The Darkest Minds

Cover image and summary from Goodreads:

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had 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.

This is a book I’ve wanted to read for so long, and I finally got a copy out from the library but had other books on the go and didn’t get to this one until about four days before its due date. I managed to finish it before then, and was able to return it to the library on the due date. Phew!

This book had a fascinating premise, and I felt that the book followed through pretty well. I found myself really attached to some of the characters, like Chubs and Zu, and while Ruby’s behaviour annoyed me at times, in the end I really liked her. I also thought the romance between Ruby and Liam was well-done. It was sweet without being annoying.

The idea of young people with abilities that frighten adults so much that the government sets up camps for them was intriguing. I liked the world-building but am certainly looking forward to learning more about how the world has changed while Ruby was at the camp.

It all took a turn at the end that I wasn’t expecting, and for the most part I found that the events in this book were fairly unpredictable, which is always fun. I love when a book can surprise me.

With the sequel out in October, I am definitely looking forward to picking it up!