Book Review: Through the Dark by Alexandra Bracken

Through the Dark
Author:  Alexandra Bracken
Publisher:  Disney Hyperion, 400 pages
Publication Date:  October 6, 2015

From Goodreads:
Don't miss this breathtaking collection of stories set in the world of the New York Times best-selling Darkest Minds trilogy. IN TIME: Gabe's life has been devastated in the wake of the economic crash. The only option left for someone like him to escape his tragic past is to leave his small town behind and to attempt to become a skiptracer. This already almost-impossible task is made all the more difficult by his first "score,"a young girl who won't speak, but who changes his life in ways he could never imagine. SPARKS RISE: Sam didn't think things could get worse at Thurmand rehabilitation camp. Then the Reds arrive. Everyone assumed the kids with firepower had been killed years ago. Instead they were taken away, brainwashed, and returned as terrifyingly effective guards. To her horror, Sam recognizes one of them: Lucas, the one spark of light in Sam's dark childhood. Lucas has a deadly secret--he beat the brutal training that turned his fellow Reds into mindless drones. When Sam defends herself against an attack by a vile PSF guard and faces a harrowing punishment, Lucas must risk everything to save her. BEYOND THE NIGHT: The government-run "rehabilitation camps" have been shut down, but kids with Psi powers are anything but free. Sam would rather be on her own than put in the care of a foster family and given the "cure"--a dangerous procedure that unclaimed kids across the country are being forced to undergo. But there's more at stake than just her own safety. Sam once made someone a promise, and the time has come to fulfill it. Now that she's out of her camp, Mia only has one thought in her head: finding Lucas, her beloved older brother.

Review:

I love this series so much and I was so happy to be back in this world. These characters are some of my favorite characters EVER.  And I didn't think I could love anyone as much as Liam, Ruby, or Chubs, but oh Sam and Lucas…just thinking about you makes me tear up.  LUCAS!!!!  He's giving Liam a run for his money as top book boyfriend, I have to say.  My heart broke for him.

If you are a fan of this series, this is a must read.  And if you haven't read this series, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?????

The second and third novellas are the best.  The second one tells the story of Sam and Lucas and what happened after Ruby left the camp.  The third novella (it's around 200 pages, actually) tells us what happened after the end of the trilogy.  The focus is on Sam and Mia, Lucas's sister, but we see old friends and get a better sense of what's happening in the world.  And things are not perfect, which is realistic. Even though the camps are closed, the people with abilities are not trusted and there are now snatchers selling them on the black market, zones set up where they're supposed to live, etc.  Well done.  All of the small questions I had were answered.  

How can I say goodbye? I guess it's truly over. "sobs" Alexandra Bracken knows how to write an incredible series and also knows how to end one.  She's an auto buy author for me, no question.

Posted by:  Pam