The Darkest Minds

I can see already that this is going to be one of those reviews where I simply cannot do justice to the fabulosity of this book. Just a few chapters in, I found myself exclaiming "holy crap this is good!" and that didn't cease until the last page was turned. I am beyond excited for the upcoming release date and cannot wait to get a copy for my classroom. The Darkest Minds transcends issues of gender and genre preferences in the same way that The Hunger Games did. It is exciting, fast-paced and full of genuine emotion.

The world of this novel is horrible, but all too possible. Terrifying parallels can be drawn between the rehabilitation centers and concentration camps during WWII. It seems that danger lurks around every turn and almost no one can be trusted. The world building is intense and details are slowly unraveled as we move forward in the plot.

The characters are wonderfully well written and developed so that the reader comes to love them, but also recognizes that they are flawed in a very realistic way. Their relationships are so genuine and the romantic angle is weaved into the plot so that it supports the action, rather than stealing center stage. The villains (about whom I cannot give many details without spoiling the storyline) are equally well written and aided the plot in becoming one of the more exciting and horrifying ones that I have read this year.

I do not even know what else I can say. I am still reeling from the ending and wishing I was able to spend more time with these characters. Books like The Darkest Minds, are the reason I continue to love YA and why I get excited about bringing titles like these to the attention of my students. Alexandra Bracken, the YA world awaits news of the next release with baited breath - please hurry!

From the first page, I was riveted by this story and this world. The concept of a disease that either kills or gives superpowers -- and that death may be preferable -- was amazing. It's never explained why it only affects the children (and apparently, only American children), and it doesn't really matter. Ruby doesn't know, so we don't need to know.

Then Ruby is sent to a "rehabilitation camp," which reeks of all the ugliest parts of human history. Ruby spends her adolescence in constant fear and misery. She has a power she doesn't understand and doesn't want, one which has stolen all the most important parts of her life. She's learned to hide it, more through instinct than through knowledge, but eventually, it comes out. And Ruby escapes, but her problems are far from over. It seems everyone she encounters either wants to use her or kill her, until she chances upon a group of renegade kids who are also on the run.

The kids she encounters -- Chubs, Liam, and Zu -- are all amazing characters. They're different and well-developed, and I loved the different ways they approach their relationship with Ruby. Zu, in particular, impressed me, because Alex Bracken managed to make her this amazingly sympathetic and beautiful character, without a word of dialogue. Then there's Chubs, who's suspicious and harsh, because of his fierce loyalty to his friends. And Liam, who is trusting and gentle and wants nothing more than for his friends to be safe. My heart broke for Liam again and again, because while he was trying so hard to lead their little ragtag group, there were moments where I remembered, he's just a kid. He's not cut out for this, but he's trying his best.

Ruby herself is both strong and fragile, broken but determined. She wants to believe the best of others but the worst of herself, and sometimes makes poor decisions because of this. I like that she was a very flawed and damaged character, and that one of her main struggles wasn't external, but internal. Watching Ruby learn to -- maybe not embrace, but accept her powers was wonderful. I did have one small complaint with Ruby, and that is for a kid who went to the camps at ten and lost all contact with the outside world, she seems to know quite a bit about pop culture and classic rock. I mean, she can recognize the synthesizers and vocalist of Pink Floyd, even though she doesn't know the song? Maybe I'm out of touch with the ten-year-olds of today, but that seemed like a bit of a stretch for me. However, that's a tiny complaint. Just something that took me out of the story now and then.

As for the pacing, this book is kind of a slow burn. There's a lot of tension, but not a lot of action for long stretches of time. I personally was a big fan of this, as I thought it added to the story's atmosphere, but if you're looking for a book brimming with action and adventure and superpower battles, this isn't it. Those things are certainly present, but they're not the main drive or focus of the story. But I was never bored. The dialogue is fabulous, and as I said before, the characters are wonderful.

I don't want to say much more about it, because there are some fabulous plot developments that, while I saw some of them coming, were just so perfect for the story and Ruby's growth as a character. And the ending is heartbreaking, but perfect, and left me itching for the sequel.

Overall, I thought this was an excellent book with strong characters, a fascinating and terrifying world, and a tense plot that kept me rapidly turning pages until the end. If you haven't checked it out yet, you should.

This one is going to be huge.

I lose my mind for anything that includes a training montage or teenagers discovering their special powers. It’s the reason I have seen The Craft, The Karate Kid, and the X-Men movies a ridiculous number of times. It’s also the reason I was in heaven reading The Darkest Minds.

A virus has wiped out almost an entire generation of kids, but those who survived have exceptional abilities which frighten the adults around them. Herded into “rehabilitation camps”, they are labeled by color. Reds are able to create fire, Oranges can control minds, Yellows can manipulate electricity, Greens are brilliant, and Blues are telekinetic. Before you join me in spending hours debating which ability you’d prefer, know that life is not rosy for the kids. If they manage to escape the camps, like our heroine Ruby, they may spend the rest of their lives being hunted by a variety of different agencies, all for nefarious purposes.

This is a premise I love, but even better are the characters. Ruby is well-developed and likable. She is haunted by so much–her powers, her past, and her fears for the future. Author Alexandra Bracken realistically describes the way she pushes through everything that scares her and becomes a brave protector of her friends. And what friends she has! It would be unfair to reduce them to Liam, the leader, Chubs, the brain, and Zu, the silent child. They are characters that the readers want to prevail, even when it seems like the entire world is against them.

The Darkest Minds is the first in a series, but the novel ends in a way that it could be a standalone title, albeit a sad one. The film rights have already been purchased, and I will be the first in line for the movie or the sequel, whichever comes first.

I sat here for the longest time trying to wrap my head around the amazing book that The Darkest Minds was. I was blown away by the sheer brilliance the pages contained and really cannot gather the words to express the love I feel for this book. It was everything I was hoping for, but it was also more. This book was so drastically different from Alexandra Bracken's debut, Brightly Woven, but it still held the same exceptional strength and has become an instant favorite.

The Darkest Minds is intense from the start. I was sucked into the story starting on page one, entranced by the story and I barely stopped reading until I turned the last page. It was dark, thrilling, and a bit scary at parts. I never knew exactly who I could trust and I loved trying to call the shots, even though I was wrong most of the time.

Alexandra Bracken has written a story that is so intricately woven and so beautifully written. It takes an exceptional book for me to want to put down a book to flag a quote, and there was something on every page that had me marveling at the lyrical nature of her prose.

I love Alexandra Bracken's characters. They are all so dynamic and diverse. Even in this hard time for the characters, there is such a focus on great friendships. I loved Ruby - she was such a fabulous main character. She had unwavering strength and a good hearted nature. Liam, oh Liam. I cannot wait to see more of him in the sequel, as he was another character who was just so good and what a hottie too!

The plot builds until the very last moment. The ending was brutal, but even though I didn't see it coming, it was such a Ruby move, so I could accept it. I cannot even imagine where Alexandra Bracken will take readers next, but wherever that is, sign me up.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken was one of those few books I could find no criticism for. It was just stunning and was everything I was looking for in another Alexandra Bracken read. The wait since Brightly Woven has been a long one indeed, but The Darkest Minds is the book that made that wait worth it. Another masterpiece from Alexandra Bracken and a book I will be sure to reread over and over again.