Just One More Chapter

WOW!! This bleak yet secretly, against all sorts of odds hopeful dystopian gem has been hyped to the umpteenth degree and frankly does not (completely) disappoint. Yes, the writing is not poetic (for the most part) and the Dystopian genre has been done...fried, refried, charred well done, over hard almost to the point of disgust. This opinion might be skewed a bit. My love-hate relationship with this genre is public knowledge, making me the unbiased, best suited person to review this....ANYWAY... the most stunningly poignant character development has been created here! It stands up and DEMANDS the plot not only acknowledge but revolve almost exclusively around these uncommonly rich/dynamic, three dimensional characters. These characters are so deep that they, along with some seriously interesting and creatively unique world development, are what makes this undertaking anything more than a generic YA Dystopian knockoff. I know that that observation sounds a bit obvious but I cannot stress enough how the interconnectedness of these characters coupled with their complexity made this novel. The unique and uncharacteristically immersive world development was, of course, necessary yet merely an accompaniment. Otherwise, Darkest Minds is one big road trip with damaged/misunderstood, subversive yet winning against all odds teenagers versus bad guy adults/corrupt government ad nauseum trope after trope chase scene on loop. I am tempted to give this less stars but I fell in love (hate where compelled), attached and fiercely invested in each and every character (secondary, tertiary and all).

The MC, and sole POV, Ruby was a tad annoying. This detracted immensely from my personal need for a kick @$$ heroine whom is also beautifully, yet not classically beautiful, humanly flawed. Her constant referring to herself as "a monster" and going along, falling in love so easily after being tortured for 6 of her most formative years was disconcerting (to say the least).

All in all this was a good read and what appears to be an excellent start to a much beloved series. Will I continue on to book #2 even though there is an extreme abundance of highly anticipated books on the scene right now, heck yeah?! I recommend you follow suit. This is fanatically revered and cherished by MANY of the Goodreads population. Go for it!!