The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken – Review

Published: December 18, 2012

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian

Series: The Darkest Minds #1

Pages: 488 (Hardcover)

My Rating: 4.0/5.0

Synopsis:

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

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who have 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 having a life worth living.

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Wowww I can see why they picked this book series to turn into a movie! The plot in a nutshell – kids start dying, but the ones that don’t develop abilities ranging from increased intelligence to setting things on fire with their minds. The government freaks out and takes the survivors to camps where they’re treated terribly under the guise of eventual rehabilitation to society. Wider society is crumbling and there are different organizations working against the government camps, the main one being the Children’s League all the while there are kids on the run from authorities.

The Darkest Minds is told from the perspective of Ruby, a girl taken to the worst camp around the age of 10. She’s survived by hiding her true gifts – she is an orange, or manipulator of the mind, but has masqueraded as a green (increased intelligence) since her genesis at the camp. The yellows, oranges, and reds at her camp were hauled off years ago, never to be seen again. Probably dead or being experimented on by the lab coats. Long story short, Ruby escapes with help from the Children’s League and then runs off with some other kids who’ve been on the run for a few weeks and they become friends.

Green – increased intelligence

Blue – telekinesis

Yellow – manipulate electricity

Orange – manipulate the mind

Red – manipulate fire

Ruby and her compatriots were very likable characters and didn’t feel overly mature or immature for their age group. It was a good balance and they handled most situations with a maturity that comes from having to grow up quickly, but they still had moments of childish petulance and even some moments of enjoyment. I like getting to know each of them – silent Zu and her yellow gloves, Liam and his charisma, Chubs and his dreams of going to college… it really made me feel so much more for each of these characters.

All in all, I was really impressed with the quality of this book – much better than a lot of YA novels and I can see why it garnered enough attention to be picked up for a movie deal. I’ll definitely be seeing that movie when it’s released in September 2018 just to see if I like it as much as the book (I am skeptical of this). I’d like to continue on with the series at some point – for those of you who’ve read this series already, is it worth it? Should I keep reading?