(The) Scorch Trials #2 by James Dashner

Genre: Dystopian 

Hardcover: 360 Pages

Published: October 12, 2010

Series: The Maze Runner

            1. The Maze Runner

            2. The Scorch Trials

            3. The Death Cure

Rating:★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. 

Thomas was sure that escape from the Maze would mean freedom for him and the Gladers. But WICKED isn’t done yet. Phase Two has just begun. The Scorch. 

There are no rules. There is no help. You either make it or you die.

The Gladers have two weeks to cross through the Scorch—the most burned-out section of the world. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them. 

Friendships will be tested. Loyalties will be broken. All bets are off. 

There are others now. Their survival depends on the Gladers’ destruction—and they’re determined to survive.

My Review:

            We left off in The Maze Runner with lots of questions. We found out that there is another group of girls with one boy in their mist. The Gladers have been rescued from The Maze, but their trials are not over yet. After nearly escaping the Maze, they are immediately launched into a nightmare where WICKED uses psychological and emotional experiments to test mind patterns of the kids. What is the purpose of these experiments? We are left with more questions than answers. As the story continues we find out that the Gladers are put through harsh weather conditions, fighting biotech armies, and injected with "The Flare" and are promised a cure if they make it through the Trials.

            As their journey begins through the Trials, they come across infected Cranks (people who didn't get the cure after being injected with "The Flare") and many twists that leave you wondering who is really behind "Wicked." Thomas, his friends, and the other group of girls must figure out a way to get through these trials in order to save humanity. Throughout this book more questions pile up, but no answers are given. I was extremely frustrated at this situation because I just wanted to know what was going on! Dashner created a unique post-apocalyptic world where you don't know who the enemy is. They can be your friend, your family, or even yourself. At every page I was thrown into a twist I didn't see coming and it kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters were well developed, but towards the end of this book I was very confused. I even debated reading the final novel because I just couldn't handle the stress of not knowing. All I have to say is that betrayal is a tough pill to swallow and these kids will have to swallow a lot of it. I kept thinking how scary it might have been for the characters to realize that any moment their entire memory can be swiped clean. It just gives me chills thinking about it!