Series: The Maze Runner

BOOK REVIEW – The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner #1) by James Dashner

August 19, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner #1)
by James Dashner
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

I really enjoyed this one. From the very confusing and twisted beginning, this book had it’s claws into me and consumed me from the start. So many confusing elements and ways of life, we are left to wonder what is going on for most of the story. At one point, I started to get annoyed with how many questions Thomas would ask, but had to pull my frustration back a bit. Who wouldn’t wonder what the hell was going on? You wake up in a dingy metal box with people staring at you and you can’t remember a thing. Craziness.

What stuck with me throughout the entirety of this book was the creepiness of the unknown. Why are freaky, blobbish metal contraptions spread throughout the maze? What is their purpose? What is the point of living in a stabilized society with a danger lurking behind the oh-so-precious maze walls every night? So many things don’t make sense, but I realized with clarity that this was why I enjoyed the premise so much.

Most people seemed annoyed with the lack of answers. I thought it was intriguing. I actually wouldn’t have minded more Griever action than was given. I never could really visualize what they looked like completely, but I had an idea, and that idea was scary enough.

Thomas was a great male pov. I enjoyed most of this thoughts, and I liked his common display of heroics. He never once left someone behind, and he even attempted to break rules multiple times to save others. He was a really fun, loyal character to follow and most likely the reason I enjoyed TMR so much. His bond with Chuck broke my heart. Chuck, from what I gathered, was one of the youngest, weakest Gladers confined in the maze world. Thomas never once deterred from Chuck’s friendship, and I thought it was utterly heartwarming.

Newt was my other favorite character, followed by Minho. Newt was always sweet and funny. He generally tried to empathize with everyone and turned out to be a loyal comrade as well. Just a really fun addition to the story. Minho, while crazy or exasperating at times, was a supporter of the greater good as well. With these two characters’ support, the story seemed to flow that much easier and made it extremely enjoyable as well.

All in all, TMR had some different language I needed to get used to, but for the most part, it was easily adaptable and eventually became a part of the story. Overall, I would say this was a very fun read and completely unexpected. I can’t wait to start the next in the series and find some more answers and character development.

BOOK REVIEW – The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2) by James Dashner

August 19, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2)
by James Dashner
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Wow. I
REALLY
loved this book. This is a series I am not likely going to be able to forget. Everything that happens is just dripping with uncertainty and you never know from one scene to the next who is going to be living and who is going to be knocked off the grid. In this installment, Thomas is put in the position of whether or not to trust certain people around him. Hell, I still don’t know who I trust-aside from Minho and Newt, of course. 🙂

Saved and brought to a safe house at the end of book 1, the boys are out of danger…right? Never. WICKED has found them again, and the stakes are even higher this time. As they go through the trials and variables yet again, more and more of Thomas’s group is eliminated.

But now there is also the danger of group B-situations have escalated and the peril is at an all time high. With little shelter and really nowhere to hide, the boys are like sitting ducks-much like in TMR. Often times they find themselves in dark, creepy tunnels that have no end in sight, and they have no idea what’s lurking in the shadows. At one point, I couldn’t read further because the whispers and shadows became too much for me whilst I read in the dark of my own home. One would think I was perfectly safe and capable of reading on, but I was frightened as if I was in a life or death situation like the boys.

Trust, betrayal, love, belonging…these are themes that are present in TST. Thomas is ultimately a teenager, so his emotions are naturally all over the place. After everything, and I do mean everything, bad that could possibly happen to him happens, he finally begins to take a stand-not just letting everyone back into his good graces. I was glad he finally figured out what was real and what should be questioned. Maybe it was too late when he started longing for a certain someone, but I was happy when he did. Some things are unforgiveable, and Thomas finally realized that while he has to act the part around untrustworthy “friends”, he can’t truly trust his full group now-he has to rely on his instincts and his closest comrades. Thank God. I might have reached into the book and stabbed him myself with that damn bladed spear if he didn’t start making wiser decisions.

So with my final word, I have to stress that this book is a must read and the series should not be passed over. I have grown to love Thomas as a character and to admire his persistence to find the knowledge he seeks. Now I just hope all of our favorite characters live long enough to see the world outside of WICKED’s killzone again.

BOOK REVIEW – The Death Cure (The Maze Runner #3) by James Dashner

August 19, 2014 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

The Death Cure (The Maze Runner #3)
by James Dashner
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

I must admit that out of all three of the MR books, TDC left the least of an impression on me. While I enjoyed all three, the first two had an eeriness that could not be replicated by the Wicked government agenda/escape in the final installment.

Thomas is, as always, my favorite character. He is such a strong person to read about and has never once let a friend down. No exceptions. He is loyal, dedicated, and kind. Even with destruction and anarchy all around him, he never forgets those who were dear to him and lost their lives in this corrupted society.

In tune with book two, Thomas is having a hard time trusting Teresa, let alone forgiving her. So this adds a little tension to the story that was not there before. Brenda is present through the whole book, but she isn’t the focus. Not one person, aside from Thomas, is.

TDC started out strong. I didn’t quite understand why there was such a low average rating at first, because as I said before, the story started out with action and suspense. As I chugged along, I started to miss the trials of the first two installments and the creepiness they brought to the forefront. I suppose this reason is why I have a lower rating for DC. While I still raced through, I could not stop my mind from wandering to the previous stories and what they contained.

All in all, a very memorable series. Not at all what I was expecting and it was exactly what I needed when I decided to read it. These characters will stay with me forever, and I will think of them often. I lost a few of my favorite characters, and that was a difficult part of the story, but some people also got a chance for redemption, and that’s okay by me too. I do feel one character in particular was always destined to die, and therefore had a red x marked upon them from the start. I could tell from the beginning of the DC that this single character was strategically placed so he/she could die. That is my one complaint with the plot. Other than that, I will always consider The Maze Runner series a favorite of mine.

******
Hm. Not completely sure how to rate this, but still a good book-just not my favorite in the series. Am I sadistic because I liked the books involving the trials of the gladers
More? Ruh-roh. Review to come…