Book Review: The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1) by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1) by Alexandra Bracken

Release Date: 18th December 2012

Publisher: Hyperion
Format: Paperback
Pages: 488
Rating: 4.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2014 RC and 2014 SSC

Summary from Goodreads:

"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."

Review:

It's been quite some time since I read this, which makes writing this review so much harder. So, let's keep this short and snappy.

• I rather enjoyed our plot and the world in which it took place. Tragic, but pretty cool, and very well done.
• I rather liked out lead character's. Ruby is great, just because her back story is pretty dame tragic. Suzume was another fave of mine, but so was Liam, and Chubs as well. Actually, I liked the entire gang. 
• Bracken did something interesting in there with a love triangle, which actually managed to surprise me. I wouldn't mind this being explored in the sequels.
• The ending was a bit emotional, and I'm not an emotional reader, so that's saying something!
• Overall, whilst I did enjoy this, I was waiting with baited breathe for something amazing to happen because I've heard so much about how everyone loves this book. But, I was never completely blown away.

To conclude this extremely short review - this was pretty darn good, and I'll definitely continue on with the series. Definitely worth the read.