The Scorch Trials By: James Dashner

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• Title: The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner #2)
• Author: James Dashner
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Publication Date: October 12, 2010
• Pages: 360
• Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
• Recommended Age: 13+
• First Read: 2013
• Source: Library
• Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 stars

After ending in such a cliff hanger, The Scorch Trials picks up right where the The Maze Runner left off with the Gladers thinking they have escaped from WICKED. But things are not always as they seem, and the real trouble is only beginning.

Did I enjoy this novel as much as the the first book? Well, no, but it was still action packed and filled with revelations about WICKED, the Flare, and Thomas' role in the Trials. I think the reason why I did not enjoy this novel as much was because I was so entranced with the world of the maze and the glade that in a way, I couldn't quite get as much into the Scorch. But I did enjoy the book immensely in its own way because it provided a vastly different environment for the Gladers to explore in and to survive in.

This is what I pictured the scorch to be:

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I think my favorite part was when Thomas and Brenda were running through the city, just trying to survive and get to the safe haven they was promised to. I also liked that new characters were introduced and that they added a new complexity to the themes already there (as if things couldn't get complicated enough). I loved the original characters, Newt and Minho being my favorites, but I liked to see how the group dynamic would work outside the maze, and I wasn't disappointed. Minho was even sassier, if possible, and Newt was just so adorable that I could barely stand it.

Thomas though, was getting more annoying because he just couldn't stop asking questions (again) and just kept rambling and rambling and rambling blah blah blah about Teresa, about his feelings...I could have done a lot without that and instead focused on the action happening around them and the fact that people are trying to kill them!

The book, of course, ends in another cliffhanger (shocker) much like the first book did, not really providing any answers as much as more questions and even more WICKED.

Well, at least there's a third book, which I will gladly re-read again, but I won't like page 250 at all. And to quote Forrest Gump: Well that's all I have to say about that.