Review: The Maze Runner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner 
Publisher: Delacorte Books 
Pages: 374
Source: Public Library
My Rating: 5/5 Stars

 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.

My Review

Everybody is always ranting and raving about the awesomeness that is in the works of James Dashner's 'The Maze Runner'. So, when I walked into my library and saw it sitting there calling my name, I had to pick it up. The cover is boring when you first look at it. There isn't anything that's really eye catching. It's plain. The font is just..there. I was pretty sure I'd hate it for all it was worth.

I started reading the book out of curiosity. I told myself that I wouldn't read it until I finished all the books I was reading first. I figured, "Hey, why not? Just one chapter won't hurt anything." Oh, was I completely wrong. Apparently I didn't know what I was getting myself into. After reading the first chapter, I was hooked. Something about it sucked me in! Maybe it was the fact that this boy, Thomas, finds himself sitting there in the darkness of unknown territory without any memories of his life other than his name. It might have been the fact that only teenage boys of the male gender resided in the Glade. Or, it could have even been the weird dialect of the language. Either way, I devoured this book! It's one of those books that you don't want to finish in one or two days because you never want it to end, but you can't help it! I simple just couldn't put it down.

The story starts out with Thomas sitting in pitch-black darkness with no memories of a life he was sure he once lived. When light finally makes it's way to him, he realizes he isn't alone. Several dozens of boys, all around the same age, help him up out of the somber hole. They speak English, but with a weird, selective vocabulary. All seems casual in the Glade aside from having no adults present and having their memories wiped. Every month on the same day, a new boy is subjected to the Glade. But, the day after Thomas arrives, a girl is delivered, unconscious and with a message, and all hell seems to break loose.

This book is absolutely fantastic, a new favorite series for me! I'm already almost half way through the second book and it only get's better. I highly recommend this book to everyone that loves a good dystopian read. I laughed, I bawled my eyes out, and I hoped. I had so much hope for the characters of this story, but sometimes, all the hope in the world can't help them against the evils that find them. I never thought I'd say this, but it sure blows 'The Hunger Games' out of the water!