The Scorch Trials: Beginning of Book

I have started to read the second book in The Maze Runner Series, The Scorch Trials. I'm not sure what to expect from this book. I've talked to friends who have read it and some of them had complaints and others said it was really good. I really enjoyed the first book in the series, and I hope the writing is as good as the original book. I usually don't like the rest of a series as much as the original, because it gets boring after a while. I'm really hoping this one doesn't.

I'm really excited to watch the characters develop more. I want to see what the author can do with the characters, that's more than what has been done. If I don't see character development I will be very disappointed with the author. I've heard about what happens in this book in the terms of a couple of the characters' love lives and I'm not sure how it will effect the story, but I don't want it to change the characters too much. Maybe it will help push the story along as some sort of conflict? If it doesn't I feel like it would be pointless in the storyline of the book.