The Maze Runner | James Dashner

If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

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.

I know I'm a bit late to the Maze Runner party, however I will admit I was a bit nervous to read this book. When popular hype starts surrounding a book (movies being made, merchandise being sold, etc.), the book sometimes disappoints (Ex. Twilight, Mockingjay, etc.). But the driving factor for me reading this book was that I really really wanted to watch Dylan O'Brien in the movie and I can't watch movies without reading the book. 

And so it began, I picked it up, started reading. It was a bit hard to get into since I was suffering from post-percabeth depression after the Blood of Olympus, but once I finally did, it was honestly amazing. 

The best part of this book was without a doubt the plot. The entire plot was completely action-packed, filled with mysteries and plot-twists the entire way through. The world that James Dashner has built is just so interesting. At first it began to seem like a hunger games situation, but as we learn more and more about the plot and the purpose, the story seems to take a different route altogether. 

I wasn't a huge fan of the characters, mainly Teresa. While the boys would troop together and work together to solve every obstacle that comes their way, Teresa honestly didn't really serve a purpose. I'm sure she must have a bigger part in the other books but in this one she was just sitting in a cell the whole time or sorta flirting with Thomas. Of course she was the "most beautiful girl he's ever seen" and "he couldn't take his mind off of her". Her whole presence just seemed too cliche and I wasn't a huge fan. 

As book one in the series, I think this book did an overall great job of setting up the world but also introducing a bigger plot towards the end of the book. Something bigger than them and the Glade. Not at all a slow read, I would recommend this to dystopian lovers, anyone who liked the Hunger Games or Divergent should definitely read this book!