Synopsis: Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them. -Goodreads

Review: I’ve been really looking forward to this next book. So much that I put off reading it because I knew I couldn’t wait a whole year between books two and three.This series is a different kind of hunger games. Kids, fighting and solving pretty epic problems to survive. It can be a little gruesome at times but overall, a good read if not a little too familiar.

This next part is a little spoilery, so be warned… But something bugged me about this book. At one point, you’ve got twenty boys running for their lives. Then something happens and almost half die. The cause of the deaths would make them pretty random and yet ALL of the major players survive. How does that even happen? The answer, it doesn’t. Or at least it shouldn’t. It took my willing suspension of disbelief just a little too far.

While the story was good, the characters seemed a little static in this one. Almost everyone just had one primary personality trait that pretty much summed up who they are. Even Thomas never seems especially deep. He makes decisions almost purely on guy instinct and that makes it hard to know who he is. I’d like to see a little more of his thought process and his opinions on the people around him.

I wish this book had given me more answers about what is going on and who WICKED are, so that was disappointing. It ended on a cliffhanger with almost nothing really sorted out. But I am looking forward to the next book. I’m excited to see how this ends, and who is still standing at the end.

Rating

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