The Scorch Trials (2011)

Fans of Lost, The Hunger Games, and Gone will enjoy this series. Though fair warning, not much is explained in the first two books so be prepared to chug through to the third book for some answers. ( )

I still don't know how I feel about Newt having an Irish accent in the audio book. ( )

I read the first book in this series, The Maze Runner, before I started blogging, so I cannot link to a review of it. So to sum up my feelings about book one now: I read it on high recommendation and as part of my dystopia obsession and was largely disappointed. While it is decent, it's not amazing and the lack of information given to the reader about the actual world outside the test makes it hard to know whether Dashner has a neat, unique apocalyptic view of the future or not. The book basically left me kind of lukewarm.

Book two very much follows in the tradition of book one, so I have little to add. The characters did not become any more dear to my heart in this book; in fact, I like most of them quite a bit less. Thomas spends a lot of time being emo because Teresa won't talk to him anymore; then, once she does, he's emo because she doesn't like him and he doesn't like her as much anymore either. That gets a bit trying. And, as much as I generally like for there to be a little romance in my fiction, I really could have done without it here.

If you thought escaping the maze meant that you, the reader, would finally get to find out what is going on in the real world in this dystopia, you are going to be seriously disappointed. I had a feeling that would be the case, what with the title including the word 'trials,' which would tend to indicate that this would be another test. Still, I find myself somewhat annoyed at the fact that there is little to no added to what had been learned in The Maze Runner. I realize this is intentional and it leaves the reader feeling much like the kids in the trials: frustrated. And, although I dislike this gambit, I must admit that it works, as I do intend to keep reading the books to find out what's happening.

If you liked The Maze Runner, read this with dispatch, because you'll love it. If you just want to know what the heck is happening in this dystopian world, then you could, if you want to, read a summary of the plot and wait for a book where the kids do something real. If you didn't like The Maze Runner, you won't like this one any better. ( )

Wow. That was a thrill ride! James Dashner really knows how to ratchet up the tension.

This book was very different from The Maze Runner, much less eerie and creepy mysterious, but what it lacks there, it more than makes up for in tension and action. We learn more about the world outside of the maze, and about the flares and the Flare, and we meet Cranks, which reminded me somewhat of the "zombies" suffering from Rage in 28 Days Later - OK, well, at least those past Gone.

We have some shifting of characters in this one. We lose some and gain others, and others just seem like new characters because of their role in this phase of the story. Minho has a much larger role here, and this makes me happy, because he is awesome. I love his character.

There are twists and turns and crazy plot developments aplenty, and I felt like a ballerina for as much as I was on my toes reading this. This isn't a book one skims - blink and you've missed a shift and the story is now going in a completely unexpected direction.

Fantastic stuff... Is it October yet? ( )

Review to come. ( )