Jessica Woodhouse's Reviews > The Maze Runner

This was a very plot-driven book, in that it was good. I had trouble putting it down wanting to make sense of new information and find out what was happening next, Dashner did a great job in building suspense. The biggest reason this book isn't getting four stars for me (and given the option would likely land at two and a half stars) is the character development. The main character wasn't very likable, he wasn't all that interesting and at times struck me as whiny and quite flat. Teresa was even flatter a character than Thomas, she was boring and in-interesting. Their combined dialogue would've made me put down the book if it had been there in the beginning, the conversations had no substance or emotion, I didn't buy their relationship as something extremely passionate or (view spoiler)[ rolling over from a time before (hide spoiler)]. The reader was told Teresa is smart without being shown it, the same can be said for Thomas minus examples where he acted impulsively rather than intelligently. I liked both Newt and Chuck more than Thomas who were not in any way main characters- they simply had the personality he lacked, even flawed in certain ways. I just felt Thomas didn't react properly to anything emotionally, though the book was still a page-turner thanks to the plot. I expected less from it and am pleasantly surprised, if I can hunt down the second book at a library I'll be reading it tonight. I hope the characters are a tad stronger. One other problem I had, though I feel is personal and so did not reflect in the rating is the description of (view spoiler)[ the Greivers. I could not visualize them at all, blobby but animal also machine and terrifying. I mainly kept seeing masses of jelly with dog heads and random weapons rolling around like spiked hedgehogs. I'm curious if anyone else felt they were hard to see? (hide spoiler)]

In short very plot-driven, low character development.