Sunday 28 July 2013

Review: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Plot: Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety... until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim... and meal.

The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.
Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

Review: 

*(WARNING: This is the second book in the Maze Runner Series. Click Here to see my review of book 1 , The Maze Runner. )*


The protagonist of the series, Thomas, is one of my favourite characters. He is a vivid character and a likeable character. He has many flaws that make him so realsitic. He is a very complex character. He goes through many emotions, especially in this book. He can be stressed, angry, upset, disturbed, brave, happy, courageous and very very angsty. He is a character that really grows on the reader and soon becomes close to the reader. He does have his moments where he annoys me, but still I love his character. He is a very good intentioned character always trying to look out for others. 

Teresa was a character I didn't like in this book. I felt she was absent for a lot of the book and them when she became more prominent....I just don't know. I really enjoyed her character in the first book but now I don't know if she can turn her situation around and make me accept her again. (Sorry if I'm a little vague...just really don't want to spoil TOO much).

Minho and Newt are also characters I really like. These are gladers from the previous book who are Thomas' friends. I think Newt is a very strong character, very brave and loyal. He seems a natural born leader with a good head on his shoulders. He is very fair to others and is always trying his best to do what is right by the others. Minho is one of my favourite characters from this series. He is witty, sarcastic, funny, kind and just 100 % awesome! He is a really good friend to Thomas and always provides a little comic relief on a bad situation. 

There was the introduction of some new characters in this book which I really enjoyed. One in particular was Brenda. I knew I would like her from the moment I was introduced to her. She is a kick-butt-first-ask-questions-later type of girl. She is strong willed, independent, brave and loyal. I really enjoyed the relationship she built in this book and seeing her interact with the other characters. 

The plot of this book was interesting. I found it fascinating seeing the world outside of the Maze. The world of the sick and the dying. The world is definitely one of an apocalyptic setting rather than dystopian. The world building of the scorch was really good and I could picture it so clearly in my mind while reading. 

I really liked learning a little but more about the disease called "The Flare". Seeing the world outside that has been affected, and almost destroyed, by this horrible disease really piqued my interest in learning where it all stemmed from. I'm really curious as to see what this Flare has to do with Thomas and the Gladers. I thought this book was very scary, especially one or two scenes with the infected people that scared me out of my socks! These scenes were well written and very vivid. 

Now that you've heard all my positive things about the book, lets move onto the negative. One thing I didn't like about the book was the predictability. I'm in no way saying that the entire book was predictable, because there were definitely some instances where I was thrown by the plot twist, but some of the twists were obvious to me. I had seen some of the minor, and one big, twists coming and it did take away some of the enjoyment of the book for me. 

Another thing that I disliked about the book was that it felt a little...rushed. Before you come after me with pitch forks, I know it was set in a time line of only two weeks. Some of the scenes, especially the romance / action based ones, were very rushed. I wish Dashner would have fleshed them out a little. Because of this some of the scenes and chapters felt a little anti-climatic. I'm also totally curious about WICKED . What is going on with them? What is their deal seriously!

Overall, I really did enjoy the book. Great characters and setting. It did leave me with questions and wanting more but hopefully all will be answered in The Death Cure. Definitely a book that will have the reader gripped to the last page and sleeping with the light on. 


Rating: 

Four Stars. *  *  *  *

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