The Death Cure by James Dashner (The Maze Runner #3)

A dystopian world overrun by disease
Apr 10, 2015
3 min read

Thomas, Minho, and Newt has witnessed unspeakable brutality. They have solved the Maze and successfully conpleted the Scorch Trials. Now, the teens have been promised by WICKED that they will have their memories restored and told everything. Thomas, however, is already remembering on his own. He knows that WICKED still isn't telling them everything, and even though Teresa tries to convince Thomas otherwise, he isn't convinced that WICKED is done playing their twisted games. WICKED says they want a cure for the flare, but how far are they willing to go?

Thomas, Minho, and Newt, along with Brenda and Jorge, find their way to the dying city of Denver. There, they meet up with an old enemy that convinces the boys that they are working towards a common goal. He wants WICKED to pay for what they've done, and so do the Gladers. WICKED will do anything for the cure, but Thomas wants the truth - the whole truth. Thomas is done playing by WICKED's rules.

One thing I really liked about Thomas was his attitude. Not only is he done with WICKED, he's also having second thoughts about Teresa. After the crap she pulled and the way she treated him back in the previous book, they're not as close. I am thrilled about it, too. Teresa annoys me, and she doesn't do anything. Thomas and Brenda are a better match. They agree on everything Teresa and Thomas don't, and they can have a good long conversation. (ex. Teresa thinks WICKED can be trusted.)

I was hoping that now that the Gladers are out of the Maze, we'd see more of the world outside and how people live now. I was glad that Denver played a part in the book. Fort hose of you living in or near Denver, I'm sorry. It's seriously depressing. The government of the city says that it's safe, but the Flare always finds way to slip through the tight security and people keep getting sick. The city is slowly dying as more and more people become infected. Denver is very hostile to those who don't fit in, like Thomas, who knows nothing about how to help the city stay safe. It makes sense, I guess. Everyone's trying to survive and get by. If the rest of the world is living the same way, they're not very happy.

In a way, WICKED has a good point. They're trying to keep the world as safe as they can and find a cure, which is most definitely a good thing. The Flare = BAD. THe way they're trying to find one isn't so great, though. Forcing children to go through things like the Maze and even kill each other is, to put it lightly, incredibly inhumane. I know desperate times call for desperate measures and all that, and personally, I think it's better to sacrifice a few for the good of many than the other way around. Even so, it's terrible to put teens through this kind of torture. As for the cure, how does WICKED decide who gets it first, when (and if) they find it? Whoever's most useful? What about those who are just everyday civilians trying to get by? It's not fair. If it was any other government/organization, it would still be a tough choice. The fact that it's WICKED just makes me dislike them even more. They're ruthless and determined, doing everything it takes.

I really enjoyed this end to the trilogy. Denver added a nice piece to the puzzle of world-building and helped complete the image of a vey dark world with a look at how everyday people live their lives. I got caught up in Thomas's anger and was seething right along with him at every move WICKED made. There were a couple of good plot twists, especially towards the end! The fight against WICKED threw in some good action and suspense, and I was left brokenhearted not just by the dreaded, but inevitable, characterd eaths, but also in the wayt hey died. (No spoilers!) The book really flew by, though, and I felt like it was gone way to fast. THat was partly because it's not super long and partly because I really enjoyed it. I think the ending wrapped up everything well. It was unexpected and bittersweet, but I was satisfied. It will be lingering with me for a while. 4/5 stars! I will be reading The Kill Order as soon as I can and The Fever Code when it comes out in 2016!