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Maze Runner Review

So, I will be doing a review on the Maze Runner today, and hopefully you enjoy reading it.

First of all, I want to say that the Maze Runner is not like the Hunger Games. I’ve heard alot of people saying that if you like Hunger Games, you would like the Maze Runner. I found it enjoyable, somewhat, but overall it seemed unfinished to me. There are good things about this book, like all books, but I had some major issues while reading.

I liked the book at the very beginning; it was very compellling and mysterious so I couldn’t put it down. I found the ideas creative, or thought it was going to be creative. The description of the Grievers was very out of ordinary, the slug like creatures, and really liked the suspense and just plain darkness of the whole book. The beginning was very frustrating- in a good way- because I felt like I was Thomas and didn’t know anything.

If I didn’t finish the book, I would’ve given a good review since it was just so mysterious and wouldn’t let you put down the book. I liked the suspense of the story; like when the girl came up with the note thatsaid “this is the last one- ever” and thought every little note and thought of Teresa was significant. Well, I was wrong and I have yet to find out what all those details and notes and actions meant.

I had a big problem with Thomas- and the writing too I guess. When Thomas had the urge to be a runner, I was very confused. I felt like even the author didn’t really know why he needed to be a runner, and I still don’t really know. I guess it’s because he was the only one to solve it (?). Thomas just kept saying ‘I need to be a runner, I don’t know why, but I have to”. It was just frustrating. Another problem was how Thomas was basically the most important character in the whole book; no other character needed to be there. The boys have been in the glade for 2 years and couldn’t solve the maze, nor get any clues, hints, anything, but after Thomas shows up, they solve the maze in a few days! It was just too annoying how it was all about Thomas, Thomas, Thomas. How is that possible, honestly, it was just a bad rushed development. I still don’t understand how after Thomas got stung by the Grievers and started remembering things, the author didn’t even mention what he remembered. He only mentioned the things that Thomas said to the boys and everything Thomas did was right, obviously. It also irritated me that Thomas and Minho survived the night in the maze. Obviously they had to survive, but apparently no one has survived a night before, and conveniently after Thomas has only been there for 2 days with his memory wiped out, he manages to live AND save Alby.

Teresa, the only girl in the book, was also a problem. Why was she needed in the book? She talks to Thomas using telepathy which is not relevant to anything, they could’ve just talked, and she was just like a ghost for me. She didn’t have a personality, she was pretty with her doe eyes and I thought she was gonna be a more significant figure in the novel. I was very disappointed, all she did was type the password at the end. Which reminds me, why in all the 2 years have the above-average intelligent boys not been able to see simple letters? Hmm.. And the things she said out loud (which also was conveniently not known where it came from) were very mysterious and creepy at first, but later I found out that most didn’t mean anything. ‘WICKED is good’ was one of the things that was very ‘important’ so she wrote it down on her arm (WHICH AMPLIFIES THE IMPORTANCE and tells the reader you better remember this phrase or else). But I don’t get the importance. Sending the girl up was just pointless. She and Thomas obviously liked each other’s company but there was no romance, which I wanted even just a little, and they just talked through their minds about codes. I thought having the only girl would serve as an important thing, like you need one girl and one boy to solve the code or something, or something that shows us that hte girl is important. But a boy could’ve been sent up and would make no difference. At all.

The Maze was a little off, as well. The Glade reminded me of something from the Medival Ages, with the stone walls and farms etc. which I thought was interersting. Honestly though, I still don’t get the purpose of the maze. The maze was created to test very intelligent kids’ endurance, emotions, abilities, choices, etc. because of a disease called the Flare that has been spreading out in the real world. I don’t understand how the creation of a really expensive maze is relevant to finding a cure for the Flare. ( I didn’t understand many things; I was very confused so if you could send me a note of explanation that’d be great because I think it would make me like the book better). The solution to the maze was just a little disappointing how it was through a hole in a computer and you just type in the words. I thought there would be another something (I don’t know). Didn’t get why all the boys were cautious to tell Thomas anything because there wasn’t much complexity to the whole thing- there are Grievers in the maze, they have to solve the maze because the Glade is fake.

Just thought of one thing, I am still wondering about what happened to Newt or Alby (can’t remember) when he went into the maze and sprained his ankle and was also traumatized. Gally was confusing too. Why was he so angry with Thomas all the time? I knew that he saw Thomas when he Changed but I dont understand how Thonmas being brainwashed to create the maze and come to the Glade made him so angry. And not sure why Gally threw the knife at Thomas at the end when the creators wanted Thomas to solve it? And the fact that Thomas knew all these details about what the creators want and don’t want were very confusing.

There were some things I liked, however. I liked how the book didn’t really make things look good but just plain gruesome and dark, like the maze, the Grievers, the creators, everything. It made you hate that place and not find it peaceful which is what it is supposed to convey. The last few pages I liked. When they saw the creepy creators sitting behind the glass/mirror, I thought that was cool. The ongoing restlessness and weariness was very good since it wasn’t like “Everyone lived happily ever after”. The first 2 chapters of the sequel that were included in the book was very eerie and suspensful and good! Maybe I’ll read the second book.

Overall, it was an unfinished book that had great potential to be a great book but the lack of depth of characters and lack of explanation of plots and thoughts and emotions etc made it really confusing and made it almsot too cliche,especially near the end. I like the beginning of the story; it was filled with many mysterious components and questions that weren’t anwered even at the end of the book. It was a good quick read but definitely had major issues. The creativity and suspense was good though.Like I said before, the beginning of the second book seemed very interesting. I think the author was very good at keeping everyone on their toes and not put their books down and make them curious about what’s gonna happen next, but miserably failed at satisfying their (my, I should say) interest and curiousity. As you can tell, I was very confused and couldn’t understand many thigns that occured in the book. So if you have any explanations or your opinions I would love to hear them! Please! Okay then, bye!