"The Maze Runner" Book review

Synopsis:

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

Just a few minutes ago I finished reading what is now one of my all-time favorite books. But let's go back a little bit as to how I came across this great little book. Some time during the rising Hunger Games obsession at the beginning of the year when people really couldn't stop talking about the books (I can't blame them, they're awesome!) a lot of people began recommending The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Prior to both the Hunger games series and the Maze Runner I  had never read sci-fi, dystopian books but let me tell you I sure will continue reading those genres now because of said books.
From the very first page I was hooked, and I found myself unable to put it down regardless of the fact that I had a few college essays to write (Which I really recommend you not do because now I'm swamped, but it was totally worth it!). Dashner did a wonderful job making the reader curious as to what's going on from the very beginning. The thing I really liked about this book was how we were on the same page as Thomas, seeing everything from his perspective and being just as clueless as he is from the beginning. As the book goes on you learn more and more alongside Thomas which really helps with the narration and characterization. Speaking of characterization, the characters were so lively and far beyond two-dimensional as some books make them. But even characters that were rarely spoken of were so life-like you felt like you've known them forever.
I immediately fell in love with Thomas, Newt and good ol' Chuck. The thing about this book that really got me was the similarity it has with Lord of the flies by William Golding. Both books center around a group of boys trapped in a place, trying to figure an escape that develop a functioning society in the meantime. Thomas, the protagonist of The Maze Runner strongly resembled the main character of Lord of the Flies Ralph. Chuck, the cute child friend of Thomas, also resembled Piggy from Lord of the Flies right to the very end.
The Maze Runner was wonderful and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an amazing adventure that will wrench your heart, make your blood pump, challenge your imagination and send you on a roller coaster of excitement. The ending will leave you wanting more. As soon as I finish the college essays awaiting to be written I'm going to immediately dive into the sequel to this wonderful, suspenseful series The Scorch Trials.