The Maze Runner by James Dashner (review)

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Release date: August 6, 2009
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre: YA, Dystopia, Mystery
Buy on: Amazon | Book Depository | B&N
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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 have to start with saying I read this book for all the wrong reasons. The reason is: Dylan O'Brien. I love that guy and when I heard he was going to play in this movie I knew I had to read the book first. However, I kept postponing it since it's not my kind of book. And that's all I kept thinking as I read it: it's not my kind of book.

This is one of those messed up dystopia books I can never really get my head around. I don't understand the Hunger Games, I don't understand Divergent and I don't understand the Maze Runner. Young boys get dropped in a weird manufactured place with a maze and creepy machine monsters. They don't know how they got there and how to get out. Some of the boys have been there for two years. Then Thomas gets dropped there and some people recognize him from somewhere. Shortly after Teresa, the first girl ever, gets dropped off in the Glade (as they call where they are). Then all kind of weird stuff just starts happening and everyone blames Thomas and Teresa.

It took me a super long time to actually get into the book and slightly enjoy the story. The first 2/3 didn't interest me all that much and I thought a couple of times about just giving up or skipping parts. Then the last third finally started to get a bit more exciting and things also started to make a bit more sense.

I am still very confused about this book and the events in the book. Mostly because it all seems so hard to believe. I also found it very hard to imagine how the place looks like and how the Grievers (the monsters) look like. I found the descriptions weren't as clear. I do admire the work that must have been put into this book. The writer must have put a lot of time and energy into planning the story. Kudos for that.