I have never in my life been so disappointed with a sequel. I really enjoyed The Maze Runner and I was looking forward to this book but... Ugh. I don't have the energy to waste on all the things wrong with this but I'll list a couple.

First, the female characters are flat, uninteresting, and get very little screen time or development. Half of the named female characters are hopelessly in love with Thomas for reasons I find unfathomable. I was excited to meet the girls only to be exceptionally disappointed.

Second, Thomas is possibly the worst choice for a hero I have ever seen. He is not only unsympathetic he is boring. He spends a great deal of the book past out (yes, I realize that's to get the dreams but it's still boring). The author got away with a lack of personality in the first book because Thomas spent so much time trying to figure out the world he was in. Now that we see Thomas's personality, he reads about as full and complete as a wet paper sack.

Finally I mention the other thing that really bothers me: we still have almost no answers for what is going on. Yes, that's because the characters don't either, but two books in I was hoping I'd know SOMETHING.

I will read the third book only because I'm a completionist. I went from recommending this series to wanting to pull my hair out over this book.