The Maze Runner Series
By: James Dashner
Series: The Maze Runner
Genre: Dystopian
The Maze Runner Synopsis:
Length: 384 pages
If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.
Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.
Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.
Everything is going to change.
Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.
Remember. Survive. Run.
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.
Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.
Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.
Everything is going to change.
Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.
Remember. Survive. Run.
My Rating:
The Scorch Trials
Length: 368 pages
Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end.
Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn’t done yet. Phase Two has just begun. The Scorch.
There are no rules. There is no help. You either make it or you die.
The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch—the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.
Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off.
There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers’ destruction—and they’re determined to survive.
Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn’t done yet. Phase Two has just begun. The Scorch.
There are no rules. There is no help. You either make it or you die.
The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch—the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.
Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off.
There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers’ destruction—and they’re determined to survive.
My Rating:
The Death Cure
Length: 325 pages
It’s the end of the line.
WICKED has taken everything from Thomas: his life, his memories, and now his only friends—the Gladers. But it’s finally over. The trials are complete, after one final test.
Will anyone survive?
What WICKED doesn’t know is that Thomas remembers far more than they think. And it’s enough to prove that he can’t believe a word of what they say.
The truth will be terrifying.
Thomas beat the Maze. He survived the Scorch. He’ll risk anything to save his friends. But the truth might be what ends it all.
The time for lies is over.
WICKED has taken everything from Thomas: his life, his memories, and now his only friends—the Gladers. But it’s finally over. The trials are complete, after one final test.
Will anyone survive?
What WICKED doesn’t know is that Thomas remembers far more than they think. And it’s enough to prove that he can’t believe a word of what they say.
The truth will be terrifying.
Thomas beat the Maze. He survived the Scorch. He’ll risk anything to save his friends. But the truth might be what ends it all.
The time for lies is over.
My Rating:
The Kill Order
Length: 327 pages
The prequel to the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series.
Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.
Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.
Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive.
Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.
Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.
Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive.
My Rating:
My Overall Review:
My mom read this series a few months back after we meet James Dashner at Ya'llFest and she absolutely loved it. Which is saying a lot because it is rare that my mom finds a book that she truly enjoys. She actually couldn't wait to finish the series she went out the day after finishing The Scorch Trials to purchase the last book in the series, The Death Cure. After seeing how much she loved this series I moved it to the top of my To-Read list. I just had to see what the hype was all about.
Sadly, I watched the movies before I read the books so I had a bit of a biased opinion when it came to the books because I absolutely loved the movies. However, I do have to say if you want the full effect of the books I would try and refrain from watching the movies before reading the books, because the movies take a bit of a different turn than the books. Even so, I still really enjoyed this series. It did take my some time to read these books because I was doing a Buddy Read at the same time and had to put The Maze Runner on hold for a bit, but once I picked the books back up I had no interest in putting them down.
The books start with a group of boys stuck in a maze fighting for survival and a way out, back home. However, they are without memories of their past and have no clue how to leave the maze, until Thomas and Teresa arrive and shake things up. After they arrive everything changes. I loved the way James Dashner developed the world of the Gladers, he really made it seem as though you were stuck in the maze with these the characters.
I really enjoyed the ending to the first book, it was full of action and really set you up for the next installment of the series. It left you wondering what was going to happen to the remaining Gladers. I couldn't wait to start The Scorch Trails and once I did it took me some time to get used to the path the story was taking because like I said I watched the movie first and the movie and book are not similar in the least. There are very few similarities between the two. Even so, I still really enjoyed the books.
In book two, the Gladers think the have been rescued from WICKED, only to find out that it is more of the same; more trails, more death and more lies. So the boys find themselves stuck in the Scorch, hiding from Cranks and racing against time to a WICKED safe haven for a cure to The Flare. We are introduced to two great characters in book two, Jorge and Brenda; liked those two from the very beginning. I had no idea they were hiding so many secrets; in which you don't find out until book three. So much happened throughout this book with Thomas and the other Gladers, as well as with Teresa. I never really trusted that girl. Brenda and Thomas all the way!!
After finishing book two I couldn't wait to read The Death Cure, however I was a bit disappointed in the story, I was expected a much more climactic ending then what we got. However, I still really enjoyed the book and all the developments that unfolded about WICKED and The Flare. I wasn't expecting all the twists and turns that occurred throughout the final book, such as Gally working for the Right Arm. Did not see that coming, I mean who knew he was even still alive.
Aside from Thomas, Newt and Minho had to be my two favorite characters throughout this series. They had such distinct personalities and no matter what happened they always had Thomas back. I loved the bond those three shared. It only made it harder when we found out that Newt was infected with The Flare. Another, twist I was not prepared for in the final installment.
After finishing The Maze Runner trilogy, I decide to read The Kill Order. My mom tried to read it has well as a family friend and they both could not finish the book, so of course I had to see why they had such a hard time reading it. After starting the book I figured out real quick why, the characters in The Kill Order are not the same characters as from The Maze Runner. The Kill Order follows Mark, Alec, Trina and their friends through the world after the sun-flares destroy humanity. Throughout the book we follow this group of people as they try to discover why the government has infected them with such a deadly and corruptive virus and if they can find a cure. We also get to see where one of the main characters from The Maze Runner came from and how their experiences may have effected their choices in the future series.
Even though the characters where not the same in The Kill Order, I really enjoyed the story. For me it was like reading a whole new series.
If you haven't already read this series I highly recommend that you do. James Dashner is a phenomenal author and he has developed a remarkable dystopian world. Now that I have read the books I look forward to re-watching the movies now in a different light.
Published by: K
***All synopses come from Goodreads***
