Review of The Maze Runner

My review of The Maze Runner by James Dashner is based on a paperback copy of the book that I purchased for myself through the Random Buzzer website. The following review is my honest opinion.

Goodreads Summary: "When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recolection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is empty. 

But he's not alone. When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclosed by stone walls. 

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don's know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning, for as long as anyone can remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, for just as long, they've closed tight. Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift. And no one wants to be stuck in the Maze after dark. 

The Gladers were expecting Thomas' arrival. But the next day, a girl is sent up- the first girl ever to arrive at the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. The Gladers have always been convinced that if they can solve the maze that surrounds the Glade, they might find their way home... wherever that may be. But it's looking more and more as if the Maze is unsolvable. 

And something about the girl's arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different. Something is telling him that he just might have some answers- if he can only find a way to retrieve the dark secrets locked within his own mind."

I'm not a fan of male narrators, just wanted to get that out there. Ninety percent of the time I stick to reading books that are narrated by females simply because I relate to them better, I mean, after all I am female myself. Boy books just don't usually appeal to me. So despite all of the hype that this trilogy received I was reluctant to pick it up for myself. I figured I'd probably just end up borrowing it from the library at some point when my own TBR pile had shrunk a little. Than I joined Random Buzzers. After racking up quite a few points I spotted in the store, decided what the heck, and placed the order. I'm so glad that I did.

The first couple of chapters were iffy for me, I wasn't at all sure that I was going to like what I was reading. It seemed as if there was an awful lot of slang being used that I didn't understand, a lot of general confusion as to what was going on, and did I mention there was a male narrator? About page fifty or so I found myself invested, things were starting to get good, the majority of the slang had been explained and my opinion of male narrators was starting to shift.

Like I said, I was really surprised by Thomas as being the sole narrator of The Maze Runner; I thought it would be an automatic dislike for me, a strike against the book but I really enjoyed his perspective. I especially loved the way that his mind worked, the way that he would think outside of the box and go against the previously established norm. He had such compassion for the other guys and was willing to do whatever it took to make life better for his fellow Gladers. He definitely would make my top ten list of male heroes.

Despite changing my mind about having a male narrator, and an almost entirely male cast, I was thankful for the arrival of Teresa. Even more so when it was proven that she could hang with the boys. There really should be more female characters like her in literature. In a world where there are so many "heroines" that are constantly playing damsel and needing to be rescued by her male counterparts she was a welcome change.

I would definitely recommend this one to fans of The Hunger Games as it has a similar feel. It was a great dystopian venture. I'm giving The Maze Runner by James Dashner a four out of five stars review. I'm already scouring the internet for a deal on the second book, The Scorch Trials, because I can't wait to see what Dashner has written next for Thomas and the gang.