tiny pink books

Maze Runner by James Dashner
Delacorte Books, 2009

The first in a soon to be trilogy, Maze Runner is a YA science fiction book about a colony of boys living in a strange, isolated environment surrounded by a giant maze.  While their general memories are in tact, mysteriously enough, the specifics of their memories (who they are, how they came to be there, etc.) are gone.  When 16-year-old Thomas arrives to the colony, slowly, things begin to fall apart.  The writing is basic, but it gets the job done with an efficiency that works.  With enough fast-paced action and psychological mystery to keep most readers turning the pages, Maze Runner is a fun and intriguing read.  Although the ending leaves a little to be desires, I’m pretty sure I’ll still be excited to read the sequel when it comes out.  While there’s an inevitable comparison to The Hunger Games, Maze Runner is different, with much less character development and internal drama.  It’s a fun, fast paced book that sets up a trilogy.  Recommended to reluctant readers!

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009

Sixteen year old Terra would be drop dead gorgeous, if not for the port wine stain birthmark on her left cheek.  Years of surgery after surgery have failed to remove it and years of living under the thumb of her psychologically abusive father have left Terra feeling imperfect and damaged.  When a new family, including a strangely attractive goth boy, befriends Terra and her mother, everything changes for both of them.

This was a decent book, though I found the writing to be a bit long and meandering.  There is a mapmaker theme to the story as well, which is taken, in my opinion, a too far with a wealth of map/journey metaphors.  Still, I’d recommend this book to girls who want long, heart