Book Club Reviews: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Hey y'all! Ready for another book club book review? Jenny and I knew we wanted to do something different when we reviewed book club books on the blog, so we're going to break our reviews down into three parts: (1) Jenny's Thoughts, (2) Lesley Anne's Thoughts, and (3) Overall Book Club's Thoughts. You'll see at the bottom that we have a fun way to show what the overall book club thought every month. ;) So first things first, we'll give you the summary of The Maze Runner by James Dashner so you have an idea of what the October book was about:

If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.

Everything is going to change.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

Remember. Survive. Run.

Jenny's Thoughts: 

This book was interesting. I gave it a 3 on Goodreads because while I didn't hate it, I didn't love it, either. Since it is the first book in the trilogy it asks a lot of questions but does not provide a lot of answers. And by "not a lot" I mean none. It is actually really frustrating. There are too many characters for them to be developed to the point where you really care what happens with them. It is a really engaging world and premise, but there is not enough of the carrot to entice me to read the rest of the series.

Lesley Anne's Thoughts:
I completely agree with Jenny on this one. The Maze Runner had a bit of a slow start, but once THINGS started happening, the pacing really picked up, and pretty much every chapter ended on a cliffhanger moment, which made for a quick read (I know some people LOVE that, but it's not my favorite). The writing also really turned me off from this book -- it was very juvenile, cheesy, and somewhat repetitive. I know that twenty-something women probably weren't the target audience for this book, so I shouldn't be too hard on it on that front, but it was still hard for me to look past the cheesiness. Add in too many unanswered questions, bad situations conveniently wrapped up, and an ensemble cast of characters that were barely distinguishable from each other, and this one also only got 3 stars from me. I know I make it sound like I hated this book, but I really didn't. I enjoyed it, and I was intrigued by the many parallels I noticed to Lord of the Flies! But it's one of those books I won't read again, and I probably won't continue reading the rest of the series.      

Overall Book Club's Thoughts:

Opinions were all across the board! There were those that read the book in one sitting because it was too hard to put down, to those who tried to listen to the audiobook and were turned off by Dashner's invented slang. We even had a few that went on to read the entire series before we met to discuss the first book, so we were able to ask them which questions were answered by the end of the trilogy and decide whether or not we wanted to keep reading ourselves. This is why I love our book club so much - the diverse opinions really help me to see and think about things in ways I wouldn't have if I had read this book as a solitary experience. 

So what did we read in November? Jenny mentioned it in yesterday's post, but we read our first non-fiction book and chose Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey. We met to discuss it this past Monday night, so our thoughts will be coming soon. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!!

Top Ten Books Jenny is Thankful for This Year

The Top Ten topic today is actually top ten books on your winter TBR list, but since it is Thanksgiving I thought it would be nice to deviate from that topic. I attended a retirement party for one of the professors in my department this past week and he said something that has stuck with me. This man is a brilliant scholar as well as a caring professor so he has said lots that has made me think. This is just the latest in a long list of things. He said that those of us who are in literature, rather that be professionally or unofficially, are drawn there because one life is not enough. He went on to explain exactly what he meant, but I want you, dear reader, to think on it for yourself. It is a beautiful sentiment and deceptively shallow on the surface. I would, as always, love to hear your thoughts, whether they be here or in person.

So, Thanksgiving + that wonderful thought has lead to this list of books I am thankful for this year. It has been extremely difficult to narrow it down to ten!

    
1. The Psalms. I am thankful for the Bible as a whole, but different books seem to be more dear during different seasons of life. This is a Psalms season for me. The honesty and rawness of the Psalms is something that has been resonating with me.

2. Possession by A.S. Byatt. The beauty of the prose made me love this book more than I probably would have otherwise. The philosophical questions couched in poetry were especially beautiful. After reading this book I felt full and sated.

3. Medieval Exegesis by Henri de Lubac. This study on the history of biblical exegesis was the turning point for my thesis. Without this book my thesis would be mostly speculation. Plus, this man is a wonderful, thorough scholar.

4. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen. Lesley Anne recommended this book and I am so thankful she did. The little, everyday magics in her books highlight the beauty of an ordinary life. Plus, her descriptions of the settings make one want to plan a trip ASAP.

5. Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey. This is the book we read for book club this month and I highly recommend it! I do not want to take up a lot of space here, but suffice to say it is thought-provoking, encouraging, and peaceful. I know that last one is a hard one, but if you read it you will understand :)

6. The Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews. This is a fantasy series set in an Atlanta that experiences fluctuations in magic. This series is all about the characters for me, and not just the main characters, but the cast of secondary characters is great. It starts out a bit slow but is worth sticking with.

7. Is That a Fish in Your Ear? by David Bellos. This is a book I had to read for a class on translation last semester. While I don't agree with everything he says, it is so interesting and makes you think about how we communicate.

8. American Gods by Neil Gaiman. This modern take on deities and culture is funny and astute. There is something about Shadow that is extremely engaging. He might be in my top ten for favorite characters.

9. The Just Church by Jim Martin. This book is a must-read for anyone who is interested in social justice. It is from a Christian perspective and speaks mainly to those involved through their local church. The focus on the personal and the community is my favorite part and something that has been overlooked, I think.

10. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. This is one of the funniest books I have ever read. If you like the movie, you will love the book!

Jenny Reviews: Mortal Heart + The Blood of Olympus

I don't know about y'all, but I am always apprehensive about the last book in a series. The last book has the potential to make or break a series for me, even if I've loved the previous books. One of the best things about a series is the journey you get to take with the characters. If the last book does not complete the story to my satisfaction (which I realize is completely subjective), then I feel as if the journey has been a waste (Do not ask me my feelings on the Hunger Games Trilogy). I decided to review two books that came out recently because they are the last book in their respective series. Think of it as Two-For-One Day here at Pathological Readers :)

Book 1:

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers
Release Date: 4 November 2014
Page Count: 464
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Target Audience: YA
Series: His Fair Assassin #3
Source and Format: Purchased; Kindle eBook

Summary (From Goodreads)
Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has… 

 


Notes on Mortal Heart
This was a very satisfying conclusion for me! This trilogy features a different protagonist in each book, but each one shows up in the others' books. The leading ladies are all assassin nuns, of a sort. Their father is the Breton god of Death and they are raised to be his instruments here on earth. The book is set in 15th century Brittany, which is in France. The conflict revolves around France wanting to subsume Brittany into its own land. This third book is about Annith, who has been raised in the convent, unlike the other girls who make their way there. She is being kept in the convent rather than sent out on missions and she wants to know why. I really liked this book, even more than I thought I would. LaFevers resolves both the conflict between France and Brittany and the conflict between Annith and the convent nicely. I will say that the solution for the France/Brittany conflict was a bit far-fetched (and is what kept me from giving it 5 stars) BUT it was also plausible within the world that LaFevers created so it was not completely unbelievable. It was just a bit too convenient for me. The love interest in this book is also... different. I enjoyed it but I could see where some readers would have a hard time with it. Overall, this book was a wonderful way to the end the trilogy. Well done, Robin LaFevers!

Book 2:

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
Release Date: 7 October 2014
Page Count: 516
Genre: Fantasy
Target Audience: YA, Middle Grades
Series: The Heroes of Olympus #5
Source and Format: Purchased; Kindle eBook

Summary (From Goodreads)
Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen—all of them—and they're stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood—the blood of Olympus—in order to wake.

The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it "might" be able to stop a war between the two camps.

The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea's army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.

Notes on The Blood of Olympus
This book. I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads because it was just mediocre to me. For those of you who have not read the series, each book is narrated by 3 of more of the characters. This is cool because you get to really know the characters since Riordan gives you a glimpse into their heads. This woks really well when it is only three characters; not so much when you have 4+ narrators. There were too many characters in this book. There were two story lines that were going on simultaneously. There were two different battles with multiple characters. It was just A LOT. The book felt... busy. Chaotic. It did do a nice job of wrapping up most of the questions everyone had. It also provided a happy ending for most everyone. I think Riordan bit off a bit more than he could chew and it was more messy than his normal style. This series started out really great but the more characters that were added, the harder it was to enjoy the story because everyone's separate stories kept getting in the way. This series did not end on a high note, but it was not also the worst.


Hope you enjoyed Two-For-One Day!