Trust & Obey

If you’re a fan of “The Maze Runner” series by James Dashner or the movies based off of the books, then buckle up because today we are checking out Crank Palace. This book focuses on the fan favorite character Newt who people either loved in the books or- like myself- really liked him in the movies. I would highly recommend that if you aren’t aware of the plot of these books/movies and want to experience them, you should head to the final paragraph! I’m gonna spoil quite a bit from the books past throughout this article!

James Dashner’s novella goes into what happened to Newt after he was taken and his little journey during that time. Right off the bat, we are told he ran away because he’s got the Flare. He isn’t immune like the rest of his close friends and feels jealous because of it. This all leads him to take a wild journey of self discovery and figuring out where he belongs in this apocalyptic world.

As a whole, I really liked the plot of Crank Palace. Dashner did a good job rarely boring you but keeping you constantly moving in this four hour read (I listened to it on audio). Speaking of the audio version, I did really like it! It’s not SO complicated that I couldn’t do laundry or make lunch while listening. The reader had a nice voice that did a good job using voices in a not cheesy way.

I discussed this book with Nicolette and she really liked that Dashner took the time to talk about Newt in depth and gave us a greater understanding of this character. I would agree but I wasn’t super into this series so I didn’t care as deeply.

Now, this complaint may be because I wasn’t a hardcore “Maze Runner” fan but I struggled to understand exactly how this book fit into the story. I didn’t think it was entirely necessary beyond just letting people come back to Newt after mourning his death in Death Cure. Dashner also did a poor job helping people back into the world he created. As someone who did read The Maze Runner, Scorch Trials, and most of Death Cure I could not remember the world all that well. I wish Dashner would have taken that into consideration. This would be perfect if you just finished the series. It throws you right back into this Dystopian world.

James Dashner’s Crank Palace is a good read. I thought it was a nice little revisit of the world so many readers got attached to. If you haven’t read the series and are into YA books I would reccomend this series. It’s decently appropriate- I can’t remember anything scaring– with some swearing mixed in. If you liked The Hunger Games trilogy I think you’d like this too!

Have you read “The Maze Runner” series? Do you think I should go back and read the rest? Let me know in the comments!