Review: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Series: The Darkest Minds #1
Published by: Disney Hyperion on December 18th, 2012
Genre: Dystopia, Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 488
Source: Bought- Hardcover
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My Rating:

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.

You guys… If you have not read this book yet, drop what your reading and read this now. Even if your not a huge fan of dystopian books, I would HIGHLY recommend giving this book a try! This book is absolutely amazing! I was completely invested the entire time and the last 200 pages my heart was racing like crazy!! I even shed a few… Okay A LOT of tears. Books that get a 5/5 rating from me have that effect on me. If I cry or get teary eyed, chances are I’m going to give it a 5/5 stars, which in this case, it did.

The writing, the plot, the characters were just PHENOMENAL! I was completely blown away from this book. Of the dystopian books I’ve read, this has got to be the best of them. Bracken’s world she created had you invested after the first chapter. I usually don’t get attached to a storyline or characters that fast in a book. It usually takes me 50 pages to even get an idea about if I like it or not. If your having trouble reading this because of the storyline and how confusing it is in the beginning, I promise it gets better! I was confused at first with all these different colors and what they meant and how they categorized everyone.

There was just so much action and drama that I still can’t handle it. I’m still depressed from reading it and I probably will be for the next couple days.

Our main character, Ruby is such a strong, smart, tough, intelligent character. She knows how to put up a “wall” from other people and doesn’t let other people know how she is really feeling. At times, this did hurt her, but in the long run it helped her A LOT. I was completely blown away from the ending. I can not process what just happened. I’m still in shock after what just happened. I wish I could just gush about what just happened, but I really don’t want to spoil you guys!

Our other characters; Zu (who is such a sweetheart), Chubbs (who is probably my favorite), and we can’t forget about Mr. Liam! Liam is definitely a guy that I fell in love with. He’s an absolute sweetheart and you can’t help but fall for him. Zu is such a great character that Bracken built.. Even though Zu does not speak a single word throughout the book, you can understand what she’s thinking and can’t help but love the character. I had a hard time with Chubbs in the beginning. He was rude to Ruby in the beginning which threw me off. As the story progressed, I fell for him also, but not like the love I have for Liam; Chubbs would make a great best friend.

I can’t say that I’ve ever loved a cast this much before. I loved these 4 characters so very much and Bracken did an AMAZING job creating these characters! I now have to wait about 2 weeks to get my hands on Never Fade which is the sequel to this book. For those that have read this know exactly what I’m talking about.

Favorite Quotes:

“When a loved one dies, they don’t get to wake up,” she had said. “There are no comebacks or do-overs. You may wish they could come back, but it’s important that you understand they can’t, and they won’t.” (p. 292)

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“The darkest minds tend to hide behind the most unlikely faces.” (p. 456)

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“Did you know…you make me so happy that sometimes I actually forget to breath? I’ll be looking at you, and my chest will get so tight…and it’s like, the only thought in my head is how much I want to reach over and kiss you.”