Skip to main content

The Kill Order by James Dashner

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers):
In the rest of the series, a great deal of effort goes into describing the Flare and its effects on people. But the solar flares are only mentioned in passing. This book talks much more about those, giving the history of how they affected humanity.

 Category:
Young Adult Fiction

Why I chose this book:
Next in the series (prequel)

 My personal opinion (the review):
I liked this book as much as I liked the first one in the series, The Maze Runner. Death was far more abundant in this book (which is saying something), but the majority of it comes about through natural causes- the millions that were killed by the solar flares and the aftereffects. So those deaths feel... easier to stomach, I guess. Definitely a great book, but I'm not planning on purchasing it. Borrowing from the library is good enough for me.

Warnings:
Language - almost none
Violence - fairly common, not very graphic, some "intense" (scary) situations
"Adult" situations - none
Death - abundant, including of major characters (don't get attached)

Movie rating equivalent:
PG-14 (might need that extra year)

 Protagonist description:
Mark is a teenage boy that has to grow up very, very quickly. He pretty much ends up an experienced soldier by the end of the book (spanning a few months)

 Point of view of story:
Third, focused on Mark

 Book length:
Medium-long - about a week

 Story flow:
Great, no slow parts

 Grammar and spelling issues:
None

 Character connection (no spoilers):
None

For series:
Independent or integral (stand-alone or back story dependent):
The Kill Order is mostly independent

 Series review as a whole:
Very good. With it set in the future, it has to get a little "weird" or disconnected from reality, but it's not completely unbelievable like the Hunger Games series. The last 2 books should have been combined. This one (The Kill Order) is presented like a prequel, which makes it seem optional, but I found it to be very helpful for answering lingering questions

 If you only have time for one, read: (which one)
The Maze Runner. This one (The Kill Order) is a close second

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Matched By Ally Condie

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. (Amazon) Category: YA dystopian Why I chose this book: Recommended based on other things I have read, it's been on my list for a while My personal opinion (the review): Of the many popular dystopian/futur
Post a Comment
Read more

Slave, Warrior, Queen by Morgan Rice

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Ceres is a young woman (17) living in an oppressive Empire, with an equally oppressive mother. She has ties to a rebellion, and stronger ties to her brothers. She is basically thrown around her world constantly- enslaved, imprisoned, set loose, etc. Each time, she puts herself in the best position to cause the most damage to whatever she hates most. Category : YA fiction, fantasy Why I chose this book : Recommended on the library website My personal opinion : It's complicated. I loved the action, the pace, the unknown special power, the strong female lead character, the general story line. But I disliked the coincidence (see Emma Coats, rule #19, link below)- Ceres got out of trouble so many times. Mostly by fighting, but a couple times by coincidence. I disliked that the "Queen" phase never came, before the end of the book. Maybe that's part of the series, but the next book doesn't mention that in its title. I disliked tha
Post a Comment
Read more

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

By
Brief synopsis Clary and Jace continue their Shadowhunter path, chasing after demons and one "bad guy" in particular. They're attracted to each other deeply, and they're also siblings. Eww. With the help of werewolves and vampires, the good guys fight a bunch of demons led by a madman. Category YA Fiction Why I chose this book My daughter wanted to read the series, so I decided to give the next book a try. My personal opinion  (the review) I'm very disappointed. The characters are caricatures- complete personifications of one particular trait, each. The plot is predictable (the good guys will win, in the end). Jace and Clary are basically invincible. The only thing the story has going for it is the cliffhangers. Throughout the book, it felt like the story was constantly begging, "wait, don't put me down- there's another surprise coming!" I don't recommend this book at all. Warnings Language: A couple f-words at the beginning, less
Post a Comment
Read more