Week 10 Reviews: Sparks Rise, In The Afterlight

From Goodreads:
Don't miss the thrilling novella that connects the last two novels in the New York Times best-selling Darkest Minds trilogy. 

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 his everything to save her. 

From Goodreads:
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 IAAN, 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. 

My Review:
I just loved reading these books! They were just fantastic, Sparks Rise giving us a look at Sam, and her life inside the camp, which is just not fun at all! And the In The Afterlight, well, it does what we've been waiting since the beginning for-getting the kids out of the camps!

So yeah, Sparks Rise, and learning about Sam, as her own person, not Ruby's friend, was really great! And that a guy from her past, Lucas, a Red who resisted his training, things were good. And then they almost escaped-if not for the mud! And then he was broken, and things sucked! Not a happy ending to that novella!

So In The Afterlight takes place not too long after Never Fade, so yeah, that was really great, and a lot of things happened-the kids got out of LA, they catch up with Zu, though we don't learn the fate of Gabe till later, which sucks, because he died. Oh, and the broke people out of two camps in the end, with the second one prompting them to close the rest of the camps!

There were things that hurt in this book. Like Liam writing a history of his life, in case Ruby wiped his memories of her again, which told Ruby that he didn't trust her. And then after that, there was the whole thing with Cole, which just didn't end very well, so sad! And the Clancy thing-I guessed that he was controlling her, how else would she have memory gaps?

When I was reading the last 2 chapters or so of In The Afterlight, I jut had this big smile off of my face, this ending, this is why I love reading books! They fought for their happy ending, and now they've gotten it! If Mockingjay had an ending that was of similar length, I would've liked it better! That's how much I just loved the ending of this book!

There's two things that I'm wondering. How did Sam do with the escape? And is it possible for Ruby, or any other Oranges, if there are any, to free the Reds from their training? Because that'd be really awesome if she could! Then Sam and Lucas could get together!

Favourite lines from In The Afterlight: "'You took a sharp turn somewhere and Grannie copped a feel by mistake. He looks like he want's to die of shame each time I bring it up. Basically, I'm going to mile that shit for all it's worth.' 'Do you have to?' 'Whatever. He was more pissed off by us playing a game of who could think up the worst nickname for him.' 'Let me guess, you won?' 'It was Boy Scout, actually. I mean. come on. Even I couldn't top Chubby Chubby Choo Choo. I almost pissed my pants laughing." Poor Charles, but so funny! "Oh, God, there's another one of you? How has the world survived this long?" Uh, it kinda hasn't! "Why am I not surprised? Your whole family fell from the crazy tree and hit every damn branch on the way down." What, is it pick on the Stewarts month or something? This is the second funny comment about them! "Screw Team Reality-I'm leaving to join Team Sanity." That is a very good choice! "Seat belts. Welcome to Psi Bus Services. I'm Zach and I'll be your driver on this epic quest to freedom. If you look out your windows-but, obviously, don't, because Ruby told you not to-you can give Nevada the finger as we pull away." Yes, take a finger to the camp that's held you prisoner! "Yes, well, the burner phone we had accidentally fell out of the car, and someone accidentally backed over it. Because someone was in a rush after she accidentally alerted some skip tracers we were nearby when she accidentally used her abilities to move a light pole around of the road after she had accidentally backed into it." Oh, Vi, that sounds like a story! "Guess who opened his big Chubsie mouth and started, in glorious detail, outlining ever single thing he thought Senator Cruz should be doing the other night at dinner? It was a magnificent rant." Well, that sounds like Charles!

Such a great ending to the series, really enjoyed it so much, and I can't wait for her next book!

Author: Alexandra Bracken
Series: The Darkest Minds #2.5, 3
Read: March 1st, 2nd, 2015
Source: Tuebl, Bought
Reason Why: Love this series, and they're 2015 Dystopia Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2015 Books! And In The Afterlight is a End of Series 2015 Book, Reward Challenge Book, WoW Book and WR Reward Book!
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Published: September 2nd 2014, October 28th 2014

Sparks Rise:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

In The Afterlight:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars