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 Thurmond 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: This is a collection of novellas set in the world of The Darkest Minds. I'm going to do a short review for each story. Also, I didn't read this in one sitting. I read each story between books as that's where they fit in the series.
In Time
This might be my favorite story of the series. Partially because it focuses on Zu, but I also like how it focuses on the complexities of being an adult in this world. Gabe was an interesting character and I liked seeing his internal struggles as he interacted with Zu. For such a short story, I liked seeing how much Gabe grew throughout this story. This is also a nice story to help understand what happened to Zu. She isn't in book 2 at all and, in book 3, she mentions running into an adult named Gabe.
Sparks Rise
Sparks Rise focuses on Sam and how she dealt with Thurmond after Ruby left. This story also contains a cute romance built on a long friendship. For those who enjoy "best friend to lovers" tropes, this might be a good story to read. Sparks Rise is a dual perspective story following Sam and Lucas, an old friend who is also a Red. It manages to show what happens to Reds in rehab camps which I found fascinating. Just that insight alone made this story worth reading, in my opinion. While this was my least favorite of the three stories, I still found it compelling and I wanted to know more.
Beyond the Night
Beyond the Night was a very close second at being my favorite story. This one is a dual perspective following Sam, again, as well as Mia, Lucas' brother. They have to navigate being outside of Thurmond all while Mia is trying to find her brother. There is heartbreak and hope in this one, short story. It's a beautiful look at the despair left behind from the camps. We also see characters from the main series and it was nice to see how they have all come together. Excellent story to end off the main series.
All of these stories added new layers to the world and we get to have new adventures with previously established characters.
4 howls
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