The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse
Hardcover, 375 pages
Published:
July 10th 2012
by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Review Copy: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon -- Barnes & Noble
Description 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.
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.
My review:
My rating: 4 of 5 starsIs “The Forsaken” a groundbreaking dystopian? I wouldn’t say that, no. Is it a book worth reading? I’d have to say yes, absolutely. I like it when a book surprises me, and “The Forsaken” did just that. Repeatedly.
The story is about Alenna, a young girl living in the UNA. She’s preparing for the GPPT – the Government Personality Profile Test – a test that will determine whether or not she will be shipped off to Island Alpha. The island is supposed to be where those that will lead a life of violence are sent, and Alenna believes this to be true, until she is sent to the island.
When she awakes on the island, she finds a boy named David who helps her escape capture by the Drones, one of two groups on the island, who control a majority of the sectors. She manages to find safety in Gadya, a resident of a different sector, but only after David sacrifices himself to the drones.
During her short time in the sector, Alenna must learn how to fight for her survival, while opening her heart to the unknown.
To sum it up:
“The Forsaken” is a story about a young girl’s journey of self discovery. In the beginning of the story, Alenna is quiet, and naïve, but life on the island forces her to become a fighter. She grows a lot throughout the book. In the beginning, I can honestly say that I did not like her, but by the end, that changed.
I honestly enjoyed “The Forsaken” and I can’t wait to see what Stasse has in store next for Alenna.
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