The Darkest Minds may have been my first time reading a novel by Alexandra Bracken, but it certainly won't be my last! I was completely intrigued by the concept of teens gaining special abilities and then feared by adults because they're not "normal" anymore. Set in the near future, The Darkest Minds is a dark imagining of a post-apocalyptic America that is crumbling apart. After she accidentally erased her friend's memories a year ago, Ruby has since then been terrified to speak or get close to anyone, afraid her uncontrollable powers will hurt someone she cares about again. When Thurmond begins new tests to discover any of the more dangerous kids remaining in hiding within the "rehabilitation camp", Ruby is given an opportunity to escape. On the run, she meets Liam, Zu and Chubs, a group of runaways who escaped their own camp to search for East River, rumoured to be a safe haven for teens like them who the government is so adamant to capture. There may be many thrilling, action-packed scenes in The Darkest Minds, but I think it's the empathy you feel for Ruby, as she struggles to accept herself and break down the barriers she's erected, which will draw you in most as a reader. I loved watching her tremendously grow as a character as the story progressed. Ruby begins as a girl weakened by fear, but emerges a strong young woman by the end of the novel, one who doesn't back down from making difficult decisions. She's a lot more powerful than she even realizes, and it's with Liam's help that she begins to open her heart again. Liam is a warm and kind person, always seeing the best in people despite living in a cruel world where everyone only thinks about their own survival. I absolutely loved Alexandra Bracken's The Darkest Minds and couldn't set the book down for even a moment! The ending left me gasping in shock and my heart anguished, so I'm desperately awaiting the release of Never Fade, the second novel in the trilogy! You can also read this review at: http://midnightbloomreads.blogspot.ca/2013/03/the-darkest-minds-by-alexandra-bracken.html

Februrary turned out to be a really good reading month for me when it came to reading. I read quite a few amazing books last month and The Darkest Minds was on of them. In fact out of the whole month this was my absolute favourite read. I had had this one on my TBR list since March of 2012 so it was great to finally get my hands on a copy and start reading. I thought that Alexandra Bracken's sophomore young adult novel was an awesome showcase of her talent. I expected this to be the usual dystopian read where the girl has strange powers blah, blah, blah. But I was completely taken by surprise. Instead of the whiney, angsty novel I was expecting I was taken on a fast paced adventure ride. I absolutely loved the story of Ruby. As a character she is near the top of my favourite young adult heroines. She's smart, funny, awkward, and willing to do anything she can to keep her new friends including her love interest Liam safe even if it means making the reader (me) scream at her in frustration at the end of the book. If you've read the book you'll know what I'm referring to. Anyways, back to Ruby. I loved the fact that she struggled with her ability throughout the entirety of the novel. She didn't go from being awkward to a super confident stuck up girl like many characters do after they experience life changing moments which I really appreciated because no one likes a perfect character. The other characters were great too. Even the bad guys. I really liked getting to know Zu, and Chubs. They were both interesting characters though Chubs always seemed to make me laugh at his snarky remarks. Liam though takes the cake when it comes to side characters and love interests though. He's the good guy which I love seeing in young adult noels because I find that the "bad boy" love interest thing is way too over done. I loved how protective he was of Ruby and anyone else who needed his help. The story line was interesting. I liked that it centered around a disease that killed off the majority of Children but left those that remained with certain abilities. Plus the whole segregation of the kids with these abilities from the general public was interesting. The writing of The Darkest Minds was quite spectacular. It was fast paced and had many plot twists that I loved. The fact that it wasn't a straight forward love story but more of a thriller was great. I loved how the author was able to create such real characters that were perfect in the fact that they were flawed like everyone else. I also liked that this was a bit of a darker, more grown up YA novel because the author wasn't afraid of dropping the F-bomb and other expletives every once in a while. The dialogue between her characters was very well done as well it flowed easily and wasn't robotic or forced. What I loved the most was that the story of The Darkest Minds was able to draw me in for hours at a time and left me saddened at the end of the first book wishing there was a sequel readily available for me to read immediately. I'm completely and utterly enthralled with Ruby's story and I really can't wait to see what happens in the sequel when it's released. For me this is probably one of the best YA books I've ever read and I'm so glad I read it when I did. I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves YA novels. There's a bit of romance, a lot of betrayal, violence and will keep you wanting to read into the wee hours of the night. Alexandra Bracken gives a likable female heroine that readers can invest in and one who they'll cheer for.

I ripped right though this book - I loved the premise of the kids all getting strange powers around the age of 10 and that Ruby was one of the dangerous ones. It was horrifying to think of how people had reacted to the situation. It shows how people can deteriorate and do horrible things they never thought possible in scary situations. I liked Ruby and really felt for her. I could see why she stayed quiet and tried not to attract attention, even when she disappointed others. Then she escaped and things changed. Ruby evolved. She became almost a new person, though she still kept her old self with her, kind of like most of us when challenged. Sometimes her lack of confidence or the fact that she was hiding a big secret did get frustrating, however. Her relationship with Liam, Suzume and Chubs. These were definitely some of the best parts of the book. These were all great characters. And the romance between Ruby and Liam was nice - it was great to have a romance where the boy is not moody and controlling, even though his is gorgeous and tough. I also enjoyed some of the twists in the book - they were clever. And the ending... I won't say anything, but I can't wait to read the next in the series.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken made me feel so many emotions! I felt panic, tenderness, horror and happiness. This novel goes from heart-wrenching to heart-racing moments and Good Lord! I enjoyed all the ups and downs and loops Miss Bracken delivered on the first installment of this brand new series! When Ruby was ten years old, a virus killed most of the children's population of the US. Just a few children were not affected by the virus (or maybe they were, but they reacted in a totally different way) In fact, the surviving children developed extraordinary abilities and were soon taken by the government that isolated them into camps. Here, children were classified by colors. Blue and greens and yellow were the ones whose skills weren't too dangerous, while red and orange were a threat. Treated like a slave, Ruby spent 6 years in one of these camps until one day, someone helped her to escape. The whole concept and story of The Darkest Minds left me totally speechless. The children's camps, the different organizations such as The League, the PSFs, the freaking and cruel government, and project Jamboree (which I never saw coming) added a lot of content to the plot. In addition, the characters are amazing. They are multi-layered and full of charm! I love Ruby as the narrator and protagonist. I also love Liam as love interest but I specially love him because of his good and tender heart (he just the sweetest guy ever!). I love Chubs, too. He is funny, and geek, and made me laugh more than a few time. Zu is adorable. She is the cutest little girl and I strongly wish to see her in the next book. While we have so many great good characters, there is one boy who is very unsettling, his name is Clancy Grey. However, It was very hard for me to believe in this character. Was he too perfect? Yes. How does he know so much? How did he get all that wisdom? (specially after everything he went through at the camp. Needless to mention the bunch of studies they used the poor kid for). He was definitely too good to be true and it didn't make any sense, and for a moment, I thought miss Bracken was not doing a very good job with this character. But then, the author totally surprised me with a complex character development that went beyond my expectations. In fact, Clancy's complexity reflects the traumas he's been through as well as the role he plays in the novel. The More Ruby interacted with Clancy, the more she got to know him, and the more I started to realize that my first judgment was completely wrong. Miss Bracken perfectly added tones of details that perfectly fit together, polishing a solid character that greatly satisfied me. However, there is one little detail that bugs me. **spoiler alert** that by the end of the book, Ruby suddenly knew how to perfectly use her skills. She spent so much time training with Clancy, yet unable to control her power (not even when she most needed it at the most dangerous time, not even to when she needed to defend Liam from Clancy), so I just don't get it how she figured it. For Ruby, It seems that everything just "clicked" but I wish I had an explanation. **end of spoilers** Regardless the one and only concern I have about Ruby's power, I certify that The Darkest Minds is an excellent novel and amazing start to a new series! The Darkest Minds the perfect novel to end this 2012 that has been full of phenomenal releases! (Count this one among them! ;)