Book Review: Never Fade {Book 2 in The Darkest Minds Series} by Alexandra Bracken

Title: Never Fade

Author: Alexandra Bracken

Series: The Darkest Minds
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Date of Publication: Oct. 15 2013
Source: bought, paperback, Apocalypse, YA

Synopsis:

Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster.

When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her.

As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

My Thoughts:
So Never Fade is one of those books that really reaches down deep and clenches your heartstrings with all the strength it has; and you are left wondering if you will survive reading it.  

Well,  you do survive.  But you have definitely lost some tears on it. 

Of course, this is an apocalyptic book and it does seem to follow the certain ideals that are associated with stories from this genre: the crushing despair the characters have, and the terrible situations kids are put into to survive.  
But with Never Fade it seems to take it up even a notch or two.  The crap that these characters have to go through is just awful.  And yet there is always that one character that seems to be able to hold out hope that something will change.  God bless that character!     Because without him/her, this story would be depressing.  

Now I am not saying that Never Fade was bad; on the contrary, it was a deep read that left me questioning society as a whole even now.  Seeing the bad things that are happening in the country today, it made me wonder if this is what our country is heading for in the future, sans the supernatural powers the kids have.   Never Fade has a gritty storyline that makes the reader take a closer look at the lies the government tells in this story.  

And I, personally, really liked our main protagonist, Ruby.  She is a fighter and a lover.  She tries to be distant and hard but she can't help but connect with the other kids on her team.  And when she does, I believe Ruby becomes stronger for it.  It is a big change from what she was in the first book, Darkest Minds.  In Never Fade, Ruby is more in charge of her powers and more confident of herself.  She is still in pain and still scared but she doesn't let the fear control her.  Ruby also learns more about her "power" and finds out more secrets that help her throughout the book.  
However, I had already figured out some of these secrets much earlier than Ruby did and thought she was a little slow to catch on to some things.  
We see old characters and are introduced to some new characters in the second installment so there is really never a dull moment in the plot lines.  

If you enjoyed Hunger Games or even Divergent, then you should give The Darkest Minds series a try.  It has elements of both of those two books mentioned above but also sprinkles in some "X-Men-esque" ideas into the intense emotional threads that go along in the story.   

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