The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken - Review

Book: The Darkest Minds (#1)
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Pages: 488 pages
Read: 5 March, 2016
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Goodreads summary:
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.' to.

Plot: 5

Characters: 5

Writing: 3.9

Review:

“They were never scared of the kids who might die, or the empty spaces they would leave behind. They were afraid of us––the ones who lived.”

Wow, that story though.. It is so different than any other dystopian i have ever read. 

The Darkest Minds is a story about Ruby, a girl who has survived that infamous IAAN. A dissease that only effects kids between the ages of 10 to 14.. If you get IAAN, you will either die or live, but when you live you will never be the same again. For Ruby that means that she is one of the dangoures ones now. All the kids are ranked from 'Greens', 'Blues', 'Yellows', 'Oranges' and 'Reds'. 'Greens' have a super brain, they are the smartes ones of all the kids. 'Blues' can move everything with their minds, 'Yellows' have the abillity to controle electricity, 'Oranges' aka the dangoures ones, have the abillity to controle people.. they can controle their minds, 'Reds' have the power to controle fire.

Ruby has escaped her camp and is now on the run, she finds a couple of other kids who have also escaped their own camps and who are looking for 'the Slip Kid'. He is the one who suppostely can bring you home. Ruby falls for Liam, the leader of the kids she meets on the way. But she is afraid to get close to anyone because of what happend to her parents. You see the story of their journey to find the Slip Kid and her struggling to controle her own powers. 

The Characters are really in depht and you get so much background stories for them that they really come to life. Liam is a boy how was captured when he was running from the Leauge, he has tried ever since to help everyone and anybody who comes across from him. Chubs aka Charles is Liams best friend. He is one of the kids that Liam escaped with, Charles was taken from his parents. And finally Zu aka Suzume, she is my little star. Zu is a little girl who has been given up by her parents, and she is just the cutest little girl you have ever seen. Zu also doesn't talk, why you will not know.. at least not in the first novel. Liam and Chubs are Blue and Zu is Yellow.

When the group finds the Slip kid, it is made clear that he is an Orange. The Slip Kid is a mysterious person, you get to know so much about him the second Ruby starts training with him. 

The writing sometimes didn't get me, it was a times to difficult to understand what was going on. Also because you only get a short intro about what has happend in America you often dont really get it. The writing was some times all over the place, which wasn't enjoyable when the story already is a difficult on the understand already.

It is hard to really write a good review without wanting to spoil some details about the story. It is really good, it takes you right in and it is so different than al the other dystopian novels out ther. Im really excited to read the next books.

Love, Hedi