The Kill Order (The Maze Runner prequel) by James Dashner

The Kill Order by James Dashner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was excited to read this prequel to The Maze Runner. I wanted to find out how all of this began. And for the most part I enjoyed this book. We start out with Thomas and Teresa getting ready to send Thomas down into the Glade with the other boys, basically right before The Maze Runner began. But we don't dwell there, it's only a couple pages on that. And then we go to 13 years before that. And we get to follow Mark, Trina, Alec, and Lana in one of the mountain settlements after the sun flares hit the Earth. The story begins when one of the Bergs, the big ships they use later on in the series as well, flies by and begins shooting the people in their settlement with darts. Darts that either kill right away, or make them sick. Alec and Lana are former military. Alec and Mark chase after this Berg, and finally are able to get on it, and find out as much as they can. They first find vials of the virus in boxes, and realize what was being shot. Then they find a tablet of some sort that they can see where the headquarters, or at least where this Berg came from. The Berg is crashed by the pilots, and then Alec and Mark head back to find out what has happened to their town. As the story goes by, we get to flashback to when the sun flares actually hit through Mark's nightmares. And actually, this is some of the story that is my favorite. The fact that New York, Manhattan especially, is going to be underwater, or at least a lot of it. I wish maybe we'd heard a bit more of that, but we are filled in on the big details through Mark's dreams. We then follow Mark and Trina, and Lana and Alec, as they try to reach this headquarters. They run into other settlements that have gone through the same thing with the Bergs on the way there, and find out just what this virus can do. Once at the headquarters, after a lot of conflict with those other people, they find out what the people in charge, the PFC - Post Flare Committee, is trying to do. And then they pick up another person, a little girl, named Dee-Dee. And so they must fight to be as safe as they can, and try to reach what they've heard is a safe place, Asheville. And this is about where we leave off. So, there will be another prequel, I'm hoping, because I still need to know more!! We barely touch on Thomas at the end, and I want to know about Teresa, and all that led up to WICKED, as there isn't much about it in this book.
Another good story, there were some edge of your seat moments, but sometimes it did get bogged down a bit. I loved the characters, Alec, and Mark and Trina. Lana too, although she's not as big a character really. As I said I hope there is another prequel so that I can find out more answers to the questions I still have.

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The Death Cure by James Dashner

The Death Cure 9 Copy Floor Display by James Dashner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First I want to say that this is from my TBR pile, so fits into my TBR Reading Challenge.  I lucked out and got this book on Black Friday.  The bookstore I work at opened at midnight to have special sales, and this was one of several teen books that they had for 50% off!  20% better than my employee discount, and so I couldn't pass it up.  Now if only I could find my ARC of the first book in the series.  :-)  This will also fit into my A-Z Reading Challenge as my D book.
I think this was a good follow up/conclusion to the Maze Runner series. It had lots of suspense and action. We got to see almost all the characters again, and see how they ended up. We got some more information on why the gladers were chosen, about being immune to the Flare, etc. I wish we'd had more time with Teresa, still not sure how I feel about her. Also, without giving anything away, I wish we'd been able to get Thomas's memories back and know more about what happened. The good thing is that there is supposed to be a prequel, and I'm looking forward to reading that and hopefully learning all the things that are still stuck in my mind. I purchased a copy of the book that had some "classified" documents in the back, and so I believe that probably gave a little hint to what will be in the prequel and what happened before we jumped right into the middle of the story in Maze Runner. As I said, a good read, I'm sure most people who enjoy this series will be satisfied with how it ended.
I apologize for my kind of quick and short review, it was really good, but I had a couple egalleys and ARCs sitting in my house that I got AFTER I started this, and so I've been chomping at the bit to get started on those.  But I didn't want to quit this and go back later, I wanted to see it all the way through. 
One last thing, don't forget to promote my 300 Follower Blog Giveaway by signing up here!  Think I've got about 13 more followers to hit that last I checked.

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Waiting on Wednesday - New Style

Okay, what I mean by "New Style" is that I know I'm not doing the exact correct thing here, but I'm so far behind on reading since school started back in August, that I kept thinking about how many new books were out that I'd been waiting on, but hadn't had the time to read them yet. So, hopefully Jill at Breaking the Spine doesn't mind too much if I veer off course this week. Instead of choosing one book that is not published yet that I'm eagerly awaiting, I want to share the books that have recently been published but I haven't had time to read them yet.

First is The Death Cure by James Dashner. This is the 3rd, and as far as I know at the moment, final book in the Maze Runner series. According to bn.com:
Thomas knows that Wicked can't be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they've collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It's up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test.What Wicked doesn't know is that something's happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can't believe a word of what Wicked says.The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine.Will anyone survive the Death Cure?

Second is Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick, the 3rd, and I think final in the Hush Hush series. According to bn.com: The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever.

Third is The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson. I enjoy following Maureen Johnson on Twitter, she is so funny. And I've read a few of her others, 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Suite Scarlett, Devilish, to name a few. The 3rd one was the closest to my normal type of book, I mean paranormalish. But this new one sounds really in my area, and I did get it for my birthday, so it will be one of the next ones I read. According to bn.com:
The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.
Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

Fourth is First Kill (The Slayer Chronicles #1) by Heather Brewer. I loved her Vladmir Tod series. I love following her on Twitter, and I was so excited to get to meet her last spring! I was so excited when I heard about this series which will fill in the summers between the Vlad Tod books, but from Joss, the vampire slayer's, point of view. Here is the summary according to bn.com: Joss McMillan’s perfect life crashes down the night he witnesses his sister’s murder — at the hands of a vampire. He then finds out his family’s secret heritage: They are part of the Slayer Society, a group whose mission is to rid the world of vampires. Joss is their new recruit. As Joss trains, bent on seeking revenge for his sister, he discovers powers that could make him the youngest, strongest Slayer in history. But there is a traitor in the Society, one whose identity would shake Joss to the core . . . if the traitor doesn’t kill him first.
With over a million copies already in print, The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod is still sinking its fangs into new readers every day. Now, bestselling author Heather Brewer brings us the other side of the story, from the perspective of Vlad’s former friend turned mortal enemy: vampire slayer Joss McMillan. This is the first in a series of five books that can be read alongside Vlad Tod or entirely on their own.

The 5th book I came up with, and I know there are many more, is The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore. This is the sequel to I Am Number Four, which I only picked up to read in the first place due to some of the controversy about who the author really was. I'll let you do some research into that on your own if you're interested enough. Here is the storyline according to bn.com:
I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.
Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?
They caught Number One in Malaysia.Number Two in England.And Number Three in Kenya.They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.
I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.
And I'm ready to fight.

So, as I said, I hope that the blog who does this meme isn't upset with me for diverging from the normal way of doing this for this week. I just really wanted to do a blog about this, and it felt kind of like I was "waiting" so I decided it fit perfectly under "Waiting On Wednesday" because instead of waiting for a book to be published, I'm waiting to have the time to read them!

Waiting On Wednesday - The Death Cure by James Dashner

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine where bloggers spotlight the upcoming releases they're eagerly anticipating.

I've had this book planned to use on a Wednesday since last week, but was too busy to get it done. So here goes.

I've really enjoyed the Maze Runner series by James Dashner, both the first and the second titled The Scorch Trials. I was extremely excited when I found a date for the third and final in the series, called The Death Cure, supposed release date October 11th, 2011.

In this, Thomas has been captured or taken in by Wicked. He knows not to trust them, but the games are supposed to be over. Supposedly they can cure the Flare using one more test from the Gladers. Thomas has remembered more about before all of this, and so wonders if all this is going to really be a cure. It is called the death cure because the Flare kills eventually, but is the cure itself more dangerous than the disease?

I, for one, look forward to seeing where this is going. The 2nd book was good, but lots of things that were very confusing. I'm ready for some answers. Unfortunately I cannot find a picture of the cover to share yet, so no picture for now.

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

This is the sequel to The Maze Runner, that I read as an ARC a while back. So, there will be some spoilers if you have not yet read The Maze Runner.

Anyway, in this book, all the Gladers, as they call themselves are in the dorms where their rescuers have taken them. Our main character, Thomas, and the rest, wake up the next day to find out that it was all a trick, another test. They must still pass tests by WICKED in order to stay alive. They find out they have been infected with the virus, and that WICKED can cure them if they pass the test. The group of girls in another maze have also been set loose to try and get to the cure. They are told these tests will be worse than what they experienced in the maze. And it is crazy. They get out into the world where as they had been told, sun flares have really changed the Earth. There are violent lightning storms in a desert that are deadly. There are people with the virus that will kill as they go crazy, or just to protect their own supplies. Thomas and his group meet up with some of them, and agree to take them to the cure. Now, the group before they left also found tattoos on them that said things like "leader" or in Thomas's case, to be killed by Group B. Teresa, Thomas's friend that he can talk telepathically with, her tatto says "betrayer". And she soon lives up to that, or so we think. Thomas continues to have memories/dreams of all this going on before, and that he had a part in setting it all up.

We leave off with another huge cliffhanger, and so I don't know if this is going to be a trilogy or a series, but I really need to know what happens next. So a good read, if a bit disjoined and back and forth at times, you just don't really know where all this stands, and who is good, and who is bad. Is WICKED good, as Teresa keeps trying to get across?

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Funny thing about this book, I had ordered an advanced readers copy of this book from a Shelf Awareness email, and set it aside with my other tons of "to-read" books. Forgetting about it, I saw the book sitting on a table in the break room at the bookstore and picked it up to read. I get home, and I go to write it in my notebook where I keep track of what I'm reading, and found the other copy I'd already had. I ended up taking the copy from the break room back to work and keeping it in my locker to read on my breaks. Well, after Wednesday night's break, I wished that I'd brought it home to read because it was getting to a really good point. So, I picked up the copy I'd gotten in the mail and finished the book up yesterday.

Basically our main character is Thomas. He wakes up inside an elevator one morning and can't remember anything but his first name. He is in what they call the Glade. There are a bunch of boys around his age there, and none of them remember anything before they woke up in the elevator the same way. Once a month a new boy shows up. Weekly there are supplies that show up in the elevator. All the boys there work in some way, farming, taking care of animals, cooking, etc. Some boys are Runners. You see, the Glade is surrounded by a giant maze with 8 entrances. The runners go out looking to see if there is a way to escape in the mazes. The mazes change every day, and they map them looking for any clues. The doors to the mazes close every night at dark. In the mazes are creatures called Grievers. If you run into one, they either sting you, or kill you if you're left there over night.

Unusually, the very day after Thomas shows up, a girl is in the elevator with a note about how there will be no one else showing up. First thing that's weird is that it is a girl, there are no girls in the glade. She's in a coma when she gets there. Everyone assumes Thomas must have something to do with her since they arrived so close together. Thomas does feel like he's been there before, and he wants to be a runner as soon as he learns of them, even though runners are very brave, and only boys who have been there for awhile usually get that job.

Soon Thomas learns there are secrets he must remember. Getting stung by the Griever seems to bring memories back, so he has to consider that. Anyway, it's a good story, keeps you interested all the way through. Only issue I have, it leaves off on a kind of cliffhanger, so you know there is going to be a second part. I'm just wondering, can't anyone write a novel that is a stand alone novel for kids anymore? I know some stories are just going to lead on into more than they can fit into what may be a normal size kid's novel, but look at the size of Eragon. I think 3 parts the size of the Maze Runner could all fit in that book, and maybe it could all be read in one book. I get so tired of waiting anymore for books that leave you hanging like this. Not that these books aren't good, I just kind of like to be done and move on to something else when I finish the book. I mean, look at the Stephen King novel I just finished. All done in one, yes - one VERY big book, but still done in one book.

Oh well. Good book.