it was okay
I’ve been wanting to read this dystopia series for a while, and as it turns out, my brother had the series! I just had to find book 5 to finish off the set.
Read: July 29 – August 12, 2024
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Audience: Young Adult
Book contains: isolation, social experiment, trapped characters, maze, monsters, death
Purchase a copy from Amazon.ca
Thomas wakes in the box with no memories of his past life except a name. As he emerges to join a group of sixty-odd boys, he learns the ins and outs of their society—an isolated glade in the middle of a massive maze. They’d been searching for a way out for two whole years with little progress, but Thomas’s arrival sparks a coming change.
I’ve read and enjoyed other dystopian fiction books in the past, but for some reason, this one didn’t really hook me like I expected. I’m not sure if I’d just set my hopes too high or if it was for some other reason, but I didn’t feel motivated to keep reading this book. It’s not that I hated it, it’s just that I felt bored most of the way through.
The structure of this book was quite simple. It’s written in chronological order, so I didn’t have to worry about anything complex or confusing. The story follows Thomas in limited omniscient third person POV, unlike other YA dystopia books I’ve read, which tend to favour first person.
As I mentioned, I received this series from my brother. He had the first four already, so I just had to find the fifth book (not part of a boxed set) to complete my collection. I read along listening to a YouTube video series by Firehouse Gaming. He was a pretty good reader even if he stuttered a bit every once in a while.
Thomas seems like a typical fifteen-year-old boy, except for the fact that he has no memories of his childhood and he’s a bit above average in athleticism. Though I couldn’t really connect to him as a character, I found him to be headstrong, honest, and overall a good person whose been put in a bad situation. The mystery of his past is an excellent motivator for him, and for the reader.
Right away, Thomas is taken under the wing of some of the most important members of the group in the Glade: the leader Alby, a boy named Newt, and one of the original boys Minho. This is due to his peculiar appearance/situation; they think he knows more than he’s letting on and are understandably suspicious. He also becomes friends with a younger boy named Chuck, who he immediately feels protective of—like an older brother. The different dynamics show a general flexibility in the group: they’re all working toward the same goal, but not everyone agrees on the same method of moving forward.
The simplicity of the writing, language, and plotline makes this an excellent choice for teen and other young adult readers. Even though I’m in my early twenties, I still enjoy reading books of this level, though unlike other YA books I’ve read, I didn’t find any deeper complexities to this novel. It all seemed fairly surface level, though we’ll see if this remains true as I continue the series.
For a book titled The Maze Runner, the pace was a bit slow in my opinion. There were some action scenes, which were super cool, but other than that, there was a lot of arguing and suspicion. I expected a lot more maze scenes though, so perhaps I just feel a bit cheated.
That being said, even if this book series isn’t my favourite, I still think it’s a great read. I’m sure teenaged male readers would love it the best.
The Maze Runner Book 1: The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The Maze Runner Book 2: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
The Maze Runner Book 3: The Death Cure by James Dashner
The Maze Runner Prequel 1: The Kill Order by James Dashner
The Maze Runner Prequel 2: The Fever Code by James Dashner
The Hunger Games Book 1: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Divergent Book 1: Divergent by Veronica Roth
Tigerpetal Press is a small book press dedicated to publishing local authors and poets.