The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

First of all this is a Horror book so you might want to be wary of it. It is not spooky it's Horror. I had to stop midway through because stupid me started it as soon as I woke up. It can kick you down in the middle of the morning. I needed to get out of my head for a little while because it's not bad it's just something you shouldn't immediately wake up to. After coming back to it I was fine. The rest of the book I was fine too. It just got into my head a little bit too much. So with that rambling portion done let's get on to the book shall we?

So this town is crazy because I would have moved out way before I had a kid. Because they steal your kid. And replace it with one of their sick... creatures. And Mackie is one of those creatures. His family knows it but it's something they don't talk about. His "sister" is pretty devoted to him even though there is that underlying problem where he isn't really her brother. It's actually kind of odd to me how much they care and how he got friends because he was really sick in the beginning and everything was going wrong with him. I'm surprised. He wasn't a barrel of laughs if you know what I mean.

He stays in the background because everyone knows what he is but they deny it. But whenever something bad happens like oh say a girl in your class's sister dies he needs to keep his head down before he's bludgeoned to death. It wasn't even her sister Tate says. She's desperate to talk to him because he's the obvious choice. It's not like anyone else would know. So he avoids her. But with a person like Tate that isn't going to last very long.
This is where everything goes awry with Mackie's seemingly good life but truth is he's dying and there is only one place he could get help so of course there is a catch. Now Mackie has to make a choice. The life he's always known or the life he should have had.

Again so creepy but so good in the same sense. I know I keep on saying it and I know I'll probably say it the rest of my life concerning books but I didn't expect this book to be this way. I know what it was about actually in this case which I usually don't or don't remember before I start reading it.... But the characters were so different then what I expected. I didn't expect Mackie to be so... gloomy. And such a background type of guy. He was scary just because of how he acted and then he was not really human so that added to his odd vibe. I seriously could not have kept him if I were his mom. That's just depressing but whatever. Mackie was still quite interesting in his own way and I sort of warmed up to him. I know I must sound weird but this book was really good. If you've read it or if you are going to read it then you'll understand why I can't really describe that it was really good... it was just odd too so that's why I keep tripping over my words. So if you like Horror books I recommend this one and if you know of any others please tell me.

Rating: 4 stars

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

The next installment of The Maze Runner is as great as the last maybe even better.

Thomas and the other Gladers have escaped the Maze. Now they are off to bed but their lives will soon turn into a nightmare... again. They thought this was it. Their rescue. But they wake up to bars covering where the windows were and people who can't really be called people, Cranks, are screaming like Banshees. This is the result of the Flare. People start to slowly lose their minds. The disease that everyone who went through the changing saw and feared.

Thomas screams out in his head for Teresa but she doesn't reply. Left in her place is a boy named Aris who was with a group of girls before and he has the uncanny ability to connect with Thomas's mind. This discovery comes as a shock to the Gladers but what did hey expect? It makes total sense that there is another group out there. And another twist to the plot is what's next to what was Teresa's door. The Betrayer. All of the boy's have something tattooed to the back of their necks. Thomas's is the most disheartening. I won't give it away. You'll never guess it. So now they are given a new mission. A new trial. Cross the Scorch, the most desolate part of the world, filled with Cranks and ungodly weather. I two weeks they must do this. What will happen with Teresa and the other group of Gladers? Will it ever end?

Fantastic sequel. I mean bravo! Thomas's neck and all the others... Teresa's too. Such a great plot twist. I really hated Teresa after this just to warn you. But maybe you unlike me have more compassion towards her. The two new arrivals, Jorge and Brenda, are the best additions possible. I kind of didn't like Jorge's hermano every time he talked. Kind of offended here but I got over it. I love how they are crazy. Brenda was interesting. Can you say love triangle? And then the end! THE END!!!! I love Dashner's endings. So many twists and turns... Aris was cool but he didn't seem to matter. Kind of in the background type of person. Nonetheless he still added something. The Scorch Trials do not disappoint. The Death Cure review coming soon. The end of the trilogy. So sad.

                                       Rating: 5 Stars

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

                                 
This is a book I never wanted to read. That seems to be a pattern... It does start off slow for me when I read it last Summer at least. Most likely more for me because I was reluctant to read it. I mean. A book about a boy running in a maze... not that interesting. But of course it's more than that. It's kind of like The Lord of the Flies or so I'm told it is. There's a group of boys about 50 of them living in a maze with monsters all around they named The Grievers. They are part animal and part machine. Just looking at them will make a shiver go down your spine. These boys have been living two years in what they call The Glade. It's like a perfect square in the middle of the maze where they farm, raise crops, and it's basically there safe haven. There are doors around The Glade to go to the maze. They close when it gets dark. Here comes Thomas. He is experiencing what everyone has. Being boxed in and terrified before being introduced to his new home knowing only one thing about himself. His name. Thomas comes in and after a little while something starts feeling familiar. It's like he's been here before. He wants to become a Runner. It's like there's an imaginary string pulling him to want to be one. A Runner is a person who goes out into the maze trying to find an escape by mapping the whole area. They need to be quick, tough, a decision maker, smart, and of course they must be athletic. They are the best of the best and he wants in.

The next day after he arrives a girl arrives which has never happened before. Not only was she there a month early but she's a girl! The Glade is only filled with boys. She has paper in her hands saying something like it'll all end soon. Now everyone is looking at Thomas wondering what he knows but he can't say that this place feels familiar he'll sure to be in trouble after that. But what gets him is that the girl feels familiar too. He doesn't know what's going on. He just wants to escape. He just wants his memory back like everyone else. He didn't mean to trigger the end.

This book is pure awesomeness. I absolutely love Thomas. He was one of my favorite male main characters in 2011. You just fall in love... *clears throat* Well, he is awesome. Chuck on the other hand annoyed the crap out of me. I don't know how Thomas liked him. He was his only friend in the beginning so I'll let it slide. It might have also been because he resonated home or something... but whatever. He still annoyed me and creeped me out. I loved Newt as well. What with his bum leg it didn't matter. He was still tough and he cared about Thomas. I remember reading this the first time around. The twists that I never saw coming. My mouth hanging open all the time. There is sadness also which is expected. They are a bunch of kids fending for themselves. But let me tell YOU. This trilogy only gets better. I've just read The Scorch Trials being that way. I have yet to read The Death Cure and I can't wait. It'll be a glorious finale. Too bad though. I'll miss Thomas.
                             
                                        Rating: 5 Stars