In the Afterlight (The Darkest Minds, Book 3)

By Alexandra Bracken

'A RIVETING EMOTIONAL READ THAT KEPT ME ON THE EDGE!'

-- Melissa Marr, author of the bestselling Wicked Lovely series, on The Darkest Minds

Ruby can't look back. Fractured by an unbearable loss, she and the kids who survived the government's attack on Los Angeles travel north to regroup. With them is a prisoner: Clancy Gray, son of the president, and one of the few people Ruby has encountered with abilities like hers. Only Ruby has any power over him, and just one slip could lead to Clancy wreaking havoc on their minds.

They are armed only with a volatile secret: proof of a government conspiracy to cover up the real cause of IANN, the disease that has killed most of America's children and left Ruby and others like her with powers the government will kill to keep contained. But internal strife may destroy their only chance to free the "rehabilitation camps" housing thousands of other Psi kids.

Meanwhile, reunited with Liam, the boy she would - and did - sacrifice everything for to keep alive, Ruby must face the painful repercussions of having tampered with his memories of her. She turns to Cole, his older brother, to provide the intense training she knows she will need to take down Gray and the government. But Cole has demons of his own, and one fatal mistake may be the spark that sets the world on fire.

The third book in the NYT bestselling series, that is soon to become a major motion picture.

MORE PRAISE FOR THE DARKEST MINDS

'The story's quick-paced action leads to a heartbreaking cliffhanger that will have readers eager for the next book ...' -- Publishers Weekly

'Haunting ... Bracken creates a gripping and terrifying dystopian world.' -- Kirkus Reviews

'HELL TO THE YES, I love this story and these characters so much!!' -- Goodreads review

'THE DARKEST MINDS was, without a doubt, one of the best books I have read!' -- Goodreads review

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Nov 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9780730499404

Alexandra Bracken

ALEXANDRA BRACKEN is the New York Times bestselling author of the Darkest Minds series. Born and raised in Arizona, she moved east to study history and English at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. After working in publishing for several years, Alex now writes full-time and can be found hard at work on her next novel in a charming little apartment that’s perpetually overflowing with books. Visit her online at www.alexandrabracken.com and on Twitter @alexbracken.

Reviews for In the Afterlight (The Darkest Minds, Book 3)

[anniik_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a good conclusion to the series. This is the longest of the books, and it does a lot. A lot of this book is planning for battles, or fighting battles, but it continues to be a strong and interesting book that keeps the reader emotionally connected to the characters. There were a few character deaths I could have done without (one in particular) but all in all I was happy with how this series concluded.

[thinktink93 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I felt like things were tied up a little too neatly and it didn't feel as authentic for the Darkest Minds universe (after everything that has happened to them in the last 7-10 years).Four stars only for the ending/last chapter or two.I loved everything up until that point though. (And I don't hate the ending, it just didn't do it for me as much as the rest of the book.)

[leila.khouane · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

before picking up the next book, because I'm in a weird reading mood where I fly so fast through book, I need to express my feelings about this one

3.25STARS

I'm very dissapointed by the end, the whole book from beggining to end had one story line going and that was preparing for that last big impossible attack, with very repetetive arguments and scenes btw (drived me crazy FYI)and easy to predict like I didnt bat and eye at the revelation at the, it was bound to happen, i knew it, and then when we finally.... FINALLY get to that big event the book was suddenly blue skies and sushine, like what the F?! what just happened...

doesnt mean the author did not do a good job, on the very contrary I wouldn't have lasted till the end if it was that bad. I'm just dissapointed that's all. there still so many things that were unaswered or were just too rushed

note this is just an unedited rant to express my feeling and justufy my rating, have a nice day.

[mrnattania72 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the series, the concept was pretty good, but I felt that the characters were barely living by the time we got the end of the series. I have the last book but not sure if I can get myself to started reading it. I felt as if this dragged on for a while, kinda bummed - I loved the first two books.

[linnnnie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a good series! I am very pleased with how it all ends. Well done!

[audriana0202 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a great ending to a fantastic trilogy! Just as I was finishing up this one, I found out there will be a fourth one! I can't wait for it to be released!!! This has been one of my favorite trilogies/series.

[schatzi_5 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is the most boring book that I have read all year. By far.I have been trying to power my way through this book for over three months and only managed to make it to about halfway through before I said fuck it and skimmed the rest of it.I really enjoyed the other two books (and the two novellas) that came before this snoozefest, but this book seriously has killed most of my love for the series. I'm so over it that I don't even care about writing a proper review. Blech.

[bookstogetlostin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sadly everything has come to an end. If you have read my other reviews you know how much I love this series and Ruby's character. This doesn't change. She still is very realistic and I love how she is not defined by her relationship with Liam. And guess what? She even maintains friendships with other guys!But not only Ruby is a very complex and understandable character, the others are too. The thing I noticed the most is, how... childlike the children are. Your usual twelve year old doesn't jump head first into battle and kills everything in sight. And not everything has to be handled violently.

[fatimareadsbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this book 2 months ago. The reason I didn’t immediately review it is because I was just too emotional after the trilogy ended. Although I had some issues with the first book, the second and third book did not disappoint—despite many people’s opinion that the third book wasn’t up to standards. Maybe it’s the fact that I marathoned the trilogy whereas most of the others had to wait a year for the final book. It happened to me before; reading the books in a series and loving them, waiting one or more years for the concluding book to be released, being carried away by my very high expectations, then feeling extremely let down with the last book. That doesn’t happen to every series or trilogy, but it’s just a theory and—oh gosh, I just realized I was rambling.Back to the book review. You see, it was really hard letting go of the characters. In the Afterlight gave me a book hangover.book hang•o•ver/bo͝ok ˈhaNGˌōvər/noun1. When you’ve finished a book and you suddenly return to the real world, but the real world feels incomplete or surreal because you’re still living in the world of the book.2. The inability to function at work/school because you were up all night binge-reading.“I have a really bad book hangover, I could barely concentrate at school.”I didn’t even notice I was getting attached to Ruby and Cole and Liam and Vida. So when the book ended, I was in a state of denial for a whole week.Let’s discuss the main elements of the book:1. Ruby. Oh god, Ruby’s level of kickass-ness is reaching new levels! And I know I’ve said this in my previous review, but I love the whole ‘don’t-bullshit-me-I’m-gonna-kick-your-ass’ vibe she’s got going on. Only rarely in my life has a book actually made me feel every emotion the main character is feeling. When Ruby broke down, I broke down. When Ruby was excited, I was excited. When Ruby was furious, I was furious. You get what I’m saying, right?2. Characters. The characters in this book have gone through a massive character development arc. It was the best character development arc in the history of best character development arcs. I loved seeing all the relationships develop, although Ruby and Liam’s did get very frustrating at times. My favourite characters are Cole and Vida, solely because of the amount of times they made me laugh out loud. Also, Chubs & Vida’s banter is so adorable and hilarious. If you’ve read the book, you can understand why I can’t let go of the characters because, honestly, they’re the best characters I’ve read about in a book.3. Plot. I felt like the book kinda dragged on in the beginning due to the fact that they mostly stayed in the same places for long periods of time. However, the ending totally made up for it. I was left on my bed just staring at the ceiling with tears running down my eyes. I’m satisfied because all my questions were answered and the author did a pretty good job of wrapping everything up. There were still a few loose ends that I want to talk about, but unfortunately I can’t because it’s a major spoiler. All in all, the plot of this book was very solid and actually had a purpose. It really left me emotionally drained.As a conclusion, I’d like to say (or type) that this book was a very stressful and emotional roller coaster. Alexandra did a good job of wrapping everything up and answering most of my questions. This book made me cry, laugh, and punch things in anger. I’ve stayed up late on many school nights to finish the trilogy. It’s definitely one my favourites, so I say you go out right now and buy it! I’d recommend it to anyone who’s read (and loved) other Alexandra Bracken books or anyone who enjoys dystopian YA.

[bell7_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ruby is still reeling from the attack on the Children's League at the end of Never Fade, when she, Cole, Liam, and friends travel to a safe house to start planning a final offensive. Despite her guild over Jude's death and debilitating stress and headaches leaving her drained, Ruby is determined to take out Thurmond - the camp where she was taken after a childhood "disease" left her with the ability to manipulate others' minds - and expose what the camps are doing to children in the U.S. Meanwhile, her friends are also working on learning about the cure for the disease that either killed or changed all children once they hit puberty. Is the cure what they really need, or is Clancy - the other "Orange" who can manipulate minds - right that it's just another form of control?To my mind, the end makes the story in many ways. The last book, the final chapter, the ending words need to leave me with just the right feeling or I feel somehow bereft no matter how good the story was up to that moment. In this case, the end delivers. It makes up for the deficiencies, such as the slow starting plot and the frustration I felt with Ruby and Cole that they just couldn't see some obvious problems until... well. I don't want to give anything away. But if you enjoyed The Darkest Minds, this is about a perfect ending to the trilogy and the last 100 pages make up for a lot. It's an adrenaline ride and while I may have been annoyed with Ruby at times, I really love the characters and enjoyed seeing how their stories were completed.

[brandileigh2003 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 I wanted to read this one because i adored the first one and Liam was pretty amazing. It took me a bit to get back into the story since it has been awhile. I read the notes on recaptains which helped. It starts off with the action level pretty high and already new betrayals for characters I came to care about and have already been through so much. I remember the characters pretty quickly and got into their adventures. I knew that it was going to be more challenges for them because it is a fairly long book, so prepared my heart. I was glad at the reappearance of some characters and a little frustrated at others because they weren't taking things seriously and felt like they were getting into more danger. The romance between Ruby and Liam is still a little rocky from where she erased his memories, and they have to face it. But there are other times they are so close you wouldn't remember. They are there for each other in the hard times when it comes down to it, they are fighting against so many other things they don't have the time they need and want. But I did love their scenes together and working towards what they had before and to a future full of possibilities together. The suspense built a lot but there were times when I was a little frustrated at the back and forth with the planning. I understand they were being thorough and had to be in order for any operation to have a chance at success. Once the second half of the book got going though after the planning and reminders section was over, I didn't want to put it down. Because I knew it was racing to a conclusion and I hoped I would like where the characters end up. I did like the ending and thought that it was good for the series and characters. Bottom Line: Long but worthwhile.