The Scorch Trials

by James Dashner
published: Delacorte Press, 2010
pages: 360

Now that they've made it out of the Maze, Thomas and the rest of the Gladers have to travel across the Scorch without the aid of WICKED in two weeks.  There are no rules in the Scorch only people that want them dead.  Will they survive and make it to the safe zone in their allotted time or suffer the in the unbearable heat and danger of the Scorch?

The predictability of this books was split; there were definitely some parts that I saw coming, but there were so many more that just blindsided me.  It was incredible to read and truly have no idea what would happen next.  Some questions were answered but all of those answers led to even more questions.  This book is a maze of information, misinformation and plot twists.  It definitely kept me reading!

There did seem to be quite a bit of sleeping and passing out, which is good for showing the passage of time, but it also was slightly annoying.  I'm not sure Thomas needed to pass out so much to further this book along.  The book as a whole is quite fast paced, there's a lot going on, but then those moments of sleep and passing out alter the pace significantly.  It slows it down in an awkward way and then abruptly picks back up where it left off.

This book continues to dive into the characters, stretching and growing them.  Minho, Newt and Thomas excel into their leadership roles, each relying on their on strength as much as each others strengths which builds the bond between them.  Along with the old familiar characters, several new intriguing ones introduced.  Not sure, where their loyalties lie, Thomas and the others skirt around them as much as possible until they are forced to interact.  Trust is a huge issue in this book, which is only natural but who each person decides to trust offers insight to the characters.  I wondered if the guys would trust anyone but themselves, given their circumstances, but you'll be amazed with their decisions.

This series is going to be the death of me.  As soon as I'm done with this review, I am going to pick up The Death Cure.  Well done, James Dashner, I am completely and utterly under this series' spell.

Stars: 4/5

Praise:

"Wonderful action writing--fast-paced...but smart and well observed."
     --Newsday

"Breathless, cinematic action."
     --Publishers Weekly

"Heart-pounding to the very last moment."
     --Kirkus Reviews

"Take a deep breath before you start any James Dashner book."
     --Deseret News