Book Beginnings & The Friday 56: The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds #1) by Alexandra Bracken

Hosted By Rose City Reader & Freda's Voice

"Book Beginnings" is a weekly event that shares the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. "The Friday 56" is also a weekly event, sharing a sentence from page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's ok.)


My Pick This Week: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken 

““GRACE SOMERFIELD WAS THE FIRST TO DIE.

The first in my fourth grade class, at least. I’m sure that by then, thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands, of kids had already up and gone the same way she had. People were slow to piece it all together—or, at least, they had figured out the right way to keep us in the dark long after kids started dying.”

~ p. 1 

“Sam called it “forced recess”—they let us out of our cabins, and the work wasn’t difficult or tiring like it was in the Garden, but no one wanted to be there.

Especially when bullies came to the playground.

I knew he was standing behind me long before I heard him start counting the finished, shiny shoes in front of me. He smelled like spiced meat and car oil, which already was an unsettling combination before a whiff of cigarette smoke was added to the mix. I tried to straighten my back under the weight of his gaze, but it felt like he had taken two fists and dug the knuckles deep between my shoulder blades.” 

~ p. 56 

My Thoughts:
So far, I love this book. Ruby is one of those heroines that I'm not too sure of. Should I root for her, or run from her? I'm not so sure, but I'm loving finding out!

I think that Bracken has a real flair for writing; it's simple in it's delivery but there's this underlying sense of unease and suspense that's really got me wondering, "what's next?" I relish that feeling, so I think this will be a quick read.

Additionally, I think the cover is gorgeous. I love the yellowy-orange hues on the opalescent, metallic black background. It's truly striking.

Book Synopsis: 

Title: The Darkest Minds

Book Series: The Darkest Minds, Book #1

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Genres: YA, Dystopian, Fantasy

Release Date: December 18, 2012

 

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.