Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

by 7:17 PM 8 comments

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.
Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.
Overall Thoughts:
This book fully restored my faith in reading and ended my treacherous reading slump!

The Maze Runner begins with a teenage boy named Thomas, who finds himself inside of a dim, steel box with absolutely no recollection of where he is and most importantly, who he is. Much to his surprise, a rag-tag group of male teenagers rescue him from his momentary prison. They inform Thomas that he has become the newest inhabitant to a world called The Glade; and that he shouldn't feel different because they never remembered much of anything other than their names either. Like anyone, he finds himself completely discombobulated and confused, and ends up showering the boys with questions about himself, but no one is able to answer him.

In time, Thomas learns the day-to-day activities of the Glade and that it is run and occupied only by teenage boys. The sole purpose for the Gladers is to solve and escape the deadly, forever-alternating Maze that completely surrounds their little haven. The only problem is that these ugly, lethal creatures named Grievers constantly stalk the Maze, killing anyone who dares to cross their path. It's been 2 years in counting and the Gladers have yet to figure their way out.

Then, something totally miraculous happens. Just one day after Thomas arrives, The Glade is sent something it's never even seen before - a beautiful girl. For some mind-blowing reason, Thomas has an instant connection with the girl and recognizes her from somewhere. And then things start falling apart...

What I liked about this book:
The plot was one-of-a-kind! It was completely brilliant and fast-paced! I love that a boy was the main character because most Young Adult novels solely focus on girl main characters. This is the kind of book that will completely take over any and every thought you have while reading it and well after you are done with it.

Every single character was dynamic and seemed to be able to tell you a story of their own, not just Thomas. Speaking of him, it was important that the readers be able to connect and understand Thomas because we were seeing everything through his eyes, and I did just that. Thomas had amazing qualities that make people automatically gravitate towards him like his strength, boldness, craftiness. But he also had realistic qualities like nervousness, fright, and eagerness.

What I disliked about this book:
I do not have The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner, #2) yet :(

Verdict:
This book made Dystopian novels my favorites to read!

5 TARGETS!


Carmen Shaw

Developer

Carmen N. Shaw is currently a biology major at Georgia State University. She is the owner and developer of the book blog, Understanding Carmen's Story.

8 comments:

  1. I read this book... sometime over the summer, I think, and to be honest I didn't like it at first. It took me forever to read. But then, as time passed, I began to think of it more and more and now it's itching at me. :) It's one of those books that I like only after I've put it down, you know?

    Anyways, cool review. Glad you enjoyed the book when I couldn't at first! Have a blessed Friday. :)

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  2. I've yet to read this series. I've heard some really good things about it. Glad you enjoyed it. Nice review :)

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  3. I keep staring at this book. I won the prequel in a contest too. I'm silly for not reading it yet. Enclave too. This is the 2nd good review for it I've read today. I think its a hint..lol..
    new follower. I really like your blog a lot.
    Bella's Bookshelf

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  4. I don't kmow what's taking me so long to go get this book! I'm so glad that you loved it - it sounds absolutely interesting, and fast-paced books are almost always the best. ;) I actually find it harder to connect to male MCs than female ones, maybe because I'm a girl, but it's great to hear that Thomas was a good character.

    Thanks for the review, Shae!

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  5. Ahahaha I love your reason for dislike! I loved all the characters in this book--they were all really distinct and awesome! I would recommend getting The Death Cure when you pick up The Scorch Trials because that ends with a cliffhanger too.

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  6. Great review! I liked this one as well. ;)

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  7. I definitely need to read this one! I'm so excited that it's going to be a movie now :) It seems like it's a great dystopian, when those are pretty hard to find now. I'm so glad you liked it! Awesome review!

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  8. I'm so glad you liked this one! The Maze Runner is one of my absolute favorite dystopians. The characters are the best part, but the plot is absolutely amazing.

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