The Death Cure

by James Dashner
published: Delacorte Press, 2011
pages: 325

In this last installment, Thomas and the other survivors are fed up with WICKED and it's games.  It has taken everything from them, their life, memories and friends.  Thomas, Minho and Newt decide to take a stand and when they do whatever is necessary to beat WICKED once and for all, the danger gets worse.  They trust no one but themselves.  The time for lies is over.  The time for answers is now.

I oscillated between loving this book and hating this book.  Sometimes I wanted it to go on forever and other times I just wanted it to end.  There were quite a few moments during this book where I just wanted to put it down and wash my hands of this trilogy.  I wanted alternate endings, a plot twist that revealed all the characters from the three book alive and well.  However, my requests were not granted which left me with a heart full of feelings.

It was very easy to get attached to the characters in the series and I loved learning more about them as I read the books.  All of the characters to some degree are relatable, maybe not as a whole but there was an aspect in each character that help me understand where they were coming from.  That's one of the best thing about these books and in particular The Death Cure.  I wanted everyone to win. Even part of me wanted the bad guys to win, not because they deserved to win but because their goals ultimately were for the greater good of humanity, they just happened to be going about it the wrong way.

The humanity in this book breaks characters, but moves the story along quite nicely.  I wasn't sure how this book would end and I wasn't really sure I would like how it ended.  When the ending came, it left me grieving for those we'd lost along the way and hopeful for the future.

As is with any trilogy these days, it's hard to end on a satisfying note.  James Dashner pulled this trilogy off nicely and gave hope for the future of his characters.  I look forward to reading anything her writes in the future.

[Edit: I hear that he's writing a prequel to this trilogy!]

4/5 Stars

Praise:

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

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

"Breathlesss, cinematic action."
     --Publishers Weekly