Book Review: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

The Scorch Trials

by James Dashner
Published: October 12, 2010
Genres: Dystopian, Post Apocalyptic, Young Adult
Format: eBook (360 pages)
Source: Purchased

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal. Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

Spoiler free even if you haven’t read book #1, The Maze Runner.

If you thought James Dashner couldn’t top the action and intensity from The Maze Runner, he does.  You learn so much about the world and the characters but the question that will bug you through the whole thing is WHY? Why is all this happening? The characters and their sarcasm are hugely entertaining. The characters are unique, likeable, charming and funny. I want to use their slang in my real life. Try and stop me, shuck-face.

An action-packed page turner and if possible, even more bizarre than The Maze Runner. It messes with your head until you can’t tell what is real and what isn’t, what is good and what isn’t. You get a glimpse of a world that is still going through an apocalypse and what it would be like. What would you do if the whole world was desperate and you didn’t have a choice? The cliff-hanger at the end is enormous and you just want to strangle someone and say, “TELL ME WHY! WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? I NEED TO KNOW NOW.”

Content Rating: Medium, for violence.