Through the Dark Review

Recently I have been reading Through the Dark by Alexandra Bracken, the bind up of the three novellas from The Darkest Minds series, and it has been amazing! I had already read the first two novellas (In Time and Sparks Rise) prior to this and done reviews on both so I got thinking about what blog post I could do for Through the Dark, and so this post came into creation!

For anyone curious you can find information about The Darkest Minds HERE It is a dystopian YA trilogy that is now complete and is one of my all-time favorites. Anyone wondering what order to read the books in (including novellas), Alexandra Bracken says at the beginning of Through the Dark, “The Darkest Minds, In Time, Never Fade, Sparks Rise, In The Afterlight, Beyond the Night. Or you could simply read all of the novellas after you’ve finished the novels”.

Hope you enjoy this fun post!

In Time

Gabe's life has been devastated in the wake of the economic crash. The only option left for someone like him to escape his tragic past is to leave his small town behind and to attempt to become a skiptracer. This already almost-impossible task is made all the more difficult by his first "score,"a young girl who won't speak, but who changes his life in ways he could never imagine. –goodreads.com summary

“You’re up for it, aren’t you?” Della lifts her sunglasses again. “I know you are. I do. And you know how? Because you’ve made it this far. You called me, not the PSFs, not any of the skip tracers. There’s so much evil in this world, and you brought just that tiny bit of light back into it— not for the money or the credit or anything other than to help another human being out. And that’s rare, real rare. You’re a good man, and you should be proud of yourself.”

In time is a brilliant story about event in the darkest times there are glimmers of hope— even when things seem hopeless, there will always be someone willing to help you out. This is also a major theme of the entire Darkest Minds trilogy but it is seen even more In Time. In Time is a story that expands the universe of The Darkest Minds by allowing us to read from the point of view of an adult, thus seeing that the adults in this world are not heartless monsters— they are only trying to survive. It’s a perfect novella that you should check out if you are a fan of the series!

Sparks Rise

Sam didn't think things could get worse at Thurmand rehabilitation camp. Then the Reds arrive. Everyone assumed the kids with firepower had been killed years ago. Instead they were taken away, brainwashed, and returned as terrifyingly effective guards. To her horror, Sam recognizes one of them: Lucas, the one spark of light in Sam's dark childhood. Lucas has a deadly secret--he beat the brutal training that turned his fellow Reds into mindless drones. When Sam defends herself against an attack by a vile PSF guard and faces a harrowing punishment, Lucas must risk everything to save her. –goodreads.com summary

“It took me a while to understand that when you don’t like someone, nothing they can say or do will ever seem right. Something as harmless as giving a kid a cookie becomes something aggressive, a challenge to their authority.”

Sparks Rise answered the question that was set up by Never Fade of what happened to the reds. Of course, little did we know Bracken would deliver the answer to this question while developing the character of Sam from The Darkest Minds, telling her story, and delivering a little heart break along the way. Actually a lot of heartbreak. Sparks Rise is yet another amazing novella from The Darkest Minds trilogy that brilliantly expands the world and characters making things more realistic and believable. If you are a fan you the series, read it!

Beyond the Night

The government-run "rehabilitation camps" have been shut down, but kids with Psi powers are anything but free. Sam would rather be on her own than put in the care of a foster family and given the "cure"--a dangerous procedure that unclaimed kids across the country are being forced to undergo. But there's more at stake than just her own safety. Sam once made someone a promise, and the time has come to fulfill it. Now that she's out of her camp, Mia only has one thought in her head: finding Lucas, her beloved older brother. –goodreads.com summary

“It’s easier to be the it, the little monster that they think I am.

Monsters can devour nightmares.

Monsters aren’t ashamed if uniformed soldiers are afraid of them. Monsters think their fear is delicious.”

“One day we will ignite and create a blaze that no one can put out, ignore, hurt. We will move forward as one, and in time, rise like sparks beyond the night.”

Beyond the Night had a tone that was unexpected to me, but as I thought about it, the darker tone made sense. With that said Beyond the Night is a lighter in tone than Sparks Rise but it still shows the nastiness of the world and some of the people who live in it. It shows that problems aren’t changed overnight, and that change takes time. Beyond the Night develops the characters that you have loved from The Darkest Minds as well as the new ones introduced in Sparks Rise. It was great seeing Sam and Ruby interact after forever— you can truly see they share this bond after going through such a traumatic experience together. Read Beyond the Night if you are a fan of The Darkest Minds, it gives insight into the series that you wouldn’t have otherwise!

Are you a fan of The Darkest Minds series? What is your favorite dystopian series?

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Meagan!