The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken | A Book + Movie Review
I told myself I would not buy any more books until I finish reading all the ones I own but have not yet read (upwards of 100 books...), but I broke my own promise three days ago to purchase The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. The previews of the upcoming movie, which was released this past weekend, peaked my interest, and of course I was even more interested when I discovered it was based on a book series. The books were written for teens, the characters have powers, and it's set in a mildly realistic dystopian society---basically, my favorite type of book.
Ruby is ten years old when her friends at school begin dying from a rare disease that affects kids aged around seven to thirteen. The surviving children, which is only a couple thousand across America, develop unique abilities and are sent off to what are basically concentration camps, though the government markets them as recovery camps. The kids are divided up based on their abilities: Ruby is an Orange, one of the dangerous ones, but somehow manages to be labeled a Green to avoid being killed. (Color breakdown, safest to most dangerous: Green = enhanced intelligence, Blue = telekinesis, Yellow = control electricity, Red = pyrokinesis, Orange = control minds, memories, emotions). After six years, she escapes the camp, finds some friends, and embarks on a dangerous adventure.
I could not put this book down: I read on my lunch breaks at Barnes & Noble and as soon as I got home from work. Although some may easily categorize this book with all the other YA dystopian series (it does have a couple similarities to Divergent), there are some stark differences that sets this one apart (though keep in mind I have only read the first book in this series thus far).
First of all, the traditional romance between the female protagonist and the attractive male supporting character is not the main focus of the book! Don't get me wrong, I love a good romance, but it is nice to read something a bit more realistic. Sure, Ruby encounters a guy who catches her attention, and this relationship develops slowly and awkwardly (as it should) towards the latter part of the book, but her main focus is helping her friends and achieving her own goals.
At one point, Ruby begins thinking about how she stopped receiving an education after she turned ten and how some would say that education is a privilege afforded to the youth of America. She realizes that this assumption is wrong: a child's education is a right. Reading this, I actually smiled and thought, Preach it, girl!
From the first page to the tearful cliffhanger at the end, I was hooked. As for the movie...
*Warning: Mild spoilers ahead*
Even though I had read the book, I felt like the characters in the movie were complete strangers. We knew nothing about their journeys, making them flat and unrelatable. Furthermore, they made the relationship between Ruby and Liam forced and at the forefront of the plot. They completely eliminated Jack from the story (and thus had to change how Chubs was injured at the end of the movie). AND they butchered the entire climax of the plot, from the groups' escape from camp to the attack shortly after. The Reds were not supposed to be there, and they looked kind of stupid breathing fire from their mouths. The casting for Clancy was terrible. Zu was supposed to be bald. Betty was supposed to be black. Okay, I'm just ranting at this point, but you get the idea. 5/5 would not recommend.
Stay tuned for my review of the remaining books in the series.