Reviews

In The Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken

boman_parker's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

blurrypetals's review against another edition

5.0

September 12, 2017
[re-read for my Greatest Hits Bookshelf Tour 2017]
I have such a hard time with this book. It's by far the weakest of the trilogy, but its the weirdest thing because at one moment I find myself being reminded of all the things that make this series great, fun, and lovable, but then someone (usually Ruby or Liam) will break character and do something completely off base to each other and it feels wrong and strange. I really don't like Cole's and Ruby's relationship in this book; it freaks me out and I feel like the book would have been better, if a whole lot shorter, without their dynamic. I hated how distanced Ruby was from her friends when they were literally right next to her, and I hated how many weird uncharacteristic decisions of hers there were littered throughout the whole book.

But then you get to parts like

Spoiler

Vida getting jealous of Zu, Zu's return, Zu's interview, Chubs and Vida "building shelves", Ruby and Liam "building shelves", everything involving Ruby going back to Thurmond and kicking its ass, Zu and Vida bonding, Chubs and Vida calling each other dear,

and so much more and you sort of go, "Oh, okay, we're back to what makes these books so great." But then it goes back to the weirdness, strange decisions, and after

Spoiler

Ruby wipes Clancy's memory

I, personally, am left wanting just a little more. This book has a lot of really great moments in it, some of my favorite moments in the whole series, really, but when you look at it as a whole, it's muddled, strange, and, ultimately, a little disappointing.

The Darkest Minds is one of the greatest first books in a series that I've ever read and I wish it had been a roller coaster that only went up. Never Fade had a bit of a sophomore slump to it but it still had strong character motivations and felt like the sorts of things the characters would do after going through what they've been through. In the Afterlight is just...it's nowhere near as strong as either of those books, which saddens me, but it's still good enough to get five stars, especially considering the coattails it got to ride on.

Don't let my lukewarm response to this final book deter you. This series is great. Don't forget: The darkest minds never fade in the afterlight.

April 10, 2015
What a crazy, fun ride. Strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a book that will hold onto your heart and squeeze until it's about to burst with emotions. One of my favorite trilogies now, though definitely not in my top five. It had its lags but nothing stopped me from cutting through these books like a hot knife through butter.

marleenbooks's review against another edition

Very slow, 250 pages into the book and nothing happend. Might finish later on

victoria_s112's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mquail's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense

4.0

(A&P)

sarahgraceyoung04's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sherrise's review

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

denali_epub's review against another edition

5.0

I've been staring at my computer for a good ten minutes wondering where to even start with this review, and how I could possibly condense the whirlwind of emotions I feel into a few lines of text poetic and compelling enough to convince anyone and everyone I know to read this series.

If you've been following my progress, you know I fell head-over-heels in love with this series from the prologue, and have been eagerly tearing through page after page ever since. Knowing this was the final book, I went in with caution, trying to take my time so I wouldn't hit the post-series blues too hard. Well, mission not accomplished. I'm hollowed by the end of this series.

All in all, I couldn't have hoped for a better ending (though I'll be in a deep state of mourning over the deaths of [redacted] and [redacted] for quite possibly the rest of my life), and how full circle things were laid out. Bracken truly outdid herself, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is a series I've be returning to year after year for a reread.

lornreadsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

jjbeingobsessedwithbooks's review against another edition

5.0

As amazing as always and the perfect close to the series