I have mixed feelings about this book. Yes, it was so good, I had to read one chapter after another, but I'm also really confused. I'm not sure I liked it. Does it make any sense? How do I rate it?

I've been thinking about it. I liked the excitement and new characters. The story was well paced and the setting just as spooky or even more than in the first book. But still, I'm confused, and I don't like it - the confusion, and the fact I have to wait a few months until the third book is being translated into Estonian. Because I started it in my mother tongue, I'm going to finish the series in my mother tongue as well. 
I still have my doubts but here and now 4 stars. You can be sure that five minutes from now it would be 3 stars. I am confused :( 

Well, that was MUCH more interesting that the movie version!

The plot of this one is so drastically different, with only one or two events the same as the film, that I was able to sink into it much easier, because I couldn't anticipate what might happen next. I found it intriguing that the plot started by telling us that none of them are immune, like it claimed in the film, then ended by suggesting that *some* are immune, but some aren't. That was a really nice twist to end with.

I loved seeing Aris again, as I liked him in the movie, but he and Brenda as so much better in the book. Much more interesting and complex. And Brenda is more of a teenager here, than she was in the film. I also loved Jorge, and have no idea why they didn't keep him more along the lines of the book character, because he was sooo funny and twisty. I'm intrigued to see how he and Brenda fit in.

I thought the whole tattoo idea was great. At first, I wondered at how much it really gave away, how they all worked to what the tattoos said, and if that would only play into WICKED's hands. Then the signs around the city made it clear that some things just aren't what they seem. Like the kids were told. The manipulation was excessive, and at times I wondered if it was just too much for one book, but it all came together in the end.

Truthfully, I never liked Teresa. Not in the films, not in the story so far, so I really don't mind at all that she's called The Betrayer, and that she keeps breaking Thomas' heart. Or that she ended up lip-locking with Aris.

It was interesting to see that the Cranks were people infected by The Flare, but who weren't exactly the zombies that the movie made them out to be. They were basically mindless, violent, human-eating freaks in the movie, but here they're much more complex. There are stages to the infection, they retain a somewhat human mind, able to rationalise and plan, to group together and work as a team, even if their minds have reverted back to a purely animalistic mentality. I also loved the explanation that it was an *existing* disease that had been released from a disease-control facility, that adapted into The Flare. That makes it less alien, less strange, when you consider that it was an existing, manufactured or natural infection already in the world. I also liked the idea of the Bliss - a numbing agent for the rich. That was a nice added detail.

The flashbacks were a nice addition. They really gave us an insight into how deeply Thomas was embroiled in WICKED's actions, and planning. Almost like he was in charge.

The story was almost two halves - one where Teresa had barely any page-time, and one where she dominated, even if only by influence. The fact that she wasn't there for the entire first half left me wondering why, and what she was up to, but that was answered in the second half, which was great. We weren't left waiting too long to get answers.

Overall, a nicely complex and rounded section to the overall plot. Once again, the story arc of this book was complete and well written, well put together and explored, while adding even more to the overall arc of the trilogy.

~

Favourite Quote

"Oh, muchacho, you're one lucky sucker I like you. Not sure why, but I do. Otherwise I would've killed you three times already."
"Can you do that?" Thomas asked.
"Huh?"
"Kill someone three times."
"I'd figure out a way."
"Then I'll try to be nicer."

 

The best way to describe Scorch is real. There's emotion that's heartbreaking, people searching for answers and guilt that seems to never end. Ms. Collins has crafted a story full of flawed people as they journey toward healing and starting again. At no time, do Jacqui and Vin have an easy road ahead but they come out stronger on the other side because of it.

I am so behind in my blogging!!  I've got three major posts to write and they all need to be done ASAP as they are all late.

 

My household had a dreadful problem with mysterious middle of the night internet usage that led to everyone being ordered to turn their devices off whenever they walked away from them for more than an ad break's length of time so that we didn't go over our data limit and in order to keep track of who was using the Internet when.  The next problem happened when it was decided that our password needed to be changed to eliminate the possibility of a hacker getting into our system in the middle of the night.  For unknown reasons after the password was changed our modem extender was no longer recognised by our devices, which meant that internet usage was restricted to only one end of the house (unfortunately, not the end I tend to sit in).

 

With all these problems and restrictions I got out of the habit of logging on to Goodreads and Booklikes every morning and started eschewing the trials of trying to use the Internet for the fun of continuing a large cross stitch project that I put aside about five years ago.  Now that the mysterious midnight internet surfer has been foiled and the extender has decided to behave itself again I've gotten back into my old 'internet all day, every day' habit, but I hope to continue on with doing my craft projects.  There's enough time in the day for three hobbies, right (reading, wiritng, and sewing)?  With the occasional day off from one activity to focus more intently on another?  Anyway, that's what I'm going to be attempting for the rest of the year, which will mean slightly less time on the Internet.  So, while I will continue to review every book I read (that's a lifelong goal), I won't be around to comment as much as I have previously been.  So please don't think I'm ignoring any of you, I will reply to your comments/questions/messages, it just might not be today.

 

Anyway, to the books I read way back in May.  May was a pretty good month for me, 13 books, although that did include two DNFs which ended up being the last two reads of the month which caused mixed feelings of disappointment that the month ended on a sour note and relief that I was done forcing myself to read books I wasn't enjoying.  You can find links to my reviews of those books below.

 

1. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, you can read my review here

 

2. Divergent (Divergent, #1) by Veronica Roth, you can read my review here

 

3. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks, you can read my review here

 

4. Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1) by Orson Scott Card, you can read my review here

 

5. The Scorch Trials (The Maze Runner, #2) by James Dashner, you can read my review here

 

6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, you can read my review here

 

7. Where Sea Meets Sky by Karina Halle, you can read my review here

 

8. City of Bones  (The Mortal Instruments, #1) by Cassandra Clare, you can read my review here

 

9. Vision in Silver  (The Others, #3) by Anne Bishop, you can read my review here

 

10. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Sisterhood, #1) by Ann Brashares, you can read my review here

 

11. Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1) by Cassandra Clare, you can read my review here

 

12. The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, you can read my review here

 

13. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, you can read my review here

 

My Reading Stats for May

 

• 13 books in 31 days, that's an average of 0.41 books per day
• 5135 pages in 31 days, that's an average of 165.64 pages a day (that's quite an achievement!) and 395 per book
• 13 books with an average rating of 3.3 stars
• My fastest read was Vision in Silver, 400 pages in less than 24 hours.  It was such a fantastic book that I could probably repeat that performance every time I read it (which I will do every year or so as it's likely this series will become my all-time favourite series)
• My best is a no-brainer, clearly it's Vision in Silver.
• My worst is also pretty clear.  I may have more than one single star read of the month and two DNFs, but the award has to go to the book that will stick with me (in the worst way possible) for the longest - Lolita.  Even now, two months after I finally finished it (not the first time I tried to read it, but that's a whole other story that you can read more about in my review) some of Humbert's words/ideas still make me shudder.  As soon as I finished  I immediately had to start reading a happy book to try to erase those horrible images.

 

Well, that's another month done, now immediately on to June's post as I'm running a bit behind with these things.  Talk to you all later and have a great day.