The Maze Runner by James Dashner - a Reading Journal Update 11/09

I am slightly jubilant. I just realized I read another book in November. It was The Maze Runner by James Dashner.

So here is a mini review of the book. This boy comes up through a lift into this all boy compound without any memories of who he is and what his life was like before. He does remember his name is Thomas. He is now considered the newbie and is treated as such. It seems that every month a new boy comes to the compound. They grow their own food and do everything they need to survive.

The day after Thomas arrives something different happens - a girl shows up in the lift. She has a message that the end is near and then passes out. Thomas is interested in finding out who the girl is, because he feels he knows her somehow. However, the most important thing to Thomas is becoming a Maze runner. The Maze surrounds the compound, and has been searched every day for two years. They have never found the way out. Solving the maze seems the most important thing to do, especially since strange things have started happening at the compound. What if they don't get out before the end?

I really liked this book. It was suspenseful, it was adventurous and it was a mystery. I loved the ending, even though it left me with more questions than when I started. The only thing that kind of bothered me was the made up swear/slang words. I don't know why, but even though the boys couldn't remember their pasts, they still could remember their language. One would assume that would include slang words. Like I said, it slightly bothered me, but hey, I guess I use a lot of substitute swear words too so it's better than real swearing in a way.

I still think it was a great book, and I can't wait for the sequel. So much for no more book reviews. I guess I couldn't resist.

Reader Question: Would you try to solve a maze for 2 years or would you have given up before then?