Book Review: James Dashner – “The Maze Runner” Trilogy

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

Remember. Survive. Run. (Source: amazon.com)

It took me a hell of a long time until I finally decided to give the series a shot – mostly due to the fact that in a few days, the 1st movie is going to be released here in Germany and I was intrigued (which has absolutely nothing to due with Dylan O’Brien playing the lead role, of course not…), so I figured starting with the book first would be a good thing. However, I had heard and read very different opinions; people being disappointed of the 2nd and 3rd book, complaining about the main character’s attitude and the multiple deaths of characters they had grown close to. But after all, it was announced as something between “The Hunger Games”, “Divergent” & “Lord Of The Flies” – three of the things I love to pieces, so curiosity got the better of me and I finally started the series 6 days ago.

And hello, am I glad I did. This series is a GEM.

#1 The Maze Runner

As probably everybody who has read this book, I was into the story right away. Of course, the choice of words was weird at first, words I had never heard before, but I soon grew used to “shuckface”, “slinthead” and all the likes. After all, it was easy to imagine what the characters were saying. Plus, I clicked with Thomas right away, despite the fact that I’m female. His insecurity, yet his curiosity, and his will to find out the truth were very intriguing. Moreover, each of his characteristics made me like him the instant he showed up. He’s a character that people can identify with – I myself can imagine being taken completely aback if I’d ever been thrown in a situation that he’s been thrown in, with all my memories and past being wiped out. And also all the other characters were so well-written that you can’t help but feel with them – even with Gally.
The fact that the truth behind the “Maze” is only revealed in the last pages of this first book might be something that annoyed people – I, however, liked that way of approach done by James Dashner, because it somewhat reminded me of the series “Prison Break” and its 1st season. Everyone had a feeling they’d break out, and they had to wait until the very last episode of Season 1 to see it happen. And after it was clear that the “Maze” wouldn’t hold the kids’ future any longer, it was clear for me that they’d leave, and from that point on it was impossible for me to put the book away. The way it was written was highly entertaining and just the way I like my books to be.

#2 The Scorch Trials

The 2nd book thankfully picked up exactly where the 1st one left off – something I thought was a good move. With what the kids had to face, it would’ve been highly illogical to let time pass between the escape and the “new start”. For me, it was also very interesting as to how the characters would develop from now on. We have Thomas, who had regained some of his memories due to one very stupid deed in the 1st book, and who grew more and more confident of himself and the place he starts to take over in the small group of kids. The reader feels how he gets stronger, how he knows what he wants, despite the fact his past still is a mystery to him. And the reader also feels with him as his thoughts about who to trust and who to mistrust keep him in a constant inner agony. To some people (according to the reviews on amazon and from a friend of mine), that was somewhat annoying – the constant reminder of the horror Thomas had to go through at the end of the 1st book, and the whining over and over, his seeming inability to let things go, to move on; but I, personally, liked it. It made him very human to me, struggling with himself and the people he’s closest to – something I can very well relate to (although not in that exact way as he experienced it, of course).
But the character I grew the closest with, the character I started to like more than anyone else, about who’s life I was in constant fear – that was Minho. I utterly loved his development since the 1st book, I absolutely enjoyed the change James Dashner has put him through – willingly or not. The snippy comments, the “Dude!” outbursts, the constant sarcastic/wry remarks – it was the thing I mostly enjoyed about “The Scorch Trials” over everything else, over the story, the chills and the suspense. Had James Dashner only broached in very small glimpses what kind of boy Minho is, he played it out very well from the moment that he took over a bigger role in the whole story in this 2nd book. And I have nothing but praise for that.

#3 The Death Cure

All in all, that might be the weakest book of the three, up until a certain point closer to the end. I understand why people kept complaining about the “downfall” of the series with every book, and I have to admit, partly, it annoyed me, too, how the characters of Thomas and Teresa behaved. I understand a lot of the younger readers thought of them as maybe some kind of Katniss & Peeta from the “Hunger Games” series – what with them ending up happily ever after at the end of the series, – and that constant discussions and fights were nothing they wanted to have. The whining and moaning of Thomas didn’t stop in this book (I’m not gonna lie about that), and without bringing in more spoilers than I already have, they are increased with every new shock, terror and task that Thomas and his friends have to face. But let’s be honest: this is the last book of the series, and every reader who expects it to sugarcoat things, to go down easily just doesn’t understand book series like that. Because at the end, “The Death Cure” surely does everything else but sugarcoat, and somewhat even exaggerates with using brutality. The long journey of Thomas, Minho, Teresa, Newt and everyone else is finally coming to an end, and I, personally, wouldn’t have wanted it any other way than how it was done by James Dashner. It was the right way, and I loved it.

Resumé: Of course (especially in the 2nd and 3rd book) there have been turns in the destiny of Thomas and the other Gladers that were so numerous that they hovered at the edge of illogicality for me (the countless times they are able to escape certain captures or deaths are mostly to be named here). But in the end, when I think about it, they kept the story going, kept it flowing – just when the reader thinks “Now it’s over for them, definitely!”, they come out of it, almost unfazed, only to be thrown into the next mess when the same thoughts come back.
Of course there have been deaths throughout all three books that shook me hard – and I won’t be shy to admit I shed the one or other tear over the people dying; that’s how close I personally grew to the characters. But in the end, if I am honest, they were needed to put the characters through a development that was credible and entertaining (minus the whining), to keep them interesting enough that the reader wants to know how they deal with it. Especially the last death in the final book was hard – although part of me kind of knew what would happen, because I’m just that kind of a realist – and sometimes, things are just too good to be true.
Of course not everything in this series was perfect. There are barely perfect books out there.

But all in all, to me, James Dashner came VERY close to “perfect” with his “Maze Runner” series.

Well done.

 

Book Review: Veronica Roth – “Allegiant”

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?
(Source: amazon.com)

Beware: THIS ONE CONTAINS SPOILERS.

I just finished this last book of the series, and let me say one thing straight away: I honestly don’t understand why it got such bad critics on amazon. Sure, the end was nothing I had in mind when I started reading, plus, it was against almost everything I had read so far. I won’t say it didn’t satisfy me, but…well, let’s start at the beginning.

“Allegiant” was built up differently than its two predecessors; this time, Veronica Roth not only used Tris as a narrator, but Four, too – the first-person narrator almost changes with every chapter. I, personally, really enjoyed it, because it finally gives the reader an insight into Four’s mind, into his thoughts and struggles with himself. You finally get to see behind his facade, something I wanted to do whenever I read all the conversations he had with Tris; it drove me insane that sometimes, his motives didn’t seem clear enough, or even senseless and ruthless to the point of ignorance. “Allegiant” finally answers the questions the reader might get.

Plus, in comparison to the first two books, this last one goes without a lot of violence and war. Its emphasis is more put onto the truth behind the factions, the lies that all the characters have been told their entire life, and I admit that to some people, that might seem boring and dull, especially when you’re used to the war and killing of the first two books. I myself had some difficulties when over and over, the story lives of explaining facts of the human life, the differences between genetically damaged people – GD’s – and genetically pure human beings – GP’s, further known as the Divergent. I am not a biology expert, and I never had any interest in the things that a human being is all about, what makes them tick, so I understand why “Allegiant” seems dull and boring alot. But as the story goes on and people get hurt – and killed – once more, the dullness so many people might criticize fades away – at least for me. Because no matter how much knowledge you have of the human nature or not, how much interested you are in it, this book keeps you on its pages, simply because you need to know if the truth that is revealed is really everything there is. You need to know how it goes on, what Tris, Four and all her friends are making of all this input they get when they leave their home to untrigger the real reason behind their existence. And just when you think that there aren’t any secrets left, Veronica Roth presents another one, one that leaves Tris and Four making decisions that might change everything – including their relationship.

And that’s the only thing that annoyed me while reading: the constant fights between them, the constant questions the reader has: “Are they still together?” and “Have they broken up with each other yet or not?” Don’t get me wrong, I really am not the romantic story type at all, I hate stories that brim over with romance. It’s just that I got attached to these two characters since I started this series. I was always full of awe when they had nice, memorable and, yes – even romantic moments; maybe just like I was about Katniss and Peeta in the “Hunger Games” series. Seeing them fighting in almost each single chapter, just when you think that they have made up again…it’s annoying and kind of exhausting. I am a girl after all, and deep down, I always hope for a Happy End, I guess.

And that’s where it gets difficult now. Don’t keep on reading if you don’t wanna know it. You’ve been warned.

There is no Happy End. Just when you think there might be one, one of the main characters makes a decision that turns the reader’s world upside down and that – at least I – would’ve never expected like this. I admit, through the last few pages, I was crying to the point where I wished that the author would surprise me with a revelation that would change the inevitable; that it didn’t happen was heartbreaking to me, and unsatisfying at first. But on the last few pages, I changed my opinion – not completely, no, I would be kind of a cold-hearted person if that would be the case, – because the absolute end, as it is presented just before and during the epilogue is something I can live with. I will never like it, but my life won’t end because of it.

Plus, it teaches us what bravery is all about – what it really is about. The characters lost a lot of friends and family over a short amount of time, they fell to the ground more than once, but they always stood up again, one way or another, and they never lost their ability that things may change and get better again.

And that is what the message of this series, what true bravery seems to be. Not how many times you might risk your life for others but how many times you stand up again when you think you can’t.

It’s a beautiful and nice message that definitely makes the “Divergent” series my favourite reading material of all times. 5 out of 5 stars.

Well done, Veronica Roth.

Book Review: Veronica Roth – “Insurgent”

Tris’s initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so. (Source: amazon.com)

The 2nd book of the “Divergent” Series begins exactly where the 1st one ended, and there are no time gaps between both of them, which some people might enjoy, others don’t. Me, personally, was a bit surprised that it started at almost exactly the scene where it ended in “Divergent”, as I had expected at least a little time gap, a few weeks or something. But in retrospect, I think it was a good decision of Veronica Roth to write like this; that way, the story doesn’t forfeit anything of its rush, of it straight line of narration. The reader still feels like he/she’s part of the story, and it’s also a smart move of the author: once you ended “Divergent”, you want to start “Insurgent”, and as soon as you realized it’s starts where it left off, it’s absolutely impossible to put the book away (at least for me).

The two basic lines of the 2nd book are simple: love and secrets. Tris and Four (if you haven’t read my 1st blog about this series and only stumbled about this one, I won’t give away his real identity, to save you the suspense) struggle between their relationship that becomes stronger with each day and, at the same time, reasons that pile up infront of them, getting them into nasty fights over and over again. The fact that Four’s father and, in the middle of the book, even his mother – who had been announced dead for years – take part in the fight against the Erudite that try to take control of the other factions, doesn’t help: neither of them is trusted, and Tris finds herself on a thin line between deciding whether the greater good of the factions – meaning finding and revealing the truth about them – is more important than the relationship with the man she loves.

What I loved about the book was the fact that almost every main character seems to have to hide something; the secrets are practically jumping into your face, and just when you think you have found out one of them, something is scratching at the back of your mind, telling you that there is more to the situation than is out in the open. Especially Peter fascinated me in “Insurgent”. While he had been the biggest asshole on the planet in “Divergent”, trying to kill Tris two times,  devoting his life to make her life a living hell, he seems to have soften as the story goes on. It feels like he questions his earlier decisions, that he might become a good person after all…and what his story moves into in that 2nd book is definitely one of the highlights, because it is kind of surprising for the reader (though, personally, it was a bit predictable, but I think I’m just overly sensitive about these things).

Plus, the entire twists and turns in “Insurgent” were what practically glued me to my Kindle. You can never be sure which way one of the character turns, who will be left behind, what secrets are going to be revealed, and everytime, just when you think that Tris is done, or anyone of the others, the story does a turn and everything changes. It can be slightly annoying how often Tris and Four are at the edge of a break-up (that’s probably the thing that annoyed me a bit: the huge focus on their love story, but I think that’s part of how this series works), but when they find their way back to each other, the reader finds himself back in awe for them, anyways.

The end of the book was…flawless might be the best way to describe it. I love it when a book ends on a twist that you would’ve never expected the way it happened, because that’s what keeps you reading – especially when reading a book series. And the end of “Insurgent” definitely did that to me.

Resumé: thumbs up again for Veronica Roth and the 2nd book of the “Divergent” series, even if I – personally – enjoyed its predecessor a slightly bit more.

Book Review: Veronica Roth – “Divergent”

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her. (Source: amazon.com)

I started reading this book only because one of my best friends,  Sarah, told me about it while we were texting, said it was amazing. And I have to admit, when I read a sample – meaning the first two chapters of it -, I had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it sounded promising, on the other, there was something that didn’t quite convince me I should invest my money into it. Plus, it all sounded to me like a cheap version of “The Hunger Games”, a book series I absolutely adore. Then, after two weeks of stalling the inevitable, I downloaded the entire series – containing three books – onto my Kindle. Risky.

It was one of the best decisions on a book I have ever made.

I did not expect anything when I started the 1st book 3 days ago, because as I said, it seemed too similar to “The Hunger Games”. Young girl confused about who she is, growing up in a country where she’s kind of hidden of the real world, raised to pigeonholing…my thoughts were all over Katniss Everdeen. But Veronica Roth surprised me.

A first big plus about this series: the names. I mean, I absolutely love “The Hunger Games”, it’s by far my favourite book series, but the names just never grew to me at all, because obviously they’re all made up, there’s nobody in the world with the kind of names people are dealing with in the books. The names in “Divergent” are normal, which, for me, made it easier to get into the story itself. You can picture the life of the characters way more easily when you hear familiar names. That’s my thought, at least.

Also, the dystopian world the story is set in is not that far from reality as you might think, because I think a world where – as a punishment for things that happened decades ago – kids are put into a arena to fight each other to death is way less realistic than a world where a country is divided in 5 different parts with 5 different…”tribes”, as I started calling the factions in my head, with each “tribe” having their own principles, rules and own “infrastructures”.

Second plus: the protagonist, Beatrice Prior, is  lot like the usual girl. She’s insecure, she puts her family and friends before herself (even if it’s the education and the principles of her faction), and due to her not being very noticeable, she is an easy target. She has learned to duck instead of speaking up for herself. But during the story, she changes; she gets stronger, she starts thinking more of herself, if not all the time, but a lot more than she was raised to do. And for the first time she feels like home when she dives more and more into her new family, the Dauntless., and their traditions and rules.

Of course there is a love story, but I what I really like about this book is that it’s not being the most important thing, that unlike “The Hunger Games”, it’s not Beatrice’s love life that’s in the focus, but her struggles with enemies who only see her as a weakling, and struggles with herself about her decision to abandon her family. Even death finds its way into her new life, and although her strength, her will and her bravery is tested more than once due to that, although she’s being thrown on her back more than once, (including attempted murder, betrayal and suicide), she never gives up. Confusion is omnipresent with Beatrice, especially when it comes to one of her instructors, who everyone only calls “Four” – and whom she is attracted to, something the reader can feel from the first moment she meets him. Of course, at one point, the mystery about his real name and his past is put out in the open for the reader, and that is the only thing that kind of…not disappointed me, but definitely didn’t leave me in awe. I wasn’t surprised at all when Four reveals himself to Beatrice; to me, it was kind of predictable and I would’ve wished for Veronica Roth to be more surprising with that mystery. But that is only a little flaw in an otherwise flawless book, and it won’t be a reason for me to not read it again.

I really had difficulties to put this book away, I have to admit, especially during the middle and to the end of it, when the tension between Beatrice and her opponents – Peter, one of the other initiates and Eric, the youngest leader of the Dauntless, both ruthless and reckless through and through, – rise with every new day. And all the feelings Beatrice goes through – trust, mistrust, disappointment, shock, anger, the will to survive -, people can relate to easily, at least in my opinion. You might think this is a book for teenagers, due to the character’s young age, but I definitely don’t think so, because just as “The Hunger Games”, it’s quite cruel in some parts. And at the end, you just want to know how the story goes on now that Beatrice’s life has been turned completely upside down.

Thumbs up from me. If you haven’t read it yet (or struggle yourself with doing it, just as I did at first), my only advise: get over your fear of being disappointed (be Dauntless, so to speak) and let that book take you in. I promise, you won’t regret it.