The Kill Order: When Life Burns Away

The Kill Order by James Dashner

Why did I read it?

The Maze Runner series will always be tied to my boss lol. The Kill Order (the prequel to The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, and The Death Cure) bounced across Karen's desk as a new book, and she grabbed it up because The Maze Runner series sounded familiar. But once she finished it, she was very confused hehe. As it turns out, James Dashner wrote The Kill Order after the other three, and it seems to make a little more sense if you already know the other books.

What happened?

SPOILER ALERT

Before The Glade was formed, before The Scorch was crossed, before Thomas changed the world, things were as they are now. But then the sun flares came and everyone's life was turned upside down.

A year after the sun flares, Mark and Trina are doing alright. They are a part of a close-knit group of survivors, and they are learning more and more everyday about what it will take to survive in this harsh reality.

But, nothing has prepared them for the hovercrafts that unexpectedly attack their settlement, infecting most of the people they love with a terrible mind-altering disease.

There are two realities that Mark and Trina are becoming aware of: One, they have no idea who they can trust, and Two, they don't know if they can trust themselves with an ever-evolving disease sweeping across the globe.

What did I like or not like?

When I picked up the book, I was thinking it would be a prequel about Thomas and his friends before The Glade, but this one goes even further back. By the time I figured that out, I was already a little bit confused about the timeline, even though I was able to piece it together by the end (don't make assumptions apparently =D)

Dashner once again writes a fast-paced story that keeps you guessing, but it is also invigorating to see the start of things that you figured out in the other books.

While this one isn't about Thomas exactly, it is definitely worth reading, and it definitely supports and broadens the story behind the other books.