The Death Cure

The Death Cure is the final book of The Maze Runner trilogy.  Like the other books in the series, this book also follows Thomas and the gladers into their adventures.  When they are taken by WICKED in the second book they are told that their tests are finally over.  They go with WICKED  and Thomas hears a faint voice in his head that says, "WICKED is good."  But Thomas still isn't quite sure.

    In the beginning, the gladers are told that some of them are immune to the deadly disease called "the flare".  The gladers are also told that the tests they were in were to study brain patterns so WICKED could find a cure to the disease.  Since the tests are done WICKED tells them that their memories can be restored if they want.  But Thomas says he already knows too much and that he is scared to remember anymore about his past.  Thomas and some of the other gladers come up with a new plan, because they don't trust WICKED.  This plan is to escape from WICKED.  They go to Denver, but instead of dealing with WICKED they have to deal with the real world.

    This was a good book considering that it came after two amazing books before it.  The author has such an incredible imagination that can take me to different places.  When I read his writing it feels like I am living the book.  Although it was a good book, it wasn't the best in the series.  In trilogies it is harder to come up with more things to compare with the first book, but I think it was still great.  These books are wonderful because they just get you thinking about our world.  I mostly think about how we can do things better and how a good government will keep us moving forward.  Lastly, I think of just the motivation humans can have to keep the human race alive.

This book was a perfect ending to this trilogy.  I think everyone should read these book, and if they do they will never stop reading until they finish.
   

The Scorch Trials

     The Scorch Trials, written by James Dashner, is the second book in the Maze Runner Trilogy.  In the first book, The Maze Runner, teenagers are put into a maze to test their skills.  Their goal is to try to get out of the maze.  These teenagers are called gladers.  After the gladers make it out of the maze in the first book they are taken by unknown people to a "safe place".  All the gladers are so happy that they are out of the maze and are safe.  They go to bed with the thought of it being all over, but they couldn't be more wrong!

     The Scorch Trials begins with the main character, Thomas, sleeping.  Thomas has a friend named Teresa.  Thomas and Teresa can speak to each other in their minds.  While he sleeps, Thomas' mind hears that she has been taken again by other people.  Suddenly loud screams come bursting from outside of his room.  He wakes up and sees zombie like people outside the windows of the room.  Thomas gathers up the gladers and decide that they should leave the room.  They open the door and it is pitch black!  They feel like they are running into something, and turn on the lights.  There are dead bodies hung from their feet.  They keep going and find where Teresa is supposed to be, but instead they find the name Aris next to Teresa's door.  They go inside the room and find a boy that is all alone.  He tells the gladers that there were two mazes and he was in group B.  Instead of a ton of boys and one girls, in his maze there was him and a ton of girls.  Then the gladers walk outside and the bodies are gone and right away they know that they are being watched.  A couple days latter a man appears in the main part of the building and tells them that they have caught a disease called the flare and that they need to find the cure.  He tells them that they need to get to a place called the safe haven.  Although that seems easy, they have difficult challenges ahead.  Right away the gladers know that this is just another silly test.
     This was a great book that interested me very much.  One night I read 160 pages straight just because it was so entertaining.  Books aren't usually what I do for leisure time, but this book was my leisure time.  Instead of watching television, computer, or video games I chose to read.  In the past month James Dashner became my favorite author.  It seems to me that he knows me, and what I like to read.  This book made me think about how our country would be like if people didn't work together, and if we didn't have our freedom.  It made me appreciate our country's government, although it isn't perfect.

     All in all, this book was an amazing book.  It was very interesting and mind blowing how an author can create a whole different world for his readers.  I would encourage you to read the Maze Runner trilogy because I know that it will fascinate you like it fascinated me. 

J.R.R. Tolkien- The Two Towers

     Welcome back to Middle Earth, folks! This right now is a really bad time to be here for there are Orcs (evil elvish like dudes), Elves, Dwarfs, Giant tree things (ENTs) and of course, Hobbits. This story takes place shortly after what happened in The Fellowship of the Ring. (By the way, if you are currently reading The Fellowship of the Ring, don't continue reading this review because I may ruin the end of it for you!) Anyway, it starts off with the Company searching high and low (mostly low) for Samwise Gamgee and Frodo. A downfall to reading what happened with Sam and Frodo is that it is over half way into the book. By then many events (good or bad) will happen to the rest of the 

Company. As the reader, you will for sure see a familiar face if you have read The Hobbit. Then later, there will be many battles and the beginning of a raging war. If you have The Lord of the Rings book with illustrations, you got lucky because it is way better with a little visual to get an image in your mind.

   I would totally recommend reading this book after the first one. If you just pick it up and start reading, absolutely none of it will make any sense to you. If you are barely starting to read The Two Towers, when it gets to the part with Saruman, go to the back and read his section of the appendix, if you have one. This book can also be very hard to comprehend in minds due to it's way of saying things. But, never give up and continue reading and you'll be glad that you did.

The Fellowship of the Ring

      The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien is probably the best fiction book I have ever read. It has multiple themes, but one main theme is that even people who seem insignificant have a lot of potential, and there are many characters in the book that this applies to. The Fellowship of the Ring is the first book in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and it starts Frodo's dangerous adventure to the evil land of Mordor. This book contains many different mythical races, including short creatures with big, hairy feet that want nothing to do with adventure, called hobbits.

    Frodo Baggins, a peaceful hobbit, is given a magical ring from his uncle, Bilbo Baggins. A wizard named Gandalf the Grey warns him about it, so Frodo, Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin (Pippin) Took, and Merry Brandybuck rush to Rivendell, a city where elves live. On the way, they encounter evil Black Riders, some helpful allies, and a mysterious man named Strider. In Rivendell, a council is held, and people from many different races attend. At the council, they must decide what to do with the magical ring. There, they form 'The Fellowship of the Ring.' A company that is made up of four hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry; Gandalf the Grey; an elf named Legolas; Gimli the Dwarf; Aragorn the Ranger; and a mortal man named Boromir.

      This book was very epic and well-thought through. J.R.R. Tolkien created a whole world called Middle-Earth! You can feel the structure of the plot, the characters, and the settings as you read the book. Also, the author brings up many issues like racism, because of the different races. For example, the elves and the dwarves do not get along well, and they don't treat each other very well. The Fellowship of the Ring affected me, because it taught me that even if someone seems insignificant, or that they aren't good enough for something, they can make a huge difference in the world. We shouldn't judge people that are different than us.

      I absolutely loved this book. I have always loved the Lord of the Rings movies, and I finally decided to read the book. It was very well-written, and I was surprised at how many similarities there were. However, the beginning of the book is VERY SLOW. If you are a reader that gets extremely bored with slow books, than I would recommend not reading this book. J. R. R. Tolkien is a brilliant writer, and his books will continue to be read for many years.

           Catching Fire is the second book of Suzanne Collins hunger games trilogy. The book starts with Katniss and Peeta celebrating their victory of the 74th hunger games and is on their victory tour to each district. While on this tour Peeta discovers that Katniss did not really love him and just acted like she did just for the sake of the viewers. From then on Peeta stays his distance while Katniss needs to prove to President Snow that the two are truly in love.

            Every twenty five year there is something called the Quarter Quell and a twist on the hunger games. All that Katniss remembers hearing about the previous Quarter Quell is that they sent twice as many tributes into the arena. For the 75th annual hunger games the tributes are chosen out of previous victors of the hunger games. With this unexpected surprise Katniss prepares to return to the battle arena once again. Between Peeta and Haymitch, it was quite obvious that the star crossed lovers would be reunited in the games again.

            As Katniss and Peeta are preparing for the games, they are faced with the challenge of not knowing the strategies of the victors before them. The thing about the hunger games this year is that it is nobody’s first time. Their strategy of being I love with each other is the same as the previous year, but along with their opponents President Snow does not believe their act. During training Katniss and Peeta spilt up into separate stations to get as many allies as possible for the games. Once in the arena the clock is ticking to stay alive and get out safely. The question is will Katniss and Peeta be able to survive the challenges that the arena poses yet again?

            I really loved how Collin was able to describe a totally different arena compare to the one in the first book. I also enjoyed how Collins was able to describe the other tributes more in Catching Fire opposed to her first book. I loved how Catching Fire had the same topics like an over powering government, family, friends, and trust.

            Ultimately Catching Fire is a phenomenal book filled with science fiction, suspense, action, and romance. It is a very interesting book that is hard to put down. I loved reading this book and I would highly recommend those who have not read to read it soon. I cannot wait until the movie comes out in November and compare the similarities and differences with the book.

The Death Cure by James Dashner

The Death Cure by James Dashner is the final book in the Maze Runner Trilogy.  Like the other books, this is a work of fiction, and it continues to follow Thomas and the Gladers.  At this point in the trilogy, WICKED says they are done testing the Gladers, and that the 'time for lies is over.'  However, Thomas knows he can't trust WICKED.  This book follows him in his efforts to stop them.

At the beginning of the book, Thomas and his friends are told they are done being tested.  Along with this, they are given some shocking news.  Not only are Thomas and the Gladers smart, most of them are immune to the Flare, the horrible virus threatening to destroy the human race.  WICKED has been testing the Gladers because of the fact they are immune.  They've been mapping their brains in a desperate attempt to find a cure to the Flare and return the world to its former glory.

Despite this news, Thomas knows he can't trust WICKED.  He has remembered far too much already.  The next day, WICKED tells the Gladers they are going to get all their memories back.  They are going to remember everything before the Maze.  Thomas doesn't want to get his memories back.  He is scared of WICKED and what he might remember.  Thomas, along with a few other friends, decide to do something about this, and before long, they break out of WICKED.

Shortly after fleeing WICKED headquarters, Thomas and his friends find themselves in Denver, which is considered one of the few "safe" cities left in the world.  Although they've escaped WICKED, Thomas and his friends aren't free from what is out in the real world.  Are they really safe, or were they better off staying with WICKED?  Thomas can only guess.

This book was absolutely incredible.  I have to admit, at first it went really slow.  I didn't really get into it until the end.  However, the end was amazing.  It completely won me over and made me really like the book.  Last book review, I mentioned that at the end of the series, I would have to decide if the ends justified the means.  And, to be completely honest, I'm torn.  Essentially, WICKED failed their ultimate mission: to find a cure for the Flare.  However, at the end of the book, Thomas and his friends are given a new life, giving us hope that the human race will continue on.  At the end of the book, WICKED themselves say things similar to what I've said.  They explain that they failed, but also succeeded in a sense.  They also can't decide whether they will be viewed as good or evil by people in the future.  I'd imagine Thomas is pretty torn up over this whole situation.  Several times, he says that even if WICKED did find a cure, it wouldn't be worth it, considering all he and his friends had to go through.  Because WICKED failed, he's probably mad about all he lost for nothing.  But, I believe he will be able to find happiness in his new life.  Although there are many ways to interpret the end of this book, I believe it depends on how the reader views it.

This book was fantastic.  It was interesting and attention-grabbing.  I think everyone should read it.  A

     

     

   The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins takes place in, Panem, built in the ruins of future America ruled by a controlling government. Every year each district of Panem (12 districts) sends two tributes to participate in the hunger games (one boy and one girl) to fight to the death in an arena. These tributes are chosen by a big bowl of names of all between the ages of twelve and eighteen and as you get older the more times your name is entered.  

     The book begins when Katniss Everdeen volunteers for the games when her younger sister, Prim, was chosen as a tribute. Katniss and baker's son, Peeta are the two tributes chosen from district 12 to compete in the 74th annual Hunger Games. As soon as they are chosen they have just a short amount of time before they begin their journey to the Capitol where the games will be held. The two are coached by Haymitch (a previous winner of the Hunger Games) and assistant Effie. Katniss also meets her designer Cinna and his team of stylists. Haymitch helps prepare the two tributes for the games and creates a strategy that Katniss and Peeta have to use in the arena to impress people and get extra sponsorship.  After weeks of hard training, Katniss and Peeta were ready to fight in the games. 

     In the arena there are of all sorts of challenges that these tributes are faced with created by the game makers who oversee the whole game. The lack of food, survival supplies,  knowledge of their surroundings, and who they can trust are just a few problems that the tributes face.

     I really enjoyed how the book was constantly able to hold on to my attention. I loved how detailed Collins described everything including what future America might be like. I also enjoyed how the districts were all different and each had their own characteristics. It was interesting how the environment between each district was just like how our country has separate social classes. For example rich, high class capitol people and the poor people of district 12. It was also interesting how severe the conditions were that they had to fight to the death in order to survive.

     Although, I do need to warn the reader that there is a lot of violence and should be something considered before reading the book. I would also like to suggest watching the movie to see how the story was presented differently.

Catching Fire

    Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is young adult story takes place where the first book in the series The Hunger Games left off. In The Hunger Games Katniss and Peeta are sent to the games where they are forced to fight to the death among other tributes on television. Keep in mind the books in this series take place in future America, which is now called Panem. At the end of the games, there are only two tributes left, Katniss and Peeta. Both not wanting to kill the other, they pick up poisonous berries and are about to eat them at the same time, when the Capitol decides that there can be two victors. Therefore giving Peeta and Katniss the win.
     Catching Fire is about the consequences of Katniss and Peeta's decision to pick up the berries, which the President of Panem sees as an act of rebellion. After winning the games, Katniss gets to return to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Although things don't exactly pick up where the left off, because since the games Katniss and Peeta have to act like they are in love so they are not seen as rebels. The problem with that is, Gale and Katniss have feelings for each other too, causing a dramatic love triangle. To top that off other districts are beginning to rebel against the Capitol, and the reason for that is Katniss and Peeta. As a result, they have to convince everyone, including President Snow, that they are indeed in love or the consequences will not be good.
     Just like the first book, Catching Fire is very interesting and makes you want to keep turning the pages to see what happens next. There are a lot of twists and turns that the reader will not expect making it fun and exciting to read. The books in this series really make the reader think. It is an interesting idea, what will America be like in the future? It brings up issues like how much control the government should have, and clearly demonstrated in this book, no government should have this much control.
    This book is truly great. It is very fun to read, and I really enjoyed it. It was hard for me to put it down! I would recommend this book to anybody that hasn't read it yet. I give it a solid A. But before you read this book though, make sure you have read the first one, not just see the movie, or you will probably be confused.  

Wither

Wither is written  by  Lauren DeStefano. Wither is a trilogy, her third book should be coming out soon. This creepy, sci-fi books  background is a new generations of males and femalest that  are produced. However they don't get to live very long, as the book tells it, they're all ticking time bombs. Most males will live up to the age 25 and females will live up to 20. The reason this virus is passed on is the first generations of humans cured  cancer, and there was no more disease to cure. This was a perfect human race, until something went horribly  wrong,  now the first generations are seeking a miracle antidote. The world has turned into a scary place, Gatherers are paid by the Housemasters to kidnaps girls, and get them pregnant. To make matters worse the girls  get sold as a polygamous bride. Housemasters are huge owners of a mansions.

The main character Rhine has  turned sixteen, and  currently has four years to live until she dies. Scary right? Anyway Rhine gets kidnapped and trapped. At the beginning, she vows to escape and hate the men who have captured her. It turns out to be harder than she expected though, Linden, who is  her husband begins to love Rhine more than ever. You would think this was a perfect life?

No, this whole life is an illusion, When you first look at the mansion it would seem like a reglular place. However there is more trouble and secrecy than any house Rhine's ever been too. when Rhine starts to forget her deadline she meets Vaugnn, her father-in-law, who is an eccentric doctor determined to find a miracle antidote.  Vaugnn is mysterious and full of surprises.  Rhine  describes him as "Cockroaches going down my spine."

 Rhine isn't the only sister wife, either  she must  escape while avoiding  her sister wives, because theres days  where Rhine can trust her sister wives, and the next day she's freaked out by them. There is one person who Rhine can trust though, and that is Gabriel. He is one of the loyal servants of Linden, he becomes friends with Rhine  quickly. Daylight is running out, because Rhine must escape before her seventeenth birthday. She must also find her twin brother, who is hopefully still looking for Rhine.  The big question now is will she escape before her deadline comes short or die trying? In this dangerous world, with crime unpredictable, with no birth control pills. Can there be any freedom for a girl like Rhine?

Wither brings suspense with a slice of romance, this book teaches you a lot about enjoying life. How even if life throws you down, you can always get back up strong. When you first read about the plot, you don't have to worry. Lauren DeStefano wrote this book brilliantly. Nothing is ever revealing, all you have to do is enjoy the book and READ.

This also shows a prediction for  our world how it might  end, What will happen when we run out of oil? When we run out of diseases to cure?Will we have to go through the same ordeal? I hope not, all of these Post-Apoctalyptic books are all predictions of how the human race will die. Can you imagine if your a male, and getting paid to capture innocent girls or  girls scared of the world because it needs us to produce and continue the human race?  This may be a scary world now, but we could have it worse in the future. This book shows how picturesque Rhine's world is, but in reality there's something horribly wrong with it.

Wither is memorable because it shows you there's more to life than dying, and to make the most out of it. Wither has affected me by knowing how lucky we are to have trusted people around us. How theres more dangers in the world than good. How you must be careful when you make decisions in life. Wither will keep your heart beating with suspence, and remind you to live life carefully, and how your decisions  will affect your daily life.