The Darkest Legacy-The Darkest Minds, Book 4 (A Darkest Minds Novel)
Product ID: 72834087
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The long-awaited new novel in the New York Times best-selling Darkest Minds series, now a major motion picture. Five years after the destruction of the so-called rehabilitation camps that imprisoned her and countless other Psi kids, seventeen-year-old Suzume "Zu" Kimura has assumed the role of spokesperson for the interim government, fighting for the rights of Psi kids against a growing tide of misinformation and prejudice. But when she is accused of committing a horrifying act, she is forced to go on the run once more in order to stay alive. Determined to clear her name, Zu finds herself in an uncomfortable alliance with Roman and Priyanka, two mysterious Psi who could either help her prove her innocence or betray her before she gets the chance. But as they travel in search of safety and answers, and Zu grows closer to the people she knows she shouldn't trust, they uncover even darker things roiling beneath the veneer of the country's recovery. With her future-and the future of all Psi-on the line, Zu must use her powerful voice to fight back against forces that seek to drive the Psi into the shadows and save the friends who were once her protectors. From #1 New York Times best-selling author Alexandra Bracken comes a harrowing story of resilience, resistance, and reckoning that will thrill loyal fans and new readers alike. Review: Brilliant Addition to TDM Focusing on Zu - “The world was never as simple as you wanted to believe it was.” 4.5 STARS CW: gore, violence (including gun violence), graphic injury, human trafficking, loss of a loved one Turns out that I wasn’t ready to let the TDM series go any more than Alex Bracken was, and I’m SO PLEASED to say that TDL really delivered. So often, a series addition that comes after the main series is finished can be weaker or less interesting, but that wasn’t the case this time. TDL actually might even be better than all of the books save for Never Fade, which is no small feat in my eyes. For one, it was so nice to see Zu front and center, because we really get the full force of her. She’s angry and clever and fed up with playing by the rules that do nothing but make her and other Psi kids easier to walk all over. The five-year time skip also meant that the rest of the Black Betty crew wasn’t present for most of the story, giving Zu that extra room to breathe and grow and be incredible. Of course, when the BB crew showed up again in different bits of the story, it warmed my heart (guys…Chubs/Vida makes me so soft…what a dynamic…), but this is Zu’s book through and through, and she’s the one making decisions here. Not Ruby, not Liam, not Chubs, not Vida. It’s all Zu, and she makes a couple decisions, especially toward the end, that I thought were incredibly clever, taking what’s been pushed at her and reshaping it to her own brilliant ends. The new supporting characters were interesting too! Roman is another one of those cinnamon roll boys, though with a decidedly darker past than Liam, and I appreciate the emphasis of family in his life. He’s a good egg with a rough shadow, and I love watching characters break away from their pasts like he tries to. And Priyanka, his best friend, is one of my new favorites. I would have LOVED to see more of her and Vida interacting, because I suspect those two could banter for a thousand years, but Vida doesn’t have to be in the picture for Priyanka to be smart and snarky and vibrant. Bonus? Priyanka is sapphic! It’s not stated whether she’s a lesbian or bisexual or what, but she’s confirmed to have been in love with another female character in the book, so there is QWOC rep! And there’s two minor characters, both boys, who are also clearly dating, which is a huge leg up from how queer rep was (mis)handled in the original trilogy. Finally, the other thing I liked is that, while it breaks the “everything will be okay” feeling you get at the end of ItA, TDL really digs into all the obstacles that have been in the way of the Psi kids since the camps were broken down. It’s far from a perfect world, riddled with injustice, but it also makes TDL stronger, because ultimately, it’s about Zu and kids like her taking their fate into their own hands instead of blindly trusting someone else to do right by them. On the flip side, though, there were a couple things (small things mostly) that didn’t work for me. For one, I didn’t go head over heels for Zu’s romantic relationship because it just…didn’t do it for me. Very “it’s not you, it’s me” tbh. This is a complaint I have about so many things, haha. More importantly, though, I feel like the ending was rushed in order to cram it all in. The antagonist reveals and motivations and origins felt like something that needed two books instead of one to feel the full weight of, especially since they’re not exactly light topics, but it burned by a little fast. The antagonist Priyanka and Roman have a personal connection to felt a little flat, which took away some of the oomph in the last 100 pages or so, and I wanted the rest of the antagonists to get what they deserved, though we really didn’t get to see that 100% in action. And the kicker? Clancy Gray is in the wind again. He’s just a loose end, like his father, and I’m genuinely irritated he’s out and dangerous again. Then again, I really can’t stand Clancy (a great example of a villain you love to hate), so maybe I just want him cornered and defeated once and for all. That’s possible. Altogether, though, TDL really impressed me, and I loved finally getting a chance to get into Zu’s head and see how she understands and interacts with the world, especially now that she’s five years out from the end of ItA. It’s maybe not the characterization I completely expected, but it fits so well, and I’m delighted I had the time to read it all in one sitting. 💛 Review: A wonderful and worthy new installment of the Darkest Minds series - For those long-time fans of Alexandra Bracken's emotional, action-packed The Darkest Minds series, The Darkest Legacy is a complex and accomplished new installment of a story whose characters and their relationships, their family, are its heart and soul. For those who are new to the series, The Darkest Legacy can stand on its own, or as an entry point into a wider narrative world about teens who are both powerless due to age and circumstance, and powerful due a twist of a fate and their unremitting will to protect each other and survive. The Darkest Legacy picks up five years after the main series, which was told over the course of three full-length novels (The Darkest Minds, Never Fade, and In the Afterlight) and one collection of short stories and novellas (Through the Dark). The youngest of the four main protagonists of the main series, Suzume, who was a child in the earlier novels, is now a sixteen-year-old woman struggling with the complexities and contradictions of revolution and its aftermath. The villains of old may have been defeated (key word: may), but darkness has more than one body, and lives in more than one mind. The way the author expands the horizons of cruelty and human selfishness in this latest volume is, perhaps, a sign of the times in which it was written, but more likely an evolution of the sort of moral grayness and unflinching honesty about the human condition--its virtues and its malice--that characterized the earlier books. In the Darkest Legacy, a grown Zu serves as the mouthpiece for what you might charitably call a public relations campaign, and uncharitably call propaganda. She assures young Psi like herself--children and teens who survived a disease that killed most of their peers, and left those spared with awesome (in the true sense of the word) and at times terrifying psionic powers--that the new U.S. government is on their side...as long as they're willing to make temporary, escalating concessions. Zu does this because her childhood experiences have taught her that revolution is never clean, that triumph is never easy, and she believes on some level that it is better to struggle within the system than to face the loneliness and fear of exile. But at heart, she performs her duties because she believes in her friends, who have their own complex relationship with the government and are, too, trying to forge a better path for the Psi, even if it's more steps back than forward most days. But not all of Zu's friends believe this, and fissure has formed within the tight group of wanderers that is now the only family she knows. When an event Zu is speaking at is attacked and dozens of people are killed, blame soon falls on Zu, who has managed to escape with two mysterious Psi. After five years of trying to acclimate to normal life and society, Zu is once again on the run, with people she can only half-trust, in the hopes of proving her innocence to a country that believes she's only half-human. Our favorite characters from the Darkest Minds appear, and it is like coming home to see them once again on the page. But Zu is the real light of the Darkest Legacy, the little girl grown up, the powerful woman who has come into her own--and will not be silenced again.
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M**D
Brilliant Addition to TDM Focusing on Zu
“The world was never as simple as you wanted to believe it was.” 4.5 STARS CW: gore, violence (including gun violence), graphic injury, human trafficking, loss of a loved one Turns out that I wasn’t ready to let the TDM series go any more than Alex Bracken was, and I’m SO PLEASED to say that TDL really delivered. So often, a series addition that comes after the main series is finished can be weaker or less interesting, but that wasn’t the case this time. TDL actually might even be better than all of the books save for Never Fade, which is no small feat in my eyes. For one, it was so nice to see Zu front and center, because we really get the full force of her. She’s angry and clever and fed up with playing by the rules that do nothing but make her and other Psi kids easier to walk all over. The five-year time skip also meant that the rest of the Black Betty crew wasn’t present for most of the story, giving Zu that extra room to breathe and grow and be incredible. Of course, when the BB crew showed up again in different bits of the story, it warmed my heart (guys…Chubs/Vida makes me so soft…what a dynamic…), but this is Zu’s book through and through, and she’s the one making decisions here. Not Ruby, not Liam, not Chubs, not Vida. It’s all Zu, and she makes a couple decisions, especially toward the end, that I thought were incredibly clever, taking what’s been pushed at her and reshaping it to her own brilliant ends. The new supporting characters were interesting too! Roman is another one of those cinnamon roll boys, though with a decidedly darker past than Liam, and I appreciate the emphasis of family in his life. He’s a good egg with a rough shadow, and I love watching characters break away from their pasts like he tries to. And Priyanka, his best friend, is one of my new favorites. I would have LOVED to see more of her and Vida interacting, because I suspect those two could banter for a thousand years, but Vida doesn’t have to be in the picture for Priyanka to be smart and snarky and vibrant. Bonus? Priyanka is sapphic! It’s not stated whether she’s a lesbian or bisexual or what, but she’s confirmed to have been in love with another female character in the book, so there is QWOC rep! And there’s two minor characters, both boys, who are also clearly dating, which is a huge leg up from how queer rep was (mis)handled in the original trilogy. Finally, the other thing I liked is that, while it breaks the “everything will be okay” feeling you get at the end of ItA, TDL really digs into all the obstacles that have been in the way of the Psi kids since the camps were broken down. It’s far from a perfect world, riddled with injustice, but it also makes TDL stronger, because ultimately, it’s about Zu and kids like her taking their fate into their own hands instead of blindly trusting someone else to do right by them. On the flip side, though, there were a couple things (small things mostly) that didn’t work for me. For one, I didn’t go head over heels for Zu’s romantic relationship because it just…didn’t do it for me. Very “it’s not you, it’s me” tbh. This is a complaint I have about so many things, haha. More importantly, though, I feel like the ending was rushed in order to cram it all in. The antagonist reveals and motivations and origins felt like something that needed two books instead of one to feel the full weight of, especially since they’re not exactly light topics, but it burned by a little fast. The antagonist Priyanka and Roman have a personal connection to felt a little flat, which took away some of the oomph in the last 100 pages or so, and I wanted the rest of the antagonists to get what they deserved, though we really didn’t get to see that 100% in action. And the kicker? Clancy Gray is in the wind again. He’s just a loose end, like his father, and I’m genuinely irritated he’s out and dangerous again. Then again, I really can’t stand Clancy (a great example of a villain you love to hate), so maybe I just want him cornered and defeated once and for all. That’s possible. Altogether, though, TDL really impressed me, and I loved finally getting a chance to get into Zu’s head and see how she understands and interacts with the world, especially now that she’s five years out from the end of ItA. It’s maybe not the characterization I completely expected, but it fits so well, and I’m delighted I had the time to read it all in one sitting. 💛
A**A
A wonderful and worthy new installment of the Darkest Minds series
For those long-time fans of Alexandra Bracken's emotional, action-packed The Darkest Minds series, The Darkest Legacy is a complex and accomplished new installment of a story whose characters and their relationships, their family, are its heart and soul. For those who are new to the series, The Darkest Legacy can stand on its own, or as an entry point into a wider narrative world about teens who are both powerless due to age and circumstance, and powerful due a twist of a fate and their unremitting will to protect each other and survive. The Darkest Legacy picks up five years after the main series, which was told over the course of three full-length novels (The Darkest Minds, Never Fade, and In the Afterlight) and one collection of short stories and novellas (Through the Dark). The youngest of the four main protagonists of the main series, Suzume, who was a child in the earlier novels, is now a sixteen-year-old woman struggling with the complexities and contradictions of revolution and its aftermath. The villains of old may have been defeated (key word: may), but darkness has more than one body, and lives in more than one mind. The way the author expands the horizons of cruelty and human selfishness in this latest volume is, perhaps, a sign of the times in which it was written, but more likely an evolution of the sort of moral grayness and unflinching honesty about the human condition--its virtues and its malice--that characterized the earlier books. In the Darkest Legacy, a grown Zu serves as the mouthpiece for what you might charitably call a public relations campaign, and uncharitably call propaganda. She assures young Psi like herself--children and teens who survived a disease that killed most of their peers, and left those spared with awesome (in the true sense of the word) and at times terrifying psionic powers--that the new U.S. government is on their side...as long as they're willing to make temporary, escalating concessions. Zu does this because her childhood experiences have taught her that revolution is never clean, that triumph is never easy, and she believes on some level that it is better to struggle within the system than to face the loneliness and fear of exile. But at heart, she performs her duties because she believes in her friends, who have their own complex relationship with the government and are, too, trying to forge a better path for the Psi, even if it's more steps back than forward most days. But not all of Zu's friends believe this, and fissure has formed within the tight group of wanderers that is now the only family she knows. When an event Zu is speaking at is attacked and dozens of people are killed, blame soon falls on Zu, who has managed to escape with two mysterious Psi. After five years of trying to acclimate to normal life and society, Zu is once again on the run, with people she can only half-trust, in the hopes of proving her innocence to a country that believes she's only half-human. Our favorite characters from the Darkest Minds appear, and it is like coming home to see them once again on the page. But Zu is the real light of the Darkest Legacy, the little girl grown up, the powerful woman who has come into her own--and will not be silenced again.
A**L
The darkest legacy
Loved this series so much! I just feel the ending was not finished. Still left you hanging on what happens!
T**U
This series broke my heart and pieced it back together.
The final book of the darkest minds series is just as amazing as the previous ones. I read the first three books two years ago and some of the characters died and it was really sad that I decided not to read the darkest legacy. But I somehow found my way back to this series and I finally decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did it. This book kept me on the edge until the very last page and I couldn't put it down. It's cleverly written and you get to meet new characters who are just as amazing as the others. I really loved Zu as the protagonist here and you get a wider view of their world. I thought that this book would end in disappointment with some of the main characters dead, but how wrong I was. The ending is so beautiful and it's a fitting ending to a beautiful series. I really really hope there will be another book though because I really want to know what would happen to Clancy. I also read the whole series again because I had forgotten some parts but the time I wasted for it was worth it.
S**A
Amazing series!
This series is an absolute page turner that will have you reading far past your bedtime! The characters are so well developed that they leap off the pages. The storyline is woven in a way that, while very unlikely, is absolutely believable. It's been a long time since I found an author with this much talent and attention to detail! I would love to read more about Zu, Ruby, Liam, Chubs, and the others. I'm left wondering how it all turns out as they work to right the wrongs done to the Psi children.
D**.
Darkest Legacy
Great 4th book in this series. This time it's Zu taking the lead. The plot gets a bit confusing at times as it's jumping back and forth in time so you have to make sure you catch the Chapter page to ensure you know where/when you are, but other than that, it's a great sequel with an ending that leaves me hoping for more...
S**N
A somewhat enjoyable read with a strong protagonist.
Having read through the first series when I came to this book I sort of felt burnout on the world and thusly it took me a month to read it when I usually devour a book this size in a day or two. Alexandra Bracken does a good job in character development. The character of Zu was interesting and easily carried the weight of the book. The author was able to take her to new depths and create a character that was equal to or greater than Ruby the protagonist of the first series. there was something powerful about the character in the first series that's translated well into this work. I almost wish that the character could have been put into a different story with a completely new and fresh world for us to discover. I dislike the storyline of the series mainly because of how much I am required to suspend my disbelief and to ignore logic. This is more of a stain from the previous series but does crop up in this book in places. The pacing did feel a off while because of me picking me up and putting it down. However I do think that the techniques the author used in flashback chapters was hit and miss. It did make the story feel a bit choppy. Getting towards the end the story was getting stronger and had a better direction. However the ending was a slap in the face both in pacing and what happened. Let's just say something dramatic happens that should have taken a few chapters to solve but we get a time Jump Ahead in the future problem solved and set up for the next book. Making it feel like a gimmick to force the reader to buy the next book.
K**H
Mother Daughter
Mother of a preteen daughter, that loves to read everything. So I am constantly pre-reading books she is interested in to screen for appropriate content. However, this series here was actually so well written, with such well rounded and engaging characters that after reading it with my daughter, I recommended it to my book club. A true must read! Can’t wait to read what happens next.
S**N
An amazing addition to the series!
I still can’t believe that this book is out and that I’ve read it. I had been anticipating this book for so long and I was really nervous that I wouldn’t love it. Thankfully, it was everything I wanted it to be and more. The characters, the plot and the world were all still amazing and interesting. It felt like coming home, it had the same amazing feeling that the original trilogy had and I loved it just as much. Zu was one of my favourite characters from the original series and I’m so glad we got this book from her POV. Zu has grown into a strong, confident young woman and we got to see her grow and develop even more throughout this book. Zu has such a unique perspective, she is so funny and sarcastic, I loved her. She doesn’t put up with anyone’s shit and she will fight for anyone she cares about. I was nervous that I wouldn’t love the new characters because I was so attached to the Black Betty crew but I really loved the new characters we met in The Darkest Legacy. Priyanka, Roman and Max were all so unique and amazing additions to the already incredibly diverse cast of characters. At first Priyanka reminded me a lot of Vida but the more we got to know her the more I saw that while they had similarities they are both different and amazing in their own unique ways. I love them both so much. Roman is so perfect, I loved him a lot. He is so funny and smart, I loved how protective he was over the people he cares for. I loved Priyanka and Romans friendship, they were so close and supportive of each other. Zu and Roman’s slow burn romance was great and I am 100% here for it. I loved getting to see all the characters from the series and seeing where they are now. The Darkest Legacy is set 5 years after the end of In The After Light and it was very easy for me to fill in all the blanks and imagine what all the characters had been up to. There were so many nice nods and Easter Eggs to the series that I loved. I wouldn’t say it’s essential to read Through The Dark before The Darkest Legacy but there are some characters and events mentioned that you will appreciate more if you’ve read those novellas (Also you should read it anyway because it’s amazing, Alex Bracken knows how to write short stories). The plot was exciting, mysterious and action packed. I was constantly gripped but these are definitely character driven novels and the characters truly shine. There are still so many loose strings after that ending, but Alex Bracken always does endings really well. There could easily be more books in this series and I really hope there is because I love it so much. Overall, The Darkest Legacy is an amazing addition to the series and Zu’s narration was amazing and unique. I highly recommend this book, it was fantastic.
J**)
Brilliant story
This book was brilliant. It was great to have it from Zu's point of view. After so long with her not speaking in the previous books, it was great for her to have her own voice. The storyline was great and I liked the aspect of having glimpse into the world 5 years later. Many book series end leaving the reader thinking, 'what happens next and does the world change?' Things really are not that much better and the more the plot progressed, the more we saw that it was far from what they even believed things were at. The story was fast paced throughout. I liked the new characters introduced. Roman and Priya both had great personalities and their abilities made them unique. Max and Lana were also nice additions. I loved seeing everyone back together in the end. Over 5 years, things had definitely changed but a friendship like they all had was always going to come first and win through everything they had all been through. Overall, this book was brilliant. I would definitely recommend it. I would say that it definitely needs to be read as the 4th book in the series otherwise the characters and the state of the world wouldn't really make sense. jessreviews877169955.wordpress.com
C**S
UNE SUITE ET UN FINAL PARFAIT POUR CETTE DYSTOPIE
J'avais peur après la fin de la trilogie de ne pas retrouver le style et le rythme, mais j'avais tort ! Une suite à suspense, sans temps morts et qui prolonge et termine la trilogie avec brio. La petite Zu est devenue grande et c'est elle qui cette fois ci va aider ses amis qui sont en grandes difficultés. Elle trouvera pour l'aider deux personnes de son âge. Mais qui ment, qui a des secrets. Comme toujours, l'univers est particulièrement bien décrit, les personnages compliqués à souhait. Un vrai moment de plaisir !
V**C
Favourite Book of the year!
Wonderful, fantastical and dark! I really enjoyed this adventure back in der world of the psi and recommend it to everyone who has read the trilogy and can't get enough. The story is wonderful, the characters intriguing and strong. Just read it!
D**K
Good review
Good
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