The Death Cure (Maze Runner, #3)

by James Dashner

[KitsuneBae]

For a full revie, please visit: Thoughts and Pens

You must have noticed that the summary I’ve written is directly copied from Goodreads when I usually create my own gist for every book that I’ve read. I am using symbolism here, guys. It means that just like the book, I’ve lost my fire in writing an original summary. For me, The Death Cure is a sore disappointment when you think about the Maze Runner and Scorch Trials.

So it was good that the major question in our mind was answered, why there’s a need for a test, would the characters we’ve come to love survive the deadly disease, would everything be okay. That was fine and everything. What irked me was that there are a lot fight scenes in this book that it was almost an exaggeration. Yeah, I understand that it’s got to be action packed but some of the scenes were just unessential.

Another major problem that I have with this book is that, where’s the mature Thomas that I’ve come to love in book 1 and book 2? It seems that with all the things going on in his world, he’s also losing his heart. For some reason, I didn’t feel that he grieved for Newt, who had stuck with him from the very beginning, when the latter was proven to be not immune to the disease. It was near the end when he remembered that he had a heart afterall by trying to save Theresa. But even that looked like a last attempt of JD to say that Thomas has grown.
And there’s Theresa who had been a major character from book 1. What about her? I admit that I didn’t like her but what I didn’t like most was how James Dashner dispatched her like a secondary character in this book. She played a major role in 1 and 2 but suddenly, she’s gone blending into the background like a dull wallflower. And Brenda, who’s supposed to be a secondary character, became the instant heroine of this book. How did that happen? And why the almost insta-love with Thomas? @_@

My last problem would be why in the world that Thomas and the gang suddenly ended up in a green paradise where majority of the world is ridden with Cranks? I mean come on, the ending is just like that when JD could have done a better job? JD could have just hinted that upon arrival at the paradise, the heroes are working on a cure or Thomas has discovered in his uncured amnesiac something that might be able to restore the good in the world. But no, instead we are treated to a scene where the heroes are building their new home unmindful of what’s happening in the other realm.

On a positive note, this book still has a few good things to think about. One is Minho who had always been a consistent character from the very beginning. He’s just an awesome leader, focused, firm and just cool. And then Newt. I didn’t expect that he was so brave in accepting death and asking Thomas to kill him. And I think it wouldn’t hurt to say that this book has at least provided some clarifications to our major question.

On a general perspective, this book is okay with the fact that I finished it. But I’m still hanging with the loose ends JD has failed to connect at the end. To put it in a simpler note, the momentum is there with The Scorch Trials but The Death Cure simply failed to reach its climax.

Anyway, I still recommend this book if you are an action book addict or just to complete the whole series. No loose ends, remember? Don’t mind my wicked review because WICKED is good.