Review: The Scorch Trials (Audiobook)

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.
In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.
Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.
The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.
Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

My Rating:

My Review: The maze has been solved and the Gladers look forward to some answers. Little do they know the maze was just the the beginning. The Gladers soon wake to frightening news and a discovery that another journey lies ahead. The Gladers must cross the wasteland, an area known as the scorch because of its burned sections, and lack of protection from the sun flares. But this journey isn't easy and Thomas and the other Gladers can't tell who to trust. Their lives are threatened at every turn as they run from both WICKED's contraptions and the zombie-like diseased people known as cranks who roam the wasteland looking for blood.
On the story...
The Scorch Trials was both interesting and frustrating. Just when you think you are making progress and figuring things out, you find it is all a lie. It is different form the Maze Runner in a disappointing way. The Maze Runner had a mystery/puzzle with hope and a goal. Scorch Trials felt like one of those senseless killing movies with lots of blood and gore and no real point. There were no answers and so much confusion. Though the the plot was another puzzle, the plot seemed to lack structure and everything seemed random. There was lots of adventure but not enough to overcome my frustrations over the lack of answers.
On the narrator...
I really like Mr. Deakins. I think he does a great job with both male and female characters. If you are completing this series, I think the audio form is as good as any form to read it.
Overall...
I found this installment frustrating but not enough to quit the series. The Maze Runner really hooked me.