Title: The Darkest Minds
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Published: December 18, 2012
Pages: 488
Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Source: Audiobook, Ebook
When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that had killed most of America’s children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.
Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who have escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.
Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who have escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.
MY REVIEW
This review MAY contain SPOILERS. Read at your own risk.While there is a ton of hype about this book, I purposefully declined to read any reviews of this book so that my expectations wouldn't skyrocket. That is a surefire way to pave the road to disappointment. I knew that I wanted to read this book before I saw the movie based on it. (That was just released!) I'm happy to say that I wasn't disappointed in the slightest! The opposite actually. I loved it!
The first thing that you will notice when starting this book is how atmospheric it is. Bracken describes things so vividly that you can feel yourself in the main character's shoes. You can feel the air around her, the rain on her skin, and the turmoil inside her.
What makes this book incredible is that it has the best of both worlds. It has an incredibly real world and the character development is perfect.
The world building is superb. The book starts out right in the dead center of the main conflict surrounding the story. I loved the powers that the surviving kids gained and the descriptions of life inside the detention camps. The foreshadowing was written well. Bits and pieces of the world came as the story progressed.
The characters really captured my heart. The main characters banded together and became a family. They relied on each other and helped each other. You couldn't help but love them. I loved their humor and sarcasm with one another. They felt very real and they were fully entertaining. Even the main villain was awesome because there was so much emotion. You really wanted to hate him for the way that he treated the other characters.
The romance was exactly what I like to see in a book. The characters feelings for each other grew as they got to know one another. They supported one another when the other was feeling down or upset. They care about each other's well being. In the end, one of them makes an ultimate sacrifice for the other. It was really beautiful.
While the trope of teens that get or have powers is not original or new, that did not really detract from the enjoyment of reading this. The story itself was told very well and I think that is what makes it stand out from others in this trope. The storytelling is very emotional and the reader really latches on to it.
Overall, I thoroughly recommend this book! It will captivate you from the first page. This book has a bit of everything that makes a great story. It has conflict, humor, romance, action, and thought-provoking stakes for the characters' fates. If you are a dystopian fan then I can only imagine that you will love this book. I can't wait to begin the second book of this series!
THIS BOOK CONTRIBUTED TO THESE 2018 READING CHALLENGES
- Beat the Backlist Challenge
- Audiobook Challenge
- Audiobook Challenge
Check out my 2018 Challenge Page to see my progress!
Do you enjoy dystopian stories? If so, what are some of your favorites?
My name is Vanessa a.k.a. Queen Alchemy. I am a 30-something-year-old mother of four nerdy, fantastic children. We live in the Midwest. I have a reading addiction, and I hope that I never recover! I'm the hugest nerd you can find with interests not limited to the following: comics (Batman and Captain America for the win!), science, computers, zombies, unicorns, Harry Potter, cartoons from the 80's & 90's, Frankenstein, history, crafting, cooking & baking, Star Wars, digital scrapbooking, D&D, Minecraft, Hello Kitty, horror, metalcore, royalty, tattoos & piercings, bright colors, and so much more!
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