The Maze Runner by James Dashner- Review

The Maze Runner by James Dashner 

Well.. I am behind the party on this book... but I had to read it before the movie comes out (which I thought was February but turns out it's now pushed back till September!! WHAT).  I read it with my Young Adult Book Club and enjoyed it.  Here is the goodreads description:

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 thirty 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. 

I don't know what to think about this book. I didn't LOVE it but I didn't dislike it either. I just felt that the questions in the book got so drug out. I mean Thomas kept asking people questions for like the first 200 pages and no one would answer. Another thing that bothered me was any time someone would say something to Thomas.. we had to read things like "that hurt his feelings". Well ok... we get that and it doesn't have to be spelled out every time someone snaps at him.

I also felt that the book was wordy. Oh wow... I mean really it took... 300 pages to actually get anything going. We spent such a long time just trying to get in the maze.. I was like AYE!!!!!!

I did enjoy the whole idea though. I like that they were an experiment and that the outside world clearly wasn't that great. I also REALLY like that we got out of the maze for the second book. Though as soon as I got to reading I thought it was predictable that the book was going to end right when everyone figured the maze out. I am surprised no one "jumped" in the abyss before Thomas started throwing rocks in it. I mean no one was crazy enough to try it before? Also.. why didn't Teresa and Thomas give the code to anyone else. Why was it only those two who could type it in. If I was in the group I would think everyone should be given the code and then whoever can jump in first just be the one to type it. That wasn't planned out very well, especially if Teresa and Thomas didn't make it to the gate alive.

The grievers were an interesting villain. They actually sounded pretty scary. I have no idea how they will translate to film though. I am glad though to finally read a series where the books are all out and published. I don't have to wait years to see what happens.

The little memo at the very end did make me more intrigued to read the rest of the series. Will they get their memories back.. why were they taken in the first place. The whole new slang language bothered me a little at first. Trying to figure it out. I am not sure why the group created so many words but I do know that having this little language can create comradery in a group of people. This is probably one of the reasons Chuck never felt at ease using it... he was never really one of the "in" people so the words didn't really fit with him. I know we were supposed to like Chuck but I just felt like he was supposed to be the friend that the readers liked. When in reality I felt like Thomas never even really spent time with him once he was in with the Keepers. Then Chuck was just that first friend.

One character that struck me as just thrown in and in an odd way was Teresa. I never even ended up liking her or caring about her. Obviously in other books I am sure she will be a bigger character. But in this book I was like... who is this and now we all just listen to her? I mean... I guess I would have to be Thomas to really get how he felt his connection.

I loved Newt. I just don't know what it was about him but I liked him. Galley clearly I didn't like. Every time he was on a page he was crazy. Which actually made him kind of fun. [ But ... when they were in the last room and Thomas beat him up he didn't actually die so I suspect he will come back in the future.  I liked Minho too. I knew I would like him from the beginning when Thomas first met him.

Out of there being like 40 kids ( I think because they said that 18 left at the end and that was half the group) I wish we would've got to know a few more people. I felt like we really only knew like 6 people and in a book this long more could've been added I thought.
I am still dying to know why there weren't any females in the Glades till Teresa arrived. That is interesting. Perhaps a female would've changed the whole dynamic? Teresa and Thomas' telecommunication is going to probably be something bigger further on. At first I thought they were lovers but maybe they are siblings (though since this is a YA novel they are probably lovers).

The end of the book mentions another test group... I think that possibly these two groups will eventually meet in future books. I am curious to see what these tests would even train people to use in the future of humanity. The only thing I can see is skills for surviving in the wilderness or something. They weren't trained to be soldiers or anything like that. So right now I really don't see what results these tests were even seeing... determination to get out of a maze? What will that do for humanity?

I am curious about why there isn't a trailer for the Maze Runner movie yet.  If it was supposed to be out in February you would think there would be something out there for us.. even a teaser trailer.  Makes me a little nervous about the film.

Really there have only been some pictures released. Of course Dashner tried to make everyone feel better about the whole thing by tweeting about it. Guess we'll have to see!



The crystal balls says:

Fog is coming.....  in the middle of the road on this book!