Through the Dark

Through the Dark by Alexandra Bracken, 400 pages

I feel similarly about this series of three novellas (which fit after each of the books of the main trilogy, as entries 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5) to how I feel about the original three books (which began with The Darkest Minds). The first novella, "In Time," is the best of the three, and not only has the strongest message, but also the strongest emotional core. The second novella, "Sparks Rise," has at least one very peculiar plot point, and paints a picture so bleak that the tragedy almost gets repetitive. The third novella, "Beyond the Night," tries to strike a kind of balance between the two, only partially succeeds, and ends a bit too cleanly, given everything that leads up to it.

Taken as a whole, the three books and three novellas create a very well-realized world. At its best, it creates characters that you'll love and root for, and compelling (if not entirely unique) struggles for them to work through together. At its worst, it becomes predictable, dour, and almost (but not!) lifeless. In the end, though, even the weakest points kept me reading, and the best points make this a series worth recommending for those not already burnt out on YA dystopia.

In the story itself, quotes like this occasionally feel forced, but this one in particular does sum up the series as a whole:

"...we are stronger for what's happened to us... We have been given the gift of understanding that we can come through struggle and pain... We have learned that life is one journey, and the purpose is not to reach some treasure at the end of it, but to find the courage to decide which paths to take, who to travel with, and to let things fall into place as they should and will." -Beyond the Night, p.365