Sunday, February 19, 2012

The Death Cure by James Dashner

This book is the last one in The Maze Runner trilogy, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. You should read the first two books in the series which are described in my blog. Thomas discovers that the trials aren't quite over, but he's had enough. He escapes from WICKED and travels to Denver, one of the few cities that has not been destroyed by the Scorch and the Flare. He discovers an organization that is fighting against WICKED, but it may be too late as the Shanks start an uprising. Thomas also finds out that other people like him are being captured to begin new trials. Thomas seems to be the key to the solving the whole disaster, but is he willing to give up his life?

The format of this book is very much like the first two books, although there aren't as many surprises from WICKED since Thomas has escaped them. The reader is still left to wonder which characters are good and bad. Some of the characters have been working for WICKED while the Flare has been working on the brains of others. The resolution to the story was not what I expected.

Friday, February 17, 2012

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

This book is the sequel to The Maze Runner, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Thomas and the Gladers find themselves in a new world, but Teresa has been taken away. They are eventually told that they must walk down a very long, totally dark, tunnel, cross The Scorch, an area of land that's been ravaged by the sun, and then make their way to the Safe Haven. They weren't told about the metal weapons that dissolve their heads in the dark, the lightning that would blow them off the face of the planet, or the Cranks that would ambush them along the way. Thomas also wasn't expecting to be betrayed by one of his best friends.

You'll probably enjoy this book if you enjoyed The Maze Runner. Most of the main characters remained from the first book, but a few more were added to this plot, including a group of girls. I liked when many of the characters were labeled with tattoos that identified their roles in the group. However, Thomas's tattoo seemed to be a prophecy that the girls would soon kill him. There were many twists and turns, and the conclusion leads right into book three.