Jaime’s Review
Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I need book 3 that is all… And more stars!! I need more stars!!
The Darkest Minds was among my favorite reads last year even though I found myself cursing like a sailor at the end of it. So to say I was desperate to get my hands on Never Fade, book 2… would probably be an understatement.
I just about cried when I got the netgalley approval and immediately dove back into the world that Bracken has created.
In Never Fade, we pick up a short while after the end of TDM. Ruby is working with the Children’s League now, and they are training her to control her powers and use them to their advantage. She has very few friends because they all know she’s an orange. She is quickly appointed leader of her ragtag group and she still struggles with the things she has to do on a daily basis.
Things aren’t as they seem though, and the Children’s League has problems… people are divided in what the ultimate goal should be and how to achieve the things they set out to do… and it’s getting some of the kids in the program killed. When Ruby is sent out on a mission to find the the one thing that could potentially help them succeed … a flashdrive that has crucial information about the disease on it, she is stunned to find out that Liam has it in his possession. And that means finding and seeing the boy who she once imagined a future with and coming face to face with him not knowing who she is at all.
I honestly didn’t want to give a single thing away about what was happening while reading this book, so if you look at my status updates there are a lot of ‘flails’ and ‘more flails’ happening. A lot happens in this installment and I honestly don’t know if I can write a full review without giving things away, so I’m really not going to tell you anything more about the story itself… instead I’m going to tell you what it was about the story that I loved.
The characters always make or break a book for me, and Bracken writes these characters with such depth. Ruby has quickly become one of my favorite protagonists. She’s flawed and a little bit broken, but incredibly loyal to those she has created a bond with. Even those who on the surface may seem like people she shouldn’t care about. She’s come to terms (Sort of) with what she did in book 1 and is now determined to make her sacrifice worthwhile … she wants the camps closed and all the children safe and so this is what she focuses on. She’s adapted to her new normal you might say. We even get a few new characters in Never Fade – Jude and Vida, and I found myself clinging to them just as much as I did Chubbs, Liam and Zu in the first book. They were excellent additions.
The action and pacing is incredibly done in this story as well. And the writing… Bracken has put a lot of thought into this world she has created… the government and the struggle for power and the different groups that are fighting for different things… these are all wonderfully done. And she will gut you with the emotions you will feel. You won’t only bond with Ruby, and understand her situation, you’ll feel for them all. And when you get to the last page of this book… the last sentence… you will most likely do what I did. Attempt to turn the page, looking for more because Bracken does one other thing spectacularly, and that is make you want for more. As in The Darkest Minds, the end isn’t what I would consider a cliffhanger, instead it’s the cusp of the next part of this story, and I can’t help but want it now.
If you haven’t started this series, I can’t tell you how much I think that’s a mistake! You must go and read The Darkest Minds and prepare yourself for the amazing story that unfolds. This installment arrives in October and you’re going to want to read it immediately! I promise!
Thank you to Disney-Hyperion and Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Erin’s ReviewNever Fade by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This review will be somewhat vague mostly because I don’t want to give any bit of it away.
Never Fade is book 2 in The Darkest Minds trilogy and picks up shortly after Ruby has joined The Children’s League. She has no idea what happened to Chubs, Liam is out in the world somewhere, and she is being used by the League to interrogate people when needed as well as go on missions assigned by Alban (the League leader). Eventually, Ruby finds out something that has her questioning everything going on with the League and very unsure of who to trust. She knew going in that they weren’t completely on the up and up but this bit of information truly throws her. In collaboration with Cole, Liam’s brother, she comes up with a way to get away and attempt to hunt down Liam, who has something she and Cole need.
This book was non-stop action from the first few pages all the way through. I kept thinking to myself that Ruby just never catches a break yet through it all we see that she is just a teenager trying to survive and protect the people she loves. At the same time, she is continuing to learn more about her power and how it works. She continues to push herself to get to the level of control that Clancy had and you will have to read the book to find out what happens.
There are some new characters introduced as part of the League team Ruby leads. Vida was a great addition. I honestly wasn’t sure what her deal was and what to expect from her but by the end of the book I really liked her. She is tough, brash, and says what she wants. Jude is the idealistic baby of the group. He talks a lot, doesn’t really hold anything back, and wants to prove himself. We don’t really get a lot of Nico as he stays behind but I’ll be interested to see how things go for him in book 3.
That’s it people – I can’t say anything more without giving away the good stuff and honestly, you really don’t want me to – I know it. Trust me that you need to get your hands on this one as soon as you can and if you haven’t started The Darkest Minds, definitely check it out.
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