The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1) by Alexandra Bracken

 

Summary:

 

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who 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 a life worth living.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 488 Pages (Hardcover)

Source: Toronto Public Libary

Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audio

Publication Date: December 18th 2012 by Disney Hyperion

 

Februrary turned out to be a really good reading month for me when it came to reading. I read quite a few amazing books last month and The Darkest Minds was on of them. In fact out of the whole month this was my absolute favourite read.

 

I had had this one on my TBR list since March of 2012 so it was great to finally get my hands on a copy and start reading. I thought that Alexandra Bracken's sophomore young adult novel was an awesome showcase of her talent.

 

I expected this to be the usual dystopian read where the girl has strange powers blah, blah, blah. But I was completely taken by surprise. Instead of the whiney, angsty novel I was expecting I was taken on a fast paced adventure ride.

 

I absolutely loved the story of Ruby. As a character she is near the top of my favourite young adult heroines. She's smart, funny, awkward, and willing to do anything she can to keep her new friends including her love interest Liam safe even if it means making the reader (me) scream at her in frustration at the end of the book. If you've read the book you'll know what I'm referring to. Anyways, back to Ruby. I loved the fact that she struggled with her ability throughout the entirety of the novel. She didn't go from being awkward to a super confident stuck up girl like many characters do after they experience life changing moments which I really appreciated because no one likes a perfect character.

 

The other characters were great too. Even the bad guys. I really liked getting to know Zu, and Chubs. They were both interesting characters though Chubs always seemed to make me laugh at his snarky remarks. Liam though takes the cake when it comes to side characters and love interests though. He's the good guy which I love seeing in young adult noels because I find that the "bad boy" love interest thing is way too over done. I loved how protective he was of Ruby and anyone else who needed his help.

 

The story line was interesting. I liked that it centered around a disease that killed off the majority of Children but left those that remained with certain abilities. Plus the whole segregation of the kids with these abilities from the general public was interesting. 

 

The writing of The Darkest Minds was quite spectacular. It was fast paced and had many plot twists that I loved. The fact that it wasn't a straight forward love story but more of a thriller was great. I loved how the author was able to create such real characters that were perfect in the fact that they were flawed like everyone else. I also liked that this was a bit of a darker, more grown up YA novel because the author wasn't afraid of dropping the F-bomb and other expletives every once in a while. The dialogue between her characters was very well done as well it flowed easily and wasn't robotic or forced.

 

What I loved the most was that the story of The Darkest Minds was able to draw me in for hours at a time and left me saddened at the end of the first book wishing there was a sequel readily available for me to read immediately. I'm completely and utterly enthralled with Ruby's story and I really can't wait to see what happens in the sequel when it's released. For me this is probably one of the best YA books I've ever read and I'm so glad I read it when I did.

 

I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves YA novels. There's a bit of romance, a lot of betrayal, violence and will keep you wanting to read into the wee hours of the night. Alexandra Bracken gives a likable female heroine that readers can invest in and one who they'll cheer for.

 

Loved it!
★★★★★

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