The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2)

The first one wasn\’t a literary masterpiece, but I enjoyed it. This one was just painful. Possibly the stupidest book I\’ve ever managed to finish. A high body count doesn\’t make for an interesting read. All the bits about founding a society were gone, replaced by a series of events that just felt like sheer randomness. People would get kidnapped only to be rescued half a chapter later. There was no forward momentum, just a bunch of running in place. The kids end up almost exactly at the same place in the end as they started in the beginning, with very few additional answers. A bunch of kids died, but they were all NPCs (literally labelled as having no importance whatsoever) and no one even bothered to stop for even the pretense of mourning. There were what, eleven people in the group and Thomas couldn\’t even figure out their names. Very few of the puzzles could be solved mentally. Most of them were \”press x not to die\” – style. Survival seemed to rely on flipping a coin. And when anyone who had any actual story relevance got hurt, it never actually had any effect on the plot. Got massive burns? Don\’t worry. They won\’t have any impact on you at all, despite the fact you\’re running across a desert with no water. (Not that there was much thirst, despite the fact that they were traveling on something called The Scorch.) Instead of learning anything interesting about the world, most of the main character\’s internal runtime is devoted to the world\’s most tepid love triangle. I felt like I was being slapped to death by red herrings. Does she love me? Is she going to betray me? No, because you\’re stuck in a stupid YA book that thinks senseless plot twists cause adrenaline rushes. Then there were the portions of the book that just made me burst out laughing. ARE YOU AFRAID OF ZOMBIES STEALING YOUR NOSE? DO YOU BELIEVE BRAIN DISEASES CAN BE CURED BY FEELZ? DO YOU LIKE HISPANIC PEOPLE WHO ALWAYS ADD MUCHACHO TO THE END OF THEIR SENTENCES? IF SO, THIS BOOK MIGHT BE FOR YOU!!! Or, to reiterate: ugggggghhhhhh.

Having escaped the villainous maze that kept him and his fellow Gladers trapped by WICKED, Thomas believes that he and his friends are now safe from harm. But then Teresa, Thomas\’ strongest link to his forgotten past, disappears, and the illusion of sanctuary shatters when the Gladers are forced to go on a harrowing quest across the sun scorched earth. Nothing is familiar, everything deadly. Stalked by heinous monsters far more evil than the Grievers ever were, bizarre and devastating weather, the dark, insane victims of the world wide virus known as the Flare, and a mysterious other group of Gladers – who may just want Thomas dead – the survivors of the Maze Trials are running out of time, and may end up paying with their lives… OK, so, I read the first book, The Maze Runner, and was hooked. It was honestly the best young adult novel I had read in a while, and I was on fire to get The Scorch Trials (no pun intended). I was very pleased when the book came earlier than expected, and I began to read immediately. Well… To be honest, it wasn\’t that great of a story. I mean, I loved reading it and all, don\’t get me wrong, but it was just the kids walking across the desert, and slowly getting bumped off by new monsters (um..please tell me if anyone else was upset when Thomas didn\’t save Jack). Maybe Dashner was trying to do away with unnecessary characters… but, if that was a case, he could have tried a tad bit harder. I mean, Jorge – I\’m sorry if that isn\’t how it\’s spelled – was barely in it, after the initial bargaining scene. Another thing…wow. WHAT was with that movie?

(Coming from someone who has read it twice) The 2nd book of “The Maze Runner” series wrote by: James Dashner “The Scorch Trials” is without a doubt one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year as well as the series! If you read the first book in the series, then you need to read “The Scorch Trials”. If you are into dystopian novels, action, adventure, survival, and even zombies then this book great for you. (Warning there are spoilers in this review) “Thomas” and his friends have just been picked up by “W.C.K.D” The evil corporation that has been putting them through these tests. “W.C.K.D” gives the kids pizza when they get back from the maze and the next morning wake up in a weird room in “W.C.K.D”. “Thomas” is still morning over the death of his best friend “Chuck” and the rest of the guys that were lost in the “Maze”. “Thomas, Newt, Minho, Teresa, and a few other Gladers” escape W.C.K.D after learning that (spoiler!) they wanted to kill “Thomas” all along and that they put them in the maze. The Gladers escape with the hopes of not being captured and being tested on anymore but soon come to realize just what the “Flare” is face to face out in the “Scorch”. This story is amazing and almost seems hopeless for the “Gladers” but new faces will come into play in the story as well as losing some key character along the way. This story is different from the “The Maze Runner” where everything was being controlled by “W.C.K.D” but now Mother Nature and the “Flare” control them and what they plan on doing in this hopeless story for a cure of the “Flare”. The choice is yours to whether to read this badass book about survival and zombies! Or you could just not read it at all.

I saw the movie first and then read the three books in the series. Although I sort of enjoyed the books, they are quite different from the movie and the movie is way, way better. The idea is great, but poorly worked out: characters are shallow and do not seem to have logical conversations. They talk endlessly when things are on the verge of bursting. They react illogically given the dire situations at hand; not natural. Also quite a lot of repetition with all the beasties that appear from everywhere and one beastie simply being a variation on the previous beastie. Language constructs are poor and very simple. The author did unfortunately not exploit a great theme and I therefore gave it only a three star rating.

I have to say I was rather unimpressed with Scorch Trials. I thought the first book was far better. Scorch Trials wasn\’t exciting or thrilling, it didn\’t have me on edge wondering what\’s gonna happen to the characters. I found it quite boring and hard to read. Even though I read it in roughly 4 hours, I think the reason I read it so fast was because I was anticipating something really exciting to happen but it never came. To be a bit more positive I thought the beginning and end were alright. But I was most disappointed with the middle. From everything I\’ve learnt at school, the middle of a book should have a few interesting things happening. Scorch Trials did not succeed that. In the first book I thought Thomas\’ cleverness showed through very well and you knew from the beginning he was special but in scorch trials I felt like I couldn\’t connect with the character and Thomas seekers to go along with what everyone else was saying without having a mind and voice of his own. After reading the first book I was eager to read scorch trials to find out what happened to everyone but now I\’m not so eager to start reading the third book. Sorry for such a negative review I usually write more positive reviews. Scorch Trials just didn\’t meet my expectations.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member