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Blondie and Read

The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1)

The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1) - James Dashner, Mark Deakins I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I have a thing for dystopian. They hold a special place in my heart. Anything where the world is ravaged by the government or a higher force and there's a rebellion. Holy crap, I need to sit down. I love it. So, when I saw that this book was going to be a movie, I moved my little butt to the library and picked it up.

Pros

- The concept is truly awesome. Having your memory erased of everything except language and your name. Having a maze. Having these mechanical-esque creatures ravaging through the Glade. No adults. There's a mysterious package that comes every week with supplies they need.

- There's a strong female character. While she's not in the forefront, she's the only one present and brings startling news. It can be debated that she's not all that strong since she's in a coma for a good portion, I'm arguing that she is.

- The voice actor, Mr. Mark Deakins, is awesome. He gives appropriate accents and inflections in each character. They're all distinct and easily identifiable. Awesome job, Deakins!

- Without giving anything away, not everything is wrapped up in a nice little bow at the end. Dashner keeps us guessing and keeps us wanting to know more and more.

Cons

- The language. Shuck. I kid you not... this is a real sentence: "You're the shuckiest shuck faced shuck." What the eff, Dashner. At least let them say "shit" or "dammit" or SOMETHING. By the end, I had just about had it with the PG language. Either have it or don't, but don't do this in-between garbage.

- There's something missing. I'm not really sure what it is... but I wanted more out of this. The action scenes seemed pretty on-point, but something about Thomas just all of a sudden remembering something to keep the plot going, and something... something else, just didn't do it for me.

- There were way too many questions left at the end of the book. I understand that Dashner wants suspense and interest for you and me to continue with the series, but it mostly made me mad. Pretty much turned me off for this reason.

My rating and why: I gave this book three stars. I read it and it was ok. There were definitely moments when I couldn't leave my car and had to stay to hear what came next. However, the ending and the lead-up to the climax just turned me off completely. I doubt I'll be continuing the series. Nice try, Dashner, but this wasn't for me.