The Maze Cutter, the first book in the new trilogy The Maze Cutter, is set about 73 years in the future from the Maze Runner series and if you are like me you probably read that series at least 5-8 years ago and have forgotten most of the story lines other than apocalyptical world, weird stuff that doesn’t make any sense until it sorta does and a crazy conclusion. Unless, you watched the movies that came out that deviated a bit from the books, then you may remember more. So jumping back into that world, I was hoping to get some reminders from the original trilogy to jog my memory and there are a few but I don’t think this is a series you will really understand or enjoy if you don’t have that base knowledge from the first trilogy.

The original survivors of the Maze runner trilogy escaped to an Island to thrive and have new generations. Only a few of the old timers are left, Frypan being one of them. But the descendants have continued on and now there is a new set of teens who will be thrown into the mainland and changes the people living there have undergone. From what we piece together, it appears there are three different factions at play and all of them are looking for the descendants of the maze for different reasons.

The Godhead people live on top of the original site of the Maze and almost worship it. We get a PoV from one character from the Godhead and her thoughts on taking it over completely. But there wasn’t a lot of development of her character other than vague utterances and some other weird thing. I think those people have had some form of the flare and have mutated some powers based on it. Then there is the Remnant Nation, who want to destroy the Godhead. The Remnant Nation has a few moments in it that make it seem very cult like in a lot of ways but the most interesting PoV came from that nation, Mingho. There is a set of scientists it is hinted at out there somewhere too but no PoVs from them yet.

With around 20 characters introduced, only a few of them had PoVs but it was difficult to connect to any of the characters in such a short time. Mingho has the best development coming out of his cult to find Roxy who treats him like a son and helps to make him more human. The rest of the Glader’s descendants are kind of just there and when a few died I couldn’t remember why they came on the journey or who they were to any of the characters who survived.

If you liked the Maze Runner, I think there are some gems in this for you. Specifically notes from Newt’s diary and seeing how he went on after being infected to live a life and have some kids. It was cool seeing how those on the Island lived for a time in peace. But there isn’t much development beyond that. When we finally see the cranks, some are mindless and others have pulled themselves out of that to be better. There isn’t a lot of exploration of the world and what there is, just left a lot of questions.

This is a good foundation book for some revelations in the rest of the series and I hope Dashner sorts out his characters a little more to make sure they aren’t just cut outs of the characters from the original series. Interesting story and I will continue with the series in hopes it goes somewhere new and exciting.

“We don’t know what we’re dealing with Isaac. We grew up in a happy little bubble on a fairy island. We have no idea how the real world works..”

Narration:
Mark Deakins was the narrator for the original Maze Runner trilogy so that was a bit like coming home to a voice you know for the world. He was a perfect find to continue the story. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.

I read the Maze Runner series much later than most people my age, but it still was an amazing read and had such an impact on me. When I saw that another book was being made, and the series extended, I had 2 thoughts -1. I was very excited to continue reading books from their world/series and 2. fear that this would be a book that didn't work because we were trying to bring back a series that should have been left ended.

The characters are all new, other than Frypan and Newt in journal form. (Although I was a little disappointed about Newt, for spoilers reasons I won't elaborate.) The new characters are all pretty likeable and have a reminiscent factor to the original series. The story does have a slow build, it's a lot about the journey and not as much action as one would expect. It does get their in the end, and I expect the typical, longer and more action-packed book 2 in the series. The ending was enough of a tease that it makes you want to continue the series and see what happens. Overall, I think this is a good start to a new series and it had very large shoes to fill after the success of the Maze Runner series.

Thank you #Netgalley for this ARC.
#TheMazeCutter

Nope nope nope absolutely not. At this point James Dashner is just utterly desperate to milk the now-expired success of the Maze Runner series for all its worth. But frankly, it's not going to work. I honestly would be surprised if this spin-off will get past a second book because this was just bad. In my opinion, the original trilogy stood strong on its own. The Kill Order was a good addition since it provides a familiar character's backstory and a completely new cast so there was still a lot of fresh perspectives to explore. The Fever Code was a mediocre installment but at least it somehow bridged the gap between The Kill Order and the original trilogy.

What Dashner so obviously tries to do with this spin-off is to pull something along the lines of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Era 2. That is, this is an attempt to look further into the future of the original story and introduce more "evolved" circumstances that arise from unresolved problems from the past storyline. At this attempt, Dashner fails miserably since in the first place, the original trilogy has never pretended to have more depth than it actually does. I just wish this new story was just a thrilling adventure like the previous books, instead of trying so hard to be something more. Furthermore, it is clear that Dashner wants to "give the fans what they want" by attempting to evoke nostalgia through character references to the original cast, but I don't think they were done well at all and ultimately fell emotionally flat.

What we do get here is a confusing story which introduces way too many new concepts that suggest that previous fans are just that die-hard over the series that they will just trust whatever Dashner writes enough to consume this and wait for a sequel. But when this new series introduction is so weak, I honestly doubt there will be much interest in it going forward. On top of that, one of the biggest gripes that Maze Runner critics have with the series is the persistent heightening of stakes and thrills without satisfying answers or a good payoff at the end. This new installment amplifies that weakness of the series.

A huge part of the appeal of the original series aside from the edge-of-your-seat pacing are the endearing characters and the meaningful character relationships. This book, with the possible exception of the Orphan and Roxy, does not have that. We get the blandest and most uninteresting characters, uneven pacing, and a yawn-worthy plot at best. I will not be continuing this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this audiobook ARC! There were things I enjoyed about this book and things I didn't. I enjoyed the narrator, I feel he did a great job doing all the voices of the characters differently so that it was easy to tell them apart. I liked the idea of The Maze Runner series continuing because I loved this series as a young adult. The beginning of the book was great and I enjoyed hearing bits of Newt's journal and the mentions of Thomas.

With that being said, such a big time gap between the last Maze Runner book (six years) and this one, I did feel slightly lost with the plot of the story. We now have a 73 year gap from the last book and a whole bunch of new characters. I felt this book was hard to follow at times and the plot was a little bit all over the place.

Overall, I enjoyed this audiobook and continuing the series was interesting in theory, just fell flat in parts for me.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Media for providing me a audiobook copy of “The Maze Cutter” in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this story and leave my review voluntarily

You know that feeling when you get excited about a new book because it is from a beloved universe and then you start reading and it's an utter disappointment? Well this is how I feel. The original series should have stayed as it was. In my opinion it ended well with no need for new stories.
And this is why kids I don't like spin offs and most of the time keep away from them.

I got the audiobook from Netgalley and I leave the review voluntarily.

The narrator is great.

The story:

I tried to be invested in the story but I can't shake off the feeling of this being such a filler to a successful trilogy. I would solely be invested in a story worth expanding the whole world but Maze Runner doesn't need one.

The characters are uninterestingly mirrors of the original casts trying to be "them" in their own world. The plot is somewhat good but easy to put off. Every chapter is dragging and hard to swallow.

The Maze Runner trilogy should be a trilogy nonetheless.

Let me preface this by saying that I am a fan of the Maze Runner series, so I truly jumped up and down at the latest James Dashner book. Yet, I was a tad confused during The Maze Cutter. I didn’t expect a spin-off series that is set over 73 years later. With multiple point of views and new characters, I sadly DNFed around 9%. It was a heartbreaking decision but I was incredibly lost and didn’t find the book enjoyable. I plan to reread The Maze Runner series and try again.
Thank you to Netgalley and Recorded Books for the ALC.

Genre: YA/Sci-fi/Fantasy.
Format: Audiobook.
Age Recommendation: 12+

Sadina, Isaac, and Jackie have all learned about the history of the Gladers from The Book of Newt and tall tales from Old Man Frypan, but when a rusty old boat shows up one day with a woman bearing dark news of the mainland, the group and their islander friends are forced to embark back to civilization where they find Cranks have evolved into a more violent, intelligent version of themselves. Hunted by multiple different legions, the islanders are forced to survive in a new world to them, all while learning who is friend and who is foe.

Jumping in 73 years later is not an easy thing to do. However Dashner has managed to revive love and nostalgia for The Maze Runner series, but that's as far as it all goes. These new characters don't have anywhere near the thought that went in to the original series. All seemed very cardboard and they were all very hard to enjoy. As for the new world, the building is getting there. It's not usually expected to need to wait for another book in a series to get a good grip on everything and yet, this is what we were handed. Ignoring that, this would be perfect for the younger end of the Young Adult age target, and a good addition for those who would like to check in on how the Glader's fared after the events of years before.

A special recommendation for the audiobook, the narrator's characters were really well done. Each having their own personality.

Thank you to NetGalley, for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is going to be a tough review because this book was really unique. Obviously, I have read the maze runner series. I know the characters, the storyline, etc. While that series was entertaining, it definitely had its issues. The story got away at times and went off the rails at other times. All in all, the series was entertaining but wasn't a love. I saw that a new series was coming out regarding this series and it peaked my interest, but I came with a skeptical mind. The story started out pretty slow and was a little all over the place with different characters. Each individual storyline was fine, but nothing special. Once they started to merge it seemed to speed up a little but still I didn't see a clear path of where things were going and what the ultimate goal of the series. I still am not sure if I know that. I think typically a first book in a series should really kick things off and I just didn't feel that. Am I interested in the future of the series, of course, but i'm not dying for book two to come out. Maybe things will change when that happens.

Thanks to NetGalley, James Dashner, and Tantor Audio for providing an advanced reading copy.

This book was a really nostalgic trip back to the maze runner world. I wish I had read the original series again to refresh my memory. This book is the first in a new trilogy, and had a lot of story building before the excitement began. Overall, I enjoyed it. I can’t wait to see where the next two books go.

I had really high hopes for this book, but it did not reach my expectation entirely. It was a good book and Dashner succeeded in the telling of the story. He described the surroundings and the actions well, but the thought and feelings of the characters were not as clear. This caused me to feel dissconected to the characters and unsure of their reasons for acting certain ways, and how it effected them. I also whished there where more connections to the original series, sure Frypan is there, but the other gladers are just legends, I had hoped that the maincharacters would have been decendents of them and the reader would know to whom. To everyone who loves Newt, the parts from his book (diary) will break your heart almost as much as the Crank Palace.
Note to everyone who prefer audiobooks, the narrator Mark Deakins were not the right narrator in my opinion. He sounded like a professor holding a lecture during most of the book.
I recommend reading this book, but keep in mind that this is a different book from everyone that came before.

I'm a big fan of the Maze Runner series, especially the original three books. Thomas, Minho, and Newt are fantastic characters and I enjoyed their journey of finding somewhere to live in peace without being tested or hunted. While this book continues the legacy of the boys in an even more dangerous world, I didn't connect to the three main characters. I think they need more development, especially Alexandra who we see the least.

The plot isn't bad, but it kind of felt like not much happened. Mostly it was showing the reader how the Cranks have evolved and what the world is like now, as well as bringing characters together. I did like Minho and Roxy's relationship, they evolved into a son and mother kind of thing and it was pretty cute.

There are so many things we don't know, like the Godhead that Alexandra is a part of. What is it? People that think they're gods when really they're advanced Cranks? I hope there are more answers in the sequel.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for the copy

I really REALLY didn't want to have to do this because the Maze Runner series is one of my absolute favorites - but I had to DNF this audio at 50%.

I tried really hard, but I could not get into the story at all. There were time shifts between past (via a diary) and present, and one character named himself Minho just like Minho in the past and it just made it even more confusing to me. Maybe I need to read the physical book and not listen to the audio and that might help? I'm not sure where it went wrong.

I did still give it three stars just because I loved the old series that much - but it was just not great and I'm bummed.

I really wanted to enjoy this book as I loved The Maze Runner series. But I couldn't connect to any of the characters in The Maze Cutter. Also, the characters are completely different and it takes 73 years after The Maze Runner. So, I couldn't stop comparing it to The Maze Runner - a book series that I know and love.

In my opinion, this book should've been a standalone with a different title. Or, a completely new series by the author. It just feels disconnected from the original Maze Runner storyline. Yet, the title obviously grabs people in because they know and love The Maze Runner.

All of this rambling (sorry). But I guess I just went into this book with high expectations and came out disappointed.

Three stars.

"He had never known the love of a mother, but he felt it then so powerfully that he fell to his knees and, for the first time in his life, wept like a child."

I know, we all want to be transported back to that first time we read "The Maze Runner." The adrenaline, edge of your seat action paired with characters you loved and cheered for and others you wanted dead. James Dashner's newest novel, The Maze Cutter, is trying to do this for us, and might eventually reach a higher potential. I am optimistic about book 2 in the series.

As is, The Maze Cutter is a short read at 252 pages. Its set 73 years after the Death Cure, and while we hear about a couple characters from the Maze Runner series, the only one that is introduced as a character here is old man frypan. And boy did he give me a few good chuckles.

We jump between 3 main characters, Minho, Alexandra and Isaac. Within each of their stories are more characters. I think we are introduced to around 20+ people. It was hard to keep track of everyone.
The action picked up at about 75% and was pretty entertaining the rest of the way through. Minho the nameless Orphan that actually had a name, was definitely my favorite. He was strong, determined and a good soul, even after all of the rigorous training that was supposed to make him a mindless follower. Isaac is a young man who experienced multiple tragedies that left him orphaned as well. But his friends rally around him and include him in their journey across the sea on the boat, The Maze Cutter with a newcomer who promises them a new world, and a cure. But crap hits the fan really fast, and multiple story lines collide with each other out in the wilderness. People are killed, injured and left questioning one another.

While Alexandra's story line did not cross with others yet, I think her role will be more prominent in book 2. In The Maze Cutter, her story was a little jumbled and not completely explained in a way that made me care about her outcome. She's part of the Godhead, which includes 3 individuals, they seem all powerful, but the ending had me questioning how powerful they actually are.

My biggest annoyance with this novel was the repetitive writing style and how the author closed out some scenes with dialogue paired with a sentence that both said the same thing or added things that didn't need to be said. For examples;
"Not here. Later. Just trust me and sit with us. Bye." 'With that, she walked off.'
&
"....a minor compartment in her mind took pleasure in counting each footstep and calculating angles, distances, pace. (literally 1.5 sentences later) "....She'd been able to calculate several items of interest that kept her entertained if nothing else. Number of steps; overall pace as well as current pace of speed; total distance....."

Solid 3-3.5/5 stars for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for access to the audiobook for free in exchange for my honest review. The narrator did an amazing job on all of the voices, and really added to the enjoyment for me. I loved Old man frypan's voice and Mannus's voice!

I received a free Audiobook via NetGalley from Akashic Media Enterprises in exchange for my honest review.

I saw this on NetGalley and when I got approved I dropped everything and listened to it. It was not what I was expecting however I think it could be a super interesting extension to the maze runner stories we love. I liked that there was new characters and that it was set way in the future. It is interesting to hear references to the maze runner era as being in the past.

While I was listening, I was so confused. I felt more confused at the end then I did at the beginning of the audiobook. Normally you get some type of closure or better understanding by the end of the book. There was just so many new characters that it made it tough to follow. There was so much going on and I hard time following the plot of this book. I think it will be a lot easier to follow to read the book instead of listening to it.

I am hoping that if I get the chance to read this book instead of listening to it I will like it more. Thanks NetGalley and Akashic Media Enterprises for the audiobook!

As a fan of the original series I was thrilled to start this book. The original Maze Runner had great settings and world building and even better characters. Unfortunately, The Maze Cutter falls flat on everything the original series succeeded at.

I like the way the story is told to us. It bounces around to different characters and is told from all their point of view. Sadly all the characters with the exception of Minho were just not fully developed. It was easy to forget who was who and a lot of the support characters just fused together as one confusing character.

The story itself, while not as captivating as the original book, it was still a lot of fun. It takes place 73 years after the events of the final book. A stranger sails to their island with a boat full of dead bodies. Who and what do you believe? There are a lot of characters that we meet that have different thoughts and it was fun to try to figure out who you can trust.

While I did not care for the majority of the characters the story is enough to make me excited to go back into the world of The Maze Runner. This book does a good job at setting up what the world is like now and hopefully things will only get better as this new series continues.

I wanted to love this one as much as the original Maze Runner series but unfortunately it didn’t have the same feeling. While the original series was full of excitement and action, this book fell flat.

We all want to go back to our Maze Runner book days. When this one came up for request on Netgalley I obviously jumped at it. To be honest this wasn't entirely what I expected, but it wasn't bad either. The story is different and the characters new, apart from Newt's diary with his inner monologue and Old Frypan.

I am eager to see were this series will take us. It will need a huge special story line to keep us invested. Not bad for a follow up to one of the best YA series of our age.

Thank you Netgalley and RB Media for this ARC.