Review "The Maze Runner"

"The Maze Runner"
James Dashner 
 
5

Pub. Date: October 6, 2009
Pages: 279
Publisher: Delacorte Press for Young Readers

Synopsis:  Imagine waking up one day in total darkness, unsure of where you are and unable to remember anything about yourself except your first name. You're in a bizarre place devoid of adults called the Glade. The Glade is an enclosed structure with a jail, a graveyard, a slaughterhouse, living quarters, and gardens. And no way out. Outside the Glade is the Maze, and every day some of the kids -- the Runners -- venture into the labyrinth, trying to map the ever-changing pattern of walls in an attempt to find an exit from this hellish place. So far, no one has figured it out. And not all of the Runners return from their daily exertions, victims of the maniacal Grievers, part animal, part mechanical killing machines.

Thomas is the newest arrival to the Glade in this Truman-meets-Lord of the Flies tale. A motley crew of half a dozen kids is all he has to guide him in this strange world. As soon as he arrives, unusual things begin to happen, and the others grow suspicious of him. Though the Maze seems somehow familiar to Thomas, he's unable to make sense of the place, despite his extraordinary abilities as a Runner. What is this place, and does Thomas hold the key to finding a way out?

In The Maze Runner, Dashner has crafted a creative and engaging novel that's both mysterious and thought provoking.

I don't know why it took me so long to read this book... I have only heard wonderful things about "The Maze Runner", but somehow I kept overlooking it.  Thank goodness I randomly requested the audio book from the library because this is a must read for fans of "The Hunger Games".  "The Maze Runner" wasn't as good as HG, but I really don't expect many books to be able to compete with its sheer awesomeness.  From the very beginning of the book I felt just as lost as the main character, Thomas, and I was hooked.  I LOVED how none of the characters in The Glade really know what is going on- some of them have theories, but that's all they are. 

There wasn't a ton of character development, but everyone was very realistic.   I really liked how everyone had their own way of coping with being in The Glade, some characters handled the situation better than others, but I would probably be a crazy, mess if I was in their situation.  I loved how Dashner showed the characters' reactions to change.  People don't like change in life as it is, in such a high stress environment it isn't surprising how some of the characters react to some of the changes Thomas's arrival brings.  This book is violent, but I didn't think it was over done.  The violence is used to show how terrifying The Glade is.

If you like adventure and mystery then "the Maze Runner" is a must read.  The ending is fantastic and there are plenty of questions left to keep you wanting more.  “The Scorch Trials”, the second book, is available now, and the last book, “The Death Cure” is coming out in October.  Now is a great time to start this series!

Buy From Amazon.com  Buy From BN.com

"Ruby Red" Winner!

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Review of "The Deathday Letter"

"The Deathday Letter"
Shuan David Hutchinson

 

3

Pub. Date: June 15th, 2010
Pages: 240
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Synopsis:  The clock is ticking? 

Ollie can't be bothered to care about anything but girls until he gets his Deathday 

Letter and learns he's going to die in twenty-four hours. Bummer. 

Ollie does what he does best: nothing. Then his best friend convinces him to live a little, and go after Ronnie, the girl who recently trampled his about-to-expire heart. Ollie turns to carloads of pudding and over-the-top declarations, but even playing the death card doesn't work. All he wants is to set things right with the girl of his dreams. It's now or never?

I had high hopes for this book, I just thought the synopsis sounded AMAZING, but this book just did not live up to my expectations.  I did enjoy this book, but I really thought the focus of the book would be completely different.  I was hoping the book would focus a bit more on the Deathday Letters, but I was disappointed.  I really liked the idea of knowing when a person would die; this ensured you did everything you could to bring closure to yourself and your friends.  Overall, I did think Ollie took advantage of his last day, but there were parts of his experience that were just a major let down.  I don't want to say what they were because that may be a bit of a spoiler, but you would be able to figure this out if you read the book.  I guess the story flowed more realistically without exploring the Deathday Letters, but it just left the book feeling a bit flat for me.

Part of my problem with this book is that Ollie came off as kind of a jerk to me.  I did not hate him, but there were times where he was really hard to like.  He is probably a realistic portrayal of a teenage boy, but as a female I kind of wanted to slap him a lot of the time.  At the same time, Ronnie was kind of a pain in the butt.  The only character I really liked was Ollie's best friend, Shane.  He is a great balance for Ollie and without him the book may have completely flopped.

I will say that I absolutely loved the ending, which still seems weird, but it just was perfect.  I understood Ollie and Ronnie's relationship better so their fighting made a lot more sense.  I just wish this had been addressed sooner because I was getting very annoyed with the pair.  So in short, this book was good, but not great.  I think this is a book that might resonate more when guys, they might appreciate Ollie's humor more than I did.  The biggest problem for me was that I expected this book to be different.  I thought it was going to be more serious with less one-liners, but some people may enjoy the tone of "The Deathday Letter".

Super Short Contest for "Ruby Red"!

I know this is a very quick contest, but I just got the go ahead to run it!  You have until 11:59 PM EST Monday June 13th to enter.  All you have to do is reply to this post with your e-mail and you will be entered!  I am adding the stipulation that you must respond with your mailing information 24 hours after receiving an e-mail from me so that I can get your information to the publisher.  If you don't get back to me then I will contact a new winner.  This contest is restricted to mailing addresses in the US and Canada.  As always, you must be at least 13 years old to enter.

I know this is SUPER fast, but I couldn't pass this contest by.  Good luck everyone! 

Here is a link to my contest policies, but I believe all the important stuff is covered above.

Trailer for "Ruby Red" by Kerstin Gier

 

I just saw the trailer for "Ruby Red" and thought you all might enjoy it!  I LOVE the cover of the book and have heard great things!