BookRank

Reading order

The Darkest Minds reading order

Alexandra Bracken

  1. The Darkest Minds2012
  2. Never Fade2013
  3. In the Afterlight2014
  4. The Darkest Legacy2018
7.97.9 / 10
424 ratings
Score
4 volumes
Volumes
2012–2018
Published
about 45 h
Reading time
Completed
Status

Quick answer

The Darkest Minds
Start withThe Darkest Minds2012 · Volume 1 of 4
Open the volume →Buy the first volumeListen to the audiobook

Affiliate link: buying through it supports BookRank at no extra cost to you.

Publication order

4 volumes2012–2018Completed

  • A disease kills most of America’s children; the survivors develop dangerous powers and are locked in camps.
  • Sixteen-year-old Ruby escapes and goes on the run.
  • The first book is the best rated and the basis of the 2018 film; Never Fade continues directly.
  • In the Afterlight closes the trilogy, and The Darkest Legacy is a later sequel.

A plan for the whole series

4 volumes, 2,367 pages, about 45 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 8 weeks.

48%

Share of volume 1’s readers who reach the last volume. Chance of reaching the last volume: medium

Stages

4 stages, with 3 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around January 6, 2027, 11 days later than in one go.

  1. Stage 110 h13 daysby November 11, 2026
  2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 15, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
  3. Stage 212 h16 daysby December 1, 2026
  4. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 5, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
  5. Stage 311 h14 daysby December 19, 2026
    • 3. In the Afterlight2014 · 592 pages · 11 h
  6. Short breakOn Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century · Timothy Snyder · 128 pp. · score 8.42 h, by December 23, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
  7. Stage 411 h14 daysby January 6, 2027
    • 4. The Darkest Legacy2018 · 573 pages · 11 h
  8. The end of the series
    January 6, 2027
In one goDecember 26, 2026about 8 weeks
In stages, with breaksJanuary 6, 2027about 10 weeks · +6 h of other books

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

How this plan is calculated

The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →

Every volume in order

Read: 0 of 4
  1. The Darkest Minds
    The Darkest Minds2012 · 286 ratingsStart here
    7.97.9 / 10
  2. Never Fade
    Never Fade2013 · 138 ratings
    7.87.8 / 10
  3. In the Afterlight
    In the Afterlight2014 · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet
  4. The Darkest Legacy
    The Darkest Legacy2018 · Not ranked yetBuy
    –Not ranked yet

Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026

Frequently asked questions

Which Darkest Minds book is the best?

By reader score, The Darkest Minds (7.9/10). The lowest-rated is Never Fade (7.8/10).

Which The Darkest Minds book is the longest?

“Never Fade” is the longest at 658 pages; the shortest is “The Darkest Minds” with 544 pages.