Monday, July 29, 2013

The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse - ADVISABLE


Stasse, Lisa M.  The Forsaken, 375 pgs.  Simon and Schuster, 2012.  $16.99  Content: Language: PG-13 (34 swears; 5 God); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG-13. 
Alenna has been considered an orphan since she was ten and the UNA government took her parents.  The government tests all sixteen year olds to see if they are “unanchored souls” or deviants in society.  Since Alenna has been raised by the government as an orphan, she isn’t worried about being an unanchored soul, so she is surprised to wake up from her test on the wheel, an island where the banished teenagers are sent if they don’t pass the test.  When she wakes up she finds an ally in a boy named David, who saves her life from two warring factions on the island.  They are separated and Alenna finds herself in the blue sector with other teens who are trying to survive the island.  The island is full of secrets and violence and Alenna doesn’t know who to trust, until she finds a familiar face in a warrior named Liam. 
This book is hard to put down because I couldn’t wait to find answers to why she was on the island and who was in control.  Throughout the book there are plausible twists and turns and the minor characters are just as interesting as the main character.  The story reminds me of Maze Runner by James Dashner, but it’s better because the characters find answers to their questions.  The ending is satisfying overall, but it does leave some characters fates unanswered because there is going to be another book in the series.  I can’t wait to read it. 
MS, HS-ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

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