The Darkest Minds

if 2012 was a book.. this would be it.
Ya 2012 was a great time but also very sinister and no, I cant explain.

this was a re-read bc I DNFed the second book a million years ago and the series has been on my shelf for years, judging me for not finishing it. I forgot everything that happened so I had to start from the start again. Turns out that I remember every detail in the book (the characters looked , how the inside of the car looked) everything was the same as the first time that I read it but the only thing I couldn't remember well was the story.

anyways it was entertaining and ive bumped it from a 2 star to a 3 star (well a 2.75 but we round up things around here)

would recommend to anyone who misses the old Ya dystopian days

Make no mistake, Alexandra Bracken is willing to go there. And when she does, she does it well.

The Darkest Minds is seriously impressive stuff, especially for a young writer, especially for a young adult dystopia in a sea of young adult dystopias. The interesting thing is, it uses many of the same tropes – an oppressive regime, a nation in shambles, a young girl with an ability that isolates her from others, and a growing rebellion that the protagonist is inevitably pulled into. The difference is that Bracken handles these elements in a way that makes them fresh and edgy.

An epidemic strikes down the majority of the preadolescent population, and those left behind begin to exhibit psychic abilities. A whole generation lost reconstructs the nation – the economy tanks, radio stations won't even play songs that so much as reference youth, and a young face is the equivalent of a criminal one. I wouldn't call this world building exactly, because there isn't that much that is different from our own world (aside from, you know, the apocalypse), it's more like an effective atmosphere. There is near constant anxiety and the feel of oppression, but at the same time there's the possibility of the open road. Within a few characters, Bracken captures what is so fascinating about this kind of setting. Freedom, but also isolation. Even among her own kind, Ruby is alone – she is one of the few left with her ability, and she fears it just as much as others do.

I was disappointed that this book is still very male-centric. A part of me feels like stories of oppression are principally women's stories, and for a while, when Ruby is still in the girls only bunk of Thurmond, there is a feeling of camaraderie. After Ruby escapes Thurmond, and the people that broke her out, she falls in with a merry band of outlaws – two teenage boys, and a young girl who doesn't speak. I'd be mad about this except that Liam and Chubs are such fabulous characters. I love characters like Chubs when they're done respectfully. He's practical and suspicious, the way one should be in this kind of setting, but never unsympathetic. And Liam, geez. Liam is a good man. There is no other way to put it. He is not the typical emotionally closed off love interest, all acid on the outside and brooding passion on the inside. Liam is open and honest and painfully naïve. I didn't quite feel the chemistry between him and Ruby (honestly, Bracken doesn't spend a lot of time trying to force it so I was thankful for that), but they're two people you just can't feel mad about getting together.

The role of creepy male figure goes to Clancy Gray, aka the Slip Kid, and again Bracken effectively uses a trope to her advantage. You can't blame Ruby for trusting Clancy. There's a draw to him that's both practical and emotional, and parts of him seem like a legit human being. And other parts tell you that he is bad news bears. Sadly, Ruby doesn't figure this out until it's too late, when he uses his abilities to sexually assault her. Like I said, Bracken goes there, but she never makes you pity Ruby or see her as a victim. She doesn't romanticize Gray either, making it clear that while his horrible experiences made him the way he is, he had the ability, more so than most people, to choose something greater for himself, and he didn't.

This has so much potential as a series. There's a lot going on here as a conversation about revolution, oppression, corruption and freedom. I'm hoping that Ruby's character gets stronger, because while I appreciated the choices she made throughout the story and her strength as a person, I'm not positive if I know who she is yet. I imagine part of that has to do with the fact that she spent the years between ages ten and sixteen in an internment camp, missing out on many formative experiences. I also wish there was more of a culture within places like Thurmond. People who had been there that long like Ruby, who didn't have more than a fifth grade education, would probably have developed their own language, society, stories. There were way too many moments where Ruby would say something that I don't think she would be capable of knowing or knowing how to say.

But this is still way ahead of the pack, way better than other stuff I've read in this genre, and I think have to go give Alexandra Bracken a hug now. Or maybe just message her on Tumblr.

Halfway through I'm finally throwing in the towel.

This book has some interesting plot ideas, but terrible execution. Things are introduced, then discarded. It's as if the author set up all these extra plot lines for sequels, but never focused on the original storyline.

I kept hoping the book would get better. In spurts it did, then it'd fall back into a boring predictable unfinished YA mess.

I thought it'd be a hidden gem. Instead, it's just another humdrum YA novel in an ocean of others.

Let me just say one thing: AHHHH SO GOOD.

I was going into this book pumped because I have heard so many good things about it BUT I didn't even really know what it was about. I just knew it was a dystopian novel which is fine. When we were first introduced to Ruby, she was 10 years old and shy. When she got drafted into one of the camps, I felt her pain and watched her shut herself out of everyone around her.

It wasn't until she left that you can tell how strong she actually is. The entire book was perfection and I was engrossed the entire time. I read 200 pages in a little over an hour the first time I cracked open this book. The reader will fall in love with Ruby, Chubs, Zu, and of course LIAM. Ahhh, the ending broke my heart for what Ruby had to do to keep him safe. I recommend this book to everyone. I picked up The Darkest Minds and Never Fade so that is my next read!

For most of this book it felt like it was very much ‘of its time'. It used very familiar tropes that appeared everywhere 10-15 years ago, such as twilight and divergent. However, the last quarter introduced some more complex characters and the plot took off to the point that I was intrigued enough to think about reading the sequel.

Blech. According to my Kindle, I'm 75% through....but I just don't think I can go any further. Writing is okay, but man, has the plot become boring. Not believable enough for me and the author seems to be trying to develop a love triangle. A dystopian YA book with a love triangle. Not cliche at all...

[b:The Darkest Minds 10576365 The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds, #1) Alexandra Bracken https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1343178841l/10576365.SY75.jpg 15483434]I have a very love hate relationship with this genre. I however found this one quick and enjoyable. It is something where I am glad I read it. I will also be watching the movie. My thoughts are as follows. The Darkest Minds is another dystopian novel, one of the many now found on YA shelves, but this novel is not just another dystopian but a creative story focusing on children with unique abilities and the cruelty and oppression they suffer. The plot is interesting and engaging, if not predictable at times. The unique story with supernatural abilities and youth trying to fight a Government that's not completely in control leads to a resistance and different groups fighting to control these children, government groups and splinter groups as well as the groups these youth form on their own.The characters are where this novel really shines, with a strong, but unsure female lead in Ruby, a young girl named Suzume who never speaks out loud, an intelligent and grumpy (but loving) boy nicknamed Chubs, and the love interest with a heart-of-gold and endearingly naïve named Liam. This group Ruby finds herself apart of is dynamic, interesting, and very sweet and watching them grow close and learn the darker histories each character hides is incredibly satisfying. I also love that instead of a “bad boy” love interest which has become a staple in a lot of young adult fiction, Liam is unfailingly empathetic and compassionate as well as optimistic in their bleak circumstances. He has his share of flaws to balance out his best traits. The romance is sweet but not rushed and a healthy and positive example of love, even if their life on the run doesn't allow it to be easy.The writing is good, but can be unclear at times, especially in action sequences when several things are supposed to be happening at once but comes out more convoluted. It also felt like random facts would show up in conversation, things I didn't remember them talking about, but suddenly everyone knew it anyway (this happened once or twice but still confused me). Some scenes are written with a certain point in mind but come of more ambiguous as to what the other meant. Despite these snags, the writing is still absorbing and the story and characters bring it together nicely

A mysterious disease is killing children. Ruby has watched as her class has gotten smaller and smaller. On her tenth birthday she feels weird. She's not quite sure what's different. Whatever it is makes her parents call the police and have her taken away. She is sent to camp Thurmond. It's a horrible place filled with other children. Apparently the children that survived the disease have developed some scary and dangerous abilities and the government wants them contained.

I've had this book on my radar since it came out. I just never got around to it. When I saw the movie trailer, I decided I should read it before I watch the movie. I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters. I'm excited to read the rest of the series and to see the movie.

4.4

I don't understand why people hated this book and never found it compelling. Here's my review, nonetheless:

I fell almost instantly in love with this book. From the very first page, I was sucked into this world that was so full of horror and tragedy and yet also so fascinating and interesting. The Darkest Minds hooked me with its well-developed world, heart racing action, and characters that made their way easily into my heart.

I loved that this book was so gritty. Ms. Bracken holds nothing back and really tries to give the reader the perspective of what poor Ruby's life is really like. The writing is beautiful and I honestly loved every page.

For our protagonist, I very much enjoyed Ruby to the fullest extent! She is so brave and actually very heart-broken. The things that the kids had to deal with in the camps were appalling and she actually comes out pretty unscathed for the most part. The fact that she could hold it together makes her an awesome character.

But what literally left me speechless was the end of this book. There were ~almost~ tears in my eyes. I'm such a sap, I had all kinds of feels going on! This book has the first chapter of the next book and I honestly could not bring myself to read it without having the finished copy right in front of me. I knew that once I started, I would not want to stop.

I'm actually looking forward to reading its sequels because I heard they're much better than this one. I highly recommend it to EVERYBODY. It doesn't matter what genre you like. This book has something for everything.

I don't know what to say about this story. I'm torn between giving it 3 stars or 4 stars. A lot of things just didn't work for me. One, being the slowness to the story. It bored me to death for the first half of the story, or the half before Ruby met up with Liam, Chubs, and Zu. If I didn't have the sequel already on my bookshelf, I probably wouldn't have finished it, but I'm kind of glad I did.

Although much didn't happen in much of the book, there was a part of me to want to see why everyone was raving about the ending. And, when I finally got to it, I'm not gonna lie, I was a little shocked. I didn't find it emotional or anything, but I was like :O for a while.

And I'm glad that there's a sequel too, because I want to know if Chubs is okay (he was my favorite character). Speaking of characters, Ruby annoyed the hell out of me. I was confused as to why she didn't use her powers in certain situations when she got to East River and certain things happened and I was all, “Ruby? Why you no use powers?!” She was just ugh, and I did not enjoy her one bit. Chubs all the way!

There's so much I need to know after that ending though. Ah!