Review: In Time by Alexandra Bracken

In Time (The Darkest Minds, #1.5) by Alexandra Bracken
Published: Disney Publishing Worldwide
Pages: 89

Don't miss this exciting short story that connects The Darkest Minds to its much-anticipated sequel, Never Fade.

Gabe's life has been devastated in the wake of the economic crash. The only option left for someone like him to escape his tragic past is to leave his small town behind and to attempt to become a skiptracer. This already almost impossible task is made all the more difficult by his first score, a young girl who won't speak, but who changes his life in ways he could never imagine.

“Because she knows what it's like to live in a world of black, and black, and the tiny bit of white, but when she escaped it, she didn't find the rainbow of colors, the dresses, the singing, the dancing. She only found ugliness.”

Upon starting In Time, I already found the point of view to be very well-chosen. It was so interesting and even fascinating to see the whole situation from a "normal" person's point of view. Although my love for him wasn't great at first, it was easy to sympathise with him in a way. Gabe is someone who just so happened to be the victim of the whole situation. He had no control about what was happening in the world, and that's what made him stand out. He wasn't the kid with special powers being hunted down, but the one who hunts.

Some excellent character development and a very unlikely friendship were my two highlights of the novella. The change in his character was brought so well, which redeemed the dragging plot. This development was slow, but by paying attention you could see all the way through how much he softened because of the "freak". It eventually made my heart melt, though it may have had something to do with this adorable little girl I already loved from The Darkest Minds.

The ending left me in an absolute state of shock. I still don't know what happened. It just ripped my heart open and left me me with tears in my eyes. Yes, it hit me right in the feels, but that's what I love in a good novella. Yes, it does not have the best plot of pace, but In Time remains highly-recommended for every fan of The Darkest Minds out there.