Never Fade

Holy crap. I think the last book I read that was this twisty and turny was [b:False Memory 10194494 False Memory (False Memory, #1) Dan Krokos http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1333152704s/10194494.jpg 15093669], and Never Fade definitely has that beat in terms of emotionality and stakes. This book is exciting yet still honest, fun but brutal. Though mostly brutal.What made [b:The Darkest Minds 10576365 The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds, #1) Alexandra Bracken http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1343178841s/10576365.jpg 15483434] stick out from the crowd for me was that Alexandra Bracken showed her readiness to push the story into some really dark places. It's not a matter of shock value, it's about creating a true setting with real stakes and people who need to survive it. The more Ruby ventures out into the world that she was mostly hidden from when she was locked away in a concentration camp for six years, the more you start to think that maybe she had it easy. It's winter now, the world is filled with children and adults alike who are scrambling for food and shelter by manipulating, torturing and selling each other out. Ruby is beaten and torn up by a world that would squash her and everything she cares about if it had the chance. Her enemies are everywhere, which is why it's so important to keep the story at its roots – a bunch of kids, on the road, trying to get by.One thing that bugged me in the first book was that Ruby wasn't really a whole character yet, which is understandable considering her obvious arrested development, but it made rather difficult to find out who she is. Most of that is gone here. Ruby has steps into the role of soldier and leader at the Children's League, and it suits her remarkably well. She doesn't have the aggression of characters like Vida, or the charisma of Liam or Cole, but she keeps her people safe, and she gets shit done. If her status as an Orange has brought her anything in terms of psychology, it's the ability to look at people and scenarios in a thoughtful and strategic way. I like this Ruby, I like her a lot.I also like that she's not totally defined by her relationship with Liam. They have their tears shed, their professions of love and regret. He is her light, but he is also her mission, and she doesn't let him veer her off that. Liam, as powerful as he is, cringes away from responsibility because of the last time he had it, and he doesn't want to be absorbed into a larger entity like the Children's League either. Ruby, however, thrives on that kind of challenge, and she doesn't let her love for Liam get in the way of her loyalty to the people that have become important to her in his absence. I wish we could see more of these kinds of relationships in YA.It's amazing that with all that happens in this book, there's still just enough lose ends untied, new mysteries to solve to build anticipation for the last book. The pacing and progression is near frantic, but still moves organically. There's still that problem with the action that Bracken has – it can be difficult to tell what's going on, but it's better than it was in the first book. But for the most part, whenever I put this book down I couldn't wait to pick it back up again. I don't just want Ruby to complete her mission, I need her to. I don't just need her to survive, I need her to show the world everything that she's capable of, that she has pieces of the gods inside her. Ruby faces her ability head on, and it empowers and horrifies her. She sees in herself the same predilection for corruption that's in other Oranges like Clancy and Martin, but understands that she can choose something different.If it hadn't been for the fact that someone stink eye refuses to bring it back to the library, I was going to read [a:Tahereh Mafi 4637539 Tahereh Mafi http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1299027546p2/4637539.jpg]'s [b:Unravel Me 13104080 Unravel Me (Shatter Me, #2) Tahereh Mafi http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1340287622s/13104080.jpg 18276967], though who knows if that would have been for the best. They are remarkably similar concepts, as they are like other girl-in-dystopia novels, like [b:The Hunger Games 2767052 The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) Suzanne Collins http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358275334s/2767052.jpg 2792775] and [b:Divergent 13335037 Divergent (Divergent, #1) Veronica Roth http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328559506s/13335037.jpg 13155899]. But I think this series is leading the others, if only for the fact that Bracken treats her story fearlessly and sincerely. ARC provided by NetGalley.com