Review: “Never Fade” by Alexandra Bracken

This is a DNF–a “did not finish.” My first DNF of the year, but I seriously could not keep reading it even though I was already two-thirds of the way through. This might just be the first DNF review I posted, but I felt it was necessary! I can’t just gush about the books I actually finished. 😛 So maybe this isn’t a proper review since I didn’t finish it, but I got darn near close!

Maybe I’ll like the TV series (or will it be a movie?) more…

Title: Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2)
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release date: October 15, 2013
Length: 507 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Young adult, dystopian, sci-fi
Synopsis (from Goodreads): “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?”

I’m not even sure I want to give this 2 stars. I simply can’t get into it, which makes me sad. I think this is one of those books that falls into the “over-hyped” book character, along with The Wrath & the Dawn. To be honest, I wasn’t super keen on The Darkest Minds. I thought the concept was fairly cool, but it didn’t captivate me. I still didn’t understand the Color system, and … Well, I don’t know.

I feel as if I wasted nearly a week of my life forcing myself to read this. It felt more like a chore, and I kept waiting for it to get better. Well, that didn’t happen. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters. The writing was okay, but the world-building is still fairly sketchy to me. The only person I really liked was Jude. I’m still not convinced that Ruby has feelings for Liam, and … I don’t know. This book just isn’t for me. Ruby just made me angry. She had random outbursts, and I wasn’t convinced the situations warranted the extent of her anger.

I’ll just stick with Passenger; I like it a lot more than this series.

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