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booktallie's review against another edition
4.0
I cried. I laughed. I felt.... this series made my heart wish for more...
sam_hartwig's review against another edition
2.0
I hate giving this only two stars, but that's all it deserves I'm afraid. I thought The Darkest Minds was unique and amazing when I read it a few years ago, but I think I recall not liking Never Fade as much. This book though was capital B-oring!
This book is SO much longer than it needed to be. I was so bored throughout most of it, and ended up skimming over pages and only reading dialogue JUST to finish it. In my opinion nothing much happened, and all the action at the end was over in a few seconds! The ending wasn't that great and where was the mourning for Cole?! I also think Clancy deserved a worse ending, he got his happy ending which I'm not happy about…
Apart from all my negatives, I feel that this series would translate better as movies. I thought the first was already on the cards, so hopefully they still create it because I'd definitely be up to watch them.
Well, at least now I can say I finished the series, and tick it off my list.
This book is SO much longer than it needed to be. I was so bored throughout most of it, and ended up skimming over pages and only reading dialogue JUST to finish it. In my opinion nothing much happened, and all the action at the end was over in a few seconds! The ending wasn't that great and where was the mourning for Cole?! I also think Clancy deserved a worse ending, he got his happy ending which I'm not happy about…
Apart from all my negatives, I feel that this series would translate better as movies. I thought the first was already on the cards, so hopefully they still create it because I'd definitely be up to watch them.
Well, at least now I can say I finished the series, and tick it off my list.
cheritee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
stuckinafictionaluniverse's review against another edition
2.0
*Spoiler-free for the whole series!*
The more I talk about this final installment curse that I’ve made up, the more convinced I become that it’s real. I need to shut up about it, don't I?
Was this a good conclusion to the series? Yes. I can see why many readers will cheer and feel more than content with this final installment. Everything's wrapped up nicely, the answers we get make sense, and so on.
Was this a good book? I didn't think so.
In the afterlight's biggest flaw is that it suffers from a major slow book syndrome. At 550 pages, it is quite the chunk of a novel, and the snail-like pacing affected my rating for the worse.
It’s like riding a bike up a hill for hours just to see the spectacular view. Once you reach the top, you’re exhausted and sweaty. You were expecting a delightful sunset here, and you missed it so it's now just pitch-black. Sure, it isn't raining, but where is my promised sunset?!
The ending was good, and everything was resolved. However, it was anticlimactic. I feel like it was too convenient, rushed and happily-ever-after for such a dark dystopian.
Alexandra Bracken’s writing has become so much stronger throughout the series.
Before, my biggest pet peeve with TDM was the messy action scenes that I had to re-read many times before understanding what happened.
I sure didn’t have that problem with this installment - mainly because nothing happened for the first 350 pages - but also because the action scenes in this book didn't feel confusing or sloppily written.
The romance lost some of its tension and I was annoyed with Liam and Ruby for not communicating. Man, bad/lack of communication is becoming one of my biggest bookish pet peeves.
I started off this series by loving every single character. Here I am, at the end of the journey, and I feel... indifferent. I enjoyed reading about them, and I think the group of runaways was the best in book 1, and then lost some of its chemistry once they developed and got separated.
Clancy is still a fantastic, believable villain and he became a fully fleshed-out character in this book. He's scarred, brutal and vicious.
Also his faith was perfect for his character. I have no complains regarding his plotline.
The world-building was one of the better ones I’ve read in dystopian novels, if a little difficult to understand because of the jam-packed background.
I would recommend this series to fans of slightly more scientific dystopia and action, who don't mind slow pacing. It was a good ride, but I won't re-read the books (with the exception of The darkest minds, for sentimental value).
My ratings for the whole series:
The Darkest Minds: 4 stars (originally 5 because of that shocking ending).
Never Fade: 3.5 stars, pretty decent sequel.
In The Afterlight: 2 stars.
The more I talk about this final installment curse that I’ve made up, the more convinced I become that it’s real. I need to shut up about it, don't I?
Was this a good conclusion to the series? Yes. I can see why many readers will cheer and feel more than content with this final installment. Everything's wrapped up nicely, the answers we get make sense, and so on.
Was this a good book? I didn't think so.
In the afterlight's biggest flaw is that it suffers from a major slow book syndrome. At 550 pages, it is quite the chunk of a novel, and the snail-like pacing affected my rating for the worse.
It’s like riding a bike up a hill for hours just to see the spectacular view. Once you reach the top, you’re exhausted and sweaty. You were expecting a delightful sunset here, and you missed it so it's now just pitch-black. Sure, it isn't raining, but where is my promised sunset?!
The ending was good, and everything was resolved. However, it was anticlimactic. I feel like it was too convenient, rushed and happily-ever-after for such a dark dystopian.
Alexandra Bracken’s writing has become so much stronger throughout the series.
Before, my biggest pet peeve with TDM was the messy action scenes that I had to re-read many times before understanding what happened.
I sure didn’t have that problem with this installment - mainly because nothing happened for the first 350 pages - but also because the action scenes in this book didn't feel confusing or sloppily written.
The romance lost some of its tension and I was annoyed with Liam and Ruby for not communicating. Man, bad/lack of communication is becoming one of my biggest bookish pet peeves.
I started off this series by loving every single character. Here I am, at the end of the journey, and I feel... indifferent. I enjoyed reading about them, and I think the group of runaways was the best in book 1, and then lost some of its chemistry once they developed and got separated.
Clancy is still a fantastic, believable villain and he became a fully fleshed-out character in this book. He's scarred, brutal and vicious.
Also his faith was perfect for his character. I have no complains regarding his plotline.
The world-building was one of the better ones I’ve read in dystopian novels, if a little difficult to understand because of the jam-packed background.
I would recommend this series to fans of slightly more scientific dystopia and action, who don't mind slow pacing. It was a good ride, but I won't re-read the books (with the exception of The darkest minds, for sentimental value).
My ratings for the whole series:
The Darkest Minds: 4 stars (originally 5 because of that shocking ending).
Never Fade: 3.5 stars, pretty decent sequel.
In The Afterlight: 2 stars.
tbeaumont223's review against another edition
4.0
From the first chapter of The Darkest Minds I have loved this series. Three series I am reading came out with new books at the same time and I read In the After Light first because it was the one I was most anticipating. I couldn't wait to devour the book, to see where the characters ended up in the finale. However, I didn't find myself on the edge of my seat like I had hoped while reading the story.
Let's start with what I liked: the characters.
Liam and Ruby. It was a nail-biter to see their relationship go through the stages it did. There were times I found myself thinking, "she wouldn't!" I know Ms. Bracken's tendency to have sad, unfortunately realistic endings. I found the drama of their growth to be just enough without making the book a teenage love saga.
I love that Ruby is a strong, teenage, female lead character. She is an awesome role model.
Chubs. Vida. Zu. Nico. Clancy. Not a ton of character development here (a few juicy plot twists, though) but as sidekicks it worked out just fine. There was a focus on Ruby's relationship with each interwoven into the story, but I felt the developments served more to highlight Ruby's growth and maturity rather than theirs.
Cole. He has his rough spots (a lot of them) but underneath it all is a good guy. I enjoyed getting to see his character development a little more.
The dialogue was funny, Vi's sarcasm was light and funny. I liked there was enough doubt, drama, teenage struggle and arguments to be realistic but not to the point that it dragged the story down into whining, self absorption, and negativity.
What a didn't like as much:
The plot was slower than the first few books. It started off with a little action but then it took until halfway through the book for there to be more. I enjoyed the intense chases, fight scenes, and ops in the first two books. I found that intensity to be lacking here. That said, there was never a point I considered putting the book down. Would I have read it faster, been more absorbed had there been more action? Yes. That's why I only gave the book four stars. I wasn't as engrossed with the story as I had hoped to be.
Overall, I feel the story was adequately closed that readers aren't left wondering "what if?" Still one of my favorite series and I'm excited for what Alexandra Bracken beings our way in the future.
Let's start with what I liked: the characters.
Liam and Ruby. It was a nail-biter to see their relationship go through the stages it did. There were times I found myself thinking, "she wouldn't!" I know Ms. Bracken's tendency to have sad, unfortunately realistic endings. I found the drama of their growth to be just enough without making the book a teenage love saga.
I love that Ruby is a strong, teenage, female lead character. She is an awesome role model.
Chubs. Vida. Zu. Nico. Clancy. Not a ton of character development here (a few juicy plot twists, though) but as sidekicks it worked out just fine. There was a focus on Ruby's relationship with each interwoven into the story, but I felt the developments served more to highlight Ruby's growth and maturity rather than theirs.
Cole. He has his rough spots (a lot of them) but underneath it all is a good guy. I enjoyed getting to see his character development a little more.
The dialogue was funny, Vi's sarcasm was light and funny. I liked there was enough doubt, drama, teenage struggle and arguments to be realistic but not to the point that it dragged the story down into whining, self absorption, and negativity.
What a didn't like as much:
The plot was slower than the first few books. It started off with a little action but then it took until halfway through the book for there to be more. I enjoyed the intense chases, fight scenes, and ops in the first two books. I found that intensity to be lacking here. That said, there was never a point I considered putting the book down. Would I have read it faster, been more absorbed had there been more action? Yes. That's why I only gave the book four stars. I wasn't as engrossed with the story as I had hoped to be.
Overall, I feel the story was adequately closed that readers aren't left wondering "what if?" Still one of my favorite series and I'm excited for what Alexandra Bracken beings our way in the future.
druggedraccus's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
harleyrae's review against another edition
DNF at 130 pages.
It has been years since I last read these books. Because of this I’m just not interested in this story anymore. I tried to push through, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. I was able to follow along better than I though, but I wasn’t enjoying myself. It’s time to finally let this book go.
It has been years since I last read these books. Because of this I’m just not interested in this story anymore. I tried to push through, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. I was able to follow along better than I though, but I wasn’t enjoying myself. It’s time to finally let this book go.
johannalinnea's review
adventurous
emotional
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? Yes
3.5
A true page turner!!!