The first book in the spine-tingling Dark Matter trilogy about the frightening effects of a biological experiment gone wrong. An epidemic is sweeping the country. Almost everyone will be infected. Almost everyone will die. . . Young teen Callie was one of the rare few to survive the disease after being subjected to the so-called treatment. She was kidnapped and experimented upon at a secret lab that works with antimatter. When she breaks free of her prison, she unleashes a wave of destruction--the contagion. Meanwhile her older brother, Kai, is looking for her. And his smart new friend Shay may hold the key to uncovering what truly happened--Shay was the last to see Callie alive. The problem is getting past the soldiers at the quarantine zone boundaries. But even when reunited the teens must find the source of disease. Could Callie have been part of an experiment in biological warfare? Who is behind the research? Is there a cure?
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars! :)
Favorite Moment:
Anytime Shay talks about physics. As a future Chemist, I’m a sucker for science!
This book was a brilliant start to a plague-riddled dystopian trilogy that’s mixed with a healthy dose of science fiction! It’s got everything: a top-secret government project, kidnapping, murder, mystery, deceit, dark matter, and a love story. I first heard of the story at BookCon 2019 in NYC at the publisher’s booth and have been itching to read it ever since! I was even approved for the ARC on NetGalley in June of 2019, but life finds a way of getting in the way and I JUST NOW got to read it. Better late than never, especially when the reward is a book this good, right?! :D We’ll leave out the irony of finally getting to read about a flu-like epidemic thanks to a newfound abundance of free time from being in the middle of a flu-like pandemic…
Warning, there may be mild spoilers ahead!
The story takes place in Scotland, where an underground lab is running a series of secret experiments. Nearby, the main character Shay lives with her mom in a small town. The area surrounding the lab is suddenly plunged into chaos when there is an explosion at the same time that Shay’s adventure begins. She, along with Kai—a boy from a nearby town that she meets by chance—embark on a journey to find out what happened to Kai’s sister Callie, but instead they begin to uncover the cause of the epidemic that is ravaging their home. From there, things only get worse as Shay falls ill and the epidemic spreads across Europe…
There’s so much more to this story than my vague synopsis, but I loathe spoilers. You’ll just have to check this one out for yourself and see what happens next—and let me know what you think!
Also, I listened to this on audio, but also have an ebook and a hardcover. I’m not obsessed or anything…
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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