Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
Disney-Hyperion (2013), Edition: Reprint, 488 pages
Description
"Sixteen-year-old Ruby breaks out of a government-run 'rehabilitation camp' for teens who acquired dangerous powers after surviving a virus that wiped out most American children"--
User reviews
LibraryThing member BookAddictDiary
This book is amazing. Just absolutely freaking amazing. When I first glanced at it I was a little unsure about the length (this is a fairly large tome), but it didn't matter. I read every single page of this book -I was completely and totally engrossed in every page of this book. I could not put it
Darkest Minds take place in the near future in an America run by fear. Fear of a a disease that infects children. The lucky ones died, the others inherited strange powers they cannot control, so they were shipped off to government-run rehabilitation camps to keep them under control and experiment on them. Young Ruby has lived in a came since the age of 10, and now, at 16, she's grown into one of the dangerous ones. After she escapes, Ruby finds herself in a broken world, on the run from the government.
It's hard to get past the fact that this is, just flat out, an excellent book. It's incredibly well-written (in my opinion, a major improvement over Bracken's first novel, Brightly Woven) and the world-building is top-notch. I especially like how Bracken demonstrated how the world logically grew into what it was in the book and how the government used fear to expand their control. Bracken even threw in a few pieces of commentary about the financial crisis and other issues facing our world today. I thought it was genius.
All of the elements in this novel are seamlessly woven together. The characters are compelling, the plot is addictive and the world is just incredible. I loved this book -in fact, I can't remember the last time I devoured something this fast (and that was this perfect on so many levels). Do yourself a favor and read Darkest Minds -just incredible!
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down. Darkest Minds hits every element that I love about the YA dystopian genre perfectly. Most importantly, Darkest Minds took the genre to another level, giving it more depth and bringing it closer to the classic dystopian feel of Orwell's 1984 (unlike some modern genre books). If you only read one YA novel this year, make it Darkest Minds.Darkest Minds take place in the near future in an America run by fear. Fear of a a disease that infects children. The lucky ones died, the others inherited strange powers they cannot control, so they were shipped off to government-run rehabilitation camps to keep them under control and experiment on them. Young Ruby has lived in a came since the age of 10, and now, at 16, she's grown into one of the dangerous ones. After she escapes, Ruby finds herself in a broken world, on the run from the government.
It's hard to get past the fact that this is, just flat out, an excellent book. It's incredibly well-written (in my opinion, a major improvement over Bracken's first novel, Brightly Woven) and the world-building is top-notch. I especially like how Bracken demonstrated how the world logically grew into what it was in the book and how the government used fear to expand their control. Bracken even threw in a few pieces of commentary about the financial crisis and other issues facing our world today. I thought it was genius.
All of the elements in this novel are seamlessly woven together. The characters are compelling, the plot is addictive and the world is just incredible. I loved this book -in fact, I can't remember the last time I devoured something this fast (and that was this perfect on so many levels). Do yourself a favor and read Darkest Minds -just incredible!
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LibraryThing member kctlagman
I JUST
I CAN'T
IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THIS
I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WOULD BE THIS MANY TEARS
MY HEART IS SHATTERED
I JUST
I AM GOING TO BE STUCK IN THIS STATE OF NOTHINGNESS UNTIL BOOK TWO
(aka I'll write a proper review in a few days when I'm coherent enough and I could actually see the keyboard
I CAN'T
IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THIS
I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WOULD BE THIS MANY TEARS
MY HEART IS SHATTERED
I JUST
I AM GOING TO BE STUCK IN THIS STATE OF NOTHINGNESS UNTIL BOOK TWO
(aka I'll write a proper review in a few days when I'm coherent enough and I could actually see the keyboard
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without my tears) Show Less
LibraryThing member TheMadHatters
Loved this! Ruby and other teens are put in camps because most of the teens in America were struck with a disease and died and those who remain have various supernatural powers and the adults are afraid of them.
LibraryThing member BookZombies
LOVED this book! It really drew me in, and now the events keep running through my head.. Really want 'Never Fade'!
LibraryThing member toplofty_biped
I just typed in 'Black is the Color' and was quite annoyed when I couldn't find this book. Hahahahah.
UPDATE: Really fun read. Great characters; fun, depressing premise; a MC who drove me nuts sometimes with her blindness/bad decision-making, enough of an ending that I was satisfied (though kind of
Also, y'all, I'm terrible at book reviews. I am good at knowing if I like or love or hate something, but not so good at elucidating why. Just know that I absolutely recommend this book.
UPDATE: Really fun read. Great characters; fun, depressing premise; a MC who drove me nuts sometimes with her blindness/bad decision-making, enough of an ending that I was satisfied (though kind of
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furious [story-wise], and afraid of the ramifications), but with enough of a hook that I can't wait to read the next book. Too bad that's a hundred years away, considering TDM isn't even out yet. *cries*Also, y'all, I'm terrible at book reviews. I am good at knowing if I like or love or hate something, but not so good at elucidating why. Just know that I absolutely recommend this book.
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LibraryThing member Bookswithbite
I'm so glad that I finally had a chance to read this book. And yes, it was freaking awesome!
Waking up and finding out the life is not going to be the same is freaky. There is disease going around killing children and yet some children are not dying. Why??? Ruby has the answer to that question. And
The characters in the book make the story. Following along in Ruby shoes you feel her every emotion, fear, and plea. MY GOD, the plea's is what gets me. The "Please, I'm green." The lonely chant in her head that pleas for her to keep steady, to just hold on a little bit longer. Every time Ruby almost got caught, it had me on the edge of the seat! Every character, even minor ones, contribute to an awesome story that changes Ruby and the reader.
I have to admit that I had no idea what I was going to read when I picked up the book.
MIND BLOWN. I can't wait to read what happens in the sequel cause the ending left me heart-broken and stronger than ever to face what comes next.
The Darkest Mind open your eyes to a world that is lead by fear and power. It captivates the reader with amazing clarity and feel for a dark world. A story that can triumph any reader, The Darkest Mind is superb.
Waking up and finding out the life is not going to be the same is freaky. There is disease going around killing children and yet some children are not dying. Why??? Ruby has the answer to that question. And
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while I could spoil it for you, I rather have you, the reader, pick up this book and discover why. And if you do pick up this book, hang on tight. It's going to be one helluva ride!The characters in the book make the story. Following along in Ruby shoes you feel her every emotion, fear, and plea. MY GOD, the plea's is what gets me. The "Please, I'm green." The lonely chant in her head that pleas for her to keep steady, to just hold on a little bit longer. Every time Ruby almost got caught, it had me on the edge of the seat! Every character, even minor ones, contribute to an awesome story that changes Ruby and the reader.
I have to admit that I had no idea what I was going to read when I picked up the book.
MIND BLOWN. I can't wait to read what happens in the sequel cause the ending left me heart-broken and stronger than ever to face what comes next.
The Darkest Mind open your eyes to a world that is lead by fear and power. It captivates the reader with amazing clarity and feel for a dark world. A story that can triumph any reader, The Darkest Mind is superb.
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LibraryThing member DeweyEver
fast-paced dystopian science fiction with psychic powers: What's not to like? Can't wait for the sequel.
LibraryThing member poetrytoprose
Haunting. Bleak. Devastating. I think it’s safe to say that I’ve grown too used to a lot of the lighter “dystopian” books out there because I was unprepared for the heartbreak contained inside the pages of Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds. In this world, children either die from a
Just as her world was richly detailed, Alexandra Bracken’s characters were also layered and multidimensional. It would have been so easy to make Ruby such a miserable character to read about, but instead she grew throughout the course of the novel. She endured a lot, struggled with herself and what she could do (and did do), but she was also admirably resilient. Liam, Chubs, and Suzume are the three other core characters and it was so interesting to learn their backstories and abilities. I must say that the bond that Ruby forms with them was the highlight of The Darkest Minds for me. It was so organic, from the initial mistrust to the gradual acceptance, and I loved the heavy focus on their dynamic.
As I reached the conclusion for the book I was pretty much Darth Vader's "Nooooooo" in real life, no joke. HOW COULD YOU DO THIS, ALEXANDRA BRACKEN?! The sequel is now easily one of my most anticipated titles for the new year. The Darkest Minds will make you sad and break your heart, but it’s so perfectly paced and you will grow so attached to the Black Betty gang. This is definitely a book worth your time.
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mysterious disease, or they survive but evolve with unexplainable abilities. The unexplainable is always accompanied by fear and, in this case, the children are rounded up and locked up in “rehabilitation” camps. From the first page, Alexandra Bracken offered a tense — and often draining — reading experience but I must say it was a welcome departure from a lot of the fluffier dystopian fare I’ve read.Just as her world was richly detailed, Alexandra Bracken’s characters were also layered and multidimensional. It would have been so easy to make Ruby such a miserable character to read about, but instead she grew throughout the course of the novel. She endured a lot, struggled with herself and what she could do (and did do), but she was also admirably resilient. Liam, Chubs, and Suzume are the three other core characters and it was so interesting to learn their backstories and abilities. I must say that the bond that Ruby forms with them was the highlight of The Darkest Minds for me. It was so organic, from the initial mistrust to the gradual acceptance, and I loved the heavy focus on their dynamic.
As I reached the conclusion for the book I was pretty much Darth Vader's "Nooooooo" in real life, no joke. HOW COULD YOU DO THIS, ALEXANDRA BRACKEN?! The sequel is now easily one of my most anticipated titles for the new year. The Darkest Minds will make you sad and break your heart, but it’s so perfectly paced and you will grow so attached to the Black Betty gang. This is definitely a book worth your time.
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LibraryThing member anneconsolacion
I wasn't into this book as I thought I would be. It wasn't bad, it just failed to get my full attention. It took me 4 days to finish this and I usually finish a YA book in a day or two. It got better near the end and I must admit that I want to read the next book in the series. The sequel is not on
In the story, kids started dying and those who survived developed powers. The government took all those kids away and put them in hidden camps to rehabilitate them. No parents or relatives can visit or call them. That thing made me not like this book too much. Almost all parents just gave up their kids! I don't buy it.
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top of my to buy book list though.In the story, kids started dying and those who survived developed powers. The government took all those kids away and put them in hidden camps to rehabilitate them. No parents or relatives can visit or call them. That thing made me not like this book too much. Almost all parents just gave up their kids! I don't buy it.
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LibraryThing member DarkFaerieTales
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: The Darkest Minds is an amazing story, one that I will reread for many years to come.
Opening Sentence: When the White Noise went off, we were in the garden, pulling weeds.
The Review:
I love Science Fiction. It might be one of my favorite genres to
In a futuristic world, bordering on reality and apocalyptic, the adults of the world fear young children and teenagers. In The Darkest Minds, young children are manifesting powers of mental persuasion, memory manipulation, and even telekinesis. What started out as a fatal disease, suddenly became a prison sentence for survivors. Those that survived held unknown powers that adults were afraid of, powers categorized by different levels of power. For one teen in particular, Ruby, she is the voice of the story, telling her tale and the tales of others through her eyes. Together and individually, they survive, for reasons yet unknown. Some of the survivors use each other, while others just want to survive. It’s a bleak world out there, and the minds of these powerful teens really are dark.
In Bracken’s world, the children hold all of the power. Because of their young and untrained minds, they are held in prisons and camps, against their will. They fear the unknown, not even knowing their full potential. The children are grouped into colors, representative of their abilities and ranging from control over elements, objects, or human minds. The categories are Green, Blue, Yellow, power over electricity, Red, power over fire, and the dreaded Orange, mind control.
Ruby opens the story in an unforgettable way. White noise at a camp hinders the minds of a certain color, and while she has been categorized as a tame green, she quickly is targeted as someone who is dangerous. There are those on the inside who have sought out to help her, and Ruby quickly learns who to trust and who to stay away from. She is naive and innocent, regardless of the power she holds. Ruby has always lived an isolated life, and as a reader, I was quick to understand who she was. Ruby holds this heavy guilt throughout the story, one that I didn’t understand until the end. Bracken wrote her beautifully, and I quickly felt Ruby was one of my favorite heroines for this year.
The Darkest Minds has a beautiful and dark world, bordering on the lines of cruelty and somber tones. It’s hard to imagine young children in these camps and prisons, but Bracken brought us there. She wrote about the prejudices against the children, their powers, and even about the cruel ways they were treated. It all felt real and I couldn’t help but cry.
Bracken’s writing style is very distinct, filled with imagery and precision. Ruby’s voice was loud and pure, and very much easy to connect with. There were hints of teenage angst and maybe even young innocence, but it was all done tastefully so. Each moment in the story was revealed in a timely manner, each moment unveiled perfectly in relation to the scene. It helped the pacing of the story, and Bracken didn’t hold back when she felt she didn’t need to. Emotions were felt, never allowing the reader to lose that distinct connection to the characters and the story.
The Darkest Minds is an amazing story, one that I will reread for many years to come. I highly suggest that you pick it up this week, and dive in to Bracken’s dark mind.
Notable Scene:
A way out.
I glanced back out the window on last time, making sure Cate and Rob still had their backs to me, before bolting past the display of beef jerky and heading straight for that door.
It’s just a raccoon, I thought, or rats. Not for the first time in my short life, rats were a preferable option to humans.
But the crinkling came again, louder, and when I pushed the door open, I wasn’t staring at a group of rats ravaging a bag of snack food.
It was another kid.
FTC Advisory: Disney Hyperion provided me with a copy of The Darkest Minds. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: The Darkest Minds is an amazing story, one that I will reread for many years to come.
Opening Sentence: When the White Noise went off, we were in the garden, pulling weeds.
The Review:
I love Science Fiction. It might be one of my favorite genres to
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read about. Not only for the out-of-this world elements, but also for the possibilities of an alternate future or even a dystopian one. I first heard about Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds, was from an author signing. From what the author had said of Bracken’s book, it was something that everyone should read, and that The Darkest Minds will be a book that I will never forget. And you know what? That author was correct.In a futuristic world, bordering on reality and apocalyptic, the adults of the world fear young children and teenagers. In The Darkest Minds, young children are manifesting powers of mental persuasion, memory manipulation, and even telekinesis. What started out as a fatal disease, suddenly became a prison sentence for survivors. Those that survived held unknown powers that adults were afraid of, powers categorized by different levels of power. For one teen in particular, Ruby, she is the voice of the story, telling her tale and the tales of others through her eyes. Together and individually, they survive, for reasons yet unknown. Some of the survivors use each other, while others just want to survive. It’s a bleak world out there, and the minds of these powerful teens really are dark.
In Bracken’s world, the children hold all of the power. Because of their young and untrained minds, they are held in prisons and camps, against their will. They fear the unknown, not even knowing their full potential. The children are grouped into colors, representative of their abilities and ranging from control over elements, objects, or human minds. The categories are Green, Blue, Yellow, power over electricity, Red, power over fire, and the dreaded Orange, mind control.
Ruby opens the story in an unforgettable way. White noise at a camp hinders the minds of a certain color, and while she has been categorized as a tame green, she quickly is targeted as someone who is dangerous. There are those on the inside who have sought out to help her, and Ruby quickly learns who to trust and who to stay away from. She is naive and innocent, regardless of the power she holds. Ruby has always lived an isolated life, and as a reader, I was quick to understand who she was. Ruby holds this heavy guilt throughout the story, one that I didn’t understand until the end. Bracken wrote her beautifully, and I quickly felt Ruby was one of my favorite heroines for this year.
The Darkest Minds has a beautiful and dark world, bordering on the lines of cruelty and somber tones. It’s hard to imagine young children in these camps and prisons, but Bracken brought us there. She wrote about the prejudices against the children, their powers, and even about the cruel ways they were treated. It all felt real and I couldn’t help but cry.
Bracken’s writing style is very distinct, filled with imagery and precision. Ruby’s voice was loud and pure, and very much easy to connect with. There were hints of teenage angst and maybe even young innocence, but it was all done tastefully so. Each moment in the story was revealed in a timely manner, each moment unveiled perfectly in relation to the scene. It helped the pacing of the story, and Bracken didn’t hold back when she felt she didn’t need to. Emotions were felt, never allowing the reader to lose that distinct connection to the characters and the story.
The Darkest Minds is an amazing story, one that I will reread for many years to come. I highly suggest that you pick it up this week, and dive in to Bracken’s dark mind.
Notable Scene:
A way out.
I glanced back out the window on last time, making sure Cate and Rob still had their backs to me, before bolting past the display of beef jerky and heading straight for that door.
It’s just a raccoon, I thought, or rats. Not for the first time in my short life, rats were a preferable option to humans.
But the crinkling came again, louder, and when I pushed the door open, I wasn’t staring at a group of rats ravaging a bag of snack food.
It was another kid.
FTC Advisory: Disney Hyperion provided me with a copy of The Darkest Minds. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ahandfulofconfetti
First off, let me get this out of the way: Do NOT go into this book thinking it's a standalone! It is the first in a trilogy, and the ending of this book is enough to make you keel over in pain. I'm not sorry I read it, but it's going to be a very long wait for book number two, which is scheduled
As someone who works with kids every single day, this book physically hurt me in a way that nothing I've read (except for [book:The Book Thief|19063]) ever has. The world-building in this story is truly phenomenal, and so gut-wrenchingly real that it's one of the main things I'm still thinking about days after reading the final words. Imagine, if you will, that almost all of the kids between the ages of 8 and 14 have been affected by a disease which has no cure: you either die from it, or you develop abilities which are so strange and terrifying that it forces the government to lock you away in "rehabilitation" camps to keep everyone else safe from these new things you can now do. At the camps, you're color-coded depending on what ability you have. These abilities range from something completely unthreatening (you can now break codes and have a photographic memory) to the horrifying (mind control over others, or the ability to light things on fire with a simple touch). The camps have the distinct feel of a concentration camp, and Bracken didn't exactly mince words when she described what Ruby and the other kids are forced to endure. Even when Ruby escapes, she spends almost every single moment in fear of being caught and sent back to the camp, and that fear is ever-present and almost tangible in not only her, but the other kids she meets. This is not a fairy dust and rainbows kind of world in any form or fashion, not only for these kids, but for everyone else in the US as well.
Ruby is a very compelling main character, one who hates herself for something that's completely and utterly beyond her control, and who is forced to make decisions that no sixteen-year-old should have to make. She cries a lot, and she makes bad choices, and she continually has this sense of hatred about herself that causes her to believe she doesn't deserve anything, least of all Liam. But by the end of the book, Ruby has really sort of found herself, and while I don't agree with her decisions all of the time, I can't deny that she's a much stronger character than she was at the start; Ruby does a lot of growing up, and it's all there in the pages for us to read and root her on.
But it's not just the world - or Ruby - that sticks with you. It's Liam, who is probably the first honest-to-goodness NICE guy I've seen in YA literature in a long time, one who has flaws, carries around an enormous amount of guilt, and who loves Ruby so much that it makes your heart hurt a bit. It's Su, who you can't help but root for, because she's having some of the same issues as Ruby but in some ways had it even worse. And there's Chubs, who takes a while for you to warm up to but turns out to be someone that you can't help but love all the more for it. And it's the ending, which takes your heart and crushes it to little tiny pieces, and makes you wonder how things can possibly turn out right and give everyone what they so very much deserve.
The Darkest Minds is an absolutely gripping read that's impossible to put down. It grabs hold of you and wrenches you around, making you root for the characters you can't help but love and wish the bad guys would get their comeuppance. There are twists and turns to the story, to the point where you're constantly guessing about what will happen next, and it's all set in a world that is truly terrifying. If you're looking for a well-developed dystopian world, with wonderfully-developed characters and a "can't stop reading" feeling, look no further than this book. The Darkest Minds will be released on December 18, 2012 in North America.
An e-galley was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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for release in late 2013. Not only that, but this book will leave you with plenty to think about in the meantime; it's definitely one that reaches out and grabs hold of you and doesn't let go even once you've finished.As someone who works with kids every single day, this book physically hurt me in a way that nothing I've read (except for [book:The Book Thief|19063]) ever has. The world-building in this story is truly phenomenal, and so gut-wrenchingly real that it's one of the main things I'm still thinking about days after reading the final words. Imagine, if you will, that almost all of the kids between the ages of 8 and 14 have been affected by a disease which has no cure: you either die from it, or you develop abilities which are so strange and terrifying that it forces the government to lock you away in "rehabilitation" camps to keep everyone else safe from these new things you can now do. At the camps, you're color-coded depending on what ability you have. These abilities range from something completely unthreatening (you can now break codes and have a photographic memory) to the horrifying (mind control over others, or the ability to light things on fire with a simple touch). The camps have the distinct feel of a concentration camp, and Bracken didn't exactly mince words when she described what Ruby and the other kids are forced to endure. Even when Ruby escapes, she spends almost every single moment in fear of being caught and sent back to the camp, and that fear is ever-present and almost tangible in not only her, but the other kids she meets. This is not a fairy dust and rainbows kind of world in any form or fashion, not only for these kids, but for everyone else in the US as well.
Ruby is a very compelling main character, one who hates herself for something that's completely and utterly beyond her control, and who is forced to make decisions that no sixteen-year-old should have to make. She cries a lot, and she makes bad choices, and she continually has this sense of hatred about herself that causes her to believe she doesn't deserve anything, least of all Liam. But by the end of the book, Ruby has really sort of found herself, and while I don't agree with her decisions all of the time, I can't deny that she's a much stronger character than she was at the start; Ruby does a lot of growing up, and it's all there in the pages for us to read and root her on.
But it's not just the world - or Ruby - that sticks with you. It's Liam, who is probably the first honest-to-goodness NICE guy I've seen in YA literature in a long time, one who has flaws, carries around an enormous amount of guilt, and who loves Ruby so much that it makes your heart hurt a bit. It's Su, who you can't help but root for, because she's having some of the same issues as Ruby but in some ways had it even worse. And there's Chubs, who takes a while for you to warm up to but turns out to be someone that you can't help but love all the more for it. And it's the ending, which takes your heart and crushes it to little tiny pieces, and makes you wonder how things can possibly turn out right and give everyone what they so very much deserve.
The Darkest Minds is an absolutely gripping read that's impossible to put down. It grabs hold of you and wrenches you around, making you root for the characters you can't help but love and wish the bad guys would get their comeuppance. There are twists and turns to the story, to the point where you're constantly guessing about what will happen next, and it's all set in a world that is truly terrifying. If you're looking for a well-developed dystopian world, with wonderfully-developed characters and a "can't stop reading" feeling, look no further than this book. The Darkest Minds will be released on December 18, 2012 in North America.
An e-galley was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member brandileigh2003
Let the fangirling commence. Oh my goodness, what a story. I loved it from the first word to the last emotional scene. Alexandra has created a story with a unique plot, amazing characters, and she is one heck of a writer. I couldn't believe the emotional roller coaster that she took me on and this
I loved the premise from the moment that I read it, and Alexandra really pulls it off well. She breathed her own breath of fresh air into the genre and wrote some awesome ideas and scary elements to the chilling world she has created in The Darkest Minds. The plot was woven together wonderfully. Alexandra told us what we needed to know at the moment and then filled in the details later by showing them and acting them out. While I admit I was a bit confused with some of the lingo and exactly what happened (I thought I missed something), I later saw how she put it all together.
Ruby is an amazing main character. I loved how much she grew and changed in this story, and I really admire the person she turned into at the end even more so than the one that I connected with at the beginning. I love her fighter spirit and how much she cares for and would do anything for the people that she loves.
There is also a great cast of secondary characters. Liam, so crushworthy and such a born leader. Speaking of, I admired how the romance in here was subtle, ie no insta love. I appreciated how they got to know each other, and even though there was physical attraction, there was also an emotional connection. On to the others though. Chubs, ever loyal to those he cares about, and full of surprises. Zu, the precious and strong younger character that you want to shield and hope the best for. And then there were the characters like Clancy that I never knew what exactly to make of. There are also some awesomely written antagonists, that make me want to scream at them and wonder at their methods and how they sleep at night.
All that said, I must warn that this is a dark book for mature teens. There's some (not on every page or anything though) cursing that I found slightly offensive, but given what was going on, I could overlook. There is also some fairly descriptive talk about injuries/blood. (All of this is in arc the advanced reader copy)
Back to what I loved-- I so can't wait to get the next book in this series, and find out more about what happens to Ruby and what comes of the incredibly brave but heart wrenching choices that she made.
Bottom line: Absolutely loved and recommend. Wonderful start to a new trilogy.
Awesome quote:
She didn't know there were two of me now; split between everything I had wanted and everything I would now have to be. One of me... would stay... (The other) thin as a wisp of air and had struggled so long just to be.
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masterpiece that she wrote with the OMG moments, did she seriously just do that to this character that I love, she made me laugh, want to cry, want to rip people's hair out, and mostly just sit in awe of how beautifully she crafted The Darkest Minds.I loved the premise from the moment that I read it, and Alexandra really pulls it off well. She breathed her own breath of fresh air into the genre and wrote some awesome ideas and scary elements to the chilling world she has created in The Darkest Minds. The plot was woven together wonderfully. Alexandra told us what we needed to know at the moment and then filled in the details later by showing them and acting them out. While I admit I was a bit confused with some of the lingo and exactly what happened (I thought I missed something), I later saw how she put it all together.
Ruby is an amazing main character. I loved how much she grew and changed in this story, and I really admire the person she turned into at the end even more so than the one that I connected with at the beginning. I love her fighter spirit and how much she cares for and would do anything for the people that she loves.
There is also a great cast of secondary characters. Liam, so crushworthy and such a born leader. Speaking of, I admired how the romance in here was subtle, ie no insta love. I appreciated how they got to know each other, and even though there was physical attraction, there was also an emotional connection. On to the others though. Chubs, ever loyal to those he cares about, and full of surprises. Zu, the precious and strong younger character that you want to shield and hope the best for. And then there were the characters like Clancy that I never knew what exactly to make of. There are also some awesomely written antagonists, that make me want to scream at them and wonder at their methods and how they sleep at night.
All that said, I must warn that this is a dark book for mature teens. There's some (not on every page or anything though) cursing that I found slightly offensive, but given what was going on, I could overlook. There is also some fairly descriptive talk about injuries/blood. (All of this is in arc the advanced reader copy)
Back to what I loved-- I so can't wait to get the next book in this series, and find out more about what happens to Ruby and what comes of the incredibly brave but heart wrenching choices that she made.
Bottom line: Absolutely loved and recommend. Wonderful start to a new trilogy.
Awesome quote:
She didn't know there were two of me now; split between everything I had wanted and everything I would now have to be. One of me... would stay... (The other) thin as a wisp of air and had struggled so long just to be.
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LibraryThing member Erin.Briggs
"The darkest minds tend to hide behind the most unlikely faces."
I have to say that I loved The Darkest Minds. I somehow managed to find a first release copy used at Powell's City of Books in Portland and it was signed to boot. It to me was a dystopian/paranormal/romantic/adventure that I had a hard
The plot revolves around a crumbled modern-day America whose children have been nearly wiped out by disease. Those who do survive have threatening powers which reminded me of something you would have seen in X-Men. Instead of embracing these gifted children, they are thrown essentially into internment camps, never to see or hear from their parents again. Our story is focused on Ruby, a 16 year old girl who by luck and ability has managed to escape her camp in the dead of the night.
She's thrown into a ragtag group of escapees, Chubs, Liam and Zu (who totally reminds me of a non-verbal version of Rue from The Hunger Games). From that point on, it's non-stop adventure to find out who she can trust, what she's capable of and if the mysterious "Slip Kid" and his camp of kids can help to get her home.
What I found most enjoyable about this book is that you are learning about the world as Ruby does. She's been locked up with a gun at her back for the last six years with no information about what's going on outside her camp's gates. There aren't any major information dumps and what you do learn helps to weave a most intricate past.
The characters are believable and likable and Alexandra Bracken does a wonderful job of showing the right amount of emotion throughout the book without it feeling too childish like some YA books (cough Maze Runner) do. I felt nervous and on edge while the story was starting to unravel and I found myself routing (hard) for the core group of characters. It was an interesting take to allot a colored system to the different powers each child possessed, those which were deemed desirable (blue, green and yellow) and those which were dangerous and threatening (orange and red). This helped me to see the characters differently and understand them better. Though at one point in the novel we are supposed to be "color blind", I think each character is defined and shaped by their color/ability.
I loved The Darkest Minds and will recommend it to everyone when it comes out, I can't wait to see where this intriguing story from this fabulous author goes.
I have to say that I loved The Darkest Minds. I somehow managed to find a first release copy used at Powell's City of Books in Portland and it was signed to boot. It to me was a dystopian/paranormal/romantic/adventure that I had a hard
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time putting down. It does fall into that whole YA genre that seems to be sweeping the world, but I would rate it at the top of it's class. The plot revolves around a crumbled modern-day America whose children have been nearly wiped out by disease. Those who do survive have threatening powers which reminded me of something you would have seen in X-Men. Instead of embracing these gifted children, they are thrown essentially into internment camps, never to see or hear from their parents again. Our story is focused on Ruby, a 16 year old girl who by luck and ability has managed to escape her camp in the dead of the night.
She's thrown into a ragtag group of escapees, Chubs, Liam and Zu (who totally reminds me of a non-verbal version of Rue from The Hunger Games). From that point on, it's non-stop adventure to find out who she can trust, what she's capable of and if the mysterious "Slip Kid" and his camp of kids can help to get her home.
What I found most enjoyable about this book is that you are learning about the world as Ruby does. She's been locked up with a gun at her back for the last six years with no information about what's going on outside her camp's gates. There aren't any major information dumps and what you do learn helps to weave a most intricate past.
The characters are believable and likable and Alexandra Bracken does a wonderful job of showing the right amount of emotion throughout the book without it feeling too childish like some YA books (cough Maze Runner) do. I felt nervous and on edge while the story was starting to unravel and I found myself routing (hard) for the core group of characters. It was an interesting take to allot a colored system to the different powers each child possessed, those which were deemed desirable (blue, green and yellow) and those which were dangerous and threatening (orange and red). This helped me to see the characters differently and understand them better. Though at one point in the novel we are supposed to be "color blind", I think each character is defined and shaped by their color/ability.
I loved The Darkest Minds and will recommend it to everyone when it comes out, I can't wait to see where this intriguing story from this fabulous author goes.
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LibraryThing member marybeth1018
I absolutely loved this book! Once it grabbed your attention, which it does from the very beginning, you don't want to put it down. At least I didn't. Unfortunately there is this pesky thing called life and reality that kept forcing me to put it down and when I wasn't reading it, all I wanted to do
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was get back to it. I found myself reading the last chapter more slowly, just because I didn't want it to end. I haven't read Alexandra Braken's 1st novel, but it is DEFINITELY on my list of must reads now Show Less
LibraryThing member pither
IAAN (Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neurodegerneration) has struck the United States, killing almost every child. Those that are left have… abilities. Whether they control fire or minds, the children are bussed off to facilities akin to concentration camps, kept controlled and contained, supposedly
Ruby entered the camps at age 10, and much of the action takes place when she’s 15. After breaking out of the camp, you follow her as she struggles to control her powers and creates a new family for herself with other children who have escaped. The landscape is bleak, with the economy and resources at an all-time low and the borders closed (to keep Americans in rather than others out). The government is autocratic, trying to ban new births and the president a dictator. Amongst all this, our motley crew of four teens and pre-teens just want safety and a way back home.
The book is great, with fantastic action scenes and a great depth of character. You really feel for Ruby as she struggles, trying to gain control over of her powers and to let people close to her. The history of each character is teased out, giving you brief glimpses that create a nice, solid whole. The developing characters and their growing friendships with each other is perhaps my favourite part the book, that and the parallels it draws to Richard Adams’ Watership Down. It can drag a little at times (it’s not for the faint of heart at 488 pages), but the strong characters keep it going.
My only caveat is that it’s for older teens, not the pre-teen set. While the action is good, it can get violent at times. There are forced suicides, deaths, and beatings. Brains go flying, blood is spilled, people blown up, you get the idea. There are only a couple of graphic scenes, but enough that I’d hesitate giving this to someone not yet in middle school.
Overall, an excellent read, with strong characters, great plot, and gripping action. A definite recommendation for any fan of YA dystopia, urban sci-fi.
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for “rehabilitation.” Their abilities are defined by colour: Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red.Ruby entered the camps at age 10, and much of the action takes place when she’s 15. After breaking out of the camp, you follow her as she struggles to control her powers and creates a new family for herself with other children who have escaped. The landscape is bleak, with the economy and resources at an all-time low and the borders closed (to keep Americans in rather than others out). The government is autocratic, trying to ban new births and the president a dictator. Amongst all this, our motley crew of four teens and pre-teens just want safety and a way back home.
The book is great, with fantastic action scenes and a great depth of character. You really feel for Ruby as she struggles, trying to gain control over of her powers and to let people close to her. The history of each character is teased out, giving you brief glimpses that create a nice, solid whole. The developing characters and their growing friendships with each other is perhaps my favourite part the book, that and the parallels it draws to Richard Adams’ Watership Down. It can drag a little at times (it’s not for the faint of heart at 488 pages), but the strong characters keep it going.
My only caveat is that it’s for older teens, not the pre-teen set. While the action is good, it can get violent at times. There are forced suicides, deaths, and beatings. Brains go flying, blood is spilled, people blown up, you get the idea. There are only a couple of graphic scenes, but enough that I’d hesitate giving this to someone not yet in middle school.
Overall, an excellent read, with strong characters, great plot, and gripping action. A definite recommendation for any fan of YA dystopia, urban sci-fi.
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LibraryThing member TheMadHatters
In the not-too-distant future, millions of American children develop special abilities upon entering puberty--from telekinesis to mind manipulation--making them feared by adults for doing things that they cannot fully control. Because of this, all PSI children are forced into camps, where they are
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threatened and beaten and tested upon to keep them from rising against the new tyrannic government. Ruby, one of the last "Oranges," or teens with the ability of manipulating the minds of others, escapes from her camp and joins up with Liam, Chubs and Zu, other escapees who are trying to make their way to a place where they can be safe from the bounty hunters and government soldiers hunting them. I loved this novel because the concept of these extra abilities was so realized and fully formed that it didn't feel as far-fetched as it sounds. Bracken is a fantastic new voice to teen fiction and I can't wait for the sequel. Show Less
LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
Mixed feelings about this book. It definitely had a slow start, but the last half certainly picked up the pace, and the ending piqued my taste for more. Still, I had a lot of trouble getting though the first half and nearly considered ditching this book for another. It took me a while to even like
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the main character, Ruby, and a number of the other characters initially encountered in this book were downright creepy. Worth the read, but not certain I will continue this series. Show Less
LibraryThing member krau0098
I loved Bracken’s book Woven Brightly and was excited to read her version of a YA dystopian novel. This is a very well written book. It gets a bit long at points but it is very creative and very well written. The second book in the series, Never Fade, is scheduled for a November 2013
Children start dying around the age of 10 years old from a mysterious disease. Shortly after this starts happening, humanity learns not to fear the disease itself...but the children who survive it. The survivors have developed crazy mind powers of different types. For their own safety and rehabilitation the kids are moved into camps. As you can imagine nothing good happens in these camps.
The story follows Ruby, a young girl admitted to the camps at the age of 10 years old. We hear about her life in these camps and then what happens when she goes back out into a world stricken with poverty and almost no children. We also know that Ruby has a dark secret about why she was taken to the camps to begin with.
The book is excellently written, engaging, easy to read and very creative. I enjoyed the world and the kids in it a lot. The idea of kids developing mental powers they can’t control is incredibly interesting. The kids are all rated by color. For example Greens are super smart, Blues are telekinetic, and Yellows can control electricity. Ruby isn’t any of these...she is an Orange.
Ruby is a very caring and passive girl who's developed a very dangerous mind ability. She is an excellent character to read about. She comes across as a bit naive at times, but that is totally understandable given how she lived the majority of her young adult life in a camp. She is tough when she has to be, but a bit too trusting at times.
We never really get a good understanding of the why behind these diseases and the situation. Ruby is too busy trying to figure who to trust and who not to trust. We know that the United States is in poverty and bankrupt. We don’t really know why. I am hoping that part of future books in this series will be getting answers to these questions.
The plot gets more and more complex as the book progresses. There are different government factions, private gangs, and other groups...all of them want to use these kids with special powers for their own means. Despite all the complexity things never get too complicated to follow.
Overall this is a very well done young adult dystopian novel, I enjoyed it alot. It is very well written and the characterization is very well done. All of the characters are interesting and have a lot of depth to them. The world is interesting and mysterious and I can’t wait to read more about it. Definitely recommended to fans of YA dystopia. I will be picking up Never Fade when it comes out for sure.
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release.Children start dying around the age of 10 years old from a mysterious disease. Shortly after this starts happening, humanity learns not to fear the disease itself...but the children who survive it. The survivors have developed crazy mind powers of different types. For their own safety and rehabilitation the kids are moved into camps. As you can imagine nothing good happens in these camps.
The story follows Ruby, a young girl admitted to the camps at the age of 10 years old. We hear about her life in these camps and then what happens when she goes back out into a world stricken with poverty and almost no children. We also know that Ruby has a dark secret about why she was taken to the camps to begin with.
The book is excellently written, engaging, easy to read and very creative. I enjoyed the world and the kids in it a lot. The idea of kids developing mental powers they can’t control is incredibly interesting. The kids are all rated by color. For example Greens are super smart, Blues are telekinetic, and Yellows can control electricity. Ruby isn’t any of these...she is an Orange.
Ruby is a very caring and passive girl who's developed a very dangerous mind ability. She is an excellent character to read about. She comes across as a bit naive at times, but that is totally understandable given how she lived the majority of her young adult life in a camp. She is tough when she has to be, but a bit too trusting at times.
We never really get a good understanding of the why behind these diseases and the situation. Ruby is too busy trying to figure who to trust and who not to trust. We know that the United States is in poverty and bankrupt. We don’t really know why. I am hoping that part of future books in this series will be getting answers to these questions.
The plot gets more and more complex as the book progresses. There are different government factions, private gangs, and other groups...all of them want to use these kids with special powers for their own means. Despite all the complexity things never get too complicated to follow.
Overall this is a very well done young adult dystopian novel, I enjoyed it alot. It is very well written and the characterization is very well done. All of the characters are interesting and have a lot of depth to them. The world is interesting and mysterious and I can’t wait to read more about it. Definitely recommended to fans of YA dystopia. I will be picking up Never Fade when it comes out for sure.
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LibraryThing member pocketmermaid
Much of this book is made up of a directionless, mostly danger-free, boring, plodding, apocalyptic road trip. The characters meander around Virginia waiting for a plot to find them. The main character is a whiny, self-hating wimp who spends nearly all of her internal monologue whining about how
The plot should have been interesting - as it dealt with telekinetic children and the government's extermination of them - but it flailed. Very little powers were ever used. There were threats to the protagonist, yet there was no real antagonist. I never really knew what the characters wanted - likely because they didn't either. Also, the world-building contradicted itself many times. I'm supposed to believe the world is in shambles (but why? how? because the children were taken away? And that results in ... what, exactly?) Yet we still have hotels and restaurants that are operation and neighborhoods are intact. We are told there are abandoned cars everywhere (and again - why?), yet all roads were navigable (or, when one was closed, a simple detour was found - with road signs and everything!) Everyone under the age of 20 or so is either dead or in a camp, but these teenagers don't seem to fear being sighted and don't take much care to hide themselves. But it's okay, only the "bad guys" are looking for them - and they are always quickly defeated or avoided without much fuss.
The writing was clear enough, but suffered when the writer tried to either be funny or poetic. Neither works for this narrator, who is cold and dead inside from suffering six years of abuse. Anytime the writer injected a phrase to spruce up the writing, it felt jarringly out of place. Also, syntax errors were everywhere. I also have a suspicion that this writer is a Joss Whedon fan (either that, or I'm obsessed and am making more connections than I should) because there were little things that I felt were lifted directly from Whedon's creations (namely "Firefly" and "Buffy"). And this wasn't done in a hat-tip way, but in a "I hope no one notices I didn't come up with this myself!" way. Well, I see you and I know what you're (probably) doing.
Mechanics of writing aside, I never felt any sort of urgency to the story (and since this group has no fewer than three threatening entities after them, that's pretty bad) and I felt no connection to any of the characters - which is bad, I suppose, because I think I was supposed to care about the things that happened with each of the members of the group at the end, but I really, really, didn't. Those are the things that needed to happen to make for a compelling story. And it seems that the writer knew this, and made those things happen, but neglected to give any reason for me to care about it.
I hate giving books one star and poor reviews. But some books earn them, and in my opinion, this one did. I simply don't have time for crappy books like this. I will be passing on the rest of the series as well as taking my copy of this book to the library to place on the "free" shelf in hopes that it finds a more appreciative audience.
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much she hates herself and that everyone else should, too. And given the conditions she's been forced to live for the previous six years - a cruel internment camp where she suffered abuse every single day - her attitude is expected. But Ruby doesn't want your pity. So when she finds others who were in different camps and learns that the conditions at her own camp were much more horrible than any other place, she withdraws further and hides the truth about herself and her life - as if she were ashamed on behalf of her captors - all because she doesn't want pity. Girl, if you don't want pity - be upfront about the truth and don't accept pity. I wonder what the purpose of Ruby's attitude means - are we, the readers, supposed to think she is brave and strong? Because she comes across as a coward and a wimp. The plot should have been interesting - as it dealt with telekinetic children and the government's extermination of them - but it flailed. Very little powers were ever used. There were threats to the protagonist, yet there was no real antagonist. I never really knew what the characters wanted - likely because they didn't either. Also, the world-building contradicted itself many times. I'm supposed to believe the world is in shambles (but why? how? because the children were taken away? And that results in ... what, exactly?) Yet we still have hotels and restaurants that are operation and neighborhoods are intact. We are told there are abandoned cars everywhere (and again - why?), yet all roads were navigable (or, when one was closed, a simple detour was found - with road signs and everything!) Everyone under the age of 20 or so is either dead or in a camp, but these teenagers don't seem to fear being sighted and don't take much care to hide themselves. But it's okay, only the "bad guys" are looking for them - and they are always quickly defeated or avoided without much fuss.
The writing was clear enough, but suffered when the writer tried to either be funny or poetic. Neither works for this narrator, who is cold and dead inside from suffering six years of abuse. Anytime the writer injected a phrase to spruce up the writing, it felt jarringly out of place. Also, syntax errors were everywhere. I also have a suspicion that this writer is a Joss Whedon fan (either that, or I'm obsessed and am making more connections than I should) because there were little things that I felt were lifted directly from Whedon's creations (namely "Firefly" and "Buffy"). And this wasn't done in a hat-tip way, but in a "I hope no one notices I didn't come up with this myself!" way. Well, I see you and I know what you're (probably) doing.
Mechanics of writing aside, I never felt any sort of urgency to the story (and since this group has no fewer than three threatening entities after them, that's pretty bad) and I felt no connection to any of the characters - which is bad, I suppose, because I think I was supposed to care about the things that happened with each of the members of the group at the end, but I really, really, didn't. Those are the things that needed to happen to make for a compelling story. And it seems that the writer knew this, and made those things happen, but neglected to give any reason for me to care about it.
I hate giving books one star and poor reviews. But some books earn them, and in my opinion, this one did. I simply don't have time for crappy books like this. I will be passing on the rest of the series as well as taking my copy of this book to the library to place on the "free" shelf in hopes that it finds a more appreciative audience.
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LibraryThing member justablondemoment
Not a wowzer but not a dude either. Read a touch on the juvenile side but not so much that a high school reader wouldn't put it aside I don't think. A little confusing in parts and I felt at times more attention to detail would have helped. Overall though a good story and I connected with the
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characters. Looking forward to the next book. Show Less
LibraryThing member 68papyrus
When kids begin dying from Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration, IAAN for short the US is thrown into a tailspin. However, there are some who manage to survive the virus and the government eventually begins tracking these children down and placing them in rehabilitation camps because the
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survivors of the virus have developed frightening abilities that they can't control. The Darkest Minds details the story of Ruby, one of the survivors. Ruby is sent to a rehab facility after her tenth birthday when her parents no longer seem to recognize her and call the police to escort her from their home. This book draws you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat. There is plenty of action and the ending will have you anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. Fans of the Divergent series will enjoy this book Show Less
LibraryThing member LoftyIslanders
A virus was sweeping the country, killing the children. The ones that survived were left with special powers. The government rounded up the kids and placed them in concentration camp type facilities under the false pretense of "rehabilitating them". The children were divided into four color-coded
I really enjoyed The Darkest Minds. It was fast-paced and suspenseful.
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categories based on the strength of their abilities. green, blue, yellow, orange and red. Green being the weakest and Red the strongest. The government was hiding the fact that they were executing the oranges and reds. Ruby was an orange and could control peoples thoughts and erase their memories. She was "broken out" of the camp by a group that was recruiting the higher powered kids to suit their own purposes. She escapes them and joins a group of three other kids on the run. I really enjoyed The Darkest Minds. It was fast-paced and suspenseful.
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LibraryThing member Rebecca790
It is so good- and I just loved it! If I can get my thoughts together I will write a review. (a video review will be up in a few days)
LibraryThing member jacquiemak
The premise was promising but I just kept getting bored. I'm not sure if the pacing was too slow or if the story was really heading nowhere. But I tried to read this twice and failed twice.
LibraryThing member sgrame
98 % of the nations' adolescents die and the remaining 2 % have various psychic abilities that frighten most people. The government gathers them together and sends them to special camps to supposedly rehabilitate them, but instead kills or imprisons them. 16 year old Ruby is broken out by members
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of the Children's League who are intent on having Ruby use her powers for violence to help them. She takes her first chance to escape and ends up with Liam, Chubbs and Zu who, themselves children with powers, are looking for the Slip Kid to help them get in touch with parents. Ruby is portrayed as a brave, if not always so bright, heroine who looks after others. This novel is action-packed and includes murder and insinuation of rape. I would recommend this longer(488p.) 1st book in a planned triology for teens in high school due to content. Show Less
Awards
Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Award (Nominee — 2016)
Language
Original publication date
2012-11-28
ISBN
1423159322 / 9781423159322