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paragraphsandpages 's review for:
The Darkest Minds
by Alexandra Bracken
“Maybe nothing will ever change for us,” he said. “But don’t you want to be around just in case it does?”
Stars (Out of 10): 8.5/10 Stars
Spoiler Free: Why did I ever stop reading this series? There was something really wrong with past me. On the other hand, it does mean I got to reread it again now!
I did expect to like the book less on this reread. One, I know all the twists already, a reason that usually keeps me from rereading in the first place. Two, I’m out of my dystopian phase. When I first read this, I was coming off the dystopian high that [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447303603s/2767052.jpg|2792775] and [b:Divergent|13335037|Divergent (Divergent, #1)|Veronica Roth|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328559506s/13335037.jpg|13155899] had created, and so this book was in a genre I was already loving at the time. Now? It’s been so long since I’ve picked up a dystopian book and loved it, so I was worried this book might suffer from that. But it turns out, I loved it just as much as the first time I read it, if not more.
This world is still one that entirely fascinates me, and I’m almost happy I didn’t continue reading before because it means I still have secrets to unravel in it. There’s just so much going on, so much mystery and intrigue, that I just know this series will be chock full of twists and surprises!
I also love the extremely dark undertones this book has. The characters themselves are pretty light-hearted, but when you think more on their situation and the things they’ve been through, it’s really scary. This makes for all of the characters being broken in some way, making for a very interesting, and heartbreaking, cast.
The plot itself, as well as pacing of the story, were both also really well done. We’re given enough of an introduction to Ruby’s camp life, which is also used to give background information, before she moves on to the real part of the story. Additionally, the book itself feels evenly paced throughout, with bits of the world falling into place more and place over time as the story builds up to its ending.
The writing itself is also leagues up what I’ve come to expect from dystopia, especially as it was declining in popularity again. I had gotten used to the dime a dozen books, all capitalizing on the hype. But this one? It could’ve stood out from its writing alone. Bracken writes in such an enthralling style that keeps you hooked, while still inserting quite beautiful lines here and there, ones that make the story hit really hard. (Unfortunately, she still suffers from having characters lose breathes they didn’t know they were holding.)
Overall, I really loved rereading this book, and am starting on the next one right away!
Careful! Spoilers beyond this point!
Spoilers:
Stars (Out of 10): 8.5/10 Stars
Spoiler Free: Why did I ever stop reading this series? There was something really wrong with past me. On the other hand, it does mean I got to reread it again now!
I did expect to like the book less on this reread. One, I know all the twists already, a reason that usually keeps me from rereading in the first place. Two, I’m out of my dystopian phase. When I first read this, I was coming off the dystopian high that [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447303603s/2767052.jpg|2792775] and [b:Divergent|13335037|Divergent (Divergent, #1)|Veronica Roth|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328559506s/13335037.jpg|13155899] had created, and so this book was in a genre I was already loving at the time. Now? It’s been so long since I’ve picked up a dystopian book and loved it, so I was worried this book might suffer from that. But it turns out, I loved it just as much as the first time I read it, if not more.
This world is still one that entirely fascinates me, and I’m almost happy I didn’t continue reading before because it means I still have secrets to unravel in it. There’s just so much going on, so much mystery and intrigue, that I just know this series will be chock full of twists and surprises!
I also love the extremely dark undertones this book has. The characters themselves are pretty light-hearted, but when you think more on their situation and the things they’ve been through, it’s really scary. This makes for all of the characters being broken in some way, making for a very interesting, and heartbreaking, cast.
The plot itself, as well as pacing of the story, were both also really well done. We’re given enough of an introduction to Ruby’s camp life, which is also used to give background information, before she moves on to the real part of the story. Additionally, the book itself feels evenly paced throughout, with bits of the world falling into place more and place over time as the story builds up to its ending.
The writing itself is also leagues up what I’ve come to expect from dystopia, especially as it was declining in popularity again. I had gotten used to the dime a dozen books, all capitalizing on the hype. But this one? It could’ve stood out from its writing alone. Bracken writes in such an enthralling style that keeps you hooked, while still inserting quite beautiful lines here and there, ones that make the story hit really hard. (Unfortunately, she still suffers from having characters lose breathes they didn’t know they were holding.)
Overall, I really loved rereading this book, and am starting on the next one right away!
Careful! Spoilers beyond this point!
Spoilers: