The Death Cure by James Dashner Review 4/5

Overall Impression: A satisfying end to an overall enjoyable trilogy with memorable characters.

This series kind of reminds me of takeaway pizza.
What, you say? Bear with me.
You know how occasionally, just occasionally, that takeaway pizza yearning kicks in, and you kind of know that it’s not the healthiest thing for you and that there’s much better, more sophisticated food out there? But it just tastes so darn good and so you devour it with great speed, enjoying every bite, but if you eat too much of it you become bloated. So you know that even though you really enjoyed it, you wouldn’t want takeaway pizza every week? Yeah, that sums up The Maze Runner series for me. It’s not the best written story out there or the most complex so you wouldn’t want to read too much of it in one go, but it keeps you turning the pages and you really enjoy it, even if you’re not 100% sure why. The final book in the series, The Death Cure also followed the same pattern for me!

The trials are over. WICKED is planning to restore the survivors’ memories and complete the final cure for the Flare.
But Thomas has already remembered more than they think. And he knows WICKED can’t be trusted.
The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine. Will anyone survive the Death Cure?

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner Review 3/5

Overall Impression: A book with a promising start that loses itself along the way.

(To read my review of the previous book from The Maze Runner Trilogy, click here.)

Feeling amped up from the fast paced, thrilling dystopian read that was The Maze Runner, I bought and picked up its sequel The Scorch Trials almost immediately, desperate to solve my unanswered questions and tag along with more of Thomas’s life threatening adventures. So, did The Scorch Trials live up to my expectations? Well, no. Not really. Having said that, the first book was a tough act to follow!
I read this quite a while ago so some of the details are a bit fuzzy, but I will do my best to explain why I’m raining drizzling on this dystopian parade!

Please note: For those of you that haven’t read the previous book The Maze Runner, this review will contain spoilers about plots and characters from the first book in the blurb and first paragraph only. However, this review will not contain any spoilers for The Scorch Trials.

The Maze Runner Film Review

Having recently read and enjoyed the fast paced dystopian adventure that was The Maze Runner, I was looking forward to the release of it’s film adaptation with impatient enthusiasm (and secretly scowling jealously at the American bloggers who were able to see it earlier than the UK). So a couple of weeks ago I snoozed through my early lectures, met my friend and we raced for the train, just managing to catch it in time to allow us to make the midday showing with an overflowing bucket of popcorn. So, did The Maze Runner live up to my expectations? Hmm….well… *puffs out cheeks with air* yes, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.
Side Note: I’ve tried to write this so it will make sense to people who both have and haven’t read the book but I will, inevitably be making a few comparisons. 🙂

Alien Life Forms and an Excess of Pasta + Mini Book Haul

Hello all!
I feel like it’s about time I did another one of these random life update posts. A few weeks ago I packed up all my stuff AGAIN and headed back to the student world for my final year of university. Can you say scary? The fact that this is my final year is really messing with my head. What I do in the next 9 months will count towards two thirds of my degree. It’s where the real work starts. EEEP. Right now everything feels a little bizarre because it’s like the calm before the storm, I know all of these deadlines are looming but the impact is yet to hit. At the moment it seems like I’m having too much fun! I know it can’t last and the stress factor will soon kick in but for now all is good in Becky world. I’m feeling oddly hopeful about my final year. Even though it will probably be mind numbing and intense I’m ready to face the challenge (no doubt this entire train of thought will reverse within a month, you wait and see :P). 

The Maze Runner by James Dashner Review 4/5

Overall Impression: A thrilling, adrenaline packed adventure full of twists and turns.

For a long time I resisted the pull of The Maze Runner. With so many other dystopian/apocalyptic novels on my shelves I figured I could afford to give this one a miss. But then the trailer came out with running and the dramatic music and the epic looking maze and I thought holy cow, that looks awesome!
I was explaining this exact thought process to my friend and debating over whether I should see the movie and skip the book, or wait until I could get the book and then painstakingly wait for the DVD when she pointed to her bookshelf commenting ‘Wellllll……’.
I looked behind her and saw The Maze Runner on her shelf. So of course, she asked me if I wanted to borrow it and I totally caved. So here we are! And I’m glad I gave in because this book was one hell of a ride.

When the lift cranks open, the only thing Thomas remembers is his first name. But he’s not alone – an army of boys welcome him to the Glade, an encampment at the centre of a terrible maze. The Gladers have no idea why they’re there, or what’s happened to the world outside. And following the arrival of a girl with a message, they must find a way out – or die.

When Thomas awakes and is welcomed into a glade consisting entirely of boys he has no memory of his life, his family or the world outside. When he tries to reach for answers all he finds is fuzzy faces and fragmented conversations, although he has the strange sensation he has been in the glade before. The boys have created a mini-society and to survive, order is vital.