Review: The Scorch Trials

Author: James Dashner
Publication Date: October 12, 2010
Genre: YA Dystopian
Copy provided by: Myself, purchased.
Summary (via Goodreads):

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?

Why I read this: I absolutely loved the Maze Runner and had to read the sequel.

Plot: The Scorch Trials starts with a theatrical beginning, one that blew me away with the mind-blowing and gore level I really didn't anticipate. What happens at the beginning of the novel sets the stage for a gruesome addition to the Maze Runner series. There's twists that are added, a new set of characters in the same situation as the boys, as well as some gruesome new ways to die. My favorite of which was the head-eating slime. Definitely a series I can't wait for more of.

Characters: The new female characters are fiercer and you're not quite sure of their background while reading the story - but something fishy is going on. WICKED is as ominous as ever, pulling invisible strings in the background and making you unsure of the main characters as well as the supporting one.

Relatability: Fans of a more horrific dystopian series will enjoy Dashner's The Maze Runner series.

Cover Commentary: Definitely gives you a picture as to what type of scenery you'll see in this book.

Rating: 5/5 Roses

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