I will admit that it took me a little while to get into this book. But once Alexandra started explaining her world, I dove right in to the point where it was almost impossible for me to stop reading.I have to say that one of the things I loved most about The Darkest Minds was the beautiful writing! It’s a talented and rare author who can have such brilliant ideas for stories and is able to actually execute that idea well. Alexandra Bracken has definitely proven herself to have that rare talent. Her writing is beautiful and so eloquent! It flows smoothly, and has just the right amount of suspense, action, and humor to keep even reluctant readers glued to the pages.

“Use the darn map,” Chubs groused from behind him. “I can figure it out without it,” Liam insisted. He kept swiveling his head back and forth, like he expected someone to appear and guide him in the right direction with road flares and fanfare. Five minutes later, the map was spread over the steering wheel, and Chubs was gloating in the backseat.

And the plot? It’s simply superb! ‘Nuff said. Well, actually, I do have more to say… This is one of the most creative and original dystopias I’ve ever read. Alexandra has an amazingly vivid imagination, and it truly shows it’s radiance throughout the story. Our story is set in the near future shortly after a deadly plague. Mind reading, mind control, memory manipulation, telekinesis – these are powers that teenagers are soon capable of – if (and that’s a big “if”) they’re not killed in a deadly plague first – one that seems to only affect children. Our story follows 16-year-old Ruby– one of the superhuman children who survived the plague and has gained her powers. And now she’s on the run… I don’t really have any words to describe the plot. It’s utterly scary (more so than most dystopian stories) – but, on the other hand, it’s so plausible. I truly hope that this isn’t what our world comes to! The character development is extraordinary! The characters in The Darkest Minds were amazing – they all, even the supporting characters, had such depth and personality. They felt like real people to me! Alexandra truly worked hard on the character development in this story – and it definitely paid off! The Darkest Minds has a wide variety of characters, all with their own unique personalities. You have Liam – the loyal boyfriend; Suzume – the perfect example of what a great friend should be like; Chubs – the mysterious, yet kind, friend; and Clancy - the supposed friend. And the ending? It gets its own section because it was so heart-breaking!  I’m usually not the biggest fan of cliff-hangers, and The Darkest Minds definitely had a gigantic cliff-hanger. Yet, this cliff-hanger had such a profound effect on me. It was so utterly heart-wrenching, yet I kind of enjoyed it. I definitely plan on continuing the series to see what happens next! I was just gushing over the scene where Liam and Ruby are imaging a "prefect relationship" together, and then Ruby just erases Liam's memories of her...and by that point I was like...  Miss Bracken...you better give Liam back his memories in the sequel... And yet, despite the brilliant writing, plot, and characterization contained inside these 448 pages, I didn’t seem to enjoy the book as much as I thought I would. Honestly, I felt like something subtle was missing from the story – though I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly that “something” is. I think this is my only major concern and letback for giving this story 5 stars. All in all, this is a beautiful book and I look forward to reading the rest of the series (which will soon consist of Never Fade and a yet to be named series-ender.) I'd highly recommend The Dangerous Minds to everyone - but specifically fans of dystopia and especially of Dan Krokos' False Memory.