Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

16 reviews

i0613085482's review against another edition

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, and Kidnapping

filipa_maia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The beginning was a little slow, I kept rereading some parts because I easily lost focus of the story.

But then it gets really good. I became very attached to these characters and their stories and just wanted to see them safe. The book is enticing and entertaining and I can't wait to read the next one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Abandonment, Police brutality, Child death, Confinement, Grief, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Kidnapping, Blood, Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Medical trauma and Medical content

Minor: Bullying and Sexual harassment

cayls's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

i almost want to give this book a five star just because i love it so much, but the ending makes me so upset, i have to rate it a 4.75. i watched the movie before i read the book so i basically already knew what happened, but i already like the book 10x  more than the movie. alexandra bracken is such a good writer, and i love the way she wrote and described things. all the characters mean so much to me (especially you liam, i love you more than any character ever). my copy was the one with the exclusive liam story, which was so cool to read, i loved hearing about his backstory in the league. i absolutely cannot wait to start the second book ! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

jachnax's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I love everything about this book and i need myself a Liam

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Blood, Gaslighting, Grief, Child death, Forced institutionalization, and War

Minor: Car accident

bones_jackson's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Eu amo muito o filme então eu amei o livro, tem algumas coisas que o filme mudou, mas eu continuo gostando dos dois

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Violence, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Vomit, Abandonment, and Fire/Fire injury

vvsmydiamonds's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book disappointed me, not enough for me to dnf it but significantly for a book that got hype on every media platform and a movie adaptation 6 years after its initial release.

I have a few comments. First, Ruby's mentality is difficult to grasp at the beginning of the book, and it's difficult to understand her motivations behind some of her actions and inactions. In the first 7 chapters, Ruby is telling a story, not living. Until she gets out of her first prison (physical prison, her mind is a prison too) you could count all her dialogue on your hands. We spend a lot of time in her head reading her complaints, worries, and regrets for chapters.

Secondly, the instant love with Liam is very hard to get behind. And I tried. The pair, along with Chubs and Zu spend around two weeks driving around together and despite their minimal meaningful conversation, little trust, and being literal strangers, halfway through the book they convince themselves that they're in love. It's weird because they go from 0 to 100 with like zero romantic progression. Honestly, she seems closer to Chubs, not romantically, but we watched their friendship grow through multiple conversations, positive or negative, intimate or surface. Same with Zu.

Thirdly, the IAAN disease itself just doesn't seem to make sense. If the disease emerges at puberty (which is an age range), why was nearly everyone mentioned presenting/dying at age 10 exactly? It just seemed odd for a country with millions of kids and for people whose powers are vastly different. Also, why imprison kids just to abuse them or off them? Why not just kill them all or train them all to hone their skills so you don't wipe out an entire generation? I usually don't care to nitpick that stuff but it was consistently being mentioned and the disease is a massive force in the story so I wish details around it were better developed. 

Fourth, during the entire car trip in Betty, I was SO confused about how they were sitting and the layout of the car. The only constant was that while Liam was driving, Zu always sat behind him. Also, the action scenes are difficult to comprehend. I was re-reading car chases, fights, and ambushes to figure out what was going on, where people were, and how everything was happening.

Other than this, it was a great story. 3 stars for Zu, Chubs, Liam's backstory and conflict, the well-built background characters, and the fact that it reminds me of the X-men.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Violence, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Child death, Murder, Cursing, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Child abuse

veskumelooni's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

Minor: Child death and Child abuse

goldenslug's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Slavery

dreamingpoet's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Child death, and Torture

herceia's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Everything you need for a YA dystopian novel. Very cool and loveable characters, a ton of suspense and danger, and a wild adventure the whole way through. The friendships were developed in a really lovely way, which is something I love to see. The violence of all kinds in this book are absolutely brutal to read and at times, a little too much, but I stuck around for the strength of the characters and their journey. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Grief, Violence, Torture, Terminal illness, Sexism, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Death, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment