Review: The Darkest Minds

Author:Alexandra Bracken
Page number:496
Publisher:Disney Hyperion
Source:Bought

Description:
When Ruby wakes up on her tenth birthday, something about her has 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:
(Minor spoilers)
When I first read this description, I was drawn in by just reading the first two sentences. As I read even more, I was just about dying in ancticipation. You want to know why? I'm now a 100% sure that I have mentioned before my love for supernatural powers, and this is no exception.
Ruby's life turns into a disaster the day she turns 10. She wakes up and her mom and dad no longer know her daughter. For real, they have absolutely no memories about her. You will later realize that she accidentally used her powers on her parents, and erased all their memories of her. Her parents call the cops, but the PSF soldiers get there before they do. They take her to a rehabilitation camp, where you can imagine, is nothing as it is said to be. They don't treat them good, and care for them like they promised their parents. They run dangerous tests on them and use them like lab rats. Ruby is classified as a "Green" but is really an "Orange", which later you will realize, saved her very life. A couple years after she is there, the reds and oranges are taken from the camp, never to be seen again.
After that, she becomes even more rare and valueable to the "Children's League", which is an government organization to "save" children from the camps, but really uses the children's power for their own purposes.
I adored this book so, so much, but I gotta say what I liked most about this book was the premise. I just had fallen in love with this made-up world, where there was powers and evil villians. I know that sounds so wrong, since I should be pitying them because their life sucks, but...I don't know it just managed to get my attention and keep me reading to the very last page. The descriptions helped alot, since they were so profound and I could picture them perfectly in my head.
On to the characters: I really loved Ruby. There I said it. She was just so honest, and caring, it was so hard not to love her. From the beginning, I felt for her. She went through so much at such a young age, and that made her that much smarter and stronger. So, in a way, it helped her alot.
Liam...what to say? He was so great...smart, funny, compassionate, caring, and hopeful. I can't think of one bad thing to say about him. From the start, I KNEW I would love him, because of...just the way he was. Ok, that is my best I can do about describing my feelings for him.
The other minor characters like Chubs and Zu, were such a huge, GIGANTIC part of this story too! I have to give them some credit :D
The ENDING to this story was just so...heartbreaking and sad. I was (seriously) cying and screaming "WHY, OH WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN?" So, if you don't like sad endings...don't read this book, but the good news? It does make me want to read the second book VERY badly.
Overall, this book was incredible and awesome and I would recommend this to everybody!

4.5/5