The Darkest Minds - Alexandra Bracken - 5 stars

I chose this book for this Challenge that I try to do every year. This is kind of a dystopian, maybe some sci fi or fantasy. I have had this book for a good 3 years and it really was time to get it read. After reading it I had to wonder why I had waited so long. I loved it, I loved how it was different, and I loved how fluid it is written. I love the action and the adventure. And I loved that there was no love triangle, well not the normal type of triangle anyway.
Synopsis
When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that had killed most of America’s children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who have 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 having a life worth living.

The plot of the story was quite unique in my opinion and I loved how it escalated through the story. Yes there is a government involved, but not as overbearing as most and the 'oppressed' people in the story are fighters rather than sheep. There was plenty of action and if you adventure, you get plenty of that too. The world building was ok, I think it could have been just a tad bit better, but I do think that it is enough for readers to get the picture at how desperate this world is, and how people have to survive. I have to say that I did like how they had some of our present day things be current in this story even though it seems that the world is near apocalypse. Some things that happen really make you think and makes you believe that a story like this can prepare us for a world ending in disaster. So this type of realism in the story was pretty refreshing.

The characters are really well developed and also very relatable, especially Ruby. She is one of those characters that seems to rise from the ashes and gets stronger and stronger, but not over the top. She still makes mistakes and she is still a little naïve, and this makes her real and believable. I like how the author makes readers second guess their first impressions of characters in this book. It is hard to peg them for who or what they are. Either way there are a lot of very memorable characters, some I hate and others I love and hope to meet them again in the next book.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes a different dystopian. It is certainly that for sure. I look forward to the rest of the trilogy and I hope it keeps this excitement. A solid 5 stars for this book, and I hope it just keeps getting better with the remainder of the trilogy.