The Maze Cutter has a lot of potential, but I never felt like it fully took off. There were many aspects left unaddressed or underexplained, even for a first book in a series. The vagueness in the story detracted from both character development and world-building. I’m still interested and plan to read the sequel, but I hope the next installment offers more detail.

Plot - 3
Writing and Editing - 3
Character Development - 3
Narration - 4
Personal Bias - 3
Final Score - 3.2

Another great installment in the Maze Runner world! The time jump was great and it was really cool seeing the connections from the original. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator!

I tried—I really did.

This book was so hard to get through. I can’t recall exactly where I gave up on reading it, but I think it was around the 45% mark. At that point, I started really trying to skim, skipping ahead wherever I thought there was nothing truly plot relevant going on. But, at about 60-70% I knew I wasn’t going to be able to come away from this with anything remotely resembling enjoyment.

I feel like Dashner really is just trying to capitalize on something that’s kind of been beaten dead. It’s like Shrek 3, an additive to a series that we didn’t need nor want that most will likely pretend doesn’t exist as soon as they’ve finished it.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed <i>The Maze Runner</i> when I first read it. I liked the series well enough that I stayed up late reading it and actually finished the third book by candlelight when the power went out at my home. But all these additive stories really just don’t draw me in. And I think it’s because you really can’t capitalize well on the success of something when all of the characters that we fell in love with are gone unless you give us a really good reason to love the new world and characters.

I think the prequel did an okay job at this, but <i>The Maze Cutter</i> just failed terribly.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh No, am I too old for the Maze Runner now? I'm sure this is great and wonderful but this world doesn't resonate with me like it did when I was 15. Maybe I'm still mourning Newt??

Thanks to NetGalley / Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

This wasn’t my favorite in the Maze Runner series. It really wasn’t that memorable and I feel like the premise kind of derailed the ending of the original series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. Totally unbelievable and didn’t catch my attention much. Ending predictable and also way too drawn out. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Due to problems of the app, I wasn´t able to listen to this audiobook. Truly sad about it, since this author was so present in my teenage years, but I look forward to pick it up in the future!

I've been a huge fan of The Maze Runner series for years, so you can imagine my excitement when I discovered that it would be getting a new sequel! I found the story to be very engaging and it was fun to be transported back into the post-apocalyptic world of The Maze Runner after so many years.

This book unfortunately didn't quite meet my expectations; I found the character development and plot to be a bit lacking. The story was fast-paced and interesting, but I felt a bit disconnected from it and it was difficult to keep up with at times. Despite this, it was still an enjoyable read and I would certainly recommend it to fans of the original maze runner books or any fans of dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction.

This was only ok for me. I couldn't get into it as much as I was the original story. I don't know what it was for me. Just didn't strike me as quite as cohesive as the original story.

Great audiobook for a story by an author I have loved from the maze runner series. Hooked from the first chapter.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of the next Maze series. This first book of The Maze Cutter series was not fabulous, but is enough for me to be intrigued and want more.

Seventy-three years after the events of The Death Cure, when Thomas and other immunes were sent to an island to survive the Flare-triggered apocalypse, their descendants have thrived. Sadina, Isaac, and Jackie all learned about the unkind 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--everything changes. 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.

I loved The Maze Runner series so I had to give this one a try!

We’re introduced to a lot of new characters. A LOT! I kept forgetting who was who. So many that I never really got to make any sort of connection with anyone. There is a lot of jumping around and had a hard time keeping up overall with what was going on.

The story ending with some action that grabbed my attention! Even though I was confused who everyone was. If there is a book 2 in the works I hope Dashner picks just a few characters to focus on! I’m not sure if I would read the next book in the series, but I’m sure this one will be popular with TMR fans.

Narrator Mark Deakins was wonderful and easy to listen to!

I did a reread of The Maze Runner thinking it would help out me in the right set of mind for this one but it really wasn’t necessary.

I have conflicting thoughts about this new spin-off series. I get that we’re introduced to a new cast but the comments about the original Gladers were not enough. Since only Frypan is around, I’d like to know more about the lives the others led. Especially since this new cast are their descendants.

Most of the time I enjoy having multiple POVs in books but this one has way too many of them and some don’t add any value to the story.

There was an entry from Newt’s diary that didn’t make sense, especially having just read the original series. Hope that there’s going to be an explanation of that.

Definitely need more explanation about the Godhead and the Remant Nation.

This was a fun addition to the Maze Runner series. I did enjoy the main series better. I feel like the characters were more likeable and I liked the urgency and unknown of the original series.
These characters weren't bad, but I feel they did not have as much personality and oomph. They were kind of bland. I liked Isaac and Sedina the most. They were the ones we got to know the most. Minho the orphan was kind of all over the place and we hardly got anything from Alexandra's POV so I'm not sure how to feel about her.
We follow 3 different storylines in this book. The biggest one is Isaac. He lives on the island (where everyone went at the end of The Death Cure). I think the only original Glader alive is Frypan. One day, a boat comes in. There is one old lady alive. She has shot all of her crew. She convinces Issac and Sedina along with some others including Frypan to go to the old world with her. The second POV we have is Minho. We don't get a ton of him in the beginning, but more as we go along. He is from the Remnant Nation. He gets let out for 40 days and nights to see if he is worthy or something. But he doesn't want to go back. The third POV we get is Alexandra. We don't get a lot from her at all and I honestly don't know who she is or what is going on with her. Her POV was confusing.
The pacing of this book was good, but with the 3 storylines, I was a little flustered sometimes. A lot of the times, we got a lot from Isaac, like several chapters. Then we would get extremely short chapters from Minho, Alexandra and maybe someone else with Isaac like Jackie right in a row. It was such a jarring difference to have a few solid Isaac chapters, then 3 or so really short page long chapters from 3 other POVs. It didn't give me time to process what was happening in the other parts which is why the Alexandra POV has me scratching my head still. I think she will play a much bigger part in coming books, but I was lost in this one.
Overall, a good dip back into this world and I'm excited to see where this takes us!

I love James Dashner's Maze Runner world and am really looking forward to seeing where this understanding of the post-maze world goes. This first book in what will be a new series building on this world was a solid world-building piece, but I do think leaves a few too many questions on the table, even for a "first" book in a series. That said, I am truly excited to see what is sown of all the seeds that Dashner planted with this new story line.

In The Maze Cutter, author James Dashner starts a new series from the Maze Runner, 73 years after The Death Cure. A rusty old ship shows up on the shore of an island where everything is peaceful. But there is only one survivor and she has dark news from the mainland. But can she be trusted? How did everyone on the ship die? And what will they find when they arrive on the mainland? And are the Cranks more powerful now?
I loved the Maze Runner series. I probably should have gone back and refreshed my memory of the events. But this book did not catch my attention like the earlier books. The plot was confusing and it was slow until that last quarter of the book. Maybe it will get better with future books but for now I was not sold on it. The audio-book narration was very well done. I might recommend this book depending on the rest of the series. I received a copy of this audio-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to be able to read this book as an e-ARC after blazing through the original three Maze Runner books in the 6th grade. Eight years later, we pick back up with the grandchildren of the original Gladers on the island that became their home. When an outsider comes to their island on a behemoth ship they had only seen in books looking for the descendants of Newt and his sister, a group of the islanders began a trip to the old world. However, things have changed. The flare has mutated and there are two clear groups that seem to be working against each other.

Although I've read some mixed reviews, I quite enjoyed this book. Maybe partially from the joy younger me experienced in the original books. I loved that Frypan was still around and hadn't changed much in his old age.

As soon as I saw that James Dashner was continuing with the Maze Runner series there was no hesitation in getting this book. I ran and immediately immersed myself in the book. The Maze Runner series was so good, and I can see the potential of The Maze Cutter and all future books in this new series.

The Maze Cutter is set 73 years after the events of the Maze Runner series. All of the participants of the Maze Runner are gone except for FryPan (he is almost 90). The readers are introduced to three different groups. Members of the God Head who are based in Alaska, a group called the Remnant Nation (very similar to a cult) who are based somewhere in Nebraska and then the descendants of the original Gladers who are located on a remote island.

In the Maze Cutter we are introduced to the aftermath of the Flare and how the world survived. The people living on the island are visited by a woman named Cletter who arrives in a boat. She convinces a group to go back to California to help develop a cure for the Flare. Upon their arrival the true adventure begins. Members of the group end up kidnapped not once, but twice. The God Head want the people of the Island as well as the members of the Remnant Nation. The people of the island are now pawns in the ongoing feud between the God Head and the Remnant Nation. Will they survive? The three groups are faced with death and misaligned plans and adventure.

I was so excited to see the Maze Runner series continue even if it was 73 years later. I liked the new introduction to the descendants to the original Gladers. I really liked the character the orphan or better known as Minho and his friend Roxy. They were the most fleshed out characters. I really only felt for those characters and their well-being. I wanted to learn more about them and their lives in the aftermath of the Flare. I also liked that the book was told from different perspectives. We were able to see diary entries from Newt, learn a little bit about the God Head from their point of view, The Remnant Nation from Minho's perspective, and see how the flare has impacted the survivors on the remote island.

Even though there were good things about the book there were also things that did not work. I had a hard time continuing to read the book. It took me forever to finish. It felt slow at moments where I hoped there would be more action. This book was supposed to set up the series but in reading I really only felt for Minho and Roxy. There were backstories for characters that were told too late, and I was not able to develop connections. There was less character development for the other characters. I was always looking forward to seeing what Minho and Roxy were up to but not so much for the other characters. I also felt like the book tells very little about the God Head. The book was not fleshed out about them, who they are, how the group developed, how they came into power and their ultimate goal in finding the descendants from the Island. I also wish there was more background story for the Remnant Nation. The book gives minor details about the two groups at the very end of the story.

With all that being said I will probably look for the other books in the new Maze Cutter series. The series has a lot of potential. It could be just as good if not better than the original Maze Runner series. I just hope the remainder of the series talks more about the people and the groups so we as readers can develop more connections. And of course, I want ACTION...this is what James Dashner is known for as well as the Maze Runner Series.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest opinion of The Maze Cutter by James Dashner

Thank you so much to net galley and the publisher for sending me a copy
Of this book. It was a wonderful and interesting addition.

**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.**

Narrated by Mark Deakins ⭐⭐⭐
Story by James Dashner ⭐⭐

I've read all the Maze Runner books so was going into this with excitement. Overall I didn't enjoy it. I just was never able to fully get into it or have it hold my attention. In saying that my 15 year old neice is really into this series and I'm going to recommend this book to her.