Gorey, Jersey

Can I give you some advice? Never watch two final episodes to two different series on the same day. I am a complete wreck. Both Grimm and The Vampire Diaries had their last ever season finales last night and I watched them before writing this.

Jesus Christ.

Deep breath and let's get on with some more of what we got up to in Jersey.

Our third day started the way the second did, with the hotel breakfast and a reasonably early start to pack as much in as we could.

I knew I wanted to visit a castle or two and what I didn't tell you about the day before was the afternoon, before our date night, was a bit of a failure. 

We'd originally attempted to visit Elizabeth Castle but it turned out it wasn't the right time of year and then we tried to go to the Maritime Museum as well, but it turned out that was only open on Sundays! What a palarva. So that's when we settled for the arcade.

Anyway as it was a brand new day, we thought we would try the Maritime Museum again which was thankfully open! We literally just got inside when the heavens opened and it hailed very very heavily. Lucky for us, we spent the next hour or two wandering round the museum looking at all the shells and sealife and boats.

It was quite interesting but rather expensive!

Again, as per our usual, we went back to the hotel for a quick break before heading back out again, this time to visit Mont Orgueil Castle in Gorey (the opposite side of the island - took about 20 minutes to drive to!)

I loved this castle. We drove past The Paper Fig restaurant and wove our way up and up these narrow twisting lanes to the castle on the hill above.

We got to the little hut where we had to pay for the entrance and the weather turned once more for the worst - only quick bursts of heavy rain but enough to keep us hovering inside a little bit longer.

The guy behind the desk gave us a map of the castle and challenged us to find the four hidden items on our scavenge through the castle as it had many many little hidey holes and so many tucked away crevices!

Once the rain had stopped the sun came out in all her glory and it was a beautiful day. The views were absolutely stunning and we had so much fun winding our way around all the rooms and completing our mission to find the secret items.

We were starved by the time we left though so we took a different, very windy route back to the hotel but came across this adorable little garden centre with a tearoom. The food was amazing. It was packed so it must be a good spot for a Sunday lunch.

After that we made our way back to the hotel, packed our bags ready for our departure the following day and made use of the hotel amenities one last time.

One last post to come for Jersey but that's all you're getting for now!

🏝

The Death Cure

By James Dashner

[The trials are over. WICKED

is planning to restore the

survivors' memories and

complete the final cure for

the Flare.

But Thomas has already

remembered more than

they think. And he knows

WICKED can't be trusted.

The time for lies is over. But

the truth is more dangerous

than Thomas could ever

imagine. Will anyone survive

the Death Cure?]

I'm not really too sure of where to start for this review. I was so eager to find out how this series was going to end but then I kept putting it down being too scared to actually find out what happens. I often find the endings to epic trilogies a bit of a let down and this was somewhat similar - although the epilogue was that last glimpse of a twist!

The plot was obviously different from the last two and I'm not sure I liked it as much because of this. I preferred the Glader's constant battle for escaping the trials and with this one not being a trial per se, it just wasn't as dramatic. Yes, there were bits when they had to escape but it just wasn't the same. It didn't pack as much tension into it.

However, there were two main deaths in it, one that I saw coming and the other that I didn't (even though I really should have). The latter one crushed me. His spiral down and out of control was tragic and I can't believe the way in which he actually died - it was heartbreaking. I kept thinking he would just turn up at the end and he didn't. The other death was sad but because of the way things went with Thomas and this character I didn't feel nearly as sad as I might have done if they'd have died in the first one.

I still loved Minho in this one, you really get to see the bond between himself, Thomas and Newt which is nice. It is quite interesting that my opinion of characters changes with how Thomas feels about them though. I also enjoyed the return of an old nemesis!

It was great to go back to the Maze briefly and see those nasty Grievers once more. I think the world Dashner creates is magnificent. Everything crumbling down with the slow demise of the human race - he nails every detail.

Like I said though, the ending was a slight disappointment. It was a good battle and the imagery was epic but I was just left with a bit of a meh feeling. But then came the epilogue in which Chancellor Paige makes her entry (not physical entry however, we never actually see her) and we are left with the feeling that the Immunes are never really out of the game, they will always be WICKED's candidates - something only one of them will know for the rest of their lives...

I'm definitely interested in seeing this final film. I know the Scorch Trials film wasn't anything like the book so I wonder what they'll do for the last one!

✌

The Maze Runner

By James Dashner.

[When the lift cranks open, the
only thing Thomas remembers
is his first name. But he's
not alone - an army of boys
welcomes him to the Glade,
an encampment at the centre
of a terrible maze. The Gladers
have no idea why they're there,
or what's happened to the world
outside. And following the arrival
of a girl with a message,
they must find a way out -
or die.]

Wowwwwwww. I enjoyed the film version but this was on another level. Absolutely brilliant beginning to a series. Fast paced, action packed, loveable characters (minus the obvious few) and a whole abundance of mystery.

It was nice to feel like we, as a reader, were in the same boat as Thomas - we find out about the maze and what little they know of the outside world and the people that put them there when he does, learning as we go which was incredibly infuriating but was done to great effect of keeping us in the dark until the right moment.

It was a shame that I couldn't build up my own picture of each character having previously seen the film beforehand, but I couldn't remember the grievers so I had my imagination to thank for that one! They were creepy and unique and disgusting all rolled into one, it was great. I loved the added drama of Teresa's arrival and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing her and Thomas's relationship grow in the next one.

The ending was heartbreaking and dramatic and so many twists were thrown at the reader it was hard to keep up. My head was spinning with the tension. But I loved it. And although the Gladers appear to trust the newcomers, I know I sure as hell don't.

Can't wait to see how the next one unfolds!