Review: Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken

Ruby’s world is a dark place. Having sacrificed her history with Liam in order to protect him, she’s joined forces with the Children’s League to keep her friends safe and try free children still in camps. Still reeling from the events that led her to wiping Liam’s memory, and her own shaky relationship with her abilities, Ruby is stranded between desperation and guilt, keeping herself in check only through an inherent goodness and courage.

As Ruby and her friends learn that trust and betrayal are two sides of the same coin, and in their attempts to define normality, we’re taken on deadly missions and are granted insight into the twisted dealings of those with too much power and too little humanity.

Commencing immediately after Darkest Minds, the only problem with this book is that it cannot really be read as a stand-alone novel; without the immense foundation laid in the previous book, many of the events and characters in Never Fade will be difficult to follow, and ruining the reading experience. However, this series is so good that I fail to see any problem with reading the previous book, and falling even deeper in love with Bracken’s dystopic world. Bracken is crafting a world in which the underdog fights back, in which truth and humility are powerful weapons, and when the only thing that can stop us is our own fear. With such insightful content pieced into a brilliant and fun story, it’s no wonder this series is so popular.

The sheer emotional impact of this book is astounding – I dare you to keep your emotions in check while reading this – from fury on Ruby’s behalf and outrage at the treatment of children by the government to a butterflies-in-your-chest peek into a stunning and perfectly scripted romance, this book has something for everyone. Add to this the carefully crafted action and adventure of Ruby’s current predicaments, this is a solid all-rounder that will appeal to more than just fans of Young Adult.

Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken is published by Pan Macmillan.