Also posted at The Wandering Fangirl.

ALL THE DYSTOPIAN YA EVERRRRR.

This is a little different from my usual fare, in that it focuses on a young boy trapped in a hellish maze with other boys, and romance is non-existent. Thomas is new, and we learn of the world of the Glade and the maze through his eyes.

What works for this book is that it throws us straight into the mystery without trying to build up a true dystopian future. Hints and guesses are all we get of the world outside the maze, and we spend the entire time learning its terrifying secrets with Thomas. And holy crap, is this book terrifying in parts. Dashner doesn't skimp on the horror, creating half robot, half slug-like creatures that patrol the maze every night and kill every kid who gets stuck outside the Glade. I was genuinely creeped out at the description of them, and the tension only gets worse as the book goes on into the epic end.

However, most of the characters other than Thomas are very thinly drawn. There were only about five boys we really get to know, and I still have no real idea of who they were except for Thomas's friend Chuck. As for the girl, she shows up, is a catalyst, and things happen.

That's pretty much all The Maze Runner is, but I think Dashner has an amazing hand at driving up tension and creating such a terrifying, mindless villains that it overshadows the major lack of characterization for the supporting cast.

And the cliffhanger was excruciating. Totally checking out book two, The Scorch Trials, once I have time to fit it into my reading schedule.