The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that had killed most of America’s children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who have escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.' 

-- Goodreads.com description --

I was pleasantly surprised by The Darkest Minds! Especially because I had a lot of problems with Passenger, it was a huge relief to like this one. 
The beginning of the story really draws you in, it's mysterious and even scary, the reader does not get an overload of information about the world or the new abilities because the protagonist knows as much as we do. That alone was enough to get me hooked!

Secondly, the characters are amazing! Liam, Chubs and especially Zu stole my heart from the start. The scene were Ruby and Zu bond over some necessary girl time, is my favourite of the entire book.

The villains of the story are also very interesting and it is hard to figure out which ones will be the worst. The book ends on somewhat of a cliff-hanger which made me order the rest of the series without even giving it a real thought. I just needed the sequel!

I did hear that The Darkest Minds will be adapted into a movie and now I can honestly say I'm excited about it! Amandla Stenberg will be playing the lead, Ruby. If her name does not ring any bells, you might know her as Rue from The Hunger Games!

I gave The Darkest Minds 5 out of 5 stars! The main problems I had with Passenger regarding the writing style, were surprising absent while reading The Darkest Minds. Also, I adore the covers of this trilogy! They're even more stunning in person!