The Darkest Minds bu Alexandra Bracken
Finally! A GOOD book! I've been having a difficult time lately trying to find a book that I would enjoy. It's been mostly books that I lost interest in half-way through or books that really weren't my cup of tea. It was exhausting picking up one book after another only to be disappointed by them. Luckily, I stumbled upon <i>The Darkest Minds</i> one day whilst browsing the library. I heard it was a pretty good dystopian novel but I had no idea if I was going to like it or not. And, man, let me tell you... I LOVED IT! It was so thrilling and exciting to keep reading! I was so invested! I didn't want to stop reading even though, on many occasions, I was so tired from lack of sleep! But I didn't care because I just HAD to keep reading! So I did. X3
Alexandra Bracken has created a very intricate world filled with much strife and despair, especially for children. When reading, you get to see what this terrible society has done to its children and a lot of it is quite dark and gruesome. Bracken's writing is lovely. She makes it easy for the reader to follow along and understand the type of world this is. I am just so amazed at how good she is at story-telling! She pulls you in from the get-go and leaves you begging for more. From the very start of her book, you can tell she put in a lot of thought and effort into making this world work. Another thing I like about her book was that she wasn't afraid to touch on dark subjects. She didn't water it down and she didn't make it seem as if it wasn't important. This is a dark world and dark things do happen... not everything is always going to be all light and fluffy. Not in this book.
One thing that I have to say is one of my favorite aspects of this book, aside from everything I have already mentioned, has to be Bracken's characters! My word! I LOVE her characters! They are so delicious! That's right! Delicious! As in you want to eat them right up! That's how GOOD they are! Ruby, main character, is strong and brave. She has one weakness and that is self-doubt (when you read about her past, you'll understand why). She doesn't think she is good enough and I love that about her. Because, despite her insecurities, she overcomes them and still packs a punch. Literally! She is badass, strong, smart, and not afraid to risk her life for her friends. I really enjoyed her as a main character and would love to read more about her in future installments to the series.
But wait! That's not all! Bracken's side characters were amazing as well! They all have their own unique personalities, bringing them to life! Liam, male lead, is such a kind-hearted, sweet person. It's actually a bit of a flaw since he's so trusting. But I still enjoyed his loving nature nonetheless. Suzume, or Zu, is a powerful little girl with few words but lots of spunk! I just want to cuddle her because--because--WAH SHE IS JUST SO CUTE! AJGSHNFKDEHGI *Coughs* But my favorite character of all is called Chubs! Oh man! He stole my heart with his sassy attitude, his intelligence, and his tsundere-like actions! He's another one I just want to hug and kiss and just keep with me forever! I love him so much! I love ALL of the characters! Even a certain someone that I cannot name because it's a HUGE spoiler! He's a douche and I despise him... but I love that he is such a cunning, manipulative villain and I can always appreciate a good bad guy! X3
In short, read this book. It's one of the better books out there in the YA genre that doesn't fall into all the tropes, has amazing characters, a great plot, and action to go with it! I can't recommend this book enough! Although, be warned that it's not a light book. There are some dark themes that take place within the book and if you are a bit squeamish to that sort of thing, you might not want to read this. It's still a fantastic book, though! If you can handle the themes, then I think you will enjoy this tremendously. I know I did!
