Review: The Maze Runner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Publication date: October 6th, 2009

Summary:
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 30 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.


Review:
This book kept me wanting more and more the entire time I was reading it. From the first page, I was intrigued by the strange place that Thomas was brought to. Everything was described so clearly, it was like I was right there in the middle of it. The Glade was so intricately designed and left me with many questions, most of which were answered as I kept reading. It was a bit hard to get into at first, because I had so many unanswered questions about what was happening and the slang that they were using, but I quickly got a feel for the place and the slang. The characters were all unique and each played an important role by the end, thought at first it was somewhat overwhelming trying to remember who was who.

I felt that it ended almost too abruptly, because I had a million questions at the end that I didn't feel were answered very clearly. But I look forward to reading the second book, and The Maze Runner is definitely a book that I will be keeping on my shelf to read again.

Characters: 9/10
Plot: 10/10
Originality: 10/10
Writing: 10/10
Overall grade: A