and cursing the characters for putting themselves in this position.

Hart created some great characters. Gillian Ryan was exquisitely detailed, I felt as though I knew her. Birk added some perfectly placed comic relief. The rest of the supporting cast enhanced the story.

At a time when I am getting a bit tired of the concept of the series, this is a longer storyline that I could actually see myself getting into; and like any smart author, Hart has left a thread or two dangling.

*4.5 Stars

Dr, Gillian Ryan lost her husband to the disease, and now her daughter is battling it too. A strange disease that takes away a person's memories, leaving them in a confused, fugue state. Losian's is a lot like Alzheimer's, but it can strike anyone, young or old. Ryan is working hard to study the disease and hopes to find a cure. But the powers-that-be don't believe it's a concern and feel her research is taking too long, producing too few results. Ryan is notified that her funding has been cut. Just as she is reeling from the loss of her support funds, NASA approaches her, offering full permanent funding if she commits to a six-month mission to investigate some problems on the international space station. When it's too late to back out, she discovers that it's an entirely different, and much more dangerous mission. Someone has a secret. Someone doesn't want this investigation. And some secrets are worth killing for.

I loved this book! The plot and suspense kept my attention the entire time! There are many stories about mysterious diseases and dangerous missions in space, but this book didn't fall into old tropes. The story is creative, thrilling and suspenseful! It would be so difficult to be on a dangerous mission in space and to not know who, if anyone, you can trust. Gillian Ryan is a flawed, but very intelligent and driven main character. Several times I was so mad about how she was being manipulated, but it just made the suspense and creepiness of the plot that much stronger. The story definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. Every time I thought I knew what was going on and what would happen next, the story zinged off in a direction I didn't anticipate. Awesome!! Just brilliant!

I listened to the audiobook version of this story. The audio is just over 10.5 hours long. Christina Traister narrates. She reads at a nice even pace with good inflection. I have hearing loss but was easily able to hear and understand the entire book.

Joe Hart is the author of several suspense/thriller novels including Singularity and Cruel World. I'm definitely going to be reading more by Hart!

**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

After a strong series from author Joe Hart with the Dominion Trilogy, I was certain I could count on a couple of fantastic elements from Hart's writing. Between his knack for writing a flawed, but strong female main character, and his realistically based science fiction plot points, I was right on both counts. Hart wields his pen and shapes a future for Earth that is not only plausible, but bordering on inevitable—in some respects.

Gillian, our main character, is steady and true throughout. While I do appreciate the unchanging nature from our narrator, I would've liked to have her motivation be a little less forceful and dominant for defining who she is, and for her to have more of a character arc. We are told who she is and that's her. However, she is actually a phenomenal woman, without going around saying so. Isn't that the best representation for equality? Like the movie Wonder Woman and the female characters in Black Panther, Gillian just *is*—she's intelligent, she's capable, she's resilient...and she has a dent in her armor (one smudge on her seemingly perfect veneer), making her all the more accessible to the reader. An understandable, as much as they can be, addiction to opioids.

Everyone surrounding Gillian possibly plays a more important role in the story than you'd imagine. Only necessary personnel from this point on. Hart uses this to his advantage, and lowers a fog of uncertainty onto bits and pieces of the plot. This fog is nicely timed with the decreasing clarity for the events and then the ensuing investigation, perhaps the reason Hart has Gillian lug around this addiction to opioids she’s working to overcome.

As the case with any good mystery, Hart kept me guessing right up until the finale. Just when I’d think I had it narrowed down to two possible suspects, he’d link together what was already known into a new formation, and I’d have two new theories to match. An intriguing and exciting book with hints of mystery, suspense, and uncertainty, all on a bed of Science-Fiction—I'll be looking out for any possible sequels for sure.

I don't read much modern science-fiction so I don't know what it is like. What I do know is that this book made me remember what it was like to read vintage sci-fi and Crichton books for the first time. With an interesting backdrop and a mystery thrown in, this was an enjoyable page-turner. I was surprised by how much I liked it. The action is very vivid and it played in my head like a movie.

Secrets, lies, deadly disease, addiction, space travel, Mars, mystery, thriller and science fiction all rolled into one. Quite an interesting read.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Obscura would make an awesome sci-fi thriller movie. Great story, lots of action and twists and turns. This book has it all: incurable disease, murder mystery, space travel, teleportation, psychological suspense. It grips you from the beginning and keeps you engaged throughout.

I definitely recommend reading this book and looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy of Joe Hart's "Obscura" in exchange of an honest review.