The Kill Order (The Maze Runner #0.5) by James Dashner

Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, sun flares hit the earth and mankind fell to disease.

Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there’s something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, it’s mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.

Mark and Trina are convinced there’s a way to save those left living from descending into madness. And they’re determined to find it—if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you’re worth more dead than alive.

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This book was not at all what I was expecting. I didn’t pay attention to its details when I first downloaded it and was expecting it to be a novella type book. I didn’t realize that it was a full on novel. The Kill Order gives us a fuller picture of what it was like to survive the deadly sun flares and how deadly disease began to decimate the world’s population. It is an action packed story that kept me guessing until the very end. I couldn’t figure out the connection between the characters in this book with the characters in the subsequent books until the surprise reveal at the end. My jaw may or may not have dropped open when I finally figured it out…

If you enjoyed The Maze Runner series, I encourage you to read this one as well.

2016 Reading Challenge: A book and its prequel