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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
This and other reviews can be found on Reading Between Classes
Cover Impressions: I seem to recall that, when this cover was released, people were less than enthusiastic. But I kinda like it. It isn't all the awesomeness of Darkest Minds, but it is still a solid cover. I like the colors and the star (compass??) under the ice. I do wish the imagery linked more closely with the book itself.
The Gist: Ruby's time with the Children's League is cut short as she is sent on a secret mission to recover a flashdrive. The information she is seeking could change the world as she knows it and, naturally, it rests in the hands of Liam Stewart - the boy she thought she left behind for his own good. Tracking him down means exposing herself, and her terrifying abilities, to those she loves and trusts. As she crosses the country she encounters danger at the hands of adults and teenagers alike and must decide whether her loyalty lies with her friends, or with her promises to the League.
Review:
I am a huge fan of The Darkest Minds. I have read it twice and I recommend it to all of my students and colleagues. I loved the way that Bracken managed to fill a young adult novel with cruelty and brutality but still maintain a warmth for her characters and a sense that things could get better. Though this theme continues in Never Fade, things do tend to seem a little more bleak. Ruby thought she had seen the worst that humanity had to offer, but she soon finds she has been mistaken. Nothing with the league is what it seems and her ability to trust has been destroyed time and time again. I still rooted for Ruby, and I love that she is a wonderfully broken character who continues to grow, but I found it a little difficult in getting to know the new characters. Perhaps, it is a testiment to how well Bracken wrote the characters in the last book, as I was simply awaiting their arrival. As such, I wasn't able to develop a love for the new characters while still mourning the old ones. Once we meet up with Chubs and Liam I almost sighed in relief and was finally able to relax into the story.
I almost wish I had done a re-read of The Darkest Minds before picking up Never Fade. There are very few reminders in the beginning of the book and I had a little trouble remembering the details of what had taken place already. I did really enjoy getting to see the inside of the League and the intrigue involved in determining exactly who was in charge. As the novel continued, it proved to be just as action packed as its predecessor, and just as poignant in its observation of the cruelty, but also the glimmers of kindness, possible by mankind. The ending did an excellent job of setting up for the next book in the series and leaving the author wishing the time away until the release date of #3.
I am most definitely in this series for the long haul. Buying a copy of this book for my classroom, recommending it to my student book club and anxiously awaiting my next foray into this world.
Teaching/Parental Notes:
Age: 13 and up
Gender: Both
Sex: Kissing
Violence: Fist Fighting, Gunplay, Knifeplay
Inappropriate Language: Frequent: Jesus, Fuck, Shit, Dick,
Substance Use/Abuse: Smoking
I read the first of this trilogy and liked it, but did not fall in love with it. This book, however, I have fallen head-over-heels for. It is exciting and suspenseful and painful and I think it took a little bit of my soul away with it when I finished. The plot line is incredible and the character development is amazing. The first book already defined the characters quite a lot, for a first in a trilogy, but I was so happy to get the chance to see these characters fill out even more. I cannot say anything bad about this book at all except that it made me SAD (and it will made you sad too, trust me).
But seriously, the way that Ruby has progressed with her powers is so interesting, especially when looking back at the first book. She has come so far in feeling able and in having to deal with the morality of her actions. Also, even though it was not overly explored in this book, I was really pleased to be able to see more of Clancy's backstory. I feel like he has been written really well and there is just so much anger and frustration written into his character that needs to be explored.
I am also patiently awaiting the return of our favourite little pink-loving yellow.
But if you are thinking about reading this book, but are unsure because the first one failed to completely drag you in, read it. Do it. No regrets. Just keep reading.
But seriously, the way that Ruby has progressed with her powers is so interesting, especially when looking back at the first book. She has come so far in feeling able and in having to deal with the morality of her actions. Also, even though it was not overly explored in this book, I was really pleased to be able to see more of Clancy's backstory. I feel like he has been written really well and there is just so much anger and frustration written into his character that needs to be explored.
I am also patiently awaiting the return of our favourite little pink-loving yellow.
But if you are thinking about reading this book, but are unsure because the first one failed to completely drag you in, read it. Do it. No regrets. Just keep reading.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
This installment of the series didn't grip me as much as The Darkest Minds, to be honest. The pacing felt off at times — the events seemed rushed forward, with little time for the reader to get their bearings. I had to power through some chapters because I was bored or just couldn't bring myself to care about the characters' problems, but honestly, I think generally my gripes with this novel were of the it's not you, it's me kind.
This was a surprisingly good sequel! It branched off in a different direction than the first book, but it still held me captive with the twists and turns. Every time you thought you knew how life was panning out, something else shocking (and probably unbelievable!) happened.
Can't wait for the next book (October 2014 - ARGH)! I haven't devoured a whole series like it in a very long time!!
Can't wait for the next book (October 2014 - ARGH)! I haven't devoured a whole series like it in a very long time!!
I hate having to write reviews for the second book of a trilogy. Everything that builds up in the first book makes you want to know what happens next, so you pick up the next book and yet again you don't know if everything will be fine, you still don't know what you need to know for the closure you need. But you can't just skip to the last book, because you know you will miss vital info in that was part of the second book.
[b:Never Fade|16150830|Never Fade (The Darkest Minds, #2)|Alexandra Bracken|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1368460550s/16150830.jpg|21986942] is one of these books. It had the brilliant writing we can expected from [a:Alexandra Bracken|2973783|Alexandra Bracken|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1411581389p2/2973783.jpg], it had the intrigue and it had the thrilling adventure, and all the characters we knew and love, plus some extra new exciting ones. But it still leaves you wanting to know WHAT NEXT?
So I guess on to the next one?
[b:Never Fade|16150830|Never Fade (The Darkest Minds, #2)|Alexandra Bracken|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1368460550s/16150830.jpg|21986942] is one of these books. It had the brilliant writing we can expected from [a:Alexandra Bracken|2973783|Alexandra Bracken|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1411581389p2/2973783.jpg], it had the intrigue and it had the thrilling adventure, and all the characters we knew and love, plus some extra new exciting ones. But it still leaves you wanting to know WHAT NEXT?
So I guess on to the next one?
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sale Alert 19May19 Kindle Deal $0.99
Possible minor spoilers (It’s almost impossible to say anything about the book without, my apologies if anything I say is a spoilery)
Alexandra Bracken is a freaking tease. Yep, I said it I have a love/hate thing going on with her in my head right now. Not once but three times she made me believe that we were seeing a certain character again and then my hopes were dashed. But I’ll admit the second time I didn’t care quite as much because of who it really was but still.
Everyone is just making the choices that think will help them get by.
Ruby has definitely lived by that motto. She has changed a lot in the months since the first book, Ruby has done things she is not proud of for the Children’s League and she can’t change that. She is a leader of her team and has gone through some hard times since parting with her friends from Black Beauty. Even though all the kids on her team love Kate, Ruby can’t seem to let any of them get close to her and she refuses to get close to Kate. She doesn’t want them to know anything about her past, she doesn’t want to feel the same pain she felt when she lost Liam, but when a member of her team is in danger Ruby is still bound and determined to protect him.
As it turns out Ruby needs to break away from an op with the endangered Jude to run off and find Liam. Another member of the team, Lida, a snarky blue haired girl joins in the fun and they are off in search of the boy Ruby made forget her. Ruby runs into some old friends and a few enemies along the way. I will say that I was happy to see a few people from her past show up. There are so many struggles and dark times but thankfully Bracken adds some humor into the mix as well.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said, “apparently the middle of my sentence interrupted the beginning of yours. Do continue.”
Things I liked include but are not limited to: The addition of a few new characters Cole, Jude, Vida and Nico demonstrate how the Children’s League is set up. Kate’s backstory made her a bit more likeable if it’s true that is. Bringing back a few members of Ruby’s past to help her in her mission to find Liam and a flash drive with the cause of disease that killed or mutated all the children in the United States.
Ruby is truly a flawed person who is struggling with the monster she is or can be. She wants so much to be with the people she loves but at the same time she wants to save all the kids in all the camps and is scared by how far she might be willing to go to achieve those goals and who she will hurt along the way. I liked how the romance aspect of the book is resolving itself (I want to say more but I won’t). Liam, I always love Liam, his fierce loyalty and the way he always tries to protect all the kids. Even when he is upset his underlying core values shine through.
Some of the things I had issues with - Too many twists. I like the idea of twisting the story but Bracken had so many twists that well, I don’t take anything in the story as truth. There is conspiracy on top of conspiracy throughout the story and so I’m never surprised when someone switches sides or whatever I thought was going on is totally different than it seemed. Actually I’m just waiting for it because I’m sure that is what will happen next. Don’t get me wrong, they are well thought out and executed brilliantly there are just too many. At this point I won’t be surprised if all of this is just a hallucination that Clancy is behind. The only other issue I had was I wanted to have a few more questions answered before tossing in more mysteries. There will be a lot to wrap up in the last book.
Overall the plot of the story is well thought out and Bracken again tugged on my heart strings and made me tear up more than once in the story. The world she has created is extremely harsh and dark. There is plenty of action and danger to go around and the ending was pretty intense. But, our crew trudges on and continues to have hope for a better future, possibly one they can share together.
“Life isn’t fair,” I said, “It’s taken me awhile to get that. It’s always going to disappoint you in some way or another. You’ll make plans and it will push you in another direction. You will love people and they will be taken away no matter how hard you fight to keep them. You’ll try for something and won’t get it. You don’t have to find meaning in it, you don’t have to try to change things. You just have to accept the things that are out of your hands and try to take care of yourself. That’s your job.”
Possible minor spoilers (It’s almost impossible to say anything about the book without, my apologies if anything I say is a spoilery)
Alexandra Bracken is a freaking tease. Yep, I said it I have a love/hate thing going on with her in my head right now. Not once but three times she made me believe that we were seeing a certain character again and then my hopes were dashed. But I’ll admit the second time I didn’t care quite as much because of who it really was but still.
Everyone is just making the choices that think will help them get by.
Ruby has definitely lived by that motto. She has changed a lot in the months since the first book, Ruby has done things she is not proud of for the Children’s League and she can’t change that. She is a leader of her team and has gone through some hard times since parting with her friends from Black Beauty. Even though all the kids on her team love Kate, Ruby can’t seem to let any of them get close to her and she refuses to get close to Kate. She doesn’t want them to know anything about her past, she doesn’t want to feel the same pain she felt when she lost Liam, but when a member of her team is in danger Ruby is still bound and determined to protect him.
As it turns out Ruby needs to break away from an op with the endangered Jude to run off and find Liam. Another member of the team, Lida, a snarky blue haired girl joins in the fun and they are off in search of the boy Ruby made forget her. Ruby runs into some old friends and a few enemies along the way. I will say that I was happy to see a few people from her past show up. There are so many struggles and dark times but thankfully Bracken adds some humor into the mix as well.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said, “apparently the middle of my sentence interrupted the beginning of yours. Do continue.”
Things I liked include but are not limited to: The addition of a few new characters Cole, Jude, Vida and Nico demonstrate how the Children’s League is set up. Kate’s backstory made her a bit more likeable if it’s true that is. Bringing back a few members of Ruby’s past to help her in her mission to find Liam and a flash drive with the cause of disease that killed or mutated all the children in the United States.
Ruby is truly a flawed person who is struggling with the monster she is or can be. She wants so much to be with the people she loves but at the same time she wants to save all the kids in all the camps and is scared by how far she might be willing to go to achieve those goals and who she will hurt along the way. I liked how the romance aspect of the book is resolving itself (I want to say more but I won’t). Liam, I always love Liam, his fierce loyalty and the way he always tries to protect all the kids. Even when he is upset his underlying core values shine through.
Some of the things I had issues with - Too many twists. I like the idea of twisting the story but Bracken had so many twists that well, I don’t take anything in the story as truth. There is conspiracy on top of conspiracy throughout the story and so I’m never surprised when someone switches sides or whatever I thought was going on is totally different than it seemed. Actually I’m just waiting for it because I’m sure that is what will happen next. Don’t get me wrong, they are well thought out and executed brilliantly there are just too many. At this point I won’t be surprised if all of this is just a hallucination that Clancy is behind. The only other issue I had was I wanted to have a few more questions answered before tossing in more mysteries. There will be a lot to wrap up in the last book.
Overall the plot of the story is well thought out and Bracken again tugged on my heart strings and made me tear up more than once in the story. The world she has created is extremely harsh and dark. There is plenty of action and danger to go around and the ending was pretty intense. But, our crew trudges on and continues to have hope for a better future, possibly one they can share together.
“Life isn’t fair,” I said, “It’s taken me awhile to get that. It’s always going to disappoint you in some way or another. You’ll make plans and it will push you in another direction. You will love people and they will be taken away no matter how hard you fight to keep them. You’ll try for something and won’t get it. You don’t have to find meaning in it, you don’t have to try to change things. You just have to accept the things that are out of your hands and try to take care of yourself. That’s your job.”
Read my full review here.
Oh my god was this book ever good. That's the thought that kept running through my head while I was reading Never Fade.
The writing sets the scene, the tone, and the pace perfectly. Bracken pays great attention to detail, and that makes for an intense and complex novel. There are more action scenes, and they’re so intense that I was glued to the pages. The tone of this book is a lot darker than that of The Darkest Minds. The stakes are higher, times are more dangerous than ever, and the characters are more broken than before.
Ruby has certainly become stronger since joining the Children’s League, but her guilt and self-hatred is hurting her. She kind of regrets what she did, and she’s faced at every turn with the consequences. She makes bad choices, but she does so in the hopes of saving those she loves, and every child who has been wronged by the government. I hope she finds her happy ending in the next book.
Liam and Chubs are sweet, sad characters and I adore them. Chubs is scared and reckless, but he loves his friends so much. I also missed his wit. Liam is not the same person he was in the last book. He’s more hard, but he is still protective and caring, and he still hates the League. He’s lost a lot of his memories, but there’s hope he can get them back.
Two new characters in the book I came to adore. The first is Vida; she puts on a tough girl act, but aside from her swearing, she’s just as caring and protective as the other characters. At first I didn’t like her, but she grew on me. Jude is a sweetie, and I like him.
Never Fade is a great sequel. The characters and plot are constructed so well, and I didn’t want to put the book down. This book series is one of my favourites, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
Oh my god was this book ever good. That's the thought that kept running through my head while I was reading Never Fade.
The writing sets the scene, the tone, and the pace perfectly. Bracken pays great attention to detail, and that makes for an intense and complex novel. There are more action scenes, and they’re so intense that I was glued to the pages. The tone of this book is a lot darker than that of The Darkest Minds. The stakes are higher, times are more dangerous than ever, and the characters are more broken than before.
Ruby has certainly become stronger since joining the Children’s League, but her guilt and self-hatred is hurting her. She kind of regrets what she did, and she’s faced at every turn with the consequences
Spoiler
Chubs’ anger, Liam’s anger, and the fact that Liam can’t remember their beginningLiam and Chubs are sweet, sad characters and I adore them. Chubs is scared and reckless, but he loves his friends so much. I also missed his wit. Liam is not the same person he was in the last book. He’s more hard, but he is still protective and caring, and he still hates the League. He’s lost a lot of his memories, but there’s hope he can get them back.
Two new characters in the book I came to adore. The first is Vida; she puts on a tough girl act, but aside from her swearing, she’s just as caring and protective as the other characters. At first I didn’t like her, but she grew on me. Jude is a sweetie, and I like him.
Never Fade is a great sequel. The characters and plot are constructed so well, and I didn’t want to put the book down. This book series is one of my favourites, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.