What’s with that Pitchfork?

Let’s carpe the hell out of this diem.

First of all, shout out to my lovely friend, Lore (Betweenthebookspages)! Buddy reading this book with her was such a blast! I had so much fun sharing my ideas, feels, and rants with her.

Oh wow, this was such an astounding first book! It was a long time since I had read a dystopian novel, and this one brought back all the amazing feelings that I get whenever I read books of this genre. Here are my thoughts on The Darkest Minds:

1.) I loved the writing style. There were some parts where I got very confused, but after some time, I got the hang of it and finally saw how talented the author was. She describes things in a way that you can really feel what the characters feel and visualize what they see.

2.) I admired the main character, Ruby. She had a strong personality, which I really liked. She was brave, strong, and willing to do anything to protect her friends. Her determination to push through even after everything that she had experienced was also commendable.

3.) I absolutely adored Zu! She was so cute! OMG, I swear my heart will break if something bad happens to this kid. She kinda reminded me of my little sister.

4.) Chubs might be my favorite character. He was so nerdy, protective, and loyal. Oh, and he knew how to cross-stitch! How adorable! I also found his relationship with Ruby beautiful. His hostility and distrust when they first met turned into a friendship so strong and genuine that it also became my undoing in the last chapters. HUHU.

5.) Liam. Ahhh this boy. He reminded me of Rhysand (from the ACOTAR series). They’re both willing to sacrifice themselves to protect their family.

6.) I’m not really fond of instalove, but surprisingly, I didn’t mind it here. In fact, I really liked how the author tackled romance. It was subtle, not overpowering the other elements of the story. It was there, and it was enough to thrill me.

7.) The plot was exciting! There were so many interesting events in every chapter that I was so hooked and I never felt bored! Lore and I didn’t have trouble catching up with each other because once we started reading, it was hard to stop until we finished reading the four chapters that we agreed to read each day.

8.) The last two chapters left me drowning in my tears. I became so emotionally invested in the characters that their pain became my own. T^T

9.) I would have given this book 5 stars, but there were some aspects that were similar to other books that I’ve read, mostly the dystopian ones. There were times when I felt like I had read a certain part before. The ending, for example. At first, it caught me by surprise, and I was overwhelmed by my emotions. But thinking about it now (a couple of hours after I’ve finished the book), it was such a typical ending. Protagonists from other books might have done it differently, but the motivation and cause were the same.

Overall, The Darkest Minds is such a great start to a series, and I’m excited to read the second novel!