The Kill Order by James Dashner

The Kill Order by James Dashner
Random House, 336 pages
Purchased

"Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares seared the earth and mankind fell to disease. The Kill Order is the story of that fall. A prequel to The Maze Runner trilogy, The Kill Order has been in the works since the completion of The Maze Runner. The story of civilization's fall was kept under wraps and is the explication of the events that began this bestselling series."

Ever since picking up The Maze Runner, I have been enthralled with this series. There was so much mystery and action that it is difficult to not like the books. When I finished with the last book in the series, The Death Cure, I couldn't believe that we didn't get any more answers. I think I just sat there for a minute or so with my mouth hanging open like an idiot when I found out that was all we were going to get. Then I squealed from excitement when I found out that Dashner was making a prequel to the series! Maybe we were going to get our questions answered!

The very first thing to keep in mind when going to read this book is that there are completely new characters. Sure, there may be some flash forwards or backwards to Theresa and Thomas, but these sequences rarely last more than a few pages. A majority of the time is centered around new characters about 13 years before the maze was built. Even though I adore the characters from the trilogy and was slightly disappointed when I found out they wouldn't be the main focus, the new characters will certainly grow on you. Of course they won't be anything like Thomas or Minho, but they are fun to read about nevertheless.

The second thing to be aware of when you start this book is that all of your questions will NOT be answered! Sure, a majority of them will be, but don't expect them all to be. As frustrated as I was with this, I think it is a good move on Dashner's part. By not revealing everything, Dashner keeps an air of mystery around the entire series, which is part of the reason I think the series is so fascinating.

The third thing to keep in mind when you go to read this book is that it is violent. Quite violent when compared to other YA books. I really don't have a problem with that kind of thing, especially when the violence in a book isn't gratuitous, but it is up to each person. The violence aids in making the reader realize how dire and terrible the situation is.

If you have read The Maze Runner Trilogy, you certainly don't want to miss out on this prequel! It has the same action and excitement as the other books, and alleviates a bit of the mystery from the series.

Rating: 5 stars - I loved it! Buy a copy!