Publisher: Random House (Delacorte)
Publication date: August 2012
Pages: 336
Source: e-book from NetGalley
For: Review
Series: The Maze Runner, prequel
Things I Liked:
This was not the book I expected. I kinda hoped we'd learn more about WICKED, though I'd been warned this book wasn't about that. Still, I had a secret hope. It was interesting, though. It's more of a look at how the Flare got started and what it did to people. It is written with Dashner's signature humor, fast-paced non-stop action, and crazy plot twists. And it kept my attention throughout. It was an interesting look at a future world struck by catastrophe. The ending does kind of throw you for a loop, too.
Things I Didn't Like:
I recognized that sometimes the writing style just didn't agree with me. I like a bit more lyrical and poetic writing sometimes, whereas this is very straight forward and plain at times. It's not bad, just different from what I like best. The story was exciting and awful and tense all the time, but I didn't much care for the characters. I was especially bothered by the strange shift in tense when Mark was having a flashback. It seemed more logical to use a past tense, but it was told in present and that confused me a number of times. Still, those fans of the gory, action-packed stories about this future Dashner's created will enjoy the ride.
Read-alikes:
Read the first three books in The Maze Runner series first
Benny Imura series by Jonathan Maberry
Ashes series by Ilsa J. Bick
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
some but not many
mrg-factor: none
v-factor: ->->->
just enough to make me a bit sick at times
Overall rating: ***
I've seen lots of mixed reactions. What did you think of this one?
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
Posts
I felt the same way -- not the book I expected. it barely qualified as a prequel, as far as I'm concerned. I really enjoyed the story, but it ends SO FAR before Maze Runner begins...I just didn't care for the label "prequel." Could be a stand alone.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it would stand alone better than marketed as a prequel.
DeleteMy boyfriend really loved the main series and when he read this he was very upset. He felt this shouldn't have been part of the same series because he was hoping for more of the same things you were hoping for.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great review!
Definitely it shouldn't have been part of the original series. I think it would have made a great stand alone, as Annette mentions. Related, but not in a prequel-y way!
DeleteI have The Maze Runner on my bookshelf but have yet to read it! I'm hoping to get to it sooner rather than later. I did not know there was a prequel to this book.
ReplyDeleteYeah, definitely read it AFTER the Maze Runner trilogy. And be warned, it's not much of a prequel :)
Delete