Book Review: The Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner

Oh, man, this is when I wish I had come up with a more clever name for my blog, like my friend Courtney's, Abducted by Books (isn't that a great blog name?), because I really felt like I was abducted by The Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner.

Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

The first book in the series, The Maze Runner, had been on my to-read list for quite some time, and then at some point I bought the book (I can't remember if I bought it this year or last year, but either way, it's been sitting on my shelf for some time, waiting to be read).  This year, I've read 76 books so far (more than twice my goal of 35 books!), and I've ended up loving quite a few of them.  I realized that many of these books that I've loved this year, that I've given 5 star ratings to on Goodreads and have added to my favorites list, have been Young Adult Science Fiction stories.  And The Maze Runner trilogy is no exception.


The Maze Runner starts off with the protagonist, Thomas, waking up in complete darkness, with most of his memories erased.  He knows his name, can remember things, but can't remember people or specific events.  Then the small square room he is in starts to move upward, revealing itself to be an elevator in an extremely tall shaft.  Once it stops, doors open at the top of the shaft and Thomas finds himself in the middle of a huge maze with other teenage boys who have each had their memories erased, as well.  Their mission - to find a way out of the maze.  Only there are a few problems.  There are openings on each side of the middle of the maze (or The Glade, as they call it), but these openings are actually doors, which close each night.  And you don't want to get caught outside the doors at night, or you'll be killed by these grotesque creatures called Grievers.  And then, in the morning, once the doors have opened again, all the walls in the outer parts of the maze have changed, making you start all over again.  


And I won't say any more than that, because I hate spoilers - so much so that I read the descriptions of the books once, put them on my to-read list if I'm interested, and then once I get the book I don't read those descriptions again, nor do I read any of the blurbs on the book, because I've been spoiled by those before, too.  Anyway, I digress.

Photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

I LOVED The Maze Runner.  It is so my kind of book that I just want to read it over and over again.  I finished it on the 13th of December, but I knew before I finished it that I wanted to read the other two books in the series, so I put them on my Christmas list.  And I got them!  I was in the middle of reading another book, but I couldn't wait!  So on December 23rd (the day my family had our Christmas) I started reading The Scorch Trials.  I finished it on Christmas Day and started The Death Cure right after.  I finished The Death Cure last night, on the 26th.  I've only been able to read a few books in a day in my life, so that was quite an accomplishment.  And it also speaks volumes about the books themselves.

Photo courtesy of barnesandnoble.com

The Maze Runner is probably always going to be my favorite out of the three.  I really loved The Scorch Trials, too, and although I also loved The Death Cure, I had a few problems with it.  The Scorch Trials kind of revealed a different twist to this story (it was hinted at in The Maze Runner, but I didn't really get it until The Scorch Trials).  No, I'm not going to tell you what it was.  But I'll say that it didn't seem out of place in this world to me, but it kind of made me stop short for a second when I realized what was going on, and made me say, "Hey...."  But then The Death Cure happened, and I kind of felt similar to how I felt with Mockingjay, the final book in The Hunger Games series.  With that series, I loved each of the books, too, and gave each of them 5 stars, but I was a bit disappointed with the ending of Mockingjay.  I didn't hate it like some readers, but it wasn't what I had expected or wanted.  And I felt the same with The Death Cure.  The Death Cure was a really fast-paced read with a lot of action, but I was kind of pissed at Thomas for this one thing (if you've read it you probably know what I'm talking about - the big thing HE DIDN'T DO!), and the ending left me kind of disappointed.  I kept waiting for something else to happen, and when it didn't, I was upset. I know this is all so vague and I'm sorry - you'll all just have to read the series and we can talk about it in detail, because I really don't want to spoil anyone.


But regardless, I still loved this series and it has moved up to my #3 favorite series of all time.  Right under The Hunger Games (which is right under the Holy Grail of series, Harry Potter).  I'm so glad I read these books, and I'll definitely read Dashner's prequel to the series, The Kill Order, when it comes out in August.  I'm also excited about the movie adaptation of The Maze Runner that is set to be released in 2013, although it is being directed by Catherine Hardwicke, and I'm not a huge fan of her films.  Hopefully the fact that James Dashner is co-writing the screenplay will keep the film very true to the book.  


I highly recommend these books to anyone who enjoys Young Adult Science Fiction, especially if you enjoy books like The Hunger Games series, Divergent, and the Uglies series.

Book 15/15, "Off the Shelf" Challenge

Photo courtesy of bookwormsreadmorebooks.com

For my 15th and final book to read for this year's Off the Shelf Challenge, I read Book One of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series:  The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan.


I had been wanting to read this series for a while, but never got around to it, although I had seen the movie adaptation of this novel.  I kind of wished I hadn't seen the movie first, because I knew some of the ending, and I am one of those people who does NOT like to be spoiled.  But I still enjoyed reading the book and I hope to read the rest soon - I'll definitely read the rest of the books before seeing the movies.


There were quite a few differences between the book and the movie (that I can remember), but I knew this going in, because a friend of mine, Tracy, as well as my husband, had read the book and told me about a few of the differences.  I liked the movie, but I enjoyed the book a lot more.  I think that's normally how it goes, though.


There were also a lot of similarities between this book and the Harry Potter series, and I am a total HP nerd.  But I wasn't irritated by the similarities.  I think it's just the nature of the stories.  Both involve quests, both involve boys who realize that they are part of a different world, and both boys are the keys to saving that new world, as well as the rest of the world, from destruction by a power-hungry bad guy.  So yes, there are quite a few similarities.  But these are two different, interesting, adventuresome series in their own right.  I LOVE the Harry Potter series with a passion, and I really enjoyed the first installment of Percy Jackson.  But, who knows?  I may grow to love this series, too, once I've read the other books.  However, I don't know that any book or series will ever surpass my love for Harry Potter.

Where's Hermione When You Need Her?

I feel a bit overwhelmed.  I think I might need a schedule, one akin to the studying schedules that Hermione makes for Harry and Ron in the Harry Potter books.


Here's what I've got going.  I've challenged myself to read 35 books this year (I read 30 last year), but this goal is totally doable.  It's how I do it that's the problem.  I've also challenged myself to the "Off The Shelf" Challenge, where I will read 15 books that have been on my bookshelf for a while but I haven't read yet.  I've already read 3 books for this challenge.  But here's where the problems start.  I have book club books to read as well (only one a month, so not too big of a problem), and I have other books that I bought a few weeks ago that I also want to read.  Then I relieved one of my friends of about 9 books that she was getting rid of - also books that I want to read, but since they just joined my overflowing book shelf, they won't count towards the "Off The Shelf" challenge.  Then, yesterday, I went to a closing sale at the Borders near me that is closing and came back with 6 more books, and most of these are of the "oh-man-I-must-read-them-now" caliber.  Yes, all of these books can count towards my year goal of 35 books.  But the question is, how do I read them and still read the books for my "Off The Shelf" challenge?  I mean, those books have been sitting there for a while, and yes, I want to read them, but these new books are so nice and shiny and are calling to me...


And that's just the problem with the books.  I also was hoping to participate in NaNoEdMo in March, where I challenge myself to complete 50 hours of edits on my recent NaNoWriMo novel.  I really want to edit that novel, and I feel like the deadline given in NaNoEdMo will help to make that a reality.  I will edit it, but I'm afraid if I don't participate in NaNoEdMo I'll just keep putting it off.  Then there's Script Frenzy in April, and I'm not sure I'm up for another 100-page script in 30 days, but I really enjoyed it last year.  Then one of my friends has deigned me worthy of being a beta reader for one of her novels.  This is one thing that I will definitely do, no matter what my schedule's like.  I'm so excited to do it, and nothing can stop me!


And then there's this other thing that I'm going to be completely vague about and make it frustrating for all of my readers.  ;)  I'll just say that it's a new project, a new blog project that I'm really excited about and it's just now at the starting gates.  The first post won't go up for a while, but it is somewhat time-consuming because a lot of work goes into each post.


And I have all of this to do while also taking care of my 1 1/2-year-old son.  He's a lot of work. But I do get to read and do other things while he naps and after his bed time.


So here's what I think.  My husband suggested that I make sure I read one "Off The Shelf" book every month, and that I can't read any other books (besides book club books) until I've read that specific book.  Right now I'm reading the March book club pick, and I should be done within a couple of days.  So I think after that I'll start my ritual of reading the "Off The Shelf" book first, and the others after.  Then, of course, when I receive my friend's novel, I'll be reading that ASAP.  And I'll be working at least a few hours a week on my new blog project.  But I feel like I may have to forgo NaNoEdMo and Script Frenzy this year.  But if I don't do NaNoEdMo, I feel like I still need to pencil in some editing time.


So, readers, what do you think?  Any tips?

"I Want" Wednesday; Write Every Day Challenge, Day #28

Okay, this is getting ridiculous.  I am horribly failing at this personal challenge to write every day.  I think I'll stick with it, though, because with NaNoWriMo quickly approaching, I will be writing A LOT.


And that's what I wanted to talk about today:  NaNoWriMo.  For the past couple of days I have been plotting my story.  I am now currently on idea #3, and I am super, super excited about this one!  Unfortunately, I have to throw out my previous characters - or adapt them into these new characters, and I have to get to worldbuilding!  My new story is Science Fiction, and I'm still not sure if I'm going to set it in a future America, or build my own land.  No space travel, so I don't have to worry about creating planets, galaxies, universes!  Or do I?  Who knows which direction my novel will take me next month!  But even if I set my story simply in America in the year 2060 (for example), I need to figure out what the world is like then - the government, the environment, society, jobs, technology, transportation, hobbies, schools, etc.  I have a lot of work to do!  I've decided that my plotting exploits count towards my Write Every Day Challenge, so Monday was Day #26 and Tuesday was Day #27.  Maybe I'll actually write every day this week!  (I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but not daring to hold my breath!)


I realized that my story is like The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter.  Which is SO me!  I think that I'm so excited about it because it's the type of story that I love to read, and so it should be a lot of fun to write!  I think I've finally found my niche, and I have no idea why it was so hard to find!  I think the adage should be not "Write what you know," but "Write what you like!"  


Oh, and it's "I Want" Wednesday again.  This time, I want something immaterial.  I simply want to continue to be this excited about my novel throughout the month of November.  Sure, there will be ups and downs, but I haven't been this excited about writing in a long time, and it's wonderful!


Back to plotting!

"I Want" Wednesday; Write Every Day Challenge, Day #25

I mentioned before that, since I don't have a major theme for this blog, I was going to try some mini-themes tied to specific days, like "Friday Five."  I still have no idea what these things are called.  I call them mini-themes, I've seen the word "meme" but that doesn't seem to be correct - I've Googled this countless ways and yet I haven't found the answer.  Anyway, so I'm starting one today that I found on thedailymeme.com:  "I Want" Wednesday.  Apparently you can write about anything you want, whether it be material or abstract.  [Edit:  thedailymeme.com lists "memes" for every day, and links to sites that use these "memes."  The site that they link to for "I Want" Wednesday is this one:  iwantwednesday.blogspot.com.]


Today, I'd like to talk about the new book that just came out yesterday that I really, really, really want.  It's called Harry Potter Film Wizardry.  It's all about the making of the Harry Potter movies, and it looks awesome!  I'm going to post some pictures on here, and hopefully I won't get in trouble for copyright infringement.  I found these photos at www.mugglenet.com, and I believe that they are copyrighted by Harper Collins.

This is the table of contents page.  Just looking at this alone makes me want it!!!

And this, of course, is a spread dedicated to the awesome Weasley family.




There are several more pictures on Mugglenet.


So it's Wednesday, and this is what I want.

Write Every Day Challenge, Day #24

Once again, I have missed some days.  I'm thinking this may have been a quite impossible challenge.  I haven't written in several days, but I have, however, been doing some research for an upcoming blog post.


I am a huge fan of The Hunger Games trilogy, and I see all these people online posting their "ideal" cast for the forthcoming movies.  I don't agree with most of them.  And recently I found Entertainment Weekly's picks.  Once again, I didn't agree with most of them.  So I decided I was going to make my ideal cast, using the characters that Entertainment Weekly used.  But this task is proving to be quite hard.  I'm not anywhere near finished with the list, but hopefully I'll be able to post it soon.


As for today, I have almost nothing to write about.  I simply wanted to share the fact that 9 new tv spots for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 have been released.  I have watched all of them, and they have some really funny and awesome new clips.  Go to Mugglenet to watch them!

Write Every Day Challenge, Day #15

I missed three whole days of my Write Every Day Challenge!  Boy, I stink at this!  So I'm going to do what I've done before when I missed a day.  Today will be Day #15, even though I should be much farther than that by now, and I will write something for every day that I've missed.  So I have a lot of writing to do!


I thought that I might get a bit of that writing behind me since I went to the first meeting for this year's NaNoWriMo.  But I should have known better.  We never get any writing done in those meetings, especially the ones not in November!  We always have so much to talk about.  But we had fun and we've got some ideas for upcoming NaNo meetings.  This year should be a blast!


I watched the new trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:  Part 1 the other day online.  It was awesome!  It included quite a few scenes that weren't in the previous trailers.  I'm so excited for the movie!  It's less than two months away now!  Yea!!!  Head over to Mugglenet to watch the new trailer (and for all things Harry Potter, for that matter).


Anyway, I'd better get to that writing.  I think I'm going to try some more of the prompts from www.creativewritingprompts.com.

Write Every Day Challenge, Day #14

14 days down on the Write Every Day Challenge!  2 weeks, woot woot!


So I've just got some more random things for you today:


1)  Why oh why do they have to show Dairy Queen commercials on television in a state that does't even have Dairy Queens anymore?  It makes me want a Blizzard soooo bad!  Oh, wait, I'm wrong.  I just went to their site and found out that there are several in my state, just not that close to me.  I apologize, Dairy Queen gods, you have not completely failed me.  I guess next time I see a commercial for a Brownie Batter Blizzard, I'll pick my happy ass up off the couch and drive 40+ miles to get one!


2)  I am soooo loving the blog Mark Reads Harry Potter.  So is my husband.  He said yesterday that Mark can't put down Harry Potter, and we can't put down his blog!  It's hilarious.  A definite must-read if you are a Harry Potter dork like me.


3)  Speaking of Harry Potter, the new trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 goes online tonight at 9/8 central.  I'll be heading over to Mugglenet to view it.  So excited!


4)  I almost hit one of my friends today.  One of my friends!!!  I'm a dork.  I was backing out of a parking spot and yes, I looked behind me, and he must have been in my blind spot for a second, because when I looked again, there he was.  I wasn't that close to hitting him, but you get the picture.  When I realized who it was I debated whether I should say hi (he worked with me at my previous job and we're friends on facebook but we're not real close) and before I knew it, he was inside.  I'm a double dork.  I sent him a message on facebook apologizing for both almost hitting him and not saying hi.  Triple dork.


5)  I'm only halfway through Oryx and Crake  It's going sssllllooooowww.  It's not that I don't like it, it's just that it's not action-packed and I'm so interested in other things right now (like Mark Reads Harry Potter and No Plot? No Problem! and watching fall shows and taking care of my son, etc.).  I just did an automated renewal online so that I don't have to check it back into the library on Friday, but I still can't seem to want to read it instead of everything else.  Damn you, Mark, you've got me addicted to your blog!  I can't stop!  ;)  Hopefully I'll pick the book back up soon.  I guess I'll have to, or just turn it back in, because pretty soon I'll have to start reading the October book selection for my book club.


So I guess that's all my randomness for today.  See you tomorrow!

Harry Potter and Jesus Camp: Write Every Day Challenge Day #4

So I saw the new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 trailer during the Vampire Diaries last night.  It was awesome!  I'm so excited!  Only 2 more months!  Head over to Mugglenet or YouTube to see the trailer.



Speaking of Harry Potter, I also saw something quite disturbing and annoying today:  the documentary Jesus Camp.  It focuses on an Evangelical Christian children's camp that believes that training children to be fighters in God's Army is the way to take back America for the Conservative agenda.  (I use that term, agenda, because I always hear conservatives use it in a derogatory way towards Democrats, Liberals, Homosexuals, etc., and because this documentary is the best example of an agenda that I've ever seen!)

The director of the camp warned them about Harry Potter, saying that Warlocks go against God, and that no matter how much of a hero he is, he is wrong because he is a warlock.  Well, first of all, I'd like to say that Harry is a wizard.  I don't recall him ever being called a warlock.  I know these are synonyms, but I just had to say that.  ;)  Second of all, Harry Potter is one of the most moral, kind, loving, and peaceful characters out there.  Third of all, he is a character in a book.  But then, I have to remember that these people take a certain book (the Bible) literally, so I guess it makes sense that they would take other books literally.

This group openly states that they need to "use" children to further their agenda.  And their agenda doesn't end at spreading God's word.  The kids might think it does, but it doesn't.  They infuse their own political beliefs into their sermons, teaching kids about abortion before they've even hit puberty, then use the kids in a political demonstration in Washington.  I feel sorry for these kids.  Not because they are being taught the Word of God, but how they are being taught (or "trained" as the adults - and kids alike! - put it).

All I know is, like I've said in my previous post, that hate is not a part of what I teach to my children, and although it might not seem like these children are being taught to hate, that is surely the next step.

The Half-Blood Prince, Bad Drivers, and More...

First of all, I loved the DVD of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! I was so happy that this DVD had several bonus features, because a few of the Harry Potter films didn't include very many bonus features on their DVDs. I especially liked the sneak peek of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and of course the scenes from The Deathly Hallows! Check out one of my favorite websites, Mugglenet, for all things Harry Potter.


I don't know if it's the town I live in, or the fact that I'm getting older, but every time I drive I get so annoyed with other drivers! Everyone is so impatient these days! I am guilty myself of driving about 5 miles over the speed limit, but I think unless you're having an emergency and are heading to the hospital, you have no business going more than 10 miles over the speed limit.

Yesterday I was driving and I was approaching the beginning of a right-hand turn lane, which I needed to merge into. Now, when I say the beginning of a right-hand turn lane, I mean that I was in the right-hand lane, next to the shoulder, and ahead of me on the street was an intersection and a turn lane that took up the shoulder for a little while before the intersection. Some jerk behind me also needed to get into that right-hand turn lane, but instead of waiting for the lane to actually form, he started moving over into the shoulder and speeding up to the traffic light. I got over into the turn lane when the lane actually became a turn lane, and he was right behind me, probably pissed that I wasn't going the speed he wanted to go. Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to speed up when I'm approaching a red light, and I'm definitely not going to speed up just for you.

Also, when did people start making U-turns whenever they felt like it? Just because the intersection allows U-turns does NOT mean you can make one when you have a red light!

I think everyone (yes, including me!) should have to take at least the written portion of the driver's test every 10 years or so. Maybe take the actual driving portion every 15 years. Put some kind of hold on your driver's license or yearly tag until you pass the tests. People need to remember the rules of the road, and maybe if they have to study those rules more often, they'll remember them when they're actually driving. Yes, accidents are always going to happen, but I think we'd see a decrease in the number if this was enacted. There, off my soapbox for today.


The weather is driving me crazy. My hands are naturally very clammy, which is not exactly the ideal texture of your hands (I always have to wipe them off on my jeans before shaking someone's hand), but this winter is wreaking havoc on them! They're dry, red, and cracking, and hurt a lot! My hands get dry every once-in-a-while, but they never get like this! What's up, weather? Where's the love for my hands?

More later, my one follower! ;)

My First Blog Post Ever

So here I am, writing my first blog post ever. I'm really not sure what the heck I'm doing, and I really have no idea what direction my blog will take. But I have tons of things I can talk about at length, so here goes nothing!

First things first, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes out on DVD tomorrow! I am so excited! There are supposed to be tons of bonus features, including a look at scenes from The Deathly Hallows! I'm sure I'll have a lot to say about all of that once I watch it, so I'll post my reactions and thoughts either tomorrow or the next day.

NaNoWriMo is over, and it makes me sad. It's just so hard to keep writing when you don't have this looming deadline, or feel the need to update your wordcount every five minutes. I want to keep writing my story, but the editor in me is taking up so much space in my brain and makes me so discouraged that I don't even attempt to write anymore. So that's where this blog comes in. It will be a new venture in the world of writing, one that I will try to update every day, and it will keep me doing what I love to do. Hopefully it will spark some ideas for my NaNo story, but if not, there's always next year. And before that, Script Frenzy!

Okay, so that's all for now. I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow, if not later today!