2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Alexandra Bracken‘s book, In The Afterlight.

Pages: 535

Length: 1 month

Participants: Angela Jr, Susy, Satin

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Check out the introduction post (here) for more information about Buddy Reads!

You might also want to check out what other Buddy Reads are scheduled for 2018 here!.

Happy Buddy Reading!

Currently reading Sparks Rise, the second story from Through the Dark. Will start this one once I'm finished!

Finished sparks rise
(view spoiler)[that was pretty brutal... Right up until the end i kept wondering if sam and lucas will meet up with our protagonists during in the afterlight. They were so close to escaping :(
I do wonder whether we're going to see what becomes of them. Ruby's plan is to free the camps, surely she will check up on sam? I'm curious whether whatever they did to lucas and the other reds can be undone. (hide spoiler)]

Angela Jr. wrote: "Currently reading Sparks Rise, the second story from Through the Dark. Will start this one once I'm finished!"

I will have to read the first 2, then I will start this one too.

Angela Jr. wrote: "Finished sparks rise
...."

Me too, (view spoiler)[I thought they'd already passed the gates. As I said, all very sad stories. I hope the 3rd (last) one won't be as well!

And first I had Lucas and Mason (the red from Never Fade) confused. I'm soooo bad with names). (hide spoiler)]

Starting In the Afterlight today.

I'm at chapter 6 right now.

(view spoiler)[Glad that the old gang is back together again but man, more and more characters are starting to irritate me. Not only Ruby, but sometimes Liam, Cole, Vida and now Cate too. Ah well, I guess it's just the stress making them act in ways I don't always understand.... Very curious to see where it is all headed. They now lost the flash drive on top of everything else! (hide spoiler)]

I haven't started yet. I don' t know when I'll be starting, but probably quite late in the month.
I'm taking part in an (almost) year-long competition which ends oct 31st and I've signed myself up for way too many buddy reads this month 😅

Angela Jr. wrote: "I'm taking part in an (almost) year-long competition which ends oct 31st and I've signed myself up ..."

What kind of competition are you doing Angela?


Angela Jr. wrote: "I've signed myself up for way too many buddy reads this month 😅"

Tell me about it! Not only this month for me... I've been postponing all my planned reads (old dust bunnies) so now I have way too many reads for the last months of this year....

It's a point-based competition with 4 teams. You get points for every book and bonus points for participating in the group, i.e. buddy reads or other challenges (like we have in this group). It started in january, but i only joined in august.
Originally it was supposed to last the whole year, but they recently decided to give everyone two months off at the end of the year.
There's going to be another one happening next year, with tweaked rules. This was the first one they did, so now they know how to make it even better :)
So naturally i signed myself up for 11 buddy reads (in addition to the 3 ongoing ones in our group here) in october because i always like to massively overdo it 😂😂😂 9 of those 14 are audiobooks though, so it's not quite as bad as it sounds...
I've completed 3 so far...

And i also decided to challenge myself to read all the books i bought this year by dec 31st. There's 15/50 left and for 7 of them i already have buddy reads scheduled.
I never used to do well with planning reads far in advance... I'm a complete mood reader, and when the time came to read the books, my brain said "ew, definitely not in the mood for that one" for every single book 😂 since i joined the group with the competition, I've gotten way better at it though! Completed every single planned read since august 💪 I just need something to activate my competitive side apparently 😅

Angela Jr. wrote: "And i also decided to challenge myself to read all the books i bought this year by dec 31st. There's 15/50 left and for 7 of them i already have buddy reads scheduled.
I never used to do well with ..."

Well, I had 2018 all planned so I could get rid of all my dust bunnies but more and more I feel like a schedule like that holds me back from what I really want to read at a certain point in time. I didn't join all the buddy and group reads that I wanted to join for example. Besides, I bought so many new books so I guess there'll always be shelves gathering dust bunnies lol
So I decided next year no plan, just see what group/buddy reads are going on and join the ones that appeal to me at the moment. Sooooo looking forward to that :)

Angela Jr. wrote: "It's a point-based competition with 4 teams. You get points for every book and bonus points for participating in the group, i.e. buddy reads or other challenges (like we have in this group). It sta..."

Sound like fun but quite challenging!

At chapter 11 now

(view spoiler)[Why are they doing Oasis first? I mean, they have the warehouse to prep, the camps are nothing alike, they run the risk of things going sour and losing kids and last but not least, after this assault the other camps will probably be on high alert. Even with the chance that Thurmond will decide to clear sooner!

I know it's evil, but I just couldn't feel sorry for Cate when they captured her, the way she was when she left, not wanting to believe Ruby while she knows her abilities...

And what is up with Ruby's "absences"? Did Clancy do something to her mind the last time she went in his mind to get the password for his files??

Will you believe that I'm still waiting for Jude to make a sudden appearance.....lol

Still having difficulty with Ruby's constant switch between all time hero who believes she (is the only one who) can save the world from all misery vs whiny baby.
Also when she found Liam's note. I mean I completely understand how that must have been a slap in the face. On the other hand, she had promised never to interfere with his mind and she went and did it anyway. So how is he supposed to believe her now?? He's trying his very best but I truly believe it must have been a traumatic experience and she will have to earn his trust again. That's not something that happens overnight! (hide spoiler)]

At chapter 17

It's intriguing how I AM invested in the story but I'm disliking more and more characters.... Ruby and her hero complex....o boy!
Also with me not liking Bracken's writing, it's too bad my library didn't have the whole series instead of me buying it...

Haha, you can always sell them at a second-hand store or donate them somewhere :)

I know I've read one book like this before, where I didn't like any of the characters, but i loooooved the story. I can't for the life of me remember which one it was...

Lol, true :)

Ch19

(view spoiler)[I don't quite understand why Ruby doesn't see the "brain pacemaker" as a cure... I mean, what kind of cure was she expecting??? (hide spoiler)]

Ch20

(view spoiler)[Oh man! I don't want either of them to be dead!!! :'( (hide spoiler)]

Ch21

That was quite an emotional chapter...

Ch22

(view spoiler)[Well that Ruby was under Clancy's spell was quite predictable from the start. When she started having her dizziness and fainting spells it was clear to me what was happening. On the other hand I sure didn't see it coming Clancy's mom shooting him! (hide spoiler)]

Ch26

(view spoiler)[I even groaned when Ruby held Liam back from shooting that PSF. I mean, luckily it turned out ok and Liam was in time to shove him but for that matter they could've been killed. I'm really tired of her wanne-be-hero attitude. Although I can reason where she's coming from, it doesn't feel like that when reading, I just can't empathise with her but I'm feeling like that is more due to Bracken's writing... (hide spoiler)]

Ch27

(view spoiler)[Ok, so these kids do want a cure but not this one. Yes there may be risks involved, but there are also a lot of risks involved not getting the kids treated so. I mean, when my father went into surgery, it was a big risk. For some it works out good and for some it doesn't. I mean, before the "change" they don't know if a child is going to change or die!
Also for society I don't think it's a realistic option having all these kids running around with all their hormones, developmental changes AND these "abilities". We've seen that not everybody has good intentions, that's how people are. And even the good ones, like Sam and Ruby do things or wish they could do things that are questionable. I mean, how often has Ruby stated it would be the last time she would mess with somebody's head. Yet she does it again when seeing Clancy like that. And I know her intentions are good, but that doesn't make her actions good.
I for sure wouldn't like to live next to or work with somebody with orange-abilities. Never knowing when somebody messed with your memories or had a peak?? No thank you! (hide spoiler)]

Beyond the Night
I don't really recall if this was mentioned in In the Afterlight or if it was in this stort story, but (view spoiler)[when Sam "wanted to be a blue to be able to kill them all" or when she thought to herself "I've never been afraid of Ruby....But now I see that I should be, that if she was anyone other than my friend...." I was like, exactly, that is how the world would be if everybody just gets to keep their abilities. I mean, even way earlier in the story it is mentioned that there is a clear hierarchy with oranges and reds being the leaders because of what they can do....

In the acknowledgment Bracken speaks of stepping away from Ruby's pov and telling the story for example from Sam's pov. However, it was like reading from Ruby's pov, the one could easily be replaced by the other. They had the same thoughts, they both wanted "to be the hero", they all just kept on going about all their insecurities, all their faults, etc etc. And again, I believe it's not so much the characters themselves or their stories, but the way it is being told that has made me dislike them all (with the exception of Chubs). (hide spoiler)]

I am soooo behind on my reading! The plan for this year was to do as few buddy reads as possible and concentrate on clearing all my dust bunnies....yet I have read 18 buddy reads so far and a mere 19 dust bunnies.... So I have decided to postpone The Dark Legacy (which I do want to read) until January. I hope you guys will join me then!

That sounds perfect actually. I 1 haven't ordered it yet and 2 already have way too many buddy reads planned...

I finally started the book a few days ago! I'm only at chapter 6, but this one was much easier to get into than the last one. I agree with your spoiler on this chapter...

Hey guys! Sorry for disappearing for so long 🙈
I had some life stuff to deal with and wasn't able to read for a while. I'm gonna finish this one at some point for sure, but probably next month rather than november.

Welcome back Angela!

Finally picked this one back up! I already made a sizeable dent in it today - 100 more pages. I'm somewhere in chapter 10.
Don't really have that much to say about it. So far I'm not super into it, but maybe that'll change in time.

There was one sentence that stuck out to me:
(view spoiler)["they'd never fade, not even in the afterlight of all of this."
I mean... Obviously this is a play on the book titles, but who on earth talks like that? (hide spoiler)]

Angela Jr. wrote: "There was one sentence that stuck out to me:
"but who on earth talks like that?"

Lol, I don't know. English is not my native language. I ask myself that question quite often....

Susy wrote: "At chapter 11 now "


Re oasis
(view spoiler)[maybe to placate senator cruz and ensure her continued support? That's the camp her daughter is in, and all the other government officials' kids, right? (hide spoiler)]

Re liam
(view spoiler)[my first thought when we saw the note: maybe he wakes up every day and still struggles with memory issues? Maybe he didn't write it because he doesnt trust ruby, maybe he wrote it because he doesn't trust himself to know what's real and what isn't?
I guees I'll find out when i read on... (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 14
(view spoiler)[zu's thoughts about liam's note were exactly what i was thinking! Just talk to him about it for god's sake... (hide spoiler)]

Susy wrote: "Ch19

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[zu talks now, chubs and vida are a thing, and liam and ruby finally got their shit together! Quite a lot happened in this chapter!

Like Lillian gray said, it's not so much a cure as a lifelong treatment. It manages the symptoms, but it doesn't eradicate the cause at all.
Besides, at this stage it has only been done on one person (do we know who that is btw? I think it wasn't mentioned..), so there's no way of knowing if it's safe for everyone and different abilities... Let alone the long term effects it might have. (hide spoiler)]

Susy wrote: "Ch20

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[this is supposed to make us think it's liam or cole, but what if it's harry? (hide spoiler)]

Susy wrote: "Ch21

That was quite an emotional chapter..."

Yeah :( (view spoiler)[I don't even want to imagine what ruby would have done if it had been liam. Cole is already bad enough, even though they were "only" friends, not lovers.
The chapter ends with ruby holding a gun to Lillian's head, what the hell is that about? (hide spoiler)]

Susy wrote: "Ch22

[spoilers removed]"

Agreed! Although (view spoiler)[i didn't make the connection that Clancy was influencing her! Apparently I'm not paying 100% attention while reading 😂 (hide spoiler)]

Angela Jr. wrote: "Susy wrote: "Ch22

[spoilers removed]"

Agreed! Although [spoilers removed]"

Lol

Chapter 23
I'm really into the story now!
As soon as (view spoiler)[shit hit the fan and ruby let herself be taken into custody again, i got super intrigued and invested! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 27
(view spoiler)[Chubs: "it's what a person chooses to do with their abilities that matters."

Dumbledore: "It is our choices, harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

That sentence of chubs' instantly made me think of the harry potter quote!
I'm almost at the end, just a few more pages to go. (hide spoiler)]

Done!
(view spoiler)[the ending felt kind of rushed to me. She took the whole book to set up the thurmond hit and then it was done in like two chapters... And the aftermath felt a little lacking too.
I did like it, but i wish she had taken a little more time with the ending.

I definitely didn't agree with what she did to clancy either. She says it was mercy, but come on. Clancy is a horrible person, but he should still be allowed to retain his memories, whether he's a good or bad person has nothing to do with that. He definitely wouldn't have chosen this if she'd given him a chance to decide.

I don't know... I'm a bit ambivalent about the cure thing. On the one hand, what you said is true, but on the other hand, you can't force people to have surgery...
There are lots of people who deliberately mess with other people's minds in the real world too, obviously without those orange abilities.
With every other ability, it's way easier, since you will know for sure whether they've used them to commit a crime or not. Orange is much more subtle. As we see with ruby, even though she knows how it works and the signs to look out for, she still doesn't get that clancy is influencing her.
I don't really know how I'd handle that if it were up to me, but I don't think locking them up or forcing them to have the surgery should be used as the drfault option, if they've done nothing wrong.
We've only ever seen two oranges (and martin very briefly).
Maybe a psychological assessment would be good? See if they have tendencies to abuse their powers and then act accordingly, either putting them in one of those "communities" they talked about or do something else.
Maybe they could use one of the oranges to examine their memories and see if they've abused them in the past? I don't think there's a 100% fail-safe and at the same time humane option... (hide spoiler)]

There's still a bonus short about clancy in the back that i have to read. I'll finish up through the dark next month!

Finished the clancy story. Did you read it too?
It was pretty brutal...
(view spoiler)[all those memories of him being mistreated and ignored by his parents... His life can't have been nice at all.
Also, are we supposed to think he was in love with nico? Not entirely sure about that, but i definitely got the idea from how she wrote it.
When we get to see the scene where ruby takes his memories away - did he actually give her non-verbal permission to do it? It sounded like it. He kept thinking "i just want this to end" and then there was something like "i saw the unspoken question in her eye and nodded slightly" (or whatever) (hide spoiler)]

Angela Jr. wrote: "Chapter 27
.."

I wish I had (some kind of) a memory, would love to make such links!

Angela Jr. wrote: "Done!
..."

Maybe, I was kind of put of by them wanting a cure so they could be "normal" but then being against this. It doesn't make sense to me.
I'm imagining it being done right from the start, as a baby, so they could prevent the deaths of the ones that don't make it.
I'm not sure but I don't think a test could be of help. Just look at Ruby who would probably come out as "harmless" yet she doesn't take into account the other person's feelings and opinion.
I would be against just waiting until harm is done. But that just my opinion of course.
And maybe all of this is because of that rushed ending you mentioned. Maybe if Bracken took a little more time to think things through...
I don't know. I like the premise but I don't really like how it was executed...

Angela Jr. wrote: "."

Yes I read it, brutal indeed. One of the best stories in this series. You really got another look at him.
I didn't get that feeling about Nico, just saw it as prove that he wás indeed a caring person. It was the people around him that made him who he was. Which is no excuse for his behaviour of course, but you get a better understanding of him.

I didn't get the part about his consent, will look into it tomorrow....

Hello Darkest Minds Series Readers,

Will you be continuing in 2019? And if so, will you be reading Beyond the Night in January and The Darkest Legacy in February?

I already read Beyond the Night.

I do want to read The Darkest Legacy but I'm all booked up until July. Would that do for you Angela?

Susy wrote: "Angela Jr. wrote: "Done!
..."

Maybe, I was kind of put of by them wanting a cure so they could be "normal" but then being against this. It doesn't make sense to me.
I'm imagining it being done ri..."

Yes, i do think doing it to kids who don't have symptoms yet would be a good idea too. Otherwise you'd take that huge risk of them dying... Which is why i don't understand why liam said his future kids wouldn't have to figure out their abilities on their own. I mean, does he really want to risk them dying?
But maybe the cure wouldn't be able to prevent the deaths, just suppress the abilities. The book wasn't very clear on that part.

I agree with what you said about the writing. A lot of things about the abilities and the cure and how it all works was a bit glossed over. I prefer books where the "rules" are laid out in detail and there's no room for guesswork and speculation...

Susy wrote: "Angela Jr. wrote: "."

Yes I read it, brutal indeed. One of the best stories in this series. You really got another look at him.
I didn't get that feeling about Nico, just saw it as prove that he w..."

Maybe I'm reading too much into things with clancy and nico 🤗
It's interesting that he is the only person clancy really cares about though. It shows that he's not completely evil at least..

Susy wrote: "Beyond the Night"

Totally agree about the POVs
(view spoiler)[there was no real difference between sam and mia for me. I constantly had to remind myself whose perspective i was reading from, it got a bit tedious.

Re the oranges etc
I think reds and yellows are about equal on the "threat" level. Somehow we don't heat a lot about the yellows, but electricity and fire can both be equally dangerous. I'd put oranges above them though, since they could basically do whatever they want and get away with it.
I'm still against taking everyone's abilities away, but since there's only one orange left, that point is kind of moot.

I just remembered that chubs can't be affected by orange abilities. That would be interesting to look into. What does he have that all the other people don't? (hide spoiler)]

Susy wrote: "I already read Beyond the Night.

I do want to read The Darkest Legacy but I'm all booked up until July. Would that do for you Angela?"

I could do july, but would prefer august or september since i have only two other buddy reads in those months

Angela Jr. wrote: "Susy wrote: "I already read Beyond the Night.

I do want to read The Darkest Legacy but I'm all booked up until July. Would that do for you Angela?"

I could do july, but would prefer august or se..."

August it is!