Book Review: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

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.

I will admit that I’ve had the advanced reader copy of this book on my shelf since last summer, but it took a good friend of mine reading this book and telling me how much she enjoyed it before I finally pulled it off the shelf to read. 

I am now officially regretting not picking up this book sooner.  Not only was it well written and plotted, but it kept my attention through the whole text. Bracken’s story picks up at the beginning when the “disease” strikes children all around the United States.  I put “disease” in quotations because I’m not entirely sure whether or not I believe it would be a naturally occurring thing or if it was manufactured by scientists within the storyworld.  Something I suppose I’ll find out as I continue to read. 

So basically these poor kids, who can do extraordinary things, are put into modernized concentration camps and forced to work and do mundane tasks to keep their minds from honing their skills and possibly using them against anyone.  Although, this is a very stupid plan by the adults, because it just serves to make the children and teens resentful of their treatment and provides them with motivation to strike back.  

And when our protaganist, Ruby, finally gets out of her prison, she is faced with the ultimate challenges of survival in a world that treats her kind like fugitive. Lo and behold she meets an adorable boy and his ragtag friends, and they go together like “peas and carrots.” 

The plot really picks up at this point, and the story just takes off with Bracken’s excellent descriptions and her ability to construct realistic conversations and emotions.  I’d like to say that I didn’t see the twist coming, but it is something that I guessed toward the last fourth of the novel when Ruby was working to hone her skills. However, guessing it didn’t take away any of its impact. 

The ending is heartbreaking and I really wish that it hadn’t happened, but I understand why it did narratively, and I’m already moving the sequel to the top of my to be read pile!

4 Bards.