The Crank Palace by James Dashner was very well written. I absolutely love the style of writing and the attention to detail. This book gave a lot of insight into what Newt went through between when he left the group and his death.

This novella centers around Newt's thoughts and experiences about the Flare. Newt is struggling with losing his friends while also losing his mind to the virus. "He hated the people trying to find a cure. He hated that he wasn't immune and he hated that his best friends were." He gets through it by finding a purpose and befriending Keisha.

This quote in the end broke me..."Whatever essence the world called life, it was quickly draining from him, not in drops, but in torrential cascades through a broken dam."

While the book was well written, I felt like the extra plot wasn't really needed. As much as I loved to hear about Newt and what he went through, it's just supplemental to the story and not something that will give you much depth.

Newt has survived a lot. He’s been in the Glade, the Maze, the Scorch, and even inside WICKED! Now Newt has the Flare and he doesn’t want his friends to watch him lose his mind. While the Gladers are in Denver, Newt leaves with only a note telling them goodbye. Newt soon discovers that life on the street isn’t much better than what he has already been through. While on the run he meets Keisha and her son. Will Newt risk helping them out of their troubles? How will Keisha and Dante change how Newt faces the world?

Crank Palace is a novella in The Maze Runner universe. The events that take place in this story would have taken place towards the end of The Death Cure (book 3). Dashner takes us into the mind of Newt and helps us understand what the Flare was like. Newt may not want his friends to see his decline, but he also knows that he can’t just let things happen. This novella is a quick read that will leave readers thinking long after it is finished, especially since we are in the middle of Covid-19 when it is released.

My heart is broken all over again. When I saw this book, I yelled, because I was so happy to read another edition to the Maze Runner universe. I was nervous when I saw it was about Newt, who was my absolute favorite character. I didn't know if I would be able to get through this book, knowing how it ended. Well, I did it. But not without tears.

This was a nice addition to the original series, if a little unnecessary. My biggest complaint is that it felt like the focus was more on what the Flare was doing to Newt's mind than about Newt himself. We do get some insight into how it felt for him to make the decision to leave, some of his memories of the Glade; these were all things I appreciated. I guess I was just hoping for a little more. Maybe a few flashback scenes written from his perspective. At least one scene where he was sane and happy with his friends. But most of the book is the Flare being triggered in his mind and him going ballistic, which is just... painful.

While I enjoyed this, 3 stars just seems like the place I'm sitting with it. There were moments that were so strong in this book, and then others that fell flatter than unleavened bread. There wasn't much going on until the very end, and then that was extremely rushed, which is to be expected from a novella, I suppose.

As there wasn't much going on, I would only recommend this to die-hard fans of the original series, but it was still enjoyable.

With that being said, we love and support Keisha in this house. An icon. 10/10.

A bit more of Newt’s story after he leaves for the Crank Palace. This will only make sense if you’ve read the Maze Runner books. An enjoyable, though sad revisit to the world of the Flare.

Crank Palace by James Dashner is a novella in the Maze Runner Series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Riverdale Avenue Books, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Background:    (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)

Solar flares hit the earth and wiped out  most of the population.  Others were left with The Flare, a virus that attacks the brain, slowly driving the person insane, and leaving a person with rage, and eventually death.  They are called "Cranks".  Others, mostly children,  were immune ("munies"), and rounded up and sent to a research facility called WICKED where they were given tests to find a cure.  The Glade, the Maze, and the Scorch were part of the tests. The series has centered around a group of these kids.   Another group of people who are against the WICKED program, are in Colorado.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

Newt has the Flare.  He has not told anyone.  As his friends return to their mission in Colorado, Newt slips away.  He is angry, and jumpy, he wants to get away before they realize anything is wrong.  He refuses to let them see his end.  He refuses to weigh them down.  He leaves them a note.

Newt has a plan.  His one goal, while it is still possible, is to write his story down in a journal he found.  Maybe doing this will help someone else.  He wants to do one good thing in his life before he dies.

As he roams the streets filled with Cranks, he notes his fear of them has disappeared, but he seems to have regained some of the memories taken during The Swipe.  He is not sure that is a good thing.  He meets Keisha and her small son Dante.  He learns of a place called The Crank Palace where Immune people have volunteered to take care of those less fortunate.  Keisha warns against going there....but they have no choice.


My Opinions:   

Well, it's been a while, but I really enjoyed getting back to this series.  I hope the author will continue to provide us snippets of what is happening in this world which he created.

Basically, this is about Newt, and the rest of the gang play a very small part in it, yet the parts that they did play were important.  Although this is the sad story of Newt's descent into madness, it was also a happy story, as his last wishes were realized.

I'd recommend the whole series, even though I have not been in the YA crowd for many, many...decades.

James Dashner’s work was a welcome reminder of a series I have loved for some time. Dashner writes an introduction that is timely and reflective, and then offers a brief story exploring missing pieces of one of the characters’ stories from The Maze Runner series.

The book series was one my middle grades students devoured, and I would gladly share this new entry, building conversation around the emotional depth Dashner explores and the world we are now living in. Dystopian fiction is often timely and reveals aspects of our society to reconsider — Dashner’s work is an entertaining and thought-provoking example of this affordance.

Such a fan of maze runner and I absolutely love when they do spin off novels so we can see what happened to the different characters! Quick read and so insightful. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was my introduction to the Maze Runner series. If all the books are as good as this one, I've been missing not reading these. Emotional, lots of great action and characters, and a great story. Will definitely be reading this series, starting at the beginning.

5/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you haven't read the first three books in The Maze Runner series, don't read ahead. You have been warned!

What do you do if you have a disease that destroys your mind, turning you into what is essentially a zombie until your death, while all of your friends are immune? What's worse: abandoning them or letting them watch your descent into madness? Newt makes the choice to leave them, though it pains him to do so. He doesn't really have a plan or goal since he'll just fall into madness and die anyway. But he meets a mother and child who are determined to survive together, and that is just what Newt needs to give him purpose. Eventually ending up in the Crank Palace, Newt's story is finally told. The events that took place in The Death Cure are told from Newt's perspective.

You think I would have been prepared to be devastated and heart-broken after reading this, seeing as how I know the conclusion of The Death Cure. And yet, like a dummy, I went and read this book anyway simply because I love Newt. Thank you, James Dashner, for once again breaking my heart into pieces. If you thought The Death Cure was bad, this is on a different level. As Newt leaves his friends and succumbs to the Flare, you hear his thoughts, you watch him struggle until his inevitable end. Now you know what went through his head during all of this. Poor, sweet Newt--he deserved so much better. Once again, I'm left heartbroken over him.

To my fellow readers who also read this series and fell in love with Newt, this book offers some closure that I felt we did not get in the original series. However, getting this closure will most likely break your heart in the process. I recommend this book, as well as tissues, a warm blanket, and ice cream, to any Newt fans out there.