The Darkest Minds Series In Order

The Darkest Minds series was written by Alexandra Bracken. She is an American author. The series is in the young adult dystopian genre, and it consists of four novels.

The series also contains several novellas that are linked to the stories.

This series was initially published in 2012, and the first novel of the series spent an impressive 8 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list for a children’s series, reaching number three at one stage.

In 2011, Twentieth Century Fox bought the film rights for the series, and this was then adapted into a feature film in 2018.

These rights were for the first novel in the series The Darkest Minds. 

Alexandra Bracken, who was born in February 1987, is also known for the Passenger series.

She was born in Phoenix, Arizona where she returned after she had spent some time in New York City.

She then graduated from Chaparral High School in 2005 and she attended The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. 

Before she became an author, she worked in the children’s publishing industry in New York City. 

About The Darkest Minds

The Darkest Minds book series was written by Alexandra Bracken. It was first published in the United States in 2012, and it was immediately a very popular series.

This series follows a 16 year old girl named Ruby who has special abilities that she is trying to navigate.

This story takes place following a fictional disease that is known to the people as IAAN.

This disease killed most of the children in the United States, only leaving behind the children who have supernatural abilities.

The Darkest Minds Books In Order

The Rising Dark

The Rising Dark: A Darkest Minds Collection was published in 2018, after a large number of the novels in the series.

This is a collection of short stories that explore the time before The Darkest Minds was set. 

These short stories follow three of the Darkest Minds characters. These characters are Liam, Vida, and clancy.

These characters each have their own stories, and the short stories follow them.

Vida has been on the run for a long time with her sister, and she feels she has finally found a home, but her powers are getting stronger and she needs to learn to control them. 

This is a great addition to the story that has already been explored in the novels and novellas that were written previously to this.

Pros

• This gives even more insight into the stories.
• It explores fantastic routes. 

Cons

• It is difficult to know which order to read these stories in, but chronologically, this is the first story. 

The Darkest Minds

The Darkest Minds is the first novel in the series and it was published in December 2012.

The novel was originally going to be named Black is the Color, but it was changed to The Darkest Minds in November 2011. 

It follows Ruby who has been living in a rehabilitation camp where she has been imprisoned.

She later teams up with a group of camp escapees who offer shelter to young people who are in danger. 

She begins looking for the Slip Kid, who is a leader who is able to offer shelter to young people who are in danger.

She teams up with a group of camp escapees who are looking for the same thing. Slip Kid also knows the secret to controlling the powers that Ruby has. 

This book received very positive reviews from Publishers Weekly and Common Sense Media. 

This book also received a Lincoln Award Nomination in 2016 and a YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults novel in 2016. 

Pros

• Has been nominated for many awards.
• Received glowing reviews.

Cons

• Received a mediocre review from the Guardian.

In Time

In Time was published in 2013. It is a short story that is chronologically placed between the first and the second novels in this series.

The intricate plot and cast that are highlighted in this story make it a very difficult book to understand and appreciate on its own, but it is a great bridge between the first and second novels in this series.

Gabe’s life has been impacted by the economic crash in this novella. His only option is to escape his tragic past by leaving the small town behind and becoming a skip tracer. 

This is a very difficult task, which is made even more difficult by his first ‘score’, which is a young girl who is refusing to speak. 

Pros

• This is a great novel to bridge the gap between the first and second novels of this series. 

Cons

• This novella is difficult to enjoy on its own.

Liam’s Story

Liam’s Story is a short story that falls between the two novels, The Darkest Mind and Never Fade.

This novella tells the story from Liam’s point of view, shedding more light on the story. 

Pros

• This novella gives more detail on the story, helping the audience’s understanding.

Cons

• This novella is very short and doesn’t give much insight into the overall story, just to Liam’s story.

Never Fade

Never Fade is the second book in the Darkest Mind series. This book was published in October 2013.

This novel follows the character of Ruby. In this novel, she reunites with her friends, learns to control her abilities, and battles against those who are trying to imprison them. 

This novel is another heart-stopping novel that follows the Leader, savior, and only hope which is Ruby.

Only she knows what she really is, and the danger that she poses to them. 

Ruby battles with her abilities in this novel and she now have to use them to bring down a corrupt government.

This is taking place in a place where children have been eliminated. When Ruby is trusted with a secret in this novel, she starts out on a deadly journey.

She is searching for Liam Stewart who is someone who knows the truth about the disease that caused all this in the first place.

He also happens to be the boy that she once loved! 

Pros

• This is a great novel that moves the story forward very well.
• Fantastic characterization.

Cons

• This story follows Ruby and focuses less on the other characters.

Sparks Rise

Sparks Rise is another novella that bridges the novels Never Fade to In The Afterlight and The Darkest Legacy.

Pros

• Adds more to the storyline. 

Cons

• This novella can’t be enjoyed independently.

In The Afterlight

In The Afterlight is a great novella that was published in 2014.

It is the third novel in the series and it follows Ruby and her friends as she continues to find a place for herself in this world.

They all work together to formulate a plan where they rescue the children who are still trapped in the so-called rehabilitation camps. 

Pros

• This novel adds a lot to the story. 
• It has excellent characterization. 

Cons

• The story is easy to enjoy without the novella, but it will give you more understanding. 

Beyond The Night

Beyond the Night is a novella that is published in 2017 that takes place between The Afterlight and The Darkest Legacy.

Pros

• This novella adds details to the Darkest Minds series. 

Cons 

• This novella is difficult to enjoy by itself.

Through The Dark

Through the Dark is another collection of short stories that take place before the Darkest Legacy. 

Pros

• This sets up the final novel very well. 

Cons

• If you choose not to read this novella, you might not be set up with the story as successfully.

The Darkest Legacy

The Darkest Legacy is the final novel in the series. It was published in 2018 and it received very good reviews. In this novel, you will see the story wrap up. 

This story explores the years following the destruction of the rehabilitation camps. These are the camps that imprisoned her and other Psi kids.

In this novel, she is accused of committing a crime that forces her to go on the run once again.

Pros

• A great ending to the story. 
• Fantastic characterization. 

Cons

• There are no more novels to follow! 

Final Thoughts

The Darkest Minds series is a fantastic series that is very successful and has caught the attention of many.

It is a thrilling story, and the novellas that have been written to fill in the gap are fantastic.

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