Title: The Death Cure (Maze Runner #3)
Author: James Dashner
Release Date: October 11, 2011 (hardcover)
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: 336
Source: Copy provided by publisher 

Overall: 5 Stars

Summary:

Thomas knows that Wicked can't be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they've collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It's up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test.
 

What Wicked doesn't know is that something's happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can't believe a word of what Wicked says.
 

The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine.
 

Will anyone survive the Death Cure?  

My Thoughts:
James Dashner has never failed to take me completely by surprise. I don't think I ever could have imagined the epic scale of this frightening dystopian world back when I first began reading The Maze Runner long ago. And yet, the stakes have never been higher for the series! So many possible events were already being foreshadowed in my mind trying to think of what could possibly happen in the final novel... but I don't think I ever could have been ready for The Death Cure!

The time for playing along with WICKED is over and Thomas is ready to fight back. With endless resources, escaping WICKED's clutches isn't going to be easy for Thomas and his friends, but they need to try anyways. And even though Teresa says WICKED is good, Thomas isn't quite ready to believe her words... not after what she did to him during the Scorch Trials. I literally couldn't put down The Death Cure until I was finished! In between all the thrilling and suspenseful events, there's a sense of urgency in Dashner's words as he led readers to the novel's inevitable conclusion.

I've always admired Thomas for his courage and his ability to think straight in dire situations. He's tired of the lies and manipulation which WICKED always seems to spin, and wants to forget he ever had a role in helping them before... even if it was for the greater good of finding a cure to the Flare. In a world gone mad like his, there are difficult decisions needed to be made in order to survive, but Thomas also understood the importance of loyal friends and teamwork too. It's another reason why I was filled with trepidation as I read along because no one is safe from death in these books... and I was scared to find out who I would have to say goodbye to next.

Heart-pounding and ever so exciting, you'll be holding your breath as you reach the final pages of The Death Cure. As for sighing in relief afterwards though? Well, you'll just have to discover that on your own. Let's just say I was left in a state of shock, blinking in disbelief as I was left reeling from all the events which had passed... Just like its predecessors, The Death Cure is intense until the very end!

You escaped the Maze. You completed the Scorch Trials. It's now time for... The Death Cure.

Thanks so much to Random House Canada for providing this review copy!