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!