The Forsaken (The Forsaken #1)Author: Lisa M. Stasse
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 375 pages
Publication Date: July 10, 2012
From Goodreads:
As an obedient orphan of the U.N.A. (the super-country that was once Mexico, the U.S., and Canada), Alenna learned at an early age to blend in and be quiet—having your parents taken by the police will do that to a girl. But Alenna can’t help but stand out when she fails a test that all sixteen-year-olds have to take: The test says she has a high capacity for brutal violence, and so she is sent to The Wheel, an island where all would-be criminals end up.
The life expectancy of prisoners on The Wheel is just two years, but with dirty, violent, and chaotic conditions, the time seems a lot longer as Alenna is forced to deal with civil wars for land ownership and machines that snatch kids out of their makeshift homes. Desperate, she and the other prisoners concoct a potentially fatal plan to flee the island. Survival may seem impossible, but Alenna is determined to achieve it anyway.
Review:
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the concept is unique, interesting, and creative. Surviving on the island was gripping, with the two main factions fighting over territory, and Monk, the mysterious leader of the other faction, was fascinating. And I also appreciated the fact that you didn't know who Alenna could trust. I went back and forth with David. But it was hard to get past the romance and the way Gadya acted. Why are you even concerned about dating on this island? And they use the word dating. Really? Where did you go on your "dates"? So Gadya dumps Liam, but tells Alenna to stay away from him. And of course they're instantly drawn to each other and suddenly love each other after having maybe two conversations (there's an explanation for them being drawn to each other, but not an adequate one, if you ask me). Reaches a whole new level on the insta-love meter. And Gadya was such a bad-ass character, but the way she acted about Liam was just so ridiculous and unnecessary. If that part of the book (which in a way is not a huge portion of it) was done differently, I would have loved this book. And thankfully, no crazy in the middle of a scene cliffhanger.
In the end, I loved the story, the plot was fast-paced with unexpected twists and discoveries and plenty of characters are killed off (which was realistic). But the romance. Annoying.
Posted by: Pam
I've seen this book a few times but never read any reviews before but I love how you say it's unpredictable and suspenceful!
ReplyDeleteLovely review! <33
Definitely a unique and interesting premise, I did love the story. ~Pam
DeleteYeah, I loved this book the first time I read it, but then I reread it because the sequel came out not too long ago and just really didn't like it. You're totally right about the insta-love. This one had a horrible case of it. And Gadya did feel a bit disjointed: total badass one minute and then crying over Liam the next. I also found that after rereading it, that the writing just didn't work well for me. There was a lot of telling instead of showing and I found myself getting really annoyed. I don't even know if I'll read the sequel. But I do agree that the concept was interesting and unique. I felt like the book had a lot of potential that it didn't live up to.
ReplyDeleteRebecca @ The Library Canary
I'm planning on reading the sequel because I just want to know what happens and I figured the insta-love is over with, they love each other, so it could go back to being focused on the story (and hopefully Gadya will be over it now). I'm sure there will be issues between Alenna and Liam, like always in the second book (and why not, since they don't even know each other). But I did love the story, so I'll keep on with it. ~Pam
DeleteHa ha I agree with the dating thing. Maybe they go visit the ones that suffer for their dates?? I wasn't a huge fan of this book either. Seeing each other once on TV does not a relationship make.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of those books that would have been sooo much better without the romance (and I do love my romance). ~Pam
DeleteCan I just take a moment to say that you have great content on your blog - I love it! Your reviews are always really insightful and the discussions are great :) I am so glad we connected through blogging!!
ReplyDeleteMoving on! I have been curious about this book for a while (the cover is awesome) but I am so sick of romances bringing down a perfectly good book! I think I'll have to read this one when I am in the right mood, aka when I have extreme patience for insta-love. hah. Thanks for sharing :D
Thank you so much for saying that, it means a lot!
DeleteOther than the romance, I did love the book so I would recommend reading it. ~Pam