A Review: The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Genre: Dramatic/Realistic Fiction 

Quote from the back: "'This powerful first novel...tells a story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love. Both transform the life of Amir; Khaled Hosseini's privileged young narrator, who comes of age during the last peaceful days of the monarchy, just before his country's revolution and its invasion by Russian forces. But political events, even as dramatic as the ones that are presented in The Kite Runner, are only a part of this story. In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini gives us a vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence-forces that continue to threaten them even today.'"

This was a beautifully written book and I was in tears several times throughout it. It was definitely not a 'light' read; there is a lot of violence and tragedy. But there is deep love and forgiveness and it opened up my eyes to the suffering people had to face during the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan, how important love is between right and wrong, and that people's actions can affect their children.

I was frustrated with the main character, Amir, a lot in this novel, but he grows and changes at the end, which I believe is similar to real life, for no one's perfect. Other than that, the characters were mostly like able and I really loved learning about the Afghanistan culture. There are also many great motifs and lovely symbols throughout the novel (look at the title, hint, hint). I liked A Thousand Splendid Suns better, but I still loved this book and give it a 4 out of 5. I would recommend it for older high-school students and up.

What I learned: What a kite runner is, how dramatically life changed during the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan, especially in Kabul, and what a Hazara is.

A Review: The Scorch Trials

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
Genre: Dystopian, Adventure, YA
#2 in the Maze Runner Series

Summary: "Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated-and with it, order-and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity" (yum!) "by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim... and meal. The Gladers are far from done running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them."

Zombie-like creatures, silver death balls, super-hot lightning: this book will definitely keep you on your toes. I liked watching how Thomas and his friends responded to the crazy things that the organization known as WICKED threw at them, and the creativity in these things. I also enjoyed the flashbacks Thomas had; they helped clear some things up and were good pictures into his personality and how much he has changed.

But this novel was more violent and depressing than the first one. I also didn't like a particular plot twist in the middle of the novel and how it changed Thomas' relationship with one of the characters and thus, how the reader sees that character. And personally, I'm not much of a zombie person, and they creep into this novel, and are pretty creepy :) For these reasons among others, I give The Scorch Trials a 2 out of 5. Sorry, Mr. Dashner.

If you like action though, you should definitely try this novel, because there's plenty of it.

What I learned: People are not always what they appear and it might take a long time to know who they are. And the thought-provoking question: how far would you go to save someone's life? Would you go so far as to make them think you hate them?

A Review: The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Genre: Dystopian, Adventure, YA

Incerpt from the back of the novel: "When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is empty. But he's not alone. When the lift's doors open,Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclosed by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning, for as long as anyone can remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, for just as long, they've closed tight. Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift. And no one wants to be stuck in the Maze after dark.

The Gladers weren't expecting Thomas's arrival. But the next day, a girl is sent up-the first girl ever to arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. The Gladers have always been convinced that if they can solve the maze that surrounds the Glade, they might find their way home... wherever that may be. But it's looking more and more as if the Maze is unsolvable. And something about the girl's arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different. Something is telling him that he just might have some answers-if he can only find  way to retrieve the dark secrets locked within his own mind."

So, I have been wanting to read this novel for a long time because it's dystopian, and for some reason, I really like end-of-the-world, not-everything-is-as-it seems books. And be forewarned, this novel is a series, and you have to keep reading them to understand everything. I liked how it pulls you into the world pretty quickly, and there is a lot of action to keep you hooked to the story.

It was a little frustrating, however, that there are so many things that the characters, and thus, the reader, doesn't know. I spent most of the book asking what was happening, just like Thomas. But there are some answers toward the end, although only enough for the reader to feel a little satisfied, and nothing is fully answered in this first novel.

The plot reminds me a lot of The Hunger Games because other people are playing with the characters' lives, except that these characters know nothing about what's going on. I felt sorry for them because such horrible things were happening to them and they didn't know why, but it's amazing how tough they are and how much they long to survive. I give it a 3 and recommend it to highschool age and up and for anyone who likes action and dystopian novels.

And check out James Dashner's website. It's really cool.

What I learned: Humans have a strong sense of survival, and true loyalty and love is being willing to lay down your life for a friend (which sounds a lot like what Jesus did).