Book Review: The Forsaken by Lisa M Stasse

Title: The Forsaken (The Forsaken #1)
Author: Lisa M. Stasse
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: Hardcover
Source: For review

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.

First of all, I'd like to give a big thank you because I got provided with a review copy. Second, I just have to admire this cover greatly. This is perhaps the best cover out there. Very creative, and perfectly fits with the story. It's great to see a change from the girls dressed up on covers.

On to the review:

By now you might think: Enough of dystopia! It's everywhere. Soon there will be a "dystopian corner" just like there was the all famous "vampire corner". You probably are starting to get bored of them.

BUT

The Forsaken is different. It is one of the best ones out there. And that is saying something.

There are many things I loved about this books and they are:

1-World: Honestly, I don't think I've ever read about a dystopian world this unique. Stasse has a very imaginative mind. She has created a dystopian world with fresh unique ideas. All the other dystopian books have very similar atmospheres. 

2-Story: From that first page, I was hooked. The writing style and pacing of this book is perfect. There isn't a single page that won't keep you on the edge of your seat. I must admit, it was extremely addicting. There was enough of everything, in the perfect places. There were LOTS of shocking moments. There were emotional moments as well.

3-Characters: I won't go into detail about the characters. I liked each and every one of them; whether brave, cocky, mean, really anything. I must admit, I really liked Alenna, our main character's personality. She wasn't exactly strong, but she was the type who believed in teamwork and wouldn;t give up easily.

4-Romance: I am EXTREMELY grateful there wasn't a love triangle in this book! Lisa THANKS A BILLION! I'm really getting sick of this trend! I'm not a fan of romances in general, but this book had a really nice romance in it. I liked the relationship of the two lovers. 

Finally, I'd like to mention that I loved the ending. I can totally see an action-packed sequel that will blow my mind coming soon. I can't wait to read The Uprising (yes, that's what the second book is called)  I loved this book. Now, all I have to do is recommending it to people. Also, books like these motivate me! They make me feel like I will someday pursue my dreams and get a book published. 

A huge thank you to everyone who was responsible to bring this book to life. I loved it. I devoured it. I will support it.