Book Review/Giveaway: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner (Maze Runner #1)

By James Dashner

Release Date: August 5, 2014

Source: Publisher

Summary: Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.
 
Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.
 
Everything is going to change.
 
Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.
 
Remember. Survive. Run.

Review: This book has been out for a long time now, but I've never had the chance to read it. Since the movie is coming out so soon, I knew that my time was running short to read it before seeing the movie. I packed it up for vacation and was able to read this story straight through and could not believe I had waited so long to read such an enticing book. 

Thomas wakes up with no memory of who he is, surrounded by a group of complete strangers just like him. The difference, though, is that these strangers have been arriving inside the maze over the past two years, determined to figure out the maze beyond the walls of the camp they were living in. Thomas attempts to adjust to life, but the next day, something that's never happened before happens. A girl is sent. And everything is about to change. 

Normally, if there's no romance, I find it hard to care about the characters of a book. In The Maze Runner, though, the story was so intense it was impossible not to become drawn into the story. There were so many questions floating through my mind that not even the main characters knew. And the worst part? Thomas knew that he had known all of the answers to the questions about strange place he had arrived at, but something was stopping him from remembering. Seriously, I just had to get to the end of the book before I went crazy without any answers. But by the time I got to that ending, I was left wanting the next book as soon as possible. I was left with even more questions and disbelief at what all of the characters had been through. 

Speaking of the characters, all of them were definitely diverse and lovable in their own ways. They all had their place in the society they had built and they all had such distinct, strong personalities. My favorites were definitely Newt and Chuck. I can't wait to see them in the actual movie. Since I read the movie tie-in edition, I was able to see pictures of the actors playing the characters. I think the actors chosen were so spot on and I really enjoyed seeing visual pictures that almost always matched how I viewed them in my mind while reading. I just hope that the movie captures the intensity and heart-pumping moments in this novel. You never knew what was around the corner and what obstacle would thrown next. You didn't even know who was going to survive in the end because Dashner is definitely not scared to kill characters off. That just made everything that much more intense and the book as a whole impossible to put down. 

I definitely wish I had read this book so much sooner. The story is definitely unique and I loved how all of the little details about the maze and where the boys lived all added up and fit together at the end. That doesn't mean, though, that there weren't even more questions when the story ended. What's going to happen to all of them next? What's really going on with their world? And, most importantly, who can they really trust?

Giveaway

One lucky winner will receive a movie tie-in edition of The Maze Runner, along with a copy of Inside the Maze Runner: A Guide to the Glade. Just fill out the rafflecopter below! Ends 8/12 ***US Only***

a Rafflecopter giveaway