{ The Scorch Trials by James Dashner }

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

October 12, 2010 by Random House Children's Books

Source: Library Ebook

From GoodReads:

Solving the Maze was suppose 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 the 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?

My review:

I have to say, I loved this second installment of the Maze Runner Trilogy! It is such a refreshing change from all the Paranormal and Dystopian Romance out there right now in the YA genre. I think this really has something for everyone. I love the fact that the main character is a strong male as well. There really is not a lot of books out there for boys and this one is definitely something teen boys could sink their teeth into.

James Dashner has an amazing, amazing creative mind. Where does he come up with this stuff? Truly mind bending. I found myself constantly having to reminding myself that these are kids. They are constantly being lured into a false sense of security in knowing that these horrific things are finally at an end, only to be thrown back into an even more horrific nightmare. Again and again. James Dashner has such an amazing ability to immerse you into this unbelievable world, yet make it completely and utterly believable. There is so much mystery surrounding these characters and why they are being put through these horrific trials. There are constantly more questions being raised with every turn of the page. Yet the pace and development of story and characters is so totally enthralling you never feel as though you are going to drown in the mystery.

All of these characters are amazing in their own right. Thomas is still very much a strong and believable character in this second book. We definitely see him grow throughout this book, but he still stays very true to who he was in The Maze Runner. All the returning characters like, Minho, Newt and Teresa are great, but the addition of Brenda and Jorge added another dimension to the story that was needed. Just that little something to keep the story development and character development moving. Something that sometimes is severely lacking with a middle book in a Trilogy. I also loved the addition of the Crank. I am starting to become a fan of a little Zombie action here and there.

There are so many twists and turns in this book, that you never have to worry about anything becoming predictable or boring. Okay, yes. I guess the ending in a way is predictable. We know that nothing is going to be resolved as there is another book. I am just glad that I don't have to wait a whole year for The Death Cure!

Yes, this is a YA Sci-fi, but it truly is a book...and series...that will be enjoyed by YA and Adults alike. I highly recommend this book and this series.

Rating: 5 stars!