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Darkest Minds, The (The Darkest Minds series Book 1) Kindle Edition

4.5 out of 5 stars 7,877

Book one in the hit series that's soon to be a major motion picture starring Amandla Stenberg and Mandy Moore--now with a stunning new look and an exclusive bonus short story featuring Liam and his brother, Cole.
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 got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government "rehabilitation camp." She might have survived the mysterious disease that killed most of America's children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.
Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.
But when the truth about Ruby's abilities--the truth she's hidden from everyone, even the camp authorities--comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. On the run, she joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp: Zu, a young girl haunted by her past; Chubs, a standoffish brainiac; and Liam, their fearless leader, who 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.
While they journey to find the one safe haven left for kids like them--East River--they must evade their determined pursuers, including an organization that will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. But as they get closer to grasping the things they've dreamed of, Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.
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Lore Passenger BW PR SW
Lore Passenger Brightly Woven: Graphic Novel The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding Star Wars: A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy
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Also from #1 New York Times best-selling author Alexandra Bracken: For fans of Suzanne Collins and Cassandra Clare, a stunningly ambitious novel about gods, mortals, love, and revenge. Two worlds collide in this sweeping, romantic duology about a love that crosses centuries. Book 1 of 2. A magical story about discovering your own power comes alive in this full color graphic novel adaptation of Alexandra Bracken’s first novel, perfect for middle grade readers. In this dark and delightful duology for middle grade readers, a modern boy must rid himself of the ancient demon inhabiting his body and break his family’s curse. Book 1 of 2. Revisit Star Wars: A New Hope with this captivating retelling of Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker’s quest to defeat the evil that threatens their galaxy.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up–When Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration broke out in the United States, most teens died, and the few who lived manifested psi powers, from telekinesis to mind control. The government, already on edge from political and economic issues, used scare tactics, misinformation, and bullying to insure that parents sent their children to government “rehabilitation” camps. Ruby was placed in Camp Thurmond at the age of 10. Once there, the youths with special powers were punished, not rehabilitated. At 16, she is liberated by the Children's League, but they, too, want to control her, and she breaks from them to join fellow escapees Liam, Chubs, and Zu. They are determined to find the Slip Kid, who is rumored to help kids reunite with their families. This ragtag foursome outfits themselves at an abandoned Walmart, fights off unfriendly youth “tribes,” and begins to forge bonds of trust and romance. Ruby makes a thoughtful sacrifice, for the good of those she loves in the final chapters of the book (Hyperion, 2012), the first in a trilogy. Narrator Amy McFadden grows more comfortable with the voices as the title progresses, adding more nuance, particularly to major characters, and the proper note of teenage sarcasm. This dystopian tale will attract fans of Scott Westerfeld's “Uglies” (Simon Pulse) and Lauren Oliver's “Delirium” series (HarperCollins).–Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TXα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

In the not-so-distant future, most of America’s children have died; but those who live find that they have psychic abilities that range from moving objects to getting inside people’s minds. Sixteen-year-old Ruby, using her powers as an Orange, has escaped the survivor facility she has lived in for six years. She has also used her abilities to make the doctors believe she is a more docile Green. Now Ruby intends to keep her secret, even from new friends, including handsome Liam, persnickety Chubs, and the mute but sweet, young Zu. This ragged band searches the Virginia countryside in hopes of finding the Slip Kid, who seems to have outsmarted the government. Instead they find trouble on almost every turn of the page, but eventually discover what seems to be a youth utopia. Bracken is skilled at ramping up the action, but there is so much going on here, it’s hard to keep it all straight. Still, the character development is good, and the book’s ability to tackle larger issues is solid. In the end, Ruby must make an important decision. Then it’s on to book two. Grades 8-12. --Ilene Cooper

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008UZIKIQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Disney Hyperion (December 18, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 18, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 7471 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 529 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 7,877

About the author

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Alexandra Bracken
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Alexandra Bracken is the #1 New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of The Darkest Minds series and Passenger. Born and raised in Arizona, she moved east to study English and History at The College of William & Mary in Virginia. After working in the publishing industry, she now writes full time. You can visit her online at www.alexandrabracken.com or on Twitter (@alexbracken).

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
7,877 global ratings
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4 Stars
Review of seller not book
I just received my book today so I haven’t gotten to start reading it yet! The book arrived on time but damaged in the bottom left corner. I just wasn’t aware I was purchasing a used book but for the price I can’t complain. If anyone else is high maintenance about how books feel like me, the cover on this is shorter than the actual width of the book so to show off the “exclusive story” tag line which is made out of regular paper. So I’m just not a fan of how the book is designed. I thought that tag line was a part of the actual cover and not paper of typical paper under the cover. Overall great price. If I had know the cover was like this I would probably have paid more for a copy that has a full cover and no tears.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2016
I first read THE DARKEST MINDS in December of 2014. I stumbled across it in an Epic Reads list of books featuring road trips. I really enjoy taking road trips and the title and cover of this book intrigued me so I had to pick it up! I have to say that that might have been the best decision I've ever made.

When I picked up the audiobook of this one to do a reread, a little part of me was worried that I wouldn't love this book as much the second time. Thankfully, this was not the case. In fact, I think I may have loved it even more this time around!

When I first started listening to this, I wasn't 100% sure what I thought of the narrator, but I really grew to like her. I love all the different voices for the different characters. I think that this audio was about 11-ish hours and it was easy to listen to this narrator talk for that long.

This book is a little bit dystopia, a little bit science fiction, a LOT awesome. It has an amazing romance, adventure, high stakes, heartbreak, betrayal, and a wonderful friendship.

The book follows Ruby Daly. She was sent to a camp on her 10th birthday. She used her abilities to convince the person running the sorting test that she was a green rather than an orange. She spent the next six years terrified of what she can do. When she gets sprung from camp, she realizes that the people helping her aren't what they seem and she runs away, right into a group of kids who are in about the same predicament as she is. Together, they roam West Virginia, searching for the safe haven of East River.

Ruby is probably my favorite book heroine ever. She goes through some really fantastic character growth in this book. In the beginning, she's basically scared of her own shadow. She won't let anyone close to her, afraid that her won't be able to control her abilities and they'll see her for the monster she believes she is. It takes her a long time to open up to anyone.

But along her journey she kind of starts to own her powers. She starts to not see herself as so awful for what she can do. She doesn't truly trust her powers yet, but she sees that she can use them to help her friends and keep them safe.

The only real fault that I can think of in her is that she is CONSTANTLY like, "Nooo, just leave me behind. Leave me here. Forget about me." Ruby, just stop. No one is ditching you.

Liam Stewart is my number one book boyfriend. He's so swoon-y. He's so sweet and kind to everyone around him. He's caring. He's funny. I feel like he kind of comes off a little bit as though he's got a bad boy side. Mostly just because it's mentioned that he has been in some fights and he wears a leather jacket. I guess that doesn't necessarily equal bad boy status, but there ya go. He's super protective of his friends (especially Ruby) and would do anything to keep them safe, even if it meant sacrificing himself.

If I ever had my own Liam Stewart that called me "Darlin'" in his sweet southern accent, I would absolutely melt on the spot.

Chubs is a little bit abrasive at first. He is 100% not okay with Ruby tagging along with their group. He doesn't want to be caught in the crossfire if/when the people chasing Ruby catch up with them. He doesn't understand why they should put themselves at risk for someone they don't even know. I think that I didn't really like Chubs the first time I read this book. I wanted him to be nicer to Ruby. But this time around, I didn't find myself disliking Chubs before he warmed up to Ruby.

As much as Chubs sometimes seems to need to get a sense of humor or something, I think that he would make a wonderful friend. He's good to have around in times like this because he's really smart and he's got a little bit of medical knowledge!

Zu is the one who initially lets Ruby into their little group. She is the youngest of the group. She's such a little sweetheart and is super girly. You don't really get to learn a lot about her in this book though, so that's about all I can say!

The romance in this book is so adorable. Ruby and Liam are my favorite book couple. The scenes with them being cute together completely give me life. I just want to put them in a protective bubble to keep them safe forever. I just think they work really well together!

I really can't think of anything in this book that I didn't enjoy. I love the characters. I love their friendship. I loved going on this adventure with them. I love everything about this book.

Overall, I don't think there should be any question in anyone's mind that I 100% recommend this book. To everyone. If you like awesome character growth, WONDERFUL FRIENDSHIP, super swoon-y romances, or books about road trips, READ THIS!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2024
Simply put, this book is a breath of fresh air in a genre that could not be more polluted with stale and stagnant stories. No, the idea of a 16 year old girl fighting to survive and keep her loved ones alive in a dystopian world is not new. It’s everything around this basic premise that is near flawless. From excellent writing and characterization, to nuanced storytelling and perfect emotional beats, this book checks every box I could have wanted it to. While some of the more generic plot points are somewhat jarring (winning the award for the least surprising twist villain in fiction) the strength of writing and the ingenuity of the author helps carry this along and is easily the best start to a series I have read in a while. Amazing read, cannot recommend enough.
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2014
The Darkest Minds was an emotional powerhouse that resonated deep within me. I was glued to this page turner and the story was a collection of darkness, laughter and the fact that maybe we can never out run our fate. I will never forget this story for as long as I live.

Children have become a curse to society. They either perish away in a blink of an eye or turn into terrifying monsters that parents either shun or love. Ruby knows she is one of the worst of the monsters that exists. So Ruby, along with the others, are rounded up and sent to camps where they are treated like parasites and terrorists. Her days are policed by government entities that ensure that they will never get out. They are disposed of, loathed, feared and are forced to live in situations that no child should ever endure. But why? They are unlike anything the U.S. has ever seen, these children have abilities. Dangerous abilities. But Ruby's life is about to change. She's going to get broken out, and if she thought life in Thurmond was hell, well she hasn't seen anything yet.

Ruby was astonishing. She was strong, determined, smart, and loyal. She has survived atrocities no child should have to and instead of it breaking her, like it did to the countless others, she was able to rise above it. She can still find hope, the willingness to create a new family and to have faith in others. But this little ray of sunshine in her life has a lot to do with her meeting Liam.

Liam is all that's good in this world. He's brave, trusting, charismatic and selfless. His timidness and sweetness added to the wonderfulness that is Liam. I loved every single part of him. From calling Ruby darlin to being shy during the sock scene, it's impossible to not fall for him. His hope was slowing uplifting Ruby from out of the darkness because Liam is purely light. Wonderful, beautiful light in a world that is bleak and horrific. To be honest? I love the jerky bad boys but every once in a while a good one will wiggle its way into my heart. So of course it had to be Liam. How could I not fall for someone as magnificent and warm as him?

The two of them enduring life’s journey together made this book phenomenal! Their interactions and stolen moments were beautiful. The hardships they endured together was heart breaking. And their friendship was wholesome and good. They are truly a remarkable pair! We also get to meet a few other characters but I loved Chubbs and Zu. They were each witty and unique and I became just as invested in them as I did Ruby and Liam.

This was an intense, remarkable read. I cried for all the perils that were thrown in their faces and kept hoping that each time they were given a small break that it wouldn't be thrown back in their faces. That’s because their lives are truly ruthless. I can't wait to see how the story progresses but I'm not going to lie, I'm TERRIFIED! I'm still in a state of shock and denial after that ending. That ending left me feeling empty and broken. How could that have happened? I have to keep my head up and fingers crossed that the second book in this series will wound my devastated heart.

Top reviews from other countries

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it
Reviewed in Canada on October 14, 2023
I watched the movie a few years ago and then decided to read the books. I just finished this one and it’s very different from the movie, but so much better!!!
Jorge Alberto Garcia Estudillo
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book
Reviewed in Mexico on February 17, 2022
I loved this book, and it's like sci-fi and romance I love it, I highly recommend it, the development of the main character is good, but I cried too much at the end 😭.
Pedro
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy buen libro
Reviewed in Spain on December 13, 2023
Muy entretenido y ameno de leer. La autora sabe ponerte en los pies d la protagonista y te introduce de manera genial en la acción.
Caroline Kyran
5.0 out of 5 stars The darkest minds
Reviewed in India on January 25, 2018
The most wonderful book ever . It has met with all my expectations even exceeded them character wise and plot wise
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clarylovesbooks
5.0 out of 5 stars Bellissima serie!
Reviewed in Italy on August 6, 2018
TRAMA

Quando Ruby si sveglia nel giorno del suo decimo compleanno, qualcosa in lei è cambiato. Qualcosa di abbastanza allarmante da far sì che i suoi genitori la chiudano nel garage e chiamino la polizia. Qualcosa che la porta a Thurmond, un brutale "campo di riabilitazione" governativo. Può anche essere sopravvissuta alla misteriosa malattia che ha ucciso la maggior parte dei bambini d'America, ma in lei e negli altri è successo qualcosa di peggio: hanno sviluppato spaventose abilità che non riescono a controllare.
Adesso, a sedici anni, la Ruby è una dei più pericolosi. Quando la verità sui suoi poteri viene fuori, per un pelo riesce a scappare da Thurmond. Adesso che è in fuga, è alla disperata ricerca dell'unico rifugio sicuro rimasto per i ragazzi come lei: East River. Si unisce ad un gruppo di ragazzi fuggiti dal proprio campo. Liam, il loro coraggioso leader, si sta innamorando di lei, ma non importa quanto anche lei lo desideri. Ruby non può rischiare di avvicinarsi troppo. Non dopo quello che è successo ai suoi genitori. Quando arrivano ad East River, niente è come sembra, soprattutto il suo misterioso leader. Ma ci sono altre forze all'opera, persona che non si fermeranno davanti a niente pur di usare Rubry nella oro lotta contro il Governo. Ruby dovrà affrontare una scelta terribile, una scelta che potrebbe portarla a rinunciare alla possibilità di vivere una vita degna di essere vissuta.

La serie si compone di tre libri:
The Darkest Minds: a cui ho dato un punteggio di 4.5/5 stelle
Never Fade: a cui ho dato una valutazione di 4.5/5 stelle
In the Afterlight: a cui ho dato 4/5 stelline

RECENSIONE

A primo impatto può sembrare l'ennesima saga distopica per ragazzi,e dopo Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, posso capire che la gente sia stufa di sentire sempre la stessa storia. Io stessa conoscevo questa saga da qualche anno, ma prima di ora non ero interessata alla lettura perché pensavo sarebbe stato un libro come tanti. Come mi succede spesso, anche in questo caso mi sbagliavo. Non è affatto la stessa storia, e a mio parere è decisamente meglio di trilogie come Divergent e Maze Runner. Quest'ultime infatti, sono trilogie che sono partite con dei concetti molto interessanti e ben svolti, ma i seguiti non sono stati affatto all'altezza dei primi libri. "The Darkest Minds", per fortuna, è una di quelle trilogie che è riuscita a suscitarmi le stesse emozioni in ciascun libro, e mi ha tenuta sulle spine fino alla fine. Mi è piaciuto molto come la storia si è evoluta e come i personaggi sono cresciuti. Il terzo libro è forse il più deludente ma si abbassa pochissimo di livello rispetto agli altri. Semplicemente è il più lento e la storia ci mette un po' a partire, ma le ultime duecento pagine le ho lette di un fiato.

Il concetto della serie ricorda un po' gli X-Men, dato che i protagonisti sono "meta umani": ci troviamo in un mondo in cui, per qualche strana mutazione o virus, nei bambini sono cominciati ad emergere dei sintomi inspiegabili. Durante la pubertà i bambini iniziano a manifestare dei poteri, ed il Governo ha cominciato a vederli come un pericolo per la società. I bambini sono divisi in colori, per cui ciascun colore corrisponde ad una abilità. Ci sono i Verdi, dotati di intelligenza straordinaria; i Blu, di telecinesi; i Gialli, che controllano l’elettricità, i Rossi il fuoco e gli Arancioni, come Ruby, la mente umana. I Rossi e gli Arancioni sono ritenuti i più pericolosi, e fin dalle prime pagine del libro si intuisce che subiscono dei trattamenti diversi rispetto agli altri bambini, e in particolare per i Rossi si teme che vengano eliminati. Infatti nel campo di Ruby non ci sono più tracce di Rossi e Arancioni da cinque anni. Lei è una dei pochi Arancioni che è riuscita a farsi passare come una Verde, e ciò le ha permesso di sopravvivere per sette anni all'interno di questo campo.

I personaggi sono stati la cosa che più ho amato di questa serie,e rimangono impressi nella mente del lettore. Sono molto vividi e tridimensionali, sono sviluppati davvero bene e in maniera realistica. Già dalla metà del primo libro ci sembra di conoscerli da una vita, e l'amicizia che si viene a creare tra loro è davvero bella. Una serie che vale la pena di leggere solo per il modo in cui viene trattato il tema dell'amicizia e l'importanza che si dà a questo valore.
Queste amicizie si sviluppano con il giusto tempo ed in modo naturale e graduale.

Nel caso di Ruby e Liam, quest'amicizia si tramuta lentamente in qualcosa di più, e la Bracken riesce a creare una bellissima storia d'amore senza trasformare il libro in un romanzo rosa e senza dargli troppo spazio. Naturalmente, con i successivi libri la storia d'amore si evolverà sempre di più, così da avere sempre più spazio ma mai in modo eccessivo. Il libro riesce a trovare un equilibrio perfetto tra amicizia, amore, azione, dramma e commedia.

Avevo già cennato nel Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag di come Liam Stewart fosse diventata la mia nuova crush letteraria. Liam è un ragazzo d'oro e leale, che farebbe di tutto per i suoi amici e per le persone che ama. La storia tra lui e Ruby si è sviluppata in maniera realistica e con i giusti tempi, e il battuto del mio cuore non poteva evitare di accelerare alle loro scene.

Inutile ripetere quanto abbia amato tutti i personaggi, in particolare Zu che è super adorabile e così preziosa! Avrei voluto stringerla a me per tutto il tempo. Si comportano tutti come genitori nei confronti di Zu, ed è bellissimo vedere quanto ci tengano a lei. Un personaggio impossibile da non amare. Chubs all'inizio sembrava il più distante, ma poi si è rivelato un fantastico amico ed è stato bello vedere come pian piano si è sciolto, specialmente con Ruby con cui all'inizio era molto diffidente.

“The Darkest Minds tend to hide behind the most unlikely faces.”
― Alexandra Bracken, The Darkest Minds

Ho adorato lo stile della Bracken, e ha fatto un buon lavoro nello sviluppare questa trilogia. Ha tratti il suo stile può sembrare lento, ma in realtà ciò ha fatto sì che le relazioni all'interno del romanzo si sviluppassero in modo realistico. Se il ritmo della scrittura fosse stato sempre frettoloso, l'effetto non sarebbe stato così naturale. Avrei potuto leggere altre mille pagine solo di interazioni tra questi personaggi. Questo stile un po' lento ha anche fornito un grande contrasto per quando la trama ha davvero iniziato a decollare. Man mano che la storia va avanti si velocizza lo stile di scrittura, tanto da riuscire impossibile di staccare gli occhi dalle pagine del libro. L'autrice ha fatto un ottimo lavoro.

Il finale è molto buono. Molte serie sono bellissime ma il finale sembra sempre campato per aria, come se l'autore si fosse stufato di continuare e abbia deciso improvvisamente di terminare la serie. Qui non ci sono buchi nella trama e tutto viene spiegato, per una conclusione piuttosto soddisfacente e commovente.

Spero che il film sia all'altezza dei libri e che riesca a ricreare sullo schermo queste bellissime amicizie e interazioni tra personaggi. La mia paura è che il film sia un po' frettoloso, rischiando così di banalizzare la storia. Dal trailer promette molto bene, quindi dita incrociate!
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