Dazzled by Books

I almost gave up on "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken. It started out so slow. I was having a hard time staying focus on the characters and the story line because I just could not get into the story. I couldn't connect with anything or fall in love with the characters. Then something changed and I was falling in love with the story, the characters, and the world.

Bracken creates a horribly wonderful world. Children are dying and the ones that survive are viewed as a threat to the adults. These children are discovered to have abilities or powers. The world building in this story is definitely interesting. The world is so depressed and it is very different world where the adults are afraid of the children. The world is pretty much destroyed and children are hiding from adults and trying to find a way to survive.

Ruby became a very loveable character. The whole time I was wondering why Ruby ended up in the camp that she was in. The children are separated into groups based on what type of abilities they have.

Green: Mentally advanced and photographic memories
Blue: Telekinesis
Yellow: Electricity
Orange: Mind Control
Red: Ability to create and use Fire

Ruby was completely afraid of her powers. Her parents sent her away and she has been in camp for a long time. She seems to be scared of her own shadow. Ruby doesn't even know what she is capable of. She has an idea of what she is able to do or how to control it. I think Ruby is a great character because she isn't afraid to fight back. I was so proud of when Ruby came into her own that she was able to not only stick up for herself but also for others. I was extremely proud of her.

"The Darkest Minds" has amazing supporting characters. The had so much depth to them. I loved the characters. I thought Bracken did such a great job writing each and every one of them. Chubs was one of my favorites. He always stood up for what he believed was right. He treated everyone well if they deserved it. I loved when him and Ruby interacted together.

Once I started really getting into the story then I really enjoyed it. It took a few chapters but I thought it turned out really well. I look forward to reading the next book. I really want to see how Ruby's story continues.

Since I listened to this story on tape, I thought that McFadden was a great narrator. She was very fun to listen too. I thought she did a really good job narrating the story. I still think that it is good to have an entertaining narrator that is able to keep a reader interested in listening to the story and McFadden does exactly yet. I will be looking forward to more of McFadden's narrations.