Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

by Carmen Shaw 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!