Mazes and Grievers and W.I.C.K.E.D Oh My!

            When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.

Everything is going to change.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying

I decided to do a book review on The Maze Runner by James Dashner first because This was the first book  I ever wrote a review for and the second movie The Scorch Trials came out this September. I heard about this book when I watched the trailer to the first movie last year and I knew I had to read it before I saw the movie (yes, I’m one of those people).

 I have to say I was wrapped up in the story and intrigued by the characters in the first chapter which is definitely an admirable quality in a book. The only thing I was skeptical about was Thomas, the main character, whose confidence and courage seemed a little unrealistic at times. But, I gave him some more time and he showed himself to be as sensitive and relatable as I had hoped he would be.

 This is a very fast paced novel. The first four chapters alone had as much action as some books do in their entirety. The end of each chapter left you hanging on the edge of your seat wanting to know what will happen next. The storyline is very clever and imaginative.

 I know this book is marketed more towards the male population but I think that both boys and girls will enjoy this action packed book. The challenges presented have you trying to make sense riddles, questions, and strange happenings right alongside the characters.

This is definitely one of those books where everyone has a favorite character and Dashner does an excellent job of working in some great one-liners and funny moments among the seriously frustrating situation these boys are in. Some scenes were a bit disgusting in more if a Sci-fi kind of way. Language wise there was a vocabulary of slang words made for the book and used frequently. Some words are used in place of swearing and sound similar but again are used in place of.

 Here is a few of the words used:

·         Klunk - means "poop" or "crap.

·         Shuck - an exclamation used to bring attention to one's annoyance or frustration.

·         Slim it - means "calm down" or "shut it."

·         Slinthead - a term used mostly by others when one makes a mistake that involves repercussions.

·         Greenbean/Greenie - the newest arrival to the Glade.

·         Newbie - a newcomer in the Glade. Can refer to a Greenie, or anyone else relatively new.

·         Good That - said when a Glader agrees with someone or something.

·         Jacked - describing a person who is messed up in the head

I found the book incredibly unique and some of the things Dasher describes I would never have thought of. The complexity of some of the scenes amazed me yet rarely confused me. The ending of the book was very satisfying but still left me wanting more. I like that the book felt complete at the end. There’s nothing worse than a book that is ended in a way that feels unfinished or like they forgot to tie up a loose end.

      I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend this book for teens 13+ just for some of the intense and sometimes descriptively disgusting scenes.

Language: none

Alcohol: none

Violence: 8

Sexual Content: When the girl arrives a few boys call dibs but it is later stated that no one is to harm her.

Spiritual Content: none