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There is something so bittersweet about the final book in a series you loved so much. When the final Harry Potter book came out, I was thrilled and heart-broken at the same time! With The Death Cure, James Dashner's final book in the Maze Runner trilogy, I am sad to see the series end, but I started it hopeful the ending would be as I had hoped- finally a little peace for the kids who had been at the mercy of the evil corporation WICKED.
Thomas and his friends survived the Maze (an experiment to judge their responses and hopefully find a cure to the Flare) and the Scorch (the terrifying desert filled with sick crazies). But now that they are back in the hands of WICKED, the company using them as lab rats to find the cure to the Flare, they know nothing good is going to happen to them. Held hostage and isolated for weeks, they finally find a way to escape, but to do so they have to trust Brenda and Jorge- WICKED employees planted in the Scorch to keep an eye on them. But with no other options, they find Brenda and Jorge hate WICKED as much as they do. Unfortunately, the world is a cold, dangerous place for Munies- those immune to the Flare.
Once they manage to escape, they make there way to Denver which has become a walled, protected city free from the sickness. Unfortunately, the safety in Denver is all an illusion. The sickness is slowly starting to take over. When Thomas is contacted by the Right Arm, an organization devoted to take down WICKED, he knows they have to risk their lives and go back to the lab to destroy the evil people who test kids and have no qualms about watching them die. But can Thomas and his friends, the kids who lived through so much, make it through this final trial? Can they get rid of WICKED once and for all? And even if they do, what will be waiting for them on the other side?
Oh Dashner, you rapscallion! You had me hanging through the whole book PRAYING you didn't leave those poor kids in a worse situation (and me totally ticked off) by the end of the story. Thank goodness you took it easy on those kids (and me!). We needed a good ending! This book was a great culmination in the trilogy we spent so much time waiting for (im)patiently and while I am sad to have it end, I am glad it ended the way it did.
This series is phenomenal for any student, but I think it will be particularly successful with male struggling readers. The excitement and commitment to the young characters makes the story more than just plot twists and action. The kids I know who have started this series haven't been able to put it down. In fact, the adults I know who read these books couldn't put them down either! Dashner is an evil genius, but the ending of this series proved he wasn't as evil as I originally thought- he loved his characters as much as I did!
When I read The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan, I was astounded how she could write a zombie novel that flowed like poetry and was full of beautiful imagery. Aren't zombies supposed to be gross and scary? But this book wasn't- it was like a whole new genre. So naturally, I was very excited when the second book came out to continue Mary's story, but when it arrived, the cover said "A Companion Novel." Companion?! I wanted more of the last story! But The Dead-Tossed Waves doesn't disappoint, I assure you. A new story, perhaps, but the ties to the first book are interesting and very creative on Ryan's part.
The book starts in the small village by the ocean called Vista. The Forest's Mary keeps to herself and raises her daughter Gabry (named after Gabrielle from the first book) in the lighthouse that protects the town from Mudo (zombies) that wash ashore. But Gabry and a few of her friends jump the barrier wall to go to the amusement park ruins. While there, a Breaker (fast-moving zombies that form when there aren't any slow moving Mudo around- designed to infect quickly) comes at the group. Two kids are attacked and turned instantly, others are infected, and all are in trouble by the guards of Vista. When Gabry sees her boyfriend, Catcher, bitten, she follows his advice and runs over the barrier and to the town so she won't be caught by the guards. The town doesn't know she was at the amusement park, but Gabry can't live with the guilt of what happened to her friends. When she goes to see her best-friend, Catcher's sister Cira, she promises to find Catcher before he turns.
On her travels, Gabry is saved from dormant Mudo by a boy named Elias. Elias keeps her safe and gets her to Catcher and back home, but doesn't want her to return. When she does return, she learns something she never thought possible: Catcher is immune. The virus is still in him, and he can walk among the Mudo unnoticed, but he hasn't become one of them. Now Catcher, Gabry, and Elias must rescue Cira and escape into the Forest they always thought was abandoned in order to keep Catcher from falling into the hands of the Recruiters who would do anything to keep an Immune for their own uses.
This is an amazing "companion" to the first to the first novel and picks up the story years after Mary with great ease. The transition gives the story the ability to grow with new characters without losing anyone who loved the first novel and its characters. Like in the first book, the zombies are not terribly scary or gory, but rather a backdrop to the real story that is full of hope and survival. Some criticize the ever-present romantic tangle Gabry finds herself in, but it didn't bother me much. Some of the descriptions could have been less flowery, but it wasn't overwhelming.
This is a great series for kids who are interested in post-apocalyptic literature or sci-fi but aren't ready for real gore or complexity. The language isn't overly complex, the plot-line is easy to follow, and the characters are interesting and easy to like or dislike. This is a good series for both boys and girls who are interested in this sub-genre. Give it a chance, but get ready to start building your barricade!
