Review: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Title:The Darkest Minds
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Source/Format: Purchased, ebook (iBooks edition)
More Details: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Disney Hyperion, December 12, 2012

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository     Audible 

Synopsis 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

For a while I had no idea what I wanted to read next but in the end I decided to go with The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. I know I’ve had it for at least a year so I finally decided to just give it a try. And actually, I was really surprised by how much liked it.

For one thing, the concept was something I could easily get into, with a mysterious disease (IAAN, "Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration") targeting kids exclusively, and ended up giving some of them strange abilities—it was basically a story about kids trying to survive in a world that was determined—if not obsessively so—to destroy them.Things quickly turned into a wide spread case of paranoia, and those unfortunate enough to develop abilities were sent to camps. That's where the story picked up, and these camps were absolutely terrible to read about. However, they did fit with the concept of the story and I thought that Bracken did a good job of handling it. So I definitely enjoyed the details put into developing the story, setting, and characters.

I found the characters  interesting because of the friendship/relationship dynamics that developed across the span of the story—and I liked seeing how well the secondary characters were developed with as much personality and faults as the main character. I enjoyed seeing how Liam, Zu, Chubs, and Ruby interacted with one another. So, of course, Zu and Ruby's friendship was definitely one of my favorite parts of The Darkest Mind's. Although some of Ruby’s decisions/actions had me scratching my head or just outright confused for the most part she was a pretty good main character. And with everything she went through I could understand why she was so reserved.

So while I had no idea what to expect going into The Darkest Minds, I was really surprised by how much I ended up enjoying it. And I would be interested in checking out more books by Alexandra Bracken.

The Friday 56 (32) The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis 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...

"The Grinch cast one look at me, his top lip peeling back in annoyance, before waving the doctor forward. She blew out a sigh and set her clipboard down on my lap."--The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken



What are you planning to read this weekend?

Musing Mondays (35) Should it be a Movie or TV Show?

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

This week for Musing Mondays I want to talk about movies and TV shows. This post will not about any specific books, so it’s going to be short.

So a while ago, I finally watched Jupiter Ascending (You can see my review HERE), and I didn’t like it. I got the story, but to me it felt completely unfinished. After posting my review, I thought about it a little more, and I definitely saw the potential the movie had. However, I think that it would have done better if it wasn’t a movie at all, but a TV show with a wider platform and more time to develop the world and work out all of the details. I think that the same could be applied to certain books with world building that might take longer to set up.

I want to know what you think: Would some books/movies do better as a TV show? 

Review: Oleah Chronicles: Truth by Michelle Johnson

Title: Oleah Chronicles: Truth
Author: Michelle Johnson
Source/Format: Author, Paperback
More Details: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher/Publication Date: MJ Publishing (Lulu.com); July 14, 2015

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble    Lulu.com

Synopsis 

What would you do if everything you thought to be true in your life was a lie?

Sixteen-year-old Angel Seriki must face overwhelming truths about her family when she meets Zander Black, a new student to her high school who is smart, charming and devastatingly beautiful. The revelations he uncovers to her about her family’s past changes everything, and as her relationship and feelings for Zander deepen, so do the risks involved. She must now accept her fate and face the true reality of who and what she is. Even if that means giving up everything, including being human...

The Oleah Chronicles: Truth is a young adult paranormal romance novel that will appeal to a wide variety of readers. It’s a phenomenal introduction to the series. I absolutely loved the beginning that brought the readers into the center of  a conflict that resulted in Angel’s family fleeing their planet. The urgency of their flight from their home had me hooked early on as I anticipated the events that would follow.

The world created by Johnson was original and beautifully crafted. Truth took place on the planet Uforika and earth. It consisted of characters that we've all seen before in paranormal novels, but their characterizations had an interesting twist. I was intrigued by the Oleahs who had both lion and human characteristics all wrapped in one, which presented an interesting take on shape-shifters.

In Truth, Johnson excels at creating diverse teenage characters who maintain that teenage voice. Angel and her best friend, Julie, were polar opposites. I loved the depiction of Julie who was outgoing and rather animated. She was depicted as a very supportive friend without ulterior motives; although, they still had occasional conflicts. Zander brought a sense of mystery to the scene. And although he was a likable character, his past resulted in questions regarding his motives for wanting to get to know Angel. I liked that Angel had a questioning attitude and didn’t accept everything that Zander did as gold just because he was “devastatingly beautiful.” I also liked the fact that Johnson captured Angel’s awkwardness as she was developing an interest in boys.

Another aspect of Truth I really enjoyed was the involvement of Angel’s parents throughout the story. They didn’t just make a cameo appearance before fading into the background. They were actually key characters who were important to the overall plot.

From the cover art to the final page Johnson’s graphic design experience and creativity shine through in Truth, the first book of the Oleah Chronicles. I am definitely looking forward to reading future work by this author.

I received a copy of Oleah Chronicles: Truth from the Author in exchange for an honest review.

For More Information about the author, click on the link to visit Michelle Johnson's website!

The Friday 56 (31) Doctor Who: The Drosten's Curse by A.L. Kennedy

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

This week for The Friday 56 I picked a quote from a book I already read and reviewed (Doctor Who: The Drosten's Curse by A.L. Kennedy). You can check out my review for it HERE.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

“I shall make you the jewel at the heart of the universe.”

Something distinctly odd is going on in Arbroath. It could be to do with golfers being dragged down into the bunkers at the Fetch Brothers’ Golf Spa Hotel, never to be seen again. It might be related to the strange twin grandchildren of the equally strange Mrs Fetch–owner of the hotel and fascinated with octopuses. It could be the fact that people in the surrounding area suddenly know what others are thinking, without anyone saying a word. Whatever it is, the Doctor is most at home when faced with the distinctly odd. With the help of Fetch Brothers’ Junior Receptionist Bryony, he’ll get to the bottom of things. Just so long as he does so in time to save Bryony from quite literally losing her mind, and the entire world from destruction. Because something huge, ancient and alien lies hidden beneath the ground and it’s starting to wake up…

"Agnew flip-flopped along the relentlessly calming corridor with its tranquilly scented incense burner, its photographs of placid lakes and its carefully positioned speakers softly playing the songs of whales who, if he could have understood them, were actually having a quite heated argument with each other about herring."--Doctor Who: The Drosten's Curse by A.L. Kennedy


What's on your page 56 this week?