Tag: the darkest minds

The Darkest Minds – Spoiler Free Film Review

August 10, 2018

TDM

There’s always a worry when one of your favourite YA book series gets turned into a film, and understandably as you care for these characters and their story. So, when I saw the casting for this film I was relieved and had seriously high hopes as everything was perfect, it felt like these characters had literally just been plucked from the page. However, I’m sad to admit I was a little disappointed and feel like this film hasn’t lived up to its full potential.

I can’t praise the casting enough and I felt like they all captured the characters perfectly, especially Skylan Brooks as Chubs! He was just so funny and made those occasional dull scenes so much better. But what I really wanted was more from the characters and more genuine interactions. Everything felt a bit rushed, including Ruby’s and Liam’s relationship which just made it less believable and nothing like it was in the books. Despite this, they were very cute together and I can’t wait to see more of them!

I think my biggest problem with this film was the script as I don’t think the cast was given the goods to work with in order to make this a successful film, which surprises me as it’s from the producers of Stranger Things and Arrival, two incredible pieces of work. It was great however to see key scenes from the book reflected onto the screen some of which felt like they’d also been pulled straight off the page.

If you’re a fan of the books then I recommend you go and see it, as like me I’m sure you’ll love seeing elements of the books and the characters being brought to life. It’s not the best YA film adaptation but it certainly is an enjoyable one and has a pretty good soundtrack to go with it! I’d love to know what you thought about the film so please leave us a comment below.

In The After Light – Alexandra Bracken

March 23, 2016

I have quite a few different opinions about this book, good and bad, so I’m going to do a bit of background and then jump right into it!

So this book is the last book in the Darkest Minds series, after the emotional end of the second book Never Fade, I had simultaneous high expectations, excitement and curiosity about how the last book would pan out and how one of my new favourite series would end. If you wish to see what we thought on the first two books I shall leave the links here (The Darkest Minds and Never Fade)

Right, let’s get to it, we’ll start with the negatives. This book was VERY SLOW, I felt that it was a real slog to get through to the climax of this book, there was just too much sitting around planning things and too much politics. I know it was developing the story and building to the end, but compared to the previous two books which were action pact all the way through, it was just boring! Secondly, Ruby really annoyed me in this book! Some of the things she did were really frustrating, and it just seemed to me that the better choices were really obvious however she still did the opposite. I suppose emotions were high and everything so perhaps things weren’t so clear, but still, it annoyed me, it just seemed as though she was trying too hard to be a martyr.

Well that’s it for the negatives, on to the bits that I LOVED! Firstly, overall, Liam was such a little cutie, he is definitely one of my faviourite characters, but again some of the things he did were a little irritating, but what he did helped the overall story. Also he was just adorable, especially with Ruby, and there were some really cute lovey dovey scenes that were a nice relief to the intense politics of the rest of the book. Finally, without a doubt, the best part of the book was the end! Bracken took it in a different direction to what I was expecting which I loved, also it was really exciting, really intense and had me on the edge of my seat! It was a brilliant and satisfying ending to the series!

Overall, I did enjoy this book but the ending made it A LOT better! I’m going to award it a 3 out of 5 stars, a definite read to finish the series, especially if you want a secure closure, but not my favourite in the series.

Never Fade – Alexandra Bracken

July 29, 2015

It isn’t often the case when the second book in a series is as good or better than the first but this is the case for ‘Never Fade. Once again Alexandra Bracken has created a suspenseful and action packed novel which I could put down…

Never Fade, again follows the character of Ruby as she begins her work for the Children’s League but when she’s entrusted with an explosive secret, she must hit the road again to help save the ones she loves and the lives of the millions of children trapped in the camps. Torn between old and the promises made to the children league, Ruby must help uncover the secrets hidden behind the disease and the government…

Ruby character development was perfect and so beautifully paced. She got to kick ass in this book and became a brave and powerful character who will do anything to protect her friends and others in difficult situations. In this book she also became a lot more mature with her actions and decisions which became clear in the writing.

I craved for Liam the first chapters of the book and when he finally appeared I didn’t know how to process what was happening. But sooner or later things came back into the swing of it, with everyone back together – except for Zu who I was disappointed not to see in this book, but hopefully in the next…

Obviously Liam and Ruby’s relationship was just beautiful. The romance was just gorgeous and even though we didn’t get loads it was just enough and was so intense you looked forward to it and appreciated the parts you got more than if there was loads

We are also introduced to a load of new characters as well as a few old faces. Vida was brilliant, she helped bring more humour and sass to the book as well as being a all-round badass! Can I ship her with Chubbs? The banter between them was funny and always made me smile! Joules, on the other hand was just so cute, his innocence reminded me first of Zu and I thought it was nice to have a character who wasn’t a total badass. Cole Stewart! Oh Goodness, now there’s two of them.

This book had so much action which always kept me on the edge on my seat and to add to that Alexandra Bracken decided to throw a few plot twists in there! The storyline, in some parts I thought wasn’t as strong as the first book however I loved the fact we finally got to meet some ‘Reds’ and saw the extent of their powers. Also in this book, a lot of my questions from the previous novel were answered but it did though leave me with even more like ‘What is the secret behind the disease?’ and ‘What is up with he government?’

The ending! Alexandra Bracken is one of the queens of rotten endings and cliffhangers. A part of me loves these endings as it just helps build my excitement for the next novel but on the other hand it just leaves me with a book hangover – Oh the struggles!

In the end, I can easily rate this book 5/5 stars and is a perfect dystopian novel and even better sequel. If you like what your reading, please feel free to check out my review on the first book, ‘The Darkest Minds‘.

The Darkest Minds – Alexandra Bracken

June 2, 2015

Once again I’m late to the party! I’ve heard great things about this book and it certainly lived up to all the hype!! This book had a great storyline and the characters where loveable and powerful! It is an absolutely amazing book but is also so heartbreaking!! This book never leaves a dull moment with action around every page from beginning to end which I really enjoyed as I’m a sucker for action!

The story follows the character of Ruby, and on her 10th Birthday, her life changes forever. And after surviving the mysterious disease which killed most of America’s children, she and many others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control. Ruby must find a way to escape and survive the changing world around her where she is constantly hunted and feared.

I really loved the idea of the disease and the camps were really unique and also at the same time really dark and depressing. However, I this made them so interesting and left me wanting to know more!! The world created, I thought was also believable and so dark yet realistic which i think is hard to find in many dystopian novel today! Again, the addition of the ‘powers’ I really enjoyed as it just makes the storyline a little bit different.

The characters were my favourite part of this book. Ruby is in my eyes a perfect female protagonist as she is fierce and strong both mentally and physically. She is such a badass who has to sacrifice a lot to get to where she is now! Liam. Oh, Liam has earned a place on my top 5 fictional boyfriends list as he’s sweet, Southern, and gifted with a heart the size of the moon. He is also a fantastic leader who is willing to do anything to save the ones he loves! The romance between these two characters again wasn’t cheesy or cliche but instead well paced and cute. I totally ship them!! Chubbs was certainly another one of favourite characters. I wasn’t so sure about him in the beginning, but once a friendship started between him and Ruby, I just couldn’t resist him anymore. He’s funny, caring and such a good friend!

Doesn’t this book have a rotten ending! Tip for those who haven’t read it yet, I recommend that you purchase the second book as the first contains a huge cliff hanger ending which will have you screaming at the book (I know I was!!) I didn’t know whether to scream in anger or just curl up in a ball and cry! My only criticism (and it’s only a small one) but at times I felt in the unknown as I had so many questions which needed answers!! Like, what is the actual end goal here of the government and its Evil Dictator President?!

Overall, I give this book 5/5 stars as it had a fab and gripping storyline as well as brilliant characters! For those who love exciting dystopian adventures filled with action, friendship and romance, The Darkest Minds is perfect!