The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds, #1)

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The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1)

by Alexandra Bracken (Goodreads Author)

4.26 of 5 stars 4.26 · rating details · 5,796 ratings · 1,242 reviews

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 w...more

Hardcover, 488 pages

Published December 18th 2012 by Disney Hyperion

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December 2012

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Dec 27, 2012 Mitch rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: no-just-no

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. On the surface, The Darkest Minds has a lot more going for it than your typical dystopian. It's incredibly dark and disturbing, but more than that, there's a certain realism to Alexandra Bracken's writing that makes the plot believable in a way few other books in the genre are. Yeah I'm frustrated, but not because this book is a generic dystopian - it's not, not because the plot calls for kids being rounded up in concentration camps and shot in the back - though that happens, but because I feel...more On the surface, The Darkest Minds has a lot more going for it than your typical dystopian. It's incredibly dark and disturbing, but more than that, there's a certain realism to Alexandra Bracken's writing that makes the plot believable in a way few other books in the genre are. Yeah I'm frustrated, but not because this book is a generic dystopian - it's not, not because the plot calls for kids being rounded up in concentration camps and shot in the back - though that happens, but because I feel like this is a book with massive potential derailed by piss poor execution.

For one, the concentration camp angle really bothers me, but not for the reasons you might think. We've had internment camps in this country before, so I'm not going to question whether it's realistic the government can round up kids and lock them up - it's a stark reminder of what could happen, except to say, if all the kids are either dead or locked up, and having more is illegal for fear of more tiny terrors with psychic powers running around, yeah, the United States isn't going to survive once the last twenty something dies of old age, no? Just something I wish Bracken would’ve considered.

But beyond that, it’s the way Bracken handles the concentration camps that really irks me, because I am not a fan of writing bad guys to be incredibly sadistic for no reason other than to score sympathy points for the victims. It just never works for me. And that’s exactly what happens here, we have adult guards rifle butting and mentally abusing little kids, and for what? So I can feel sorry for Ruby and the other child victims? It’s strange, because Bracken actually has an out - the Oranges, the kids with mind control powers, some of them really are mentally unstable and get the guards to shoot each other, and if I were a guard at a place like that I’d be scared like shit and might take my constant paranoia out on the kids. That psychological angle would’ve at least given a point to all the child abuse (besides as cheap emotional manipulation), but I don’t think Bracken worked that distinction into the story until too late - until my impression of a camp run by sociopaths for housing sociopaths made me want to fling my copy of the book across the room.

Then Ruby manages to escape, and for one glorious moment I thought my frustration would be over - but turns out... not even close. Because this is a book with no end game, no direction, none of the characters, Ruby included, really knows what the heck they’re doing. So Ruby basically stumbles around from one ‘bad guy’ organization (the U.S. government) to another before she just happens to fall in with Liam, Chubs, and Zu and go on the lamest road trip ever. I think my eyes started glazing over as they’re driving around, because Liam is completely bland and not an interesting character in the slightest, Liam and Ruby together are a total fail, Chubs and Zu have their moments of brilliance but end up contributing very little to the overall plot, and the whole thing just meandered around until just when I thought I couldn’t take any more of it they get shot at by bounty hunters or somebody and my interest is briefly sparked until their pursuers are dealt with and I’m back to being bored.

The whole time, none of them really has a plan for what they're going to do, it's mostly Ruby wanting to learn more about her powers while the others stick with her because they don't have anywhere better to go I guess? And this cycles three or four times as they’re going up and down the Eastern Seaboard looking for this supposed hiding place where they’d be safe and where Ruby can learn more about her powers, and the only thing it ultimately does for me is remind me that journeys which are just a string of random plot points assembled together usually aren’t very interesting unless you’re doing it Jumanji style by hitting the characters with various dangerous jungle obstacles at the roll of a dice.

So finally, the ~~three~~ four of them make it to the sanctuary they were looking for. Interestingly enough, I’m not spoiling anything, this is all in the summary, but two thirds of the book has already gone by. Anyway, after being introduced to *two* evil organizations already, neither of which has been sufficiently developed to make them compelling enough for me to actually care whether they’re a threat or not, I’m introduced to another group that may or may not be evil and I’m trying to think what the heck Bracken’s trying to do with all these groups and... I have no clue. Something about using the kids to take control of the country, but how does group one figure with groups two and three? None of the groups really interact with each other, characters pop up, do stuff, then disappear again, and I'm really left with zero idea why Ruby would choose to work with any one of these groups over the others... well, besides the government, since they’ve been torturing her for years.

Sure, there are a few reveals at the camp, but nothing I couldn't guess from before, and no real information that would actually tell me where the plot is going - how are Ruby and her friends going to take down the evil dystopian government? What's the point of the Children's League? What's their game? And was that just a rape scene I read and nobody really says anything? And you know, the ending, I supposed I should be shocked or outraged or something, but considering I never actually liked Liam, he didn’t do much of anything during the book, I don’t think I’ll miss him.

In short, the best part of the book, writing wise at least, was the first couple of chapters describing the horrors of the camp, though the way it was done pissed me off completely. After that, it felt likes these characters just aimlessly wandered around waiting for the plot to find them rather than actually doing anything about their situation and nothing really happened. So thanks The Darkest Minds for the two hours of my life I’ll never get back.(less)

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Mar 07, 2013 Kaylee Magic rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites

OH. MY. GOD. Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod!!

This book was so damn beautiful, so damn heartbreaking, and so damn freaking AMAZING! I think it's one of the most in-depth books I've read since The Hunger Games -- and I mean that with my heart and soul. It's not just another fluffy mock-intense book; it's not just another dystopian knock-off that I could never see happening in real life; it's not another sweet romance without anything else of substance that makes for a good time passer but doesn't m...more

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Mar 31, 2013 ♥ Becky 22 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, dystopian-post-apocalyptic, best-of-13, paranormal, loved-it, favoritebooks, gives-u-book-hangover, recent-awesomeness, so-so-so-good, wanna-read-again-bc-awesome, love-the-characters, awesome, fave-covers, unputdownable, almost-died-of-feels, fave-book-boyfriends

Everybody, everybody should go read this book. Like right now.
The Darkest Minds is amazing. This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. 100% recommended.

1) The writing = perfection.
I felt like I was there. I could hear the music when Ruby and Liam were dancing by the fire. I felt the cold from the AC in the hotel room. I honestly felt like I was there. And the writing is beautiful. And also funny.

"Use the damn map," Chubs groused behind him.
"I can figure it out without it," Lia

...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Alexandra Bracken rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

ETA--For those confused about the title change: http://www.alexandrabracken.com/?p=1121

Well, I like it a whole lot! Can't wait to hear what you guys think!

50 likes · like · see review

Feb 25, 2011 Sarah Maas rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: EVERYONE

THE DARKEST MINDS is one of the best books I have EVER read. No joke. I can't even properly express how much I love this book. It touched my soul--it's THAT incredible. It haunted me for days and days (and still does!). The world-building and plot are phenomenal (it leaves you absolutely breathless in spots!), and the characters are some of the most vivid I've encountered.

When 2012 rolls around, DO NOT miss this book--it will stay with you long, long after you've finished reading it.

70 likes · like · see review

Nov 27, 2012 Giselle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, ebook, dystopia-or-post-apocalyptic

Going into the Darkest Minds, I didn't really know what to expect. With so many dystopians out there there are quite a few that simply don't live up to the genre. However, Alexandra brings in a new and exciting dystopian novel with mysterious diseases, abilities, merciless camps; basically the apocalypse with a Heroes-like flare that becomes quite exhilarating.

Mind reading, mind control, memory manipulation, telekinesis; these are the powers that teenagers are suddenly capable of in this world,...more Going into the Darkest Minds, I didn't really know what to expect. With so many dystopians out there there are quite a few that simply don't live up to the genre. However, Alexandra brings in a new and exciting dystopian novel with mysterious diseases, abilities, merciless camps; basically the apocalypse with a Heroes-like flare that becomes quite exhilarating.

Mind reading, mind control, memory manipulation, telekinesis; these are the powers that teenagers are suddenly capable of in this world, that is, if they don't die suddenly in their tween years. We go into this story completely blind. Alexandra has a very show rather than tell writing style and while it can be a little confusing at first, I really enjoyed the slow and steady way we're dipped into her world. I also appreciate an author that assumes her readers are intelligent enough to discern what she's showing us. Too often have I despised books due to repetitive observations and frequent recapitulations to make sure we are getting it. It goes without saying, you have to pay attention during this world building. It's not spelled out for us, and it's amazing the way we're left to build it up in our minds, piece by piece.

The same goes for Ruby: While the story is told through her point-of-view, we don't know who she is or what has happened to her prior to the first page of this novel. We have to be patient to get her story, which I promise is both heartbreaking and hopeful. While I wouldn't call her particularly likeable, she doesn't fail to engage at every page as her voice is very easy to identify with, and being in her head is at one baffling and fascinating. She is often as much of a mystery to herself as she is to us. The ones walking by her side also fills us with intrigue as we're compelled to uncover their unique abilities and the insecurities that come along with. These people all have their very own piece in this story with pasts and ideals for some kind of future in this cruel world.

The future doesn't look too bright, however, as the whole book is spent learning how horrible the adults have been dealing with these new sudden abilities. This is soon followed by a long lasting chase which leads to more questions, lots of uncertainties, and definite skepticism. Despite being a very active plot that keeps up quite a bit of suspense combined with a constant feeling of uneasiness, the pacing is kept natural. This not only allows us time to decipher our characters, but also gives us the opportunity to truly understand the gravity of the world they now have to suffer.

The romance is not the book's strongest point. For the most part, it's non existent--I, for one, more than welcome a plot motivated on something other than romance. But all of a sudden, it's there, all around. The romance itself is not bad, it's not even unexpected, just its sudden importance in the plot can be disorienting.

This is not a fluffy novel, Alexandra depicts a world that is dark and violent. It's a slow unveiling of a world you would never want to experience. For fans of dystopians described such as this, there is plenty to fear in The Darkest Minds!

--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

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Mar 01, 2013 Kara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: virginia, dystopian, young-adult, thriller, arc, favorites, for-review, own, sci-fi, wow-worldbuilding

Before we get started, you should know I thought The Darkest Minds was a standalone. It is not. So if you are not wanting to start another series yet, do not start this book. Because once you start, you will not be able to stop. This is one hell of a suspenseful novel. It's a page turner. Even when nothing major is happening, I always felt very uncomfortable, like that next second action was right around the corner. I was always waiting for the next shoe to drop. It's a very unsettling feeling,...more Before we get started, you should know I thought The Darkest Minds was a standalone. It is not. So if you are not wanting to start another series yet, do not start this book. Because once you start, you will not be able to stop. This is one hell of a suspenseful novel. It's a page turner. Even when nothing major is happening, I always felt very uncomfortable, like that next second action was right around the corner. I was always waiting for the next shoe to drop. It's a very unsettling feeling, but one that works incredibly well in dystopian novels. When the suspense is believable, when you truly feel the characters plight and the tension, that is when you know a book is successful. This is one of the many reasons why I totally recommend this novel. But first, you should know what it is about.

The book opens with a bang. Ruby is in a camp for kids and the White Noise goes off. The reader has no idea what this is, and all we know is that Ruby is hurt. The novel jumps back and forth a little as we learn just exactly what is going on in this post-apocalyptic world. But never too much. The major answers always remain just out of reach. Kids are dying. But not all the kids. And she is sent to a camp with the other survivors. At the high security camps, the kids are treated like criminals. They are called rehabilitation camps but there is no rehabilitating going on. Because what these kids are dealing with cannot be cured. Eventually Ruby breaks out of Thurmond, and then, as her questions begin to be answered one by one, she finds herself on the run with other kids like herself. And they all have powers that are very different.

Okay, so this is where I tell you that I did not like Ruby very much. She had zero confidence and I got truly tired of hearing her talk about being a monster, having a big secret, and wondering how everyone would judge her if they really knew the truth. And the secret that she was hiding was not all that big, to be honest. I don't know what her issue was. She was always making it out to be worse than it really was and she kept REPEATING it over and OVER and I just got tired of hearing about it. When her secret finally came out, no one gave a shit so it was all for nothing. I said in my updates if this happened I would be pissed off. And I was pissed off because it was stupid and ridiculous. Not only that, but she had a tendency to be helpless and she made a few bad decisions. I got very angry at her a couple of times and I can't talk about that because spoilers, but let me just say I was not a huge fan of Ruby.

But...I was a fan of Suzume and Chubs. So it was all worth it. These two kids were Ruby's travel buddies. There was also Liam, the love interest, but I thought he was really flat and kind of blah. But trust me when I say Suzume and Chubs were awesome. It was easy to root for those kids and be terrified when something bad happened to them. Could the characters have been more strongly written? Yeah, I think so. If there was a weakness in this book, it was in the characters. Not in the writing, in the story, or in the world-building. All those things I very much enjoyed.

But the ending. Oh. My. God. It was probably one of the worst cliffhangers I have ever read. If you are not a fan of these, if reading cliffhangers will make you rate books lower, then there is a chance you will be doing that with this book. Because it was brutal. I sobbed, got really mad, and almost threw the book at the wall. So I just want to prepare anyone going into this one. I think if you are prepared for the inevitable, it might not make it as ugly when you get to it. Especially if you think this is a standalone and then crap! I would be so pissed.

Other than that though, this was a wonderful book and even though it is almost 500 pages, to me it never felt like it. The book is easy to read, flows well, and if you are a fast reader, you can easily do this book in one day. Not everyone can do that, but even so, it is still a very fast paced book that I would highly recommend. Keep in mind that book two is not due out until the fall of 2013. With the cliffhanger and that date, you might want to wait if you are going to get upset. I think I may have done that myself if I did not have an arc.
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Feb 19, 2013 SerenaSmiles rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: I hereby sentence EVERYONE to read this NOW.

Shelves: favorite-heroines2013, dystopia, will-read-again, book-boyfriend, 2013-favorites, book-royalty, would-kill-for-next-book

THE ROYAL REVIEW for...

The Darkest Minds
By Alexandra Bracken

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

no.
NO!
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! LIAMM !!

Why? Why must you do this to me? There is only so much my heart can take…
Alexandra Bracken you have managed to weave my heart full of glowing bright fibers of pure gold and happiness, then, just when I decide to blink, managed to crushed it with a giant sledge hammer over and over again into tiny pitiful particles in the form of tears…
AND I LOVE YOU FOR IT!

Okay, L...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Jaime Arkin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian-post-apocalyptic, can-t-frickin-wait, ebook-format, have-this, not-for-bff, 5-starers, don-t-even-ask-just-read-it, favorites, reading-again, paranormal, disney-hyperion, 2012, on-my-real-shelves

I'm not even really sure where to start with this book, other than to say that it is probably among my top reads of the year. I will admit up front that this review and the summary of this book don't really do the story justice in my opinion.

In The Darkest Minds, Children have a 'disease' and those not affected by this disease drop dead before the age of 10. Those that don't die, start to realize abilities that are unexplainable and uncontrollable. The abilities differ, some are rather harmless...more

7 likes · like · see review

Jan 09, 2013 Ariana marked it as to-read

Shelves: dystopia, paranormal, to-read-another-time

Later edit: I might need to finish it another time.
For some reason, me and this book were not on the same page *pun intended*

--

Oh, that terrible feeling when everyone gets to read the book you want so badly *sigh*

5 likes · like · see review

Jun 16, 2013 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, dystopian-utopian, i-cried, i-could-eat-this, kick-ass-character, romance, young-adult

*Takes a shaky breath* Someone please put me out of my misery!;(
Also see this review on: http://theyabooklover.blogspot.com.au/

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 emerg...more *Takes a shaky breath* Someone please put me out of my misery!;(
Also see this review on: http://theyabooklover.blogspot.com.au/

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.

Look no further, this book will take the breath out of your lungs. For me I kind of struggled within the first say 50 pages because it felt a bit like background information and all just being opted in my brain. However, when I finny settled in, I could not put this beauty down. ....pressed a light kiss against my bruised cheek. After that, the cold trickle on my skin seemed to evaporate... Naww... How cute! That was me right after reading that part, simply left me smiling ear to ear. This is also an example of Alexandra Bracken's great writing skills, here was obviously implying that Ruby had blushed. It's not like in the other, unoriginal books and they write She blushed deeply or what not, Bracken's writing is so unique and heart wrenching that it makes me ache for more.

Personally, I like to keep my own little notebook of my favourite quotes or beautifully written sentences and my, my, I am proud to say I had filled two pages of skimpy handwriting that had the most loveable and hilarious moments. WORLD RECORD for me!! *happy dance*

The Darkest Minds has one of the greatest dystopian-fantastical worlds I've ever read about. Children from ages 8-13 have been affected by this disease that pretty much gives you two choices, you die or you receive these whacky abilities. You are sent to a place where 'they put you in rehabilitation' and are placed in groups by the level of your power; Green, Blue, Yellow, Orange and Red (in that order). This idea seemed ridiculous when my friend told me but after reading this book, I am beyond amazed.

One of my favourite parts of this book was the characters and how they developed together. Ruby, our protagonist is careful and really thoughtful of her actions, she desperately doesn't want to do what she did to her parents so she keeps to herself for the majority of the story. Liam aka Lee is adorable, he is so caring and like the leader of the pack and trying to keep everyone calm and in order. Additionally, he can be very protective and sometimes sensitive as it is shown in the book. Naturally, not many people like sensitive people, but Bracken described it so well, I just loved this character more. Zu, EEKK!! She by far is my most favourite girl, she may not be able to talk but her personality and strong mind really pulls through. I deem that Chubs though, developed the most in this book. At the start, he was all grumpy and secretive towards Ruby, rather a boy who I'd like to punch in the face, but as the story developed and the gang's situations changed, Chubs was really likeable and straight forward. The characters felt so real and I can easily find people that I know who would fit these characteristics because the book was really descriptive in this aspect.

One thing I wasn't to happy about (though it wasn't worth losing even 0.5 of a star) was the romance. Don't get me wrong, I loved it, but it was so sudden. BAM. Half way through the book it just kicks in, it just was a bit odd... Hmmmm...

"..make me so happy that I actual forget to breath?..." that was literally me, I was always in the edge of my seat, anticipating what was on the next page. I also found myself having my jaw dropped open in amazement or shock too, and that says ALOT. I bet my face was priceless when I realised there were no more pages to go at the end of the book. Such a hair ripping cliffhanger, but then again it can only just say more about the characters, what happened in the end was realistic and annoyingly frustrating because that's who the characters were as people. Hands down. This was a book that I'm sure anyone would enjoy and rant about for a long shot.(less)

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Nov 22, 2012 Zabet The Dark Empress of Dark Chocolate rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books, dystopia, psychics, favorites, top-books-in-2012

This and other reviews can be found on Reading Between Classes

Cover Impressions: Very nice cover. Dark colors that portray the overall mood of the book and eye-catching imagery. Can't wait to see how this theme continues through the rest of the series (Dear God, please let this be the first in a series).

The Gist: When children begin to die from a mysterious disease, it is discovered the those survivors are left with dangerous and frightening powers. A new special forces is quickly formed and th...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Anila rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-2012-reads, fangirl-alert, reviewed, not-for-the-sensitive, author-took-a-level-in-awesome

Ow
ow ow ow
ow ow ow ow ow

I don't
know what to do with this book
and all of these feelings ow ow ow

Obviously it's been too long since I last re-read Brightly Woven because I remembered that Alexandra Bracken was a good writer but I seem to have forgotten HOW good until this book punched me in the gut.

God.
How do I talk about this?
I don't even know. I finished it at about 8:30 last night and the ending basically rendered me nonfunctional for an hour. I vacuumed my room because I couldn't get my brain...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Bobbie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, awesome-ya-fiction, dystopian-sci-fi, favorite-action-fantasy-books, all-the-feels, perfection, old-friends, sci-fi, speculative-fiction, thriller, ya, its-so-fluffy-i-m-gonna-die

I'll....I'll....I'll review this when I pick up the scattered pieces of my heart.......

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Woah. Where do I even begin? This book was just.......I did not expect to read the sheer brilliance that I was just treated to reading. I expected a typical dystopian. Weak characters, insta-love, boring vomit inducing plot-line. And I was so wrong.

The Darkest Minds was simply genius. Simply freakin genius. The beginning had me on the edge of my seat and half hating Ruby, the middle had me torn between...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Shoshana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, favorites, young-adult, unexpectedly-didn-t-suck

I'm still trying to catch my breath.

Real rating: 4.5 stars - the knock-down is primarily because there were aspects of the premise that didn't sit right with me - made me uncomfortable enough that reading the book was difficult at times. And by 'certain aspects' I'm referring to the rounding up of ALL THE CHILDRENS and sending them to work camps, extermination camps, etc. Not only was the whole set-up gut-wrenchingly horrifying, but, well... I read a lot of dystopia with hard-to-swallow premises...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Matt rated it 2 of 5 stars

Got over halfway before I gave up. Certainly not bad, but not a compelling read. Far too melodramatic, and a lot less focus on what was the supposed focus of the book - the mutants/abilities.

5 likes · like · see review

Mar 10, 2013 Clinton rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: let-down-central, annoying, stupid-characters-make-bad-decision, could-of-been-better

This could have been much better than it was.

I didnt quite like some of the decisions Ruby made, some of them were questionable while others were just plain stupid. (view spoiler)

The Darkest Minds is missing a ton of info that I feel is important to the story. The powers were never truly explained, why do we have to guess what powers each color represents? You...more This could have been much better than it was.

I didnt quite like some of the decisions Ruby made, some of them were questionable while others were just plain stupid. (view spoiler)

The Darkest Minds is missing a ton of info that I feel is important to the story. The powers were never truly explained, why do we have to guess what powers each color represents? You never get any true concrete info about the powers. The book never explained why the government is treating kids like crap, why are the camp guards torturing kids? It seems like they are bad guys doing bad things just for the sake of being bad. Good job generic villains you have served your role.

The world building was terrible because it left so much out, where did this "Genie Virus" come from and why does it grant powers. You basically have to guess about everything.

The direction the plot was going was completely obvious for the most part. It was obvious who was going to betray who.

This is one of those stories were I dont understand why the book had to end the way it did (view spoiler)

I did love the supporting cast in this book especially Zu! I cant wait to see what happens next with her.

I did think that the writing style was kind of confusing at times. There is an absence of transitions in this book. A character can be in a middle of a fight and the next sentence they could be chilling a week later with no type of transition to clue you in on what happened. There were other minor problems but none of this really takes away from how good this book is.

There could of been a better alternative for the ending. I guess Bracken had to jump on the CliffHanger train. But at the end of the day this was a cool I guess, Ill be looking forward to the next one.(less)

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Jan 17, 2013 JennyJen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: antsy-for-the-next-book, gritty, hide-yo-kids, hero-doesnt-do-it-for-me, not-what-i-expected, read-2013, reviewed, series, solid-series-start, somebody-slap-that-protagonist-pls, tearjerker, young-adult, cliffhanger

*No spoilers.

This is a hard review to write. I enjoyed this book, but so much of what I enjoyed is spoiler material, so I find myself grasping for things to say that could convey my jumble of feelings. I’ll mercifully try to keep it to the point.

This book was a bit disarming. I read the synopsis, so I had an inkling of what to expect, but once I started reading, my expectations and the reality were very different. The premise is pretty implausible, but Bracken’s execution made it easy to overloo...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Kelly Leigh rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, x-men-esque, dystopian

2.5 stars

I was left utterly confuzzled with the world inside The Darkest Minds.

Novel deconstructed- All American kids were stricken with X-men powers out of the blue. A virus of the kick-ass variety, methinks. All kids were shipped away to concentration-esque camps and/or killed depending on what ability emerged. Scientists even named said virus a nifty science-y name (the name has escaped me), but then didn't do likewise for the kids' abilities themselves. Instead scientists cataloged kids in...more

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view all 12 comments

Penny Btw, worst fictional evil government ever. Somebody with ruby's abilities would make the best spy ever. And the best part? They got her when she was y...more
updated Mar 06, 2013 09:46pm

Kelly Leigh @Penny - Immunizations being the culprit! You are so right. I can't even believe that didn't pop into my mind. And seeing how they are behind it regar...more
Mar 07, 2013 06:22am

Mar 01, 2013 Alise (Readers in Wonderland) rated it 4 of 5 stars

_________________________________
The Darkest Minds Review
_________________________________
Full formatting of this review at link above.

Hey, you know what I liked? This book. You know what I didn't like? This book ending. In that way. And some slow parts, but we'll get to that.

Ruby Daly ends up in a rehabilitation camp that is not totally unlike camps from the Holocaust. Children are taken away from their families-just because they were survivors of an awful disease. At only ten years old, she is...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Zuleeza added it · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf, dystopian-fiction, series-i-given-up

DNF. Stopped at 20%.

What's written on the page;

His eyes darted over me, from my haggard face down my forest green uniform to my mud-stained shoes. To the Psi number that had been written on their canvas toes in permanent marker. A look of horror flickered over his face. "Did you just come from a camp?"

What's actually in my head;

Psi....

Wait, that can't be right. He is Psy not Psi. *Chuckles* *Looks at the cover* That's the symbol of Psi! (Duh!) I think I saw the symbol before. In math? Or was it...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Clara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: surprisingly-good, strong-characters

I read this book a while ago but it's been bugging me so I decided to finally make a review
I read this book expecting it to be a novel written for teenage girls by an author with waaaaaay too much time on her hands, but this book was actually pretty good.
The main character was smart but not a Mary Sue, she made mistakes and this made the book better to read. I did occasionally find myself wanting to yell at her in frustration but those moments were small and far apart.
The supporting characters w...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Amaryliss White rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I wish I could give this more, but it just didn't live up to my expectations.

Although interesting, the beginning was rather confusing as we're subjected to several time jumps. It took me a while to figure out what was happening and where I was (with considerable help from the summary, I might add). After that, I thought I was hooked.

You can expect how disappointed I was.

There were some quirky, well-developed characters, some who even made me laugh, but the quality of secondary characters was...more I wish I could give this more, but it just didn't live up to my expectations.

Although interesting, the beginning was rather confusing as we're subjected to several time jumps. It took me a while to figure out what was happening and where I was (with considerable help from the summary, I might add). After that, I thought I was hooked.

You can expect how disappointed I was.

There were some quirky, well-developed characters, some who even made me laugh, but the quality of secondary characters was shocking. They drifted in and out of the pages with little to no distinction, and often I found myself forgetting who each person was as their name popped up.

The plot leaves something to be desired. It was never really boring, but the long trip to get to the safe haven seemed to drag on a bit, with nothing much to further the plot. Repetition, people, is deadly for a book, and honestly? I felt like there was a whole lot of repetition in this book. Somewhat cliche, I was actually able to stab a guess at what would happen, and believe me, that doesn't happen very often.

As for the setting, Bracken manages to come up with an interesting one. The idea is unique and not your typical dystopian. But I feel like there isn't enough to it — how did the disease come about? How far into the future is this? How bad is the world, really? Some of these issues may have been addressed, but never deeply enough to make an impression.

And Ruby. *sighs* Definitely not the worst protagonist, and the story of how she erased her parents' memories broke my heart. However, she spends a great deal of the book moaning about how she is a “monster,” and yet at the end, she decides to work with the very people she was opposed to, and potentially let them further unlock her monstrous ways. What in the world?! (Also, may I just add, what was that romance with her and Liam? Fortunately, it was not one of those all-too-common cases of insta-love, but unfortunately, it failed to grasp me and I never felt any real chemistry between them.)

But all in all, I did enjoy the book. As mentioned above, I did laugh a few times, I did want to sob a bit, and I was impressed with some techniques the author used.
So I wanted to give this four stars, I really did, but it just wasn't there for me.
(less)

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May 06, 2013 Lauren Morrill rated it 5 of 5 stars

I don't review many books, but I'll say that The Darkest Minds is absolutely the best book I've read this year. I literally could not put it down. I'm pretty sure this book is going to be a big deal when it comes out, and it'll deserve every bit of it!

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 20, 2013 Janna Horlick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia, owned, ya, rose

The Darkest Minds is DARK, PROVOKING, & HEARTBREAKING.

This book is one of the best dystopias I've read in a while. It dares to tell a story of the government caging our own children in facilities much like concentration camps. The children are controlled, and sometimes, used as weapons.

Ruby was beautiful, damaged, and compassionate. She spends six years in a camp before getting out, though, the horror does not end there. She must face many more enemies, make friends, and learn to control her...more

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Jan 31, 2013 ☆Jessie☆ (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, supernatural-fiction, owned-copy, dystopia-or-postapocalyptic, 2013-reads, creeeeepy, super-sized-story, actiontastic, pure-entertainment

4.5

What a creative, creeepy, imaginative, detailed, well-written story. Now I just have to suffer through the months til book two to see how the fallout from Ruby's last act works out.

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 28, 2012 Elena rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

3.5 stars!

You are pretty much guaranteed not to smile after reading The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. It’s an incredibly bleak world with dash of Children of Men, a heaping of Unwind, and a heavy dose of sadness.

Bracken is a solid writer. The Darkest Minds starts off with white noise and the pacing of the book never falters, it remains steady with action and emotions. There’s a tense atmosphere throughout and a longing for “normal” even though that will never be the same again. The world...more

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Jun 09, 2013 Bethan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

It's getting to the point where, even though I read it a few months ago, the book keeps coming into my mind; the characters, the quotes, the goddamn ending, and so I think it's time I wrote about it. I don't know if it'll count as a review but we'll see.

So, you know those books you read and you don't quite know what to expect? No one recommended it, you haven't heard about it before and the only reason your reading it now is purely by coincidence. I've found those books often become my favourit...more It's getting to the point where, even though I read it a few months ago, the book keeps coming into my mind; the characters, the quotes, the goddamn ending, and so I think it's time I wrote about it. I don't know if it'll count as a review but we'll see.

So, you know those books you read and you don't quite know what to expect? No one recommended it, you haven't heard about it before and the only reason your reading it now is purely by coincidence. I've found those books often become my favourites and this was definitely a main example. I can't remember was I was thinking when I bought it for my kindle, just that it looked interesting enough to try. Now I want to buy a physical copy so that I can read it over and over and lend it to my friends and admire on my bookshelf because I can't see myself getting over it any time soon. I think by not having prior standards from people telling you how good it is or how much they loved it, you're able to make up your own minds instead of trying to love it as much as everyone else. There are a couple of examples I could give where this has happened to me, Harry Potter and The Vampire Academy to name a few, so if I was going to recommend this book to anyone I would do so without giving too much away. but that's not stopping me from raving my mouth off to my friends that don't read books about how incredible this book is. They're not going to read it so they don't care and I'm not ruining their experiences with the book. Win Win.

Before I get to the ending I think there is a lot to be said about the characters. Each and everyone of them had different dimensions and were interesting in their own way. If there is something I hate more than love triangles it's uninteresting and annoying characters. Don't even get me started on uninteresting and annoying main characters because I could be here all day. Every character has a story and a personality, they're not just accessories and problems for the main character's to deal with, they are the story. I learnt more from Zu than I have from main characters in other books I've read and Zu didn't even have to say a single word. And Chubs is just Chubs. He was real and not the typical side-kick, in his own way he was bloody bad ass. I was grateful that there weren't many times that I felt like strangling Ruby. I mean there was a few but compare that to the amount of times I want to strangle the protagonist of other books it is considerably less. And then we have Liam. *sigh* Liam . Because Liam is more than just a love interest. Liam is strong and reliable and more than anything he is just Liam. He also has his own story and his own goals and priorities. He's a leader and just an all around incredible human being.

That being said, let me vent about the ending...
(view spoiler)

To say that I can't wait for Never Fade is an understatement. There are so many books that I can't wait to read this autumn but I can honestly say that even though I have equal love for all the books, e.g. Allegiant, World After, United We Spy etc. But Never Fade is one that I am nervous to read. Why? Because of tumblr. Alexandra Bracken has voiced her concerns that the things we didn't like about the first book are likely to be amplified in the second. When the author says things like this it doesn't really make you feel any less worried about what's going to happen to the people you fell in love with during the first book. Does this me me scared? No. Terrified? Yes. But I'm hoping it will be worth it.

In other news I started to write a fanfiction about Liam's 'Story of Us' because do you even know how hard it is to find The Darkest Minds fanfiction out there. Well I'll tell you. Damn near impossible. And I figured that a vision as beautiful as that one needed to be put down in words as more than just an idealism of what path Fate could have put Ruby and Liam on, but as an actual event. Call it a AU or what ever you want, but Liam and Ruby meeting on a beach after he hit a volleyball in her face is a story that needs to be told. My writing won't do it justice and I'll probably keep it to myself but I thought I could mention it here to try to persuade other people to write TDM fanfics so that I can get my Ruby/Liam... Ruam? Liby? DO WE HAVE A SHIP NAME OR NOT? fix.(less)

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Jun 06, 2013 Ikao rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who loves dystopian and young adult novel

Shelves: novel, favorites, 2013

The plot is freaking awesome. All the events were happened more and more in intensity aspects. This kept me breathless OMG. I went sleeping at 3 a.m. during the time I read this book. I only have this chaotic sleeping time twice before, it was when I read The Hunger Games and City of Bones lol. And I'm a slow reader so it took days of making a pair of panda eyes, I even slept at 3.40 something when I finnished this book.

The dark theme of the story is distracting at the beginning, many kids died....more The plot is freaking awesome. All the events were happened more and more in intensity aspects. This kept me breathless OMG. I went sleeping at 3 a.m. during the time I read this book. I only have this chaotic sleeping time twice before, it was when I read The Hunger Games and City of Bones lol. And I'm a slow reader so it took days of making a pair of panda eyes, I even slept at 3.40 something when I finnished this book.

The dark theme of the story is distracting at the beginning, many kids died. But keep going because when you get into the story, you'll find that everything which was built here is amazing. It's terrifying and yet captivating. I love how the kids' ability are sorted by colors, Green, Blue, Yellow, Orange, and Red. Each color has different ability, I won't spoil you. I just love the story with supernatural ability. I used to love Heroes before the story was ruined.

The world building is thrilled me. The future America is broke and poverty makes crimes are happened everywhere. Kids with their abilities become dangerous for the adults, while adult people are threats for the kids. There are PSF (Psi Special Force) the government's camp soldiers, Children's League who aims to save the kids from the camps, or Skip Tracers who also chase the kids. That's very big, my brain can't contain all of them at first, it made my heart beating fast from all that happened. Beware kids.... But there's also Slip Kids in a place which is mentioned as The East River where the kids believe it's the safest place for them.

The characters are loveable and developed very well. We can immediately in love with all main characters. Ruby, our POV, was kinda making a gap to others, but it's reasonable because she pretends as Green and hide her real identity. She was raised in a horrible camp since she was 10 and spent 6 years there. She is lack of communication and intercourse, but she does care about her friends and her character is built very good. She is strong with everything she has been through without looking any pity. The way Alexandra Bracken wrote Ruby's POV was so amusing and realistic.
Liam, the love interest, is nice, strong, caring, dependable, honest, and funny with his random classic nicknames for everyone. He falls for Ruby and very honest about his feelings. He's not exaggerate, he's not a perfect handsome guy with unbeatable ability who genuinely can save you all the times. NO. He's just ARGGHH, the boy that I need in REAL LIFE. He's the sweetest thing of this book ////////
We also have Chubs who grumbled many times and didn't like a stanger among them, Ruby. BUT he is adorable, he loves cats (and ducks too), and he's cute with his chatter about sanitation. And he reads books, that's all matter xD
And the younger one is Zu, who also has uncontrolable ability like Ruby. She likes Ruby and I love the sisterhood relationship that is built among them :)
All these characters are developed the way we will love them more. Very briliant! RULEECHUZU ALL THE WAY!

Actually this book doesn't involve much romance so if you're looking for romantic story you'll probably not really like this book. BUT I say this to you, the love story is adorable. It's not a "Hey I just met you, and this is crazy, but I'm suddenly in love with you for the rest of my life" love story. The love is not forced to be happened, it's just happened with beautiful and sweet wave. Liam is so sweet, okay?

RATE 5/5 STARS

Fantastic. Breathtaking. Fascinating. HEARTBREAKING. Action packed. Very recommend this book!!! Alexandra Bracken brings YA dystopian novel to new fantastic level with dark theme but also warmth. Read The Darkest Minds and join me with the torment time of waiting for the 2nd book (۳˚Д˚)۳

Also post this review on http://skyduck.weebly.com/3/post/2013...(less)

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Jan 21, 2013 Nancy (Tumbling Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars

I’m not sure how to start this review, so I’ll get right to it. The Darkest Minds started off slow and it remained slow for the first half of the book, though it wasn’t really boring. I mostly wanted to know where the story was going to go. Thankfully, it picked up very nicely towards the second half. It kept me intrigued. I loved that it was all very “psychological”. Being a psychology major, this was a big plus for me. The story delved into how the minds of these kids worked and what powers th...more

1 like · like · see review

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About Alexandra Bracken

Alexandra Bracken wrote Brightly Woven as a birthday present for a friend, and the story grew and flourished during a year of unpredictable, wild weather. A native of Arizona, she is a recent graduate of the College of William and Mary, where she majored in History and English. She now lives in New York City.

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“The Darkest Minds tend to hide behind the most unlikely faces.” — 132 people liked it

“We'll just have to try to make better mistakes tomorrow.” — 115 people liked it

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