A Book Review: Scorch Trials

Going into a new book is always an adventure (at least for me). I've gotten into the habit of reading three to four books at a time because one plot line can't hold my interest for long periods of time, which is fine. There's nothing wrong with the plot, I just enjoy a change of environment.

I enjoy books with an immersive plot. Something that will grab me by the shirt collar and pull me in before I have a chance to change my mind. If a book can do that in the first few pages, I'm sold.

Now, I understand some books need chapters where nothing happens, where information gets passed from author to reader through the characters. Some authors are amazing at seamlessly doing this, others, not so much.

The Maze Runner was an excellent start to a series. I enjoyed every moment of it, and felt like every chapter had a purpose. The characters were all very three dimensional and the plot had potential.

The book was filled with conflicts between characters and environment, which all felt very realistic even though it was set in a very unrealistic setting. The writing was amazing and kept me on the edge of my seat after every chapter. James Dashner is a lovely writer and it showed in the first book.

I was excited to continue the series because I had heard great things about it, but I was quickly disappointed.

Sequels are always hard to write. Nothing can compare to the original, right? For many books I've read, the sequel was better, if not just as good as the first book. In some cases it can give you more than the first book ever did, because now you have the characters and backstory, now you can get into the gritty parts of the plot, right?

Apparently not.

Reading The Scorch Trials made me realize that, yes, you can despise a book with your entire being. Not only was the pacing slow, it led up to nothing. At times it gave you a taste of a possibly good twist, but it was quickly taken away with no explanation.

It was like finding water in the desert only to find out it was a mirage the whole time. For a while, you think you're drinking fresh, cold, sweet, sweet water until you taste the hot sand between your teeth and feel it sticking to your throat, and now you want nothing more than to forget the taste but you can't. You don't think you ever will.

The book didn't really start until 200 pages in. That's not what you want for your readers, especially for a book that's about 360 pages long. A lot of the beginning could've been cut out and replaced with more information about the new characters and new plot points. Why was Thomas' name all over that small town in the desert? That was never answered. And yes, I know there are more books in the series, but even after finishing this book, none of my questions were answered.

It felt random and scattered. Some parts of the plot felt thrown in for effect, giving it no purpose to the actual plot. It was slow paced and dragged on longer than it should've.

If you enjoy a book with nothing but a large amount of dream sequences, aimless walking, and meaningless plot points, then sure, give this book a read. In my honest opinion, The Maze Runner would've been a good stand alone novel. The ending leaves you with a bittersweet feeling where you don't necessarily have to read more.

I gave this book 2 stars on Goodreads, which would've been less if I didn't finish it, and even then, I had to force myself to. Not worth your time or energy.