The Maze Runner by James Dashner

 

Summary (from goodreads.com):

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is black. 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 expanse enclosed 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, for as long as they could remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, they’ve closed tight. Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift. And no one wants to be stuck in the maze after dark. 

 The Gladers were expecting Thomas’s arrival. But the next day, a girl springs up—the first girl ever to arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. The Gladers have always been convinced that if they can solve the maze that surrounds the Glade, they might be able to find their way home . . . wherever that may be. But it’s looking more and more as if the maze is unsolvable. 

And something about the girl’s arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different. Something is telling him that he just might have some answers—if he can only find a way to retrieve the dark secrets locked within his own mind.

This book was different than I expected. I expected it to be more...exciting. Instead it was mostly puzzling with dashes of exciting thrown in. Not that it wasn't good, it was, just not in the way I expected. From the moment you read the first sentence there are questions, and as the book progresses, more questions arise. Some questions you get answers to, others you don't. And let me tell you, it's FRUSTRATING. Sometimes I just wanted to rip my hair out because I wanted answers and I wasn't getting any. But that's okay because it all adds to the suspense and makes you want to keep reading.

I really liked the characterization in this book. Thomas was a good main character, but I was drawn to Newt. Seeing the way all of the characters reacted to things was really interesting. It felt real, like how someone would react if that were really happening, not in a book. And I hated the Creators, even though they were mostly just spoken of, I wanted to throttle them the whole time for what they were putting these poor guys (and girl) through. I wasn't a fan of the pacing. It was a bit slow for my taste, even though I can't really figure out how it could have been any faster. The imaging was great though and I could clearly picture everything that was described. 

Overall: The book was a bit slow, but really interesting. I was really frustrated through most of it, but it was in a good way. 4 Stars!