The Kill Order (James Dashner)

The Kill Order by James Dashner is the prequel novel to The Maze Runner trilogy. This novel is a science fiction, suspense novel that follows the lives of a small group of people who survived the Sun flares; the plot line does not follow their initial struggle as the Sun flares struck, but it does however flashback to that stage of their fight for survival. This story’s main focus is on the aftermath and The Flare.

The Book Cover

Although the story itself was good, I felt like it was written “just because.” Whilst reading the novel, and getting sucked into the story, I was awaiting a conclusion to the survival story of the small group of people that it follows; however I was disappointed. The epilogue itself has no mention of the people in which the story follows - more specifically Deedee - and that bothers me; what is the point of getting attached to characters if they simply vanish into thin air (no pun intended for those who have read the book). I now feel like James Dashner wrote this because he could since there is a decent amount of interest in the trilogy.

Of course, with every review, this is only my opinion! I read some other reviews upon finishing the novel to see what other people thought of the plot, and there was a handful of people who enjoyed the ending. Could I just be picky? Maybe. But that still doesn't change my rating.

I would rate The Kill Order 2.7/5 because of the reasoning stated above. The story itself was good, but the ending was a disappointment and really did not have a conclusion.

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :) 

The Death Cure (James Dashner)

The Death Cure is the third novel in The Maze Runner trilogy by James Dashner. Again, as did the second novel, the plot picks up right where the previous one left off. I’m glad Dashner did this as the ending of the second novel was indeed a cliffhanger of sorts.

The Book Cover

The plot follows the same main character Thomas as he continues to understand more about the surroundings around him and the project in which he is associated with. The “feel” of the novel, however, does change - at least I think it does. The story is no longer about the struggle to make it to the end of the task assigned by WICKED, but is now instead a fight to understand “which side they are on”? I’m not sure how to put this without revealing too much, but I just feel as though the plot became a different story.

Despite this change in the overall “feel” of the story, I did enjoy watching the characters grow and develop, as well as working towards a common cause. However, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first two books in the trilogy because I was left with the feeling that something was missing. In addition, I felt as though the last chapter and the epilogue were “the easy way out” in regards to concluding the series, especially based off of the title; Dashner's choice of title is definitely misleading to the reader!

I would rate The Death Cure 3.5/10 because I was actually quite disappointed with the conclusion of the book, especially when you take into account the title that Dashner chose for this novel.

Despite this low rating for the end of the series, I definitely would still recommend the trilogy :)

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

The Scorch Trials (James Dashner)

The Scorch Trials is the sequel to the popular book The Maze Runner by author James Dashner. The story begins where the first novel left off, not losing pace at all. The suspense you felt at the end of the first novel is definitely carried over into this second book of the trilogy. However, unlike the first novel, this plot is a little closer to the horror side than just thriller due to some of the more “graphic” descriptions (when you read the novel, you'll understand what I mean - all I'm going to say is "cranks").

The Book Cover

The plot is very intriguing in this book because your level of knowledge is essentially the same as the characters; as I said in my first review, it’s like you are experiencing the story as the characters. With every new chapter came another development in the plot, and often those developments were plot twists. As the plot unfolds, you learn more about the reasoning and purpose behind the maze in which these teenagers were placed, and you begin to see the affects of what happens without that said reasoning. I know that sentence is quite cryptic and may not fully make sense, however, I don't want to give too much away.

Through reading, I continued to feel drawn in by the characters and was engrossed in the way they grow and react in the world around them and the knowledge behind why they are there. Some of the character developments had me itching for more and more; I found it difficult to pace myself whilst reading this. I think with school, I finished reading this book in about a week or two.

The Scorch Trials has also been rumored to have been "greenlighted" by Fox for a movie! This will follow after the September 2014 release of The Maze Runner to theaters. Here's a supposed movie poster of this release!

Unofficial Movie Poster

I would rate The Scorch Trials 4.3/5, which is 0.3 higher than the first, because I felt as though this plot was a little more developed than the first. Also, the plot did possess more horror suspense which I really do love in a book, even though I can't sit through horror movies... :)

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworm :)

The Maze Runner (James Dashner)

This review is for the first novel in a series of 3 by James Dashner. The first book - The Maze Runner - is one I’ve been intrigued to read for a while now. Before beginning the book, I really had no idea of what the storyline was; but something about the title called me in and it was recommended by YouTuber Joey Graceffa. I also learned, from Strawburry17's website, that this novel is being made into a movie! I can't wait until later in this year to see this book unfold before my eyes.

An Unofficial Movie Poster

The Cast of The Maze Runner Movie

 The Maze Runner follows the main character Thomas as he enters a new sort of world. Upon entering this world he finds himself surrounded by four walls and a community that is unorthodox; it’s a community run by teenage boys. This world is even more obscure because outside of those four walls is a maze that tests your bravery, fitness, and mental stability. I can’t give more of a synopsis than that as I think it would give too much of the storyline away; experiencing the plot first hand is definitely as aspect of the book that needs to be felt to understand the full experience.

The Book Cover

Though the story did start of slower than I usually like, it didn’t really bother me this time. I think the atmosphere that the author paints was enough to hold me this time. There is an unwritten suspense to the beginning of the story; it almost feels as though you ARE Thomas. You are both experiencing this new world at the same time. Everything is new, strange, and you don't know where you've come from; the "before" of this world is unexplained to you as a reader much like the "before" has been wiped from Thomas's memory.

Movie Depiction of Thomas

However, the story does pick up very quickly. It’s almost like when you roll a ball down a hill: it starts off slowly but picks up speed continually until it can’t seem to stop - only does it stop when it hits something. This book after about a quarter of the way drastically picks up speed and doesn’t slow until the last chapter. I finished two thirds of the book in one day! I honestly couldn’t put the book down!

I would rate this novel 4/5 because of the way it pulled me in. Of course, because of the slow start, it has a slightly lower rating.

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)