A hunter has to run a lot... right? sure... we'll go with that
I failed to post when I completed The Maze Runner - I wasn't really sure about it. I had a lot of issues with the book as it neared completion... and I can't wait for more of my friends to read it so they can also talk to me about it. ;)
I'm not sure if it is more disturbing to read as an adult, understanding that the book is written mainly for young adult readers - sort of like Lord of the Flies style writing... I also wasn't sure going into the book how I was going to enjoy a male protagonist. I'm not a huge fan of books with male protagonists, and I'm not entirely sure why. But at the same time, I need a strong female, not a wimpy female... Either way, within the first chapter of the Maze Runner, I had been introduced to a boy who only knows that his name is "Thomas" - no surname that he can recall, and his companions immediately begin referring to him as "Greenbean." So i figured the book couldn't be ALL bad.
I. Tore. Through. It.
I think I completed The Maze Runner within 3-4 days... staying up late to read until I fell asleep after playing games online, reading it in the car, squeezing in a chapter during planning... It was very compelling, though very disturbing. The chapters are short, and the author does an annoyingly good job of cliff-hanger chapter endings - similar to The Hunger Games. And there was even a pleasant surprise of a girl being added to the characters!
I would NOT recommend The Maze Runner to my mother. In fact, I have already explicitly said that she would NOT enjoy it, while I do think she would enjoy The Hunger Games. It even scared me at times, and certainly some of the chapters that I tore through at 2 am were because I couldn't take the stress and tension of what was going on. Being trapped in a maze with half beast, half mechanical monsters is SCARY... Knowing that people are watching you the entire time while you suffer is sick... It got at me multiple ways... like the movie "Se7en" (which i love, ps)
When I finished it... I just wasn't sure. The book has an epilogue, and I knew, from reading other similar books, that if I read the epilogue, it was going to leave me hanging and immediately wanting more... so I hesitated... and then knew I couldn't handle not knowing. I read ahead, and included in my copy were the first few chapters of The Scorch Trials. And even, reading those... I didn't know how to feel about getting the next book... Maybe this time, I could just not read the whole series... Maybe this time...
By the way, The Death Cure comes out on the SAME day as The Son of Neptune which is Rick Riodan's book 2 of the Heroes series (Percy Jackson, part two, this time from a different perspective) OCTOBER 11 IF ANYONE WANTS TO KNOW :D :D
So I guess that answers the question of "did I keep reading The Maze Runner series"... if I already know when book 3 comes out... eh?
I'm almost done with The Scorch Trials now, though I do admit that I had a hard time wanting to get it... I consoled myself by getting it through Amazon, since it is only available in hardcover right now...
Now that I'm this far through - would I read it again? Would I recommend it?
I'm not sure. I am convinced that SOMEWHERE at the end of it all, there is a happy ending. And I really hope that there is. Things look bleak, things look rough... post-apocalyptic settings are tough for me to read in general - they play into my "invisible airborne illnesses are going to kill us all one day" fears
So I hope that for Thomas, the no-longer "Greenbean," there is a happy ending.
And I selfishly hope that book 3 answers my questions that are flying around right now. Though I fear that instead, the author will actually create a parallel series to answer those questions. Yep. You heard me. Just like The Lost Hero (Rick Riodan) did. I'm seeing the same trend here.
Talk to me when you get there!! :D
This weekend, off to a wedding. Lots of car travel time. I'm going to be finishing The Scorch Trials and then am taking The Red Pyramid and I Like Him, He Likes Her. (total. drivel. I've tried to get through it before... it's baaaaaaaad dippy)
