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*4.5 Stars

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.

*I received a copy of the book from the publisher (via NetGalley).