The Darkest Mind series, by Alexandra Bracken takes place in post-apocalyptic United States. But before someone decides not to read it because they are tired of reading those kind of books (trust me, I am the exact same way) they should know that this book is different. For one, it takes place in the very near future, and life outside of the camps is pretty much the same, except the country’s crime has increased, and the government is mostly corrupt. This allows the reader to still distinguish similarities between what we know as familiar and what the characters know also. Plus, It is a relatively easy read but is not predictable, which keeps the reader guessing throughout the story.

     After a plague that killed off children up to age 14, the world was transformed. Children that were “immune” to the plague developed special powers. The adults, afraid of the power their children possessed, sent them off to government facilities where the children were divided into camps depending on how dangerous their power was deemed, and then sorted again by color (blue and green being the weakest powers, while red and orange being the strongest). This is where the story begins, years after the plague, a girl named Ruby escapes the camp after finding out that her power was much more dangerous than anyone thought. Knowing that she will be killed if found out, she escapes, and meets other kids on the run from the government. They then team up, trying to reach Ruby’s grandparents and find a safe place to live. Along the way Ruby discovers that her power has frightening consequences, and is very dangerous.

    I read the first book, and it was very good. The action scenes kept me interested, and allowed the time to fly while I was reading. The second book, Never Fade, was just released recently, so I have not had time to read it yet, but if it is anything like the first book, it won’t disappoint. I would recommend these books to people who like The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins or the Maze Runner series by John Dashner. I would also recommend it as a book for people who do e to read as much, because the humor and action keeps the book from dragging along.