The Scorch Trials

Book Details:
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Page Count: 360
Publication Date:  Oct. 12, 2010
Why I read it: 2nd in series
Grade: B-

The Plot:
Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.
In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.
Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.
The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

My Review:
I remember being really frustrated with the lack of information we were given in The Maze Runner.  The Scorch Trials was, if possible, even more frustrating.  I'm getting awfully tired of every single thing being so mysterious, especially after two full books.  I feel like we should have some answers by now.

This is an action packed story with one thing after another after another happening.  There is hardly time to catch your breath.  At times it's almost too much.  But at the same time, and I know this is contradictory, so much of the action happened off page.  Thomas gets separated from his friends, and with how hard and terrible everything is supposed to be, we're left wondering if he'll ever see them again.  But of course, time after time, they make it through and there they are!

There were many times in the book I wanted a point of view from someone other than Thomas.  I don't really even like the guy!  I'm not saying his situation was easy, but he just seemed incredibly stupid--like if you hear a noise, and there's bad guys all around, hey, let's go check it out.  In fact, the lack of likable characters or character development in general was another bad point in the book for me.

But then I am interested in seeing what happens.  James Dashner definitely kept me turning pages, and I had a hard time putting the book down, so that's got to count for something.  I will read the next in the series, but I better get some answers, darn it!