REVIEW: ALLEGIANT BY VERONICA ROTH

One choice will define you.

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?

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent. (Summary via goodreads)

Minor spoilers.

I was so excited for this book. I have literally been waiting for months and every time I thought about it or it was mentioned I would get excited. I think that kind of anticipation can only go two ways; either you absolutely love it or you’re severely disappointed.

Unfortunately, for me it was the latter.              

I finished it a couple of days ago and although I wanted to write a review straight away, I decided to let it sink in a little first. I’m glad I did, because I think if I’d written this a few days back it would be one angry rant about the ending, which I think I’m now coming to terms with.

Firstly, I was never that keen on the plot from the get-go. I don’t know why, but I just didn’t expect them to manage to get out of the city so easily and so early on in the book. The elements of action and mystery were my favorite parts of the first two books in the trilogy, but for me, Allegiant was missing both. I didn’t understand why the book needed to be so long, and I have to admit that I felt like it dragged quite a bit.

Saying all that though, I still did enjoy reading it for some reasons. Mainly being able to read about the characters again, I especially liked the story line with Caleb, I wish there was more of it.  However, I found myself getting sick of reading about Tobias and Tris (which I thought would never happen). The main issue I had with them was that their plot focused around jealousy and their sex life. I’ve read countless YA trilogies that do the same thing, drag out the sexual tension until the third book and then make it a main plot point. One, I don’t think its realistic and two, there were so many other things happening that I was more interested in.

As for the ending, I both liked it and hated it. I didn’t like what happened, but then I don’t think I would have been satisfied with a ‘happily ever after’ ending either, so I’m starting to accept what happened.

 Sorry if this is a ramble, I didn’t want to spoil anything major as I know that people are still waiting on their copies to be delivered or don’t have it for other reasons.

If any of you guys have read it I’d love to know if you liked it or not?

Reading Slumps

I haven't posted anything in what feels like forever. 

This is because I haven't read anything for almost 2 weeks now. For some people, thats not a big deal. I get it, it's all relative. For me however, this sucks. I find myself in what we like to call a 'Reading Slump' all too often but I usually find my way back out pretty quickly. But not this time. Nope.

In my defence, i've been kind of busy. I started university again and started working. It's also been 'freshers' for the last two weeks at my university, so I've been going out a fair amount as well. But I'm not going to lie to you guys, I have had time to read ... I just haven't been reading. 

I've tried reading books I've already read and loved to get me out, but I just can't seem to get into anything. It's so frustrating when all you want to do is read, but whatever you pick up just doesn't seem to cut it.

So I thought I'd look to this blog for help, I mean, it is a book blog after all.

How do you guys get out of reading slumps? Any tips? HELP ME!

HARRY POTTER SPIN-OFF MOVIES?!

 WE ARE GETTING NEW MOVIES. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. 

Warner Bros. announced on 12th September 2013 that J.K. Rowling would be making her screenwriting debut with 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them', the first in a new film series which is part of their expanded creative partnership with J.K. Rowling. The films will be inspired by Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbook of the same name, and will feature the book’s fictitious author, Newt Scamander.

“It all started when Warner Bros. came to me with the suggestion of turning 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' into a film. I thought it was a fun idea, but the idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the supposed author of 'Fantastic Beasts', realized by another writer was difficult. Having lived for so long in my fictional universe, I feel very protective of it and I already knew a lot about Newt. As hard-core Harry Potter fans will know, I liked him so much that I even married his grandson, Rolf, to one of my favourite characters from the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood.

As I considered Warners’ proposal, an idea took shape that I couldn’t dislodge. That is how I ended up pitching my own idea for a film to Warner Bros.

Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen years, 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world. The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.

I particularly want to thank Kevin Tsujihara of Warner Bros. for his support in this project, which would not have happened without him. I always said that I would only revisit the wizarding world if I had an idea that I was really excited about and this is it.”

(Taken from JK rowling's official facebook page)

When I first heard about it I hadn't seen the article, so I was kind of like:

But once I'd read it I was more like:

and then:

and then:

This has made me ridiculously happy. I didn't see this coming, and I'm so so excited! The best part I think for me will be that since it's a movie series thats not adapted from the books, I'm going to enjoy it so much more, maybe even more than Harry Potter, just because I won't have to get annoyed at parts they may have skipped or changed!

I have to admit, if i had known a new movie was coming that was set in this world, I would have hoped for a Marauders Prequel, and to be honest I still hope for it...it would just be perfect *sigh*. I'm still incredibly happy though, I honestly thought JK Rowling was done with this world for a long time, so it's amazing that she has found something that she loves and wants to share with us again. 

What do you guys think? Are you excited? Or would you prefer something else?

xx

REVIEW: THRONE OF GLASS BY SARAH J. MAAS

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. 

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. 

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined. (Summary via goodreads)


Note: This review will be spoiler free.

I've heard so much about this book recently, so when I saw it in the library I thought I'd pick it up. And I'm so glad I did! I could barely put this down, I literally had to force myself to stop reading and go to work. I didn't expect to get so hooked so quickly but the story really does get going straight away, and it's extremely fast-paced. I really love Fantasy books, and I haven't read a YA one in a while, so it was nice to read a fantasy book that wasn't completely life ruining (ahem, George R.R Martin ;))

I really loved Caleana immediately, I always love strong female characters but I mostly just loved how sarcastic and witty she was, despite what she'd been through. In my opinion she was the perfect balance of capable and talented but she also had her fair share of flaws.

I'm not usually a fan of love triangles, in fact I usually avoid them at all costs, but in this one I didn't mind. The love triangle develops extremely slowly, and its not really a main issue in the novel, just one that is touched upon. Although I'm sure it will become more of a big storyline in the future books. I usually have a preferences in love triangles too, but again, with this one I don't. I liked Caleanas scenes with both Chaol and Dorian, so I can't wait to see how that pans out in the next book, which I can't wait to get my hands on!

I'm curious to see where the storyline will go now, as there are 5 more books in the series. If you haven't read this one yet, definitely give it a go! It might surprise you.

REVIEW: READY PLAYER ONE BY ERNEST CLINE

It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place. Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. 

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune--and remarkable power--to whoever can unlock them. For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved--that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig. 

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle. Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt--among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life--and love--in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.  (summary via Goodreads)

Note: This review will be spoiler free.

I think this may just be the best thing I've read all year.

I only heard about Ready Player One really recently, my cousin mentioned it to me and said that he loved it, which struck me as weird immediately because he barely reads as he prefers gaming! Now I've read it myself, I totally get it. It's geek heaven.

Although this story is set in the future, it has a heavy 80s theme throughout and there are so many references to songs, movies and games of that decade. Obviously I'm way too young to have grown up in the 80s, but it's always been a decade I know a fair amount about. A lot of my favourite films are 80s films, and my dad is stuck in the 80s when it comes to music taste, so I knew enough to pick up on most of the references that were dropped in this book. I felt like if I didn't understand all of the references, I would of still enjoyed it so don't shy away from this book if you feel like you don't know anything about the 80s! If anything I feel like this book would be the cause of my obsession with the 80s if I wasn't already.

Usually I'm not big on books that are predominantly description and don't have that much dialogue, but with this book I didn't mind because I was just so interested in how this virtual reality worked. I absolutely loved the concept of being able to escape reality in this virtual world called OASIS. However, it slightly scared me since the way technology is advancing these days the idea doesn't really even seem that ridiculous. I really loved the idea of having a virtual alter ego though, and it was really fun to compare online characters to their real life personas. The characters were so great in this, although I wasn't overly keen on Wade at first, he surprised me and I ended up really loving him. Speaking of love, I think I may have fallen in love with Art3mis, she was just so likeable for me. I'm actually really sad I don't get to read about them again! That being said, I am glad that it isn't a series. I feel like too many books are made into series unnecessarily. 

Also just for fun, I found this out when I was looking up the authors website: The whole plot is basically based around finding an easter egg in a game, and Ernest Cline planted an easter egg in the book and offered the first person to solve it a Delorean (as in, the car in Back To The Future). Seriously, I think he may just be the coolest author just for that.

If you're into gaming, technology or the 80s (or all of these things) and you haven't read this yet, you need to do it now.

LIBRARY HAUL #2

I was taking my books back to the library yesterday, and I had no intention of coming back with any more. But of course, I always seem to so I picked these ones up! 

I was excited about Throne of Glass, I didn't expect it to be there at all! Can't wait to read these!

Yasmin 

x

REVIEW: THE CUCKOO'S CALLING BY ROBERT GALBRAITH

After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.

Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, thelegendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.

You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this. (Summary via Goodreads)

Note: This review will be spoiler free.

Phew! So this was pretty intense. 

I haven't read a crime novel in quite a long time and I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to get back in to them. Plus, I will automatically read anything that JK Rowling puts out there. I wouldn't care if she published a novel about the life of an inanimate object, I would still buy it and read it. I got this for my birthday (11th) and started it straight away and I've only just finished it. I thought it was quite slow at first but this may be because lately all that I've been reading are dystopians or fantasies and I'd gotten used to there being a twist around every corner. 

If you're looking for a fast-paced crime thriller, this is not the one for you. The pacing is slow, and we follow private detective Strike in his pursuit to prove that a suicide was in-fact murder. This does include following him throughout his whole day, even sometimes the mundane parts. Although it's not fast-paced, this novel makes up for it in the depth of the characters. They were all so believable and so interesting. They felt so much like real people that you would meet around London and I loved them.  Our two main characters, Strike and Robin were well so well written that I became invested in them almost immediately. 

For me this book was a huge change of pace, but a refreshing one. I liked the mystery of it all and spent almost as much time coming up with theories as I did reading it (and I was still wrong, damn it). When I was about half way through I was just equally suspicious of every character.  The big reveal at the end is not one of the best I've ever read, but at least I didn't see it coming. It shocked me, and I love how the story all comes together in the end and it all makes perfect sense.  

I did feel at times that the book was longer than it should be, the story could of been told in a lot less pages, but I didn't mind all that much because all I too fixated on finding out who the murderer was!

I can't wait for the next book in the series, I don't even mind what the plot-line is. I'm just excited to read about these characters again!

TRAILER: THE BOOK THIEF

It's here! The film version of The Book Thief has definitely flown under the radar, what with massive adaptations like City of Bones and Catching Fire happening. The Book Thief is one of my all time favourite books, so when I found out they would be making a movie I was excited yet nervous because I wondered how the story would transfer onto the big screen. 

After watching the trailer, I'm impressed! I loved every part of it except the very cheesy american voice over which was not required. I absolutely LOVE Geoffrey Rush, I was so happy when he was cast and now watching the trailer I am even more excited to see him in the film. Liesel is so cute too! 

The scenery looks absolutely amazing, and spot on to what I imagined. It looks like they'll be sticking quite closely to the book and not straying from the storyline which is always good!

I had no idea the movie was coming so soon! It's set to be released on November 15th 2013. Which really isn't that far away at all. I need to re read the book ASAP.

Can. Not. Wait.

x

REVIEW: THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO BY PATRICK NESS

Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.

But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought? (Summary via Goodreads)


Note: This review will be spoiler free.

I don't really know where to start with this one. I'm still trying to figure out whether I enjoyed it or not. I didn't know too much about this book before I got it from the library, just that it was really popular in teen fiction and so many people had read it. My first impression was that I didn't like Todd, and this didn't change until almost the end. I don't know  if Patrick Ness made him so unlikeable on purpose or if it's just me, but there was something about him that made me distrust him as a protagonist. I was interested enough in the story, but I found it so frustrating when Todd would find something out and then not even let us readers know what it was, and this happened on several occasions. I did have one moment when I was so annoyed that I almost put the book away completely, and that was because of a decision Todd had to make around 3/4 into the book. 

I did know what I was getting into with the writing style, I knew that it was written from Todd's perspective and that he was only twelve. However, I did still find it tiring at some points to read from his point of view, I found sometimes he didn't make sense or explained things poorly. But obviously, he's so young this is to be expected, even if it is confusing. 

One thing I really did like was Todd and Viola's relationship, especially towards the end. Their friendship is something that seems impossible at first and then goes on to become so strong.. I didn't really care for either of them when I first encountered them, but by the end I found myself caring a little bit about what happened to them. And Manchee, oh, Manchee. The talking dog. He was the best (and worst in way, I suppose?) part of the book for me and kept my hopes high, I could just imagine him in my head and found him hilarious. I think if dogs could talk Manchee is exactly how they would be.

Also, can we please mention Aaron... the guy who never seems to die? The amount of times he popped up out of nowhere actually started to amuse me, and by the end I found him so predictable. Speaking of endings, this one pulls out a pretty good cliffhanger. A good enough one for me to want to read the next book anyway! It's one of those that leaves you thinking, 'How on earth are they going to get themselves out of this situation?'

This book definitely was not what I was expecting, and I don't see why it's labelled as a 'teen' (12-16 I think) novel. If I saw my 12 year old cousin reading this I'd grab it and run away. If you're in to dystopians though, this is a must read. The world is believable and realistic, but not one I'd ever want to live in!

VAMPIRE ACADEMY: BLOOD SISTERS TEASER #1

Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters is set to be released in february 2014, and is based on the first novel in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead.

I know I'm a little late in watching this, but here it is:

  

I think it looks really good! I still haven't started the series but I've just ordered the first one so I will definitely be getting into it some time soon.

Have any of you guys read these books? What do you think of the trailer?

REVIEW: SHADES OF EARTH BY BETH REVIS

Note: If you haven't finished the series and don't want to be spoiled, do not read this review. I tried not to give away any major plot points but it was impossible not to have any spoilers at all.

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceshipGodspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience. 

But this new Earth isn't the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed's former passengers aren't alone on this planet. And if they're going to stay, they'll have to fight.

Amy and Elder must race to discover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been for nothing. (Summary via Goodreads)

Can I just start off by saying; what is up with the cover change?! Man, I hate it when they do that. Not that I have anything against this cover, it just DOESN'T MATCH. Okay, I'm over it. Phew.

I started reading this the moment I finished A Million Suns, and for the final book in the trilogy it did not disappoint. It was a slight shock to move so quickly from the familiar walls of Godspeed to a completely new and interesting planet, but Revis handled this so well and the world-building was brilliant. I could picture in my head exactly what Centauri-Earth looked like. 

By this book, we are so familiar with our main characters that its great to read them again, but this book also provides a refreshing change of pace and some new (long awaited) faces. I loved reading the conflict between Amy's father and Elder. I thought it was amusing but intriguing at the same time to see how they reacted to one another. I also loved how we got to see different parts of both Amy's and Elder's personality, especially seeing Elder's jealous streak. I loved how their relationship developed and finally it became clearer to both of them what they wanted. Also...it gets a bit steamy.

The mystery of GodSpeed and Centauri-Earth only gets deeper in this book, bringing information forward that makes you question everything you learned in the last two books. It was actually slightly frustrating, I got so desperate just to finally know the truth and I can only imagine how Elder and Amy must of been feeling. This one is much more action packed than the previous two, and there were so many more close calls for both of our main characters, which put me constantly on edge worrying about their safety. One thing I've learnt about Beth Revis after reading this series is that she is not afraid to kill off a character, and I realised this pretty early on. Baring this in mind, I still did not expect the ending. For some reason, I had it my head that everyone was going to make it out safely and would live happily ever after and so on. So when the final chapters took place, they shook me and I literally cried my eyes out until the end where the final twist takes place and then I cried my eyes out even more. The final dialogue in the book really got me, and if you've read it, you'll know what I mean. I'm not going to quote it as I think that'll probably spoil it!

I'm sad this series is over, and by the ending there is definitely a lot of potential for more. I would happily read anything set in this world, whether it be a prequel or another sequel. In fact, after this series I would happily read anything that Beth Revis puts out next, sci-fi or not. I absolutely loved this series and I will definitely be re-reading it some time in the future.

REVIEW: A MILLION SUNS BY BETH REVIS

Godspeed was once fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. 

It’s been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. Everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceshipGodspeed.

But there may be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to act on his vision—no more Phydus, no more lies.

But when Elder learns shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a mystery that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier. Their success—or failure—will determine the fate of the 2,298 passengers aboard Godspeed. But with each step, the journey becomes more perilous, the ship more chaotic, and the love between them more impossible to fight. Beth Revis catapulted readers into the far reaches of space with her New York Times bestselling debut, Across the Universe. In A Million Suns, Beth deepens the mystery with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship. (Summary via goodreads)

***

A Million Suns is the sequel to Across the Universe, hence this review may contain mild spoilers but not major ones. I hadn't planned to read this right away after Across the Universe, but I found myself on holiday on the beach for the whole day with nothing but my kindle, and so I thought, why not? I ended up reading over three quarters of it that day. A Million Suns is just as fast-paced, addictive and exciting as it's predecessor.  

I absolutely adored the plot of this one. If the first book was mysterious, then this one was just something else completely. I couldn't put it down because I had to know exactly what was going on with Godspeed, why Orion had left clues and who was taking them.  I was as desperate as Amy to find out the truth, and every step closer I got to finding out made me more and more excited. I just loved the direction the story went in, and how the main characters dealt with it. It was all just so believable, how the ship reacted when finding out the truth, how Elder then reacted to the ships reaction and even how Amy was dealing with everything. I was happy that the near-rape incident in Across the Universe was touched on more, because I felt it was skipped over in the first book. 

As for the major twists, did anyone else see the planet related twist coming?! I called it from about half way through the first book, and I was so happy with myself when it was revealed that I literally shouted "I KNEW IT!" and gained a few weird looks from my family members. As for the other major twist, who was intercepting and changing the clues ... I didn't see it coming, and looking back I really should have, but oh well, I loved it all the same. 

I think I'll go as far as saying I love this more than Across The Universe, the characters just develop so much more and the love story does as well. I know I gushed over this in my review of the first book but I have to say it again; it's just so refreshing for the two main characters to not be instantly in love. They're not a couple at the beginning of the book and they don't become one by the end, and I like it. It's realistic given the situation, and just makes me root for them even more. 

This was one of the rare times when I love a sequel just as much (if not even more) as I loved the first book. If you've read across the universe and you're debating continuing the series, definitely DO IT. It gets even better. 

REVIEW: THE MAZE RUNNER BY JAMES DASHNER

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind. 

(Summary via Goodreads)

Note: This review will be spoiler free.

I’m so happy that I finally read this, it’s been sitting on my shelf for some time now and I’ve just never gotten round to it. Now that I’ve read it though, I’m furious with myself for not picking it up sooner! I loved this book. I read it quite slowly alongside the Across The Universe series, so it took me over a week, but I read the bulk of it in one sitting. It is so fast paced and addictive, and every time some clue about the maze or the glade is revealed it just opens up hundreds more possibilities and questions. Often when I’m reading a book, I’ll find myself thinking about it while I’m taking a break or doing everyday things. This was different, this book took over my life for the last few days that I was reading it. I didn’t have that much time to read, so I was forced to put it down quite often, and that killed me. My mind was constantly thinking about the maze and the glade and the many many MANY questions and theories that I had. I haven’t gotten so involved in a story in that way for such a long time.

The characters are all likeable, although in different ways. It was so easy to become attached (which made the ending so much harder to accept , * cries *).  Newt was my favorite, tough but likeable at the same time. I liked reading from Thomas’ perspective, and liked him a lot by the end of the book. It’s fun to see how he develops as he finds his place within this new community, and his personality definitely shines more later on in the story. Teresa was an interesting addition to the characters, and she brought with her a lot of twists I wasn’t expecting and also a lot more questions, some of which still haven’t been answered for me. If you like books that keep you guessing all the way through then this is definitely for you! We only get to know as much as Thomas knows, and let me tell you – that is basically nothing. It’s so frustrating and confusing yet exciting at the same time, I love stories that let me come up with my own theories before revealing the truth.

I’m so excited for the film version now, I’ve been keeping up with all the latest news and from the pictures it looks like it’s going to be amazing and it seems like they’ve gotten the maze spot on. I’m really happy with the casting too, I tried my best not to look at who was playing who whilst reading but I already knew that Dylan O’Brien would be portraying Thomas, so I guess I kind of ruined my chance to create my own Thomas, but I don’t exactly mind as I love Dylan and after finishing the book, I think he’s perfect for the role.

This book felt like a rollercoaster ride of emotions, but I loved every second of it and I’m just about to run off to download the next two books in the trilogy onto my kindle since I can’t possibly wait for amazon to deliver them to me!