Review: INSIGHTFUL-wonderful narrator+ some ZU :D
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 27, 2013
I know a lot of people were disappointed because this novella wasn't narrated by one of the Black Betty Crew members, but I thought it was a fantastic idea to narrated from the point of view of someone living in the outside world. Reading The Darkest Minds, you really have to think about what kind of people live in this society where it is okay to haul kids off to camp to rehabilitated them? Despite the heavy propaganda being poured by President Gray, you really have to wonder how narrow minded these people, especially parents have to be, to believe this whole ordeal. If the kids are going to these camps to get better, why haven't any of them come out? Also, how is life going for the citizens outside of camp life?I really like Gabe as our narrator-he's funny, determined, and there is something raw and honest about him that shone through right from the beginning, even when he called the psis-"freaks." His back story is heartbreaking, and this whole time we are so focused on the lives of these kids that we don't really think about how other people may not have it as good. Businesses are shutting down, people are living like animals, and hope for any kind of future seems like wishful thinking. Also, I wonder how anyone can become a skip tracer because it's so morally wrong. It was not until I read this novella, that I gained a better insight on these tracers-turns out people outside of the fence don't have it so great either, and do they have to do to survive. It's like of that us vs them mentality that turns all human beings in savage beasts, doing whatever it takes to survive.Love that we get to see more of Zu, I definitely missed her :( She's so sweet and loving, and her spirit influences all that surrounds her, not just the people that know her. Her friendship with Gabe was beautiful, and so well developed.Also, any mentioning of the old gang made my heart swell. Cannot wait for Never Fade.As far as novellas go, I thought this one was amazing-really insightful, and it taught me a lot about this world that Alexandra Bracken has created-how strongly we can be influenced by our environments, and how different we would be if life wasn't the way that it is.That ending...I didn't even see that coming. I hope it gets mentioned in the next book because Alexandra, girl, you can't leave us hanging like that!