Words on The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (The Maze Runner #2)

Thomas, Minho, and the other surviving gladers have ecaped the Maze. Even though they have left the place that was their prison for two years, they aren't in the clear just yet. The group has barely passed their first challenge before they are thrown into another deadly gauntlet: The Scorch Trials have begun. The group's directions are simple. They must cross the Scorch, a lethal desert, within two weeks and meet at a safe place. If they complete the trial, they will be given a cure for the Flare, a deadly disease that ravenged Earth's population after solar flares destroyed much of the planet.

Although crossing the desert may seem tough enough, a greater threat may lie in the dilapidated cities that litter the wasteland. The cities will offer the Gladers little protection from the harsh elements of the destroyed world, and, even worse, are no doubt overrun by Cranks, people who have caught the flare. The flare is a terrible disease, driving it's victims to insanity before killing them. If the Gladers do not cross the Scorch in time, they will face the same fate as the Cranks they see along the way.

WICKED is stacking all the variables against the Gladers, and as their challenge becomes more and more difficult, they must remember their only warning. Trust no one. THe Gladers cannot always believe what they see and hear, and Thomas is learning this the hard way. Teresa has gone missing and has become hostile towards Thomas. Meanwhile, it's possible the Gladers will be competing against Group B, another group of children placed in a Maze. There's only one difference between their experiences. Group B is made up exclusively of girls, with one exception: a boy named Aris, who finds himself with the Gladers. Regardless of their differences, the two groups must work towards the same goal, or be lost to the Scorch.

One example of character development was with Teresa. She's not in a lot of the book, which was great! She drives me insane because she doesn't contribute anything. I can say right off the bat that that didn't change. She's very hostile towards the Gladers, Thomas in particular, but can't be bothered to explain why. She's acting like a total jerk, yelling a Thomas and threating to kill him once or twice just because he talked to her. I have no idea what Thomas sees in her. She doesn't do anything, and she's not a very pleasant person. I think maybe he's just drawn to her because their powers make them different than the others, and he tries to stick by her because she's more like him. I feel like Thomas thinks those feelings are romantic, but he has no experience, so he really doesn't know what to look for.

As for Minho, he takes up a role as a leader of the surviving Gladers. Being a Runner sure comes in handy out in the real world, having to get away from all the Cranks out there. I still think that Newt was a better leader, though. Minho has a bit of a temper, and he got into a couple fights because he couldn't hold back. He's very straightforwards, but that means he's not always super tactful, which means he's not the best diplomat. When it comes to diplomacy, Newt and Thomas are better.

Speaking of Thomas, he didn't develop as much as I would like, since he is the main character. Thomas shows off some leadership skills, and, like I just said, his diplomacy helps out the group several times. Thomas is confused and hurt about Teresa's sudden coldness, which is understandable, but I honestly don't think they have anything. Either the author is really bad at writing love interests, or Their relationship would never work out. It's probably the latter, if you ask me.

We do meet some new characters. Jorge is a Crank that is in the early stages of the Flare, so he's still very lucid. He's the leader of a group of Cranks that the Gladers come by, and he rules with an iron fist. He doesn't tolerate anyone who steps out of line, and suggests that Minho should have a couple fingers cut off for being rude to him in front of his people. Despite the fact that he's still decently sane, I wonder if he's on the edge a bit. Sometimes Jorge is a bit to bloodthirsty for my taste.

Another Crank is a girl named Brenda. She's very smart and tough, always prepared for an emergency and on hertoes. Brenda has a thing for Thomas, and I think that they have much better chemistry than Thomas and Teresa. Of course, that's not saying much. Seriously, though. Thomas and Brenda make a good team and have actual conversations, unlike when Teresa and Thomas talk. I like it. They'll be good together, and I can't wait to see Brenda develop in the next book.

Last and sort of least, there's Aris, a boy from Group B that finds himself traveling with the Gladers. To be honest, there's not much to say about his personality. Aris is kind of bland, but at least he's sane and normal. I hope to see more of his character in the next book.

As for the setting, I loved it! The Scorch is harsh and unforgiving, with strange weather and nasty locals. In some ways, the Gladers were better off on the Maze. Out in the Scorch, there is no food or water to be found, let alone shelter. I loved exploring it and I hope to see more about it later. I want to learn more about the world that the Gladers are living in. Apparently, there are still cities with normal, healthy people living in them. I'm curious to see if the Gladers visit such a city, and, if they do, what it's like.

All in all, The Scorch Trials was a decent read. There wasn't as much character development as I had hoped, but it was okay. The world outside of the Maze was frightning and intriguing, and I expect it to develop later on. There was plenty of action, and WICKED always had some new twisted trick up their sleeves. There's only one more book to go. I hope The Death Cure has a good ending and wraps everything up, and I'm eager to see what will happen! 4/5.

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