A review by emilyusuallyreading
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
4.0
What I Liked
The Darkest Minds is character-driven... and Bracken did an excellent job creating characters that are now stuck in my memory like they've been burned there.
What I like about this book is that it's pop-culture enough to be trendy, but it stands out just enough from the X-Men world that it really makes an impact of its own.
Clancy... oh my gosh.
Liam... ohhhh my gosh.
Suzume, Chubs, everybody is fascinating and likable (or hate-able in a likable way). These are some great characters, a fascinating world, and whether or not this is the deepest story I've ever read, it completely absorbed my imagination and attention and I'm already wishing I could drive to the bookstore to buy the next in line (I'm currently snowed into my home).
What I Didn't Like
At times, the age thing felt confusing. "We're a bunch of kids," they would all say, but there were seventeen and eighteen year olds in this group... at what point do they stop identifying as children and begin to blend in to adulthood?
The cross-country road trip seemed a little too easy, in my opinion. For a "bunch of kids," very few skeptical adults ever panic at the thought of free-ranging teenagers with super powers (presumably) trekking around in a shot-up van.
And finally, at times Ruby's decision-making baffled me.
The Darkest Minds is character-driven... and Bracken did an excellent job creating characters that are now stuck in my memory like they've been burned there.
What I like about this book is that it's pop-culture enough to be trendy, but it stands out just enough from the X-Men world that it really makes an impact of its own.
Clancy... oh my gosh.
Liam... ohhhh my gosh.
Suzume, Chubs, everybody is fascinating and likable (or hate-able in a likable way). These are some great characters, a fascinating world, and whether or not this is the deepest story I've ever read, it completely absorbed my imagination and attention and I'm already wishing I could drive to the bookstore to buy the next in line (I'm currently snowed into my home).
What I Didn't Like
At times, the age thing felt confusing. "We're a bunch of kids," they would all say, but there were seventeen and eighteen year olds in this group... at what point do they stop identifying as children and begin to blend in to adulthood?
The cross-country road trip seemed a little too easy, in my opinion. For a "bunch of kids," very few skeptical adults ever panic at the thought of free-ranging teenagers with super powers (presumably) trekking around in a shot-up van.
And finally, at times Ruby's decision-making baffled me.