You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
3.5 Stars
First off I have to say thatI liked the whole trilogy with it's plot and characters a lot! But to be honest I just couldn't really get along with the writing style and thats why it always took a while for me to finish these books and to really get into the story.
Well In the Afterlight .... (spoilers ahead)
It took me SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO long to finish this book and I don't know why ..
So first off, the whole Chubs and Vida thingy ..
And whenZu finally spoke for the first time ...
(I loved that chapter sooo much)
Then my reactionwhen Cole died .. (I liked him sooo much :( )
The last chapter really gave me the rest ... it was a really good conclusion to the whole story and I genuinely liked it!
First off I have to say thatI liked the whole trilogy with it's plot and characters a lot! But to be honest I just couldn't really get along with the writing style and thats why it always took a while for me to finish these books and to really get into the story.
Well In the Afterlight .... (spoilers ahead)
It took me SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO long to finish this book and I don't know why ..
So first off, the whole Chubs and Vida thingy ..
And when
(I loved that chapter sooo much)
Then my reaction
The last chapter really gave me the rest ... it was a really good conclusion to the whole story and I genuinely liked it!
It's 1:15 in the morning, I have to get up at 6:00 and I know for sure that the bookhangover I will have might be huge. "Review" to come.
________
Ok, where do I start,
first things first, I wasn't really bumped for this book. I heard that the beginning was boring, that it wasn't as good as the first and the second book and so on. But let me tell you this, before you read any further: That book is freaking amazing.
I started this series like one year ago and finished the second one in August 2015. I bought IN THE AFTERLIGHT in October or November and the plottwist of the second book in the beginning was so freaking surprising, I just needed the third.
But I didn't read it. I tried to in November.
AND HOLY MOLY SORRY I AM WATCHING 11.22.63 WHILE I READ THIS AND THIS SHIT IS AMAZING. OK SORRY.
As I said I tried to read it in November and I just couldn't do it. It was like I wasn't emotionally ready, so I didn't force me through this book and it probably was the best decision ever.
Because when I started this book AGAIN two days ago it just felt right. It was flying through the pages
Let me start with the characters:
I liked the characters, I really did. They had depth, they were intriguing, I was totally feeling them and that is a really good thing.
Ruby was one of the characters I am not sure if I totally liked her. I understood her, I could identify myself with her but sometimes I wanted to strangle her so badly. The decisions she made were understandable, they were likable and I really liked her powers and how Bracken described them.
Liam, on the other hand, didn't really get a lot of attention in this book. The relationship with Ruby didn't move forwards or backwards it wasn't moving on any point and this was kinda sad. There still was his trusting issues, which were understandable but he was the only character were the depth was a bit missing.
And then, there was my baby. Cole. Freaking, adorable, lovable, Cole. I loved him and then there were moments when I just loved him more than Liam or wanted Ruby to end up with him than Liam. But you know, freaking Alex bracken and her freaking plottwists, but whatever. I understood what he was going through, why he was doing the things he did and I think he and Ruby just fitted like a puzzle.
The next thing I loved was the plot. As I said earlier some people pointed out that the first 200 pages were slow paged or even boring, but I didn't feel it that way. I thought that what happened in this very part was necessary for the story, for the character development and for the reader to feel/identify with the characters.
I admit, the beginning was slowER paged than the rest or even the ending of the book, because that was fucking amazing. It was like the author kept the really amazing and surprising plottwists for the ending of the book. I was telling myself one thing when I was at page 395: "I will finish this chapter and then I will go to bed."
BUT LET ME TELL YOU ONE THING: I didn't go to bed.
So I said "One more chapter."
AND THEN I IT WAS FREAKING 1:15 AND I FINISHED THE WHOLE BOOK.
It was beyond amazing it was... I am still speechless. Even the ending was killing it and even though there is the one thing that is still bothering me WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED WITH COLE????
To everyone who is struggling with this book keep going. It is totally worth it.
Applause to Alexandra Bracken for this extraordinary ending of the book and the only dystopian book I know with a (nearly) perfect and satisfying ending.
________
Ok, where do I start,
first things first, I wasn't really bumped for this book. I heard that the beginning was boring, that it wasn't as good as the first and the second book and so on. But let me tell you this, before you read any further: That book is freaking amazing.
I started this series like one year ago and finished the second one in August 2015. I bought IN THE AFTERLIGHT in October or November and the plottwist of the second book in the beginning was so freaking surprising, I just needed the third.
But I didn't read it. I tried to in November.
AND HOLY MOLY SORRY I AM WATCHING 11.22.63 WHILE I READ THIS AND THIS SHIT IS AMAZING. OK SORRY.
As I said I tried to read it in November and I just couldn't do it. It was like I wasn't emotionally ready, so I didn't force me through this book and it probably was the best decision ever.
Because when I started this book AGAIN two days ago it just felt right. It was flying through the pages
Let me start with the characters:
I liked the characters, I really did. They had depth, they were intriguing, I was totally feeling them and that is a really good thing.
Ruby was one of the characters I am not sure if I totally liked her. I understood her, I could identify myself with her but sometimes I wanted to strangle her so badly. The decisions she made were understandable, they were likable and I really liked her powers and how Bracken described them.
Liam, on the other hand, didn't really get a lot of attention in this book. The relationship with Ruby didn't move forwards or backwards it wasn't moving on any point and this was kinda sad. There still was his trusting issues, which were understandable but he was the only character were the depth was a bit missing.
And then, there was my baby. Cole. Freaking, adorable, lovable, Cole. I loved him and then there were moments when I just loved him more than Liam or wanted Ruby to end up with him than Liam. But you know, freaking Alex bracken and her freaking plottwists, but whatever. I understood what he was going through, why he was doing the things he did and I think he and Ruby just fitted like a puzzle.
The next thing I loved was the plot. As I said earlier some people pointed out that the first 200 pages were slow paged or even boring, but I didn't feel it that way. I thought that what happened in this very part was necessary for the story, for the character development and for the reader to feel/identify with the characters.
I admit, the beginning was slowER paged than the rest or even the ending of the book, because that was fucking amazing. It was like the author kept the really amazing and surprising plottwists for the ending of the book. I was telling myself one thing when I was at page 395: "I will finish this chapter and then I will go to bed."
BUT LET ME TELL YOU ONE THING: I didn't go to bed.
So I said "One more chapter."
AND THEN I IT WAS FREAKING 1:15 AND I FINISHED THE WHOLE BOOK.
It was beyond amazing it was... I am still speechless. Even the ending was killing it and even though there is the one thing that is still bothering me
To everyone who is struggling with this book keep going. It is totally worth it.
Applause to Alexandra Bracken for this extraordinary ending of the book and the only dystopian book I know with a (nearly) perfect and satisfying ending.
This is now one of my favourite series. Such a different YA dystopia novel which I loved!! Would recommend to anyone.
Also I can't decide if I'm I love with Cole, Liam, chubs or Vida?? Or maybe all
Also I can't decide if I'm I love with Cole, Liam, chubs or Vida?? Or maybe all
"...Dreamers always wake up and leave their monsters behind."
If each memory that drifted up were a star, I was standing at the centre of a galaxy.
Alexandra Bracken, you are magnificent. This was such an amazing, dystopian novel, which was an amazing finale of The Darkest Minds series. The Afterlight was a troublesome 5/5.
Black is the colour that is no colour at all.
This series was placed very high on my favourites list after the first two novels, and I was over-the-top excited when I got my hands on the finale book. I wanted to see where the epic combustion of action chapters were going to reveal themselves ... throughout the whole story line, that is. The plot here was a little slow at the start. It was a little dragging and there wasn't a lot of action on the first half of the book.
But although the slow plot line greatly differentiated this book from it's previous two, we saw a lot more conflict between the inner circle of characters. So although, we didn't get a series of kickass scenes, we got a lot of drama between friends, enemies and newbies.
We saw a lot of disagreements between characters, and the drama between them was unbelievable. It was almost laughable. I actually think that that drama made up for the lack of going on a journey in this book, which was a really big key factor in the previous two.
It is a road. A forgotten night sky broken up by faded stars.
So, after our protagonists escape from the bombarded Los Angeles, they seek a safe house which would allow them to settle and come up with a plan to break out the rest of the United State's children from other rehabilitation camps. On their way, they find some familiar faces, which they take under the wing again, and Cole, who is the head of the operation, leads them to refuge.
There, they argue about their plans, their resources and their objectives. The novel wasn't entirely structured at this moment, and everything was in its' crawling stage. While they are in the safe house, they negotiate ways to forward their plans to break children out, to find the cause of IAAN and to get back the agents and important individuals that they lost. Slowly, they accomplish ... most of these things.
It is the barrel of a new gun, levelled at your heart.
Our beloved characters are argumentative of where they should turn their weapons to the numerous threats around them, but what they don't realise, is that they are blinded by the fact that the most unexpected twist in the tale is literally located around the corner ... in that isolated cell.
The colour of Chub's hair, Liam's bruises, Zu's eye.
Now this is my favourite part, because I really really want to talk about these characters. After finishing this book, I was so close to throwing it at the wall, because I will forever, FOREVER, miss Ruby, Chubs, Liam, Zu and Vida. They were so unique, so beautiful and characterised brilliantly.
Character development was a key factor in this book. Ruby, our main character, was greatly affected by this. Ruby still undervalues her ability, and she is still reluctant to do things against her will... whether she is aware of what she is doing or not... *hint, hint.* In this book, she is tougher and fiercer than ever. She is more in charge here, but occasionally we get to see the part of her that is still terrified of what will happen if she loses control. Ruby once admits to Cole that she can't help anyone if she isn't in control. And after reading that paragraph, my respect for Ruby skyrocketed. She puts herself in so much risk, so much danger, but she will happily stand in front of a shower of bullets to protect everyone who stands behind her. She is an amazing inspiration and I love her.
However, she is not one that plays an individual game. She is not as confident as she can be if she is alone. It's clear that she cannot assemble enough 'soldiers' at an operational level, which is where the importance of the supporting characters come into play.
Cole was like a brother figure to Ruby. Almost like the sibling she never had. And although his relationship with Liam can get a little hostile, Cole is an important and caring big brother who doesn't want his friends and relatives to end up 6 feet under. He literally beats himself up to keep everyone glued together. I will forever admire the leader that Cole was fabricated to be. His story ended too early, but he is certainly someone who I will take my hat off every time someone he is mentioned.
The argumentative behaviour present in this book also disrupted a lot of friendships along the way. The relationship between Ruby and Liam had a lot of faults due to the disagreements that they had. BUT LOVE IS LOVE AND YOU CAN'T FIGHT IT! I was so happy when they resolved their conflict, that I burst into tears. And also, I was really happy when Chubs and Vida finally reacted to their chemistry.
I thought that this specifically was significant for their relationship:
"You know, Grannie...you have actually not sucked in this crisis." Vida said.
"I can't see your face so I can't tell how sincere that was..." Chubs replied.
Believe me. This is a big improvement.
"Screw Team Reality - I'm leaving to join Team Sanity."
Black is a promise of tomorrow, bled dry from lies and hate. Betrayal.
One character, who played an interesting and exceptional villain, was Clancy Gray. Gray's character was spontaneously developed, although he ever left his 'evil' ways, he improved in a lot, and his strong displeasing relationship with the other characters, especially Ruby, started to get very controlling and unbalanced, but I think that this character was one of Bracken's best. He was cunning, mischievous, and his plans were so unexpected that when he pulled his final evil dead, I was so shocked that I threw the book across the room.
Clancy Gray was an unforgettable villain. I loved him.
But the thing that I liked most about him was that ... he didn't necessary believe he was doing anything wrong. The key factor in some villains is psychological. There are some villains out there that want nothing more than to inflict pain and suffering to everyone they come across. They want revenge. And Clancy did want revenge in some way, but he was certain that everything he did was for the greater good. In a way, by doing all of the horrible things that he has done, he believed that he was saving people.
I don't think I'll be able to think negatively about him after that. It was kinda sad to realise.
Ruby's character, again, really stood out. Going from this:
"Ruby, what does the future look like?"
"I see it in colours," I said. "A deep blue, fading into gold and reds - like fire on a horizon. Afterlight. It's a sky that wants you to guess if the sun is about to rise or set."
To:
"I saw the future with sharp clarity and it wasn't a road, it wasn't a sky, it wasn't anything that beautiful. It was electricity singing through metal chainlink and bars. It was mud and rain and a thousand days bleeding into a stream of black.
I swear, if I were to get my hands on anyone of those foul Satan-spawns who harmed Ruby, I'm going to kill them, their children and their grandchildren. And Dean Winchester is going to help me.
It is the fire.
One of things that made this book a 5 out of 5 star book was the psychological conflicts the author introduced here. You saw the conflicts that could erupted from complicated decision making. The slow chapters at the beginning of the book were forgiven for their lack of action after I read the intense, dangerous, action packed final chapters.
It is the spark.
It was a combustion of intensity. Ruby was never alone, I was one step away behind her. Through the entire adventure. After her taking, the rest of the crew finally resolved their differences and went to help her. To help her succeed in the plan that was fabricated at the very start of the series. At the end, it just shows the intense loyalty these characters have for one another. And I think it's been a long time since I've read this in another book.
Black is the colour of memory.
I will forever miss these extraordinary kids. Alexandra Bracken left them off with a happy finale, taking us back to the place where the characters were happy. Together, in a car, with the open road ahead of them. Which just shows that they will forever be moving. Moving forward.
It is our colour. The only one they'll use to tell our story.
This book made me cry harder than I have ever had. And I will forever love it for that.
Some people came into this world and never once looked up to see the lives around them - they were so focused on what they wanted, what they needed. No one else mattered to them. They disconnected from sympathy and pity and guilt. Some people came into this world as monsters. I understand that now.
If each memory that drifted up were a star, I was standing at the centre of a galaxy.
Alexandra Bracken, you are magnificent. This was such an amazing, dystopian novel, which was an amazing finale of The Darkest Minds series. The Afterlight was a troublesome 5/5.
Black is the colour that is no colour at all.
This series was placed very high on my favourites list after the first two novels, and I was over-the-top excited when I got my hands on the finale book. I wanted to see where the epic combustion of action chapters were going to reveal themselves ... throughout the whole story line, that is. The plot here was a little slow at the start. It was a little dragging and there wasn't a lot of action on the first half of the book.
But although the slow plot line greatly differentiated this book from it's previous two, we saw a lot more conflict between the inner circle of characters. So although, we didn't get a series of kickass scenes, we got a lot of drama between friends, enemies and newbies.
We saw a lot of disagreements between characters, and the drama between them was unbelievable. It was almost laughable. I actually think that that drama made up for the lack of going on a journey in this book, which was a really big key factor in the previous two.
It is a road. A forgotten night sky broken up by faded stars.
So, after our protagonists escape from the bombarded Los Angeles, they seek a safe house which would allow them to settle and come up with a plan to break out the rest of the United State's children from other rehabilitation camps. On their way, they find some familiar faces, which they take under the wing again, and Cole, who is the head of the operation, leads them to refuge.
There, they argue about their plans, their resources and their objectives. The novel wasn't entirely structured at this moment, and everything was in its' crawling stage. While they are in the safe house, they negotiate ways to forward their plans to break children out, to find the cause of IAAN and to get back the agents and important individuals that they lost. Slowly, they accomplish ... most of these things.
It is the barrel of a new gun, levelled at your heart.
Our beloved characters are argumentative of where they should turn their weapons to the numerous threats around them, but what they don't realise, is that they are blinded by the fact that the most unexpected twist in the tale is literally located around the corner ... in that isolated cell.
The colour of Chub's hair, Liam's bruises, Zu's eye.
Now this is my favourite part, because I really really want to talk about these characters. After finishing this book, I was so close to throwing it at the wall, because I will forever, FOREVER, miss Ruby, Chubs, Liam, Zu and Vida. They were so unique, so beautiful and characterised brilliantly.
Character development was a key factor in this book. Ruby, our main character, was greatly affected by this. Ruby still undervalues her ability, and she is still reluctant to do things against her will... whether she is aware of what she is doing or not... *hint, hint.* In this book, she is tougher and fiercer than ever. She is more in charge here, but occasionally we get to see the part of her that is still terrified of what will happen if she loses control. Ruby once admits to Cole that she can't help anyone if she isn't in control. And after reading that paragraph, my respect for Ruby skyrocketed. She puts herself in so much risk, so much danger, but she will happily stand in front of a shower of bullets to protect everyone who stands behind her. She is an amazing inspiration and I love her.
However, she is not one that plays an individual game. She is not as confident as she can be if she is alone. It's clear that she cannot assemble enough 'soldiers' at an operational level, which is where the importance of the supporting characters come into play.
Cole was like a brother figure to Ruby. Almost like the sibling she never had. And although his relationship with Liam can get a little hostile, Cole is an important and caring big brother who doesn't want his friends and relatives to end up 6 feet under. He literally beats himself up to keep everyone glued together. I will forever admire the leader that Cole was fabricated to be. His story ended too early, but he is certainly someone who I will take my hat off every time someone he is mentioned.
The argumentative behaviour present in this book also disrupted a lot of friendships along the way. The relationship between Ruby and Liam had a lot of faults due to the disagreements that they had. BUT LOVE IS LOVE AND YOU CAN'T FIGHT IT! I was so happy when they resolved their conflict, that I burst into tears. And also, I was really happy when Chubs and Vida finally reacted to their chemistry.
I thought that this specifically was significant for their relationship:
"You know, Grannie...you have actually not sucked in this crisis." Vida said.
"I can't see your face so I can't tell how sincere that was..." Chubs replied.
Believe me. This is a big improvement.
"Screw Team Reality - I'm leaving to join Team Sanity."
Black is a promise of tomorrow, bled dry from lies and hate. Betrayal.
One character, who played an interesting and exceptional villain, was Clancy Gray. Gray's character was spontaneously developed, although he ever left his 'evil' ways, he improved in a lot, and his strong displeasing relationship with the other characters, especially Ruby, started to get very controlling and unbalanced, but I think that this character was one of Bracken's best. He was cunning, mischievous, and his plans were so unexpected that when he pulled his final evil dead, I was so shocked that I threw the book across the room.
Clancy Gray was an unforgettable villain. I loved him.
But the thing that I liked most about him was that ... he didn't necessary believe he was doing anything wrong. The key factor in some villains is psychological. There are some villains out there that want nothing more than to inflict pain and suffering to everyone they come across. They want revenge. And Clancy did want revenge in some way, but he was certain that everything he did was for the greater good. In a way, by doing all of the horrible things that he has done, he believed that he was saving people.
I don't think I'll be able to think negatively about him after that. It was kinda sad to realise.
Ruby's character, again, really stood out. Going from this:
"Ruby, what does the future look like?"
"I see it in colours," I said. "A deep blue, fading into gold and reds - like fire on a horizon. Afterlight. It's a sky that wants you to guess if the sun is about to rise or set."
To:
"I saw the future with sharp clarity and it wasn't a road, it wasn't a sky, it wasn't anything that beautiful. It was electricity singing through metal chainlink and bars. It was mud and rain and a thousand days bleeding into a stream of black.
I swear, if I were to get my hands on anyone of those foul Satan-spawns who harmed Ruby, I'm going to kill them, their children and their grandchildren. And Dean Winchester is going to help me.
It is the fire.
One of things that made this book a 5 out of 5 star book was the psychological conflicts the author introduced here. You saw the conflicts that could erupted from complicated decision making. The slow chapters at the beginning of the book were forgiven for their lack of action after I read the intense, dangerous, action packed final chapters.
It is the spark.
It was a combustion of intensity. Ruby was never alone, I was one step away behind her. Through the entire adventure. After her taking, the rest of the crew finally resolved their differences and went to help her. To help her succeed in the plan that was fabricated at the very start of the series. At the end, it just shows the intense loyalty these characters have for one another. And I think it's been a long time since I've read this in another book.
Black is the colour of memory.
I will forever miss these extraordinary kids. Alexandra Bracken left them off with a happy finale, taking us back to the place where the characters were happy. Together, in a car, with the open road ahead of them. Which just shows that they will forever be moving. Moving forward.
It is our colour. The only one they'll use to tell our story.
This book made me cry harder than I have ever had. And I will forever love it for that.
Some people came into this world and never once looked up to see the lives around them - they were so focused on what they wanted, what they needed. No one else mattered to them. They disconnected from sympathy and pity and guilt. Some people came into this world as monsters. I understand that now.
I’m just....... amazed. This book pulled me in and kept me turning pages. I couldn’t put it down. There was action, romance, suspense, sadness, and happiness. This book also inspired me in a way. Ruby pushes through the tough times and cherishes the happy times. She makes the necessary sacrifices for her friends, her family. I aspire to be like that. Also, there’s a happy ending!!
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
Bracken, I believe I made it perfectly clear in my review of Sparks Rise that if you don't fix Lucas in this book, I will hunt you down and make you suffer. Not only did you not fix him, but you didn't even mention what became of him or the other Reds past their involvement in Thurmond.
However, I'm willing to overlook that, since the ending was satisfying, and DIDNT leave me in a bloody and crying mess on the floor, something that I truly appreciate.
What makes Bracken such a great author, and so different from others, is that her characters are capable of ruling their decisions by both emotion and logic, where most let one overshadow the other, which, in the case of most other stories, leads to a very big mistake. This sets up the characters in THIS book to be sensible, even when emotional, a point that, personally, I found very pleasing.
However, I'm willing to overlook that, since the ending was satisfying, and DIDNT leave me in a bloody and crying mess on the floor, something that I truly appreciate.
What makes Bracken such a great author, and so different from others, is that her characters are capable of ruling their decisions by both emotion and logic, where most let one overshadow the other, which, in the case of most other stories, leads to a very big mistake. This sets up the characters in THIS book to be sensible, even when emotional, a point that, personally, I found very pleasing.
Very slow start but in the last 200 pages it speed up... until the last 10 which were back to being slow. But overall it was ok!