The Fever Code by James Dashner

Book five in the blockbuster Maze Runner series that spawned a movie franchise and ushered in a worldwide phenomenon! Don’t miss the highly-anticipated series conclusion that finally reveals the story of how Thomas and WICKED built the Maze. Also look for James Dashner’s newest bestselling series—The Mortality Doctrine: The Eye of Minds, The Rule of Thoughts, and The Game of Lives! Once there was a world’s end. The forests burned, the lakes and rivers dried up, and the oceans swelled. Then came a plague, and fever spread across the globe. Families died, violence reigned, and man killed man. Next came WICKED, who were looking for an answer. And then they found the perfect boy. The boy’s name was Thomas, and Thomas built a maze. Now there are secrets. There are lies. And there are loyalties history could never have foreseen. This is the story of that boy, Thomas, and how he built a maze that only he could tear down. All will be revealed. The Maze Runner and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials are now major motion pictures featuring the star of MTV's Teen Wolf, Dylan O’Brien; Kaya Scodelario; Aml Ameen; Will Poulter; and Thomas Brodie-Sangster. The third movie, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, will hit screens in 2018. Praise for the Maze Runner series: A #1 New York Times Bestselling Series A USA Today Bestseller A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year An ALA-YASLA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book An ALA-YALSA Quick Pick "[A] mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Lost."—EW.com “Wonderful action writing—fast-paced…but smart and well observed.”—Newsday “[A] nail-biting must-read.”—Seventeen.com “Breathless, cinematic action.”—Publishers Weekly

I'm really struggling to write this review. The Maze Runner is one of my favorite YA series. I loved meeting the gladers, solving the mystery, and racing to save the world with my friends. Learning about a new prequel was thrilling and terrifying. Would this live up to the hype? Will it be the biggest disappointment. If you look at my rating, you can see it's a mix of both.

first.... CHUCK!! AHH! Chuckie! How I missed that kid. Every chapter nearly broke my heart. I just wanted to hug him.

Second... building of the maze?!?! yes!!

Third.... the problems..... What are the ODDS that Thomas would quickly befriend the exact same people he becomes BFFs with in the maze. I wanted more of the other gladers. Change it up a bit. Maybe some who died in the maze. I loved Newt, Minho, and Alby being back, but it was disappointing. Why not go into the other gladers (the ones who died in the maze). Missed opportunity to rip my heart out further.

continuing problems...
Some chapters were just plain old boring. Sure, every day is regulated... but some chapters felt lazy. Like Mr. Dashner didn't want to elaborate on the maze process. It also had less of the emotional ups and downs of the previous novels. Until the 2/3 mark I was indifferent to the whole book. The Chancellor Anderson scene was where it really picked up.

Overall, this book was a dud. I loved revisiting my friends, but most of it is a one-time read. It was fascinating to read about the creation of the Maze, but it lacked the mystery of the other novels. It was a great missing link to the series, but I don't feel the need to read it more than once.