truth and freedom

In the Afterlight – Alexandra Bracken

Dystopian, young adult, fiction.

Rating 9/10

Ruby and the Legion of Children team figure out a way out of Los Angeles, California where the united states government took control and sent the national guard to blow up Los Angeles. As time progresses romances are formed, and more truths come forward. Getting out was the hardest part and the harder part is breaking kids out of the camps wasn’t going to be easy and will require sacrifices to be made. Once they had gathered necessary people and information, everyone is informed on how the kids changed. All are disgusted and angered, just enough to fuel the need to go and rescue more children from the camps. Ruby must make hard choices to guarantee safety of all the kids in those camps. She does this all for them and for herself.

This last installment of the series really messed me up in the head and I had to second guess my theory of how kids were changing. I was right about my theory of Vida and Chubs and their romance that blossomed. I mean certain circumstances make odd bed fellows. Overall, the entire series was really good to read and I highly recommend binge reading. The characters and the plot blend well in a balance that can’t be expressed. I cannot express more words for how much I loved the book series. I reread it the series twice before writing this blog.

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the race to find the cause of this power inducing disease

Never Fade – Alexandra Bracken

Dystopian, young adult, fiction.

Rating 9/10

Ruby goes to work for the League of Children under the promise she made to them and made them promise that Liam would not be harmed. She undergoes training and is sent out on a task by Liam’s brother. To find Liam to retrieve this flash drive containing sensitive information regarding why kids got sick and how they got sick. To flee from the scene, from the League of Children, she must escape from the assignment to find Liam. She is accompanied by Jude, another member as well as Vida. When she does find him, she must make a deal with the Blue Tribe and ends up breaking him and a few others out. Last time she saw him, she had erased most of her from his memory from him and he is slowly remembering. Once he regains his memory, Chubs tells him that he has become a skip tracer in order to remain safe. Liam is livid and understands why they had to do that, and he confesses to Ruby he is very much in love with her. He wants them to stay together because he loves the group and cares for the group. On their way to the assigned location that Vida said that one of the League members wanted them to meet somewhere in Colorado. Once they arrive there, it’s not what they had expected, it was the Slip Kid who is making them an offer they should not refuse. She sees what’s on the flash drive and the truth of the illness is shocking.

This one was interesting, and I loved the action. Including character development that made me smile at some characters interactions also. I can’t believe that Ruby’s powers grew and have more range with what she has. I sort of liked the new characters Vida and Jude. Vida more so because she seems very psychotic but with reason. The interactions between Vida and Chubs I can see grow into a romantic relationship. Anyways I really love this second installment of The Darkest Minds. I cannot wait to finish the third book as well as the novellas to see more of these characters and see how this all plays out.

kids die or have powers from a disease?

The Darkest Minds – Alexandra Bracken

Dystopian, young adult, fiction.

Rating 10/10

Ruby wakes up on her tenth birthday changed by a disease that has been killing off kids and ones who survived were sent to rehabilitation camps. The government is afraid of the kids who survive the disease rather than the dead kids. Her parents sent her off and she lives at the camp until she reaches sixteen. During that time, she had laid low and had manipulated, with her powers, to have her be labeled as a green even though she is orange. Orange and red labeled kids were killed or erased, fearing that she did what she had to do. The camp is thrown into panic after they use this device that harms only orange and red labeled kids and not the others, she is sent to the infirmary. Her fate was sealed with the camp, but a doctor sneaks her out after telling her that she knows Ruby’s secret. After Ruby sees some suspicious behavior and overhears the woman talking with this man, Ruby must make a run for it after she saw the man’s memories of him killing a kid. She finds this kid that leads her to other kids who are trying to find the Slip Kid to find and or contact their family members. Ruby comes to trust this group of kids named Zu, Chubs, and Liam. As they journey to safety, she comes to terms with who she is and what she is ought to become while empowering her newly found friends. Once they meet with the Slip Kid, all hell breaks loose, and sacrifices are to be made to survive.

Immediately as I was looking for new young adult novels to read, I was contemplating this novel and series due to the fact this is dystopian apocalyptic genre of young adult. I was expecting this to follow the same clichés, but I was wrong. This is like nothing I have read before and I come to love the book so much. My boyfriend had surprised purchased The Darkest Minds boxed set and I intend to reading them all plus the collection of short stories. I took my time reading this first installment of the trilogy and I cannot stress enough the fact I found my new favorite young adult series. I had read a lot of young adult series but none of them can hold a candle to this one. A very fast paced and descriptive book that keeps the reader on their toes, and when one expects one outcome there is a different outcome. I do recommend this novel.