Thursday, August 2, 2012

Paul's August Pick: The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse





Title: The Forsaken
Author: Lisa M. Stasse
Year Published: 2012

Synopsis:
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.

Why?: I am a fan of dystopian books. I always have been. This big boom in YA has got me very excited, but some books that shouldn't slip through the cracks of publication. I'm hoping this is not one of those.This book looks like a genuinely interesting idea. I have heard it described as The Hunger Games meets Survivor meets Lost. Now I've never watched Lost, but that combination intrigues me. 

Expectations: I am expecting a strong female protagonist that rises to the challenges in her life. It sounds like she has a naturally harsh personality. It will be interesting that all the characters on this island have gotten the same results in this test of aggressive tendencies. It reminds me of the Dauntless of the Divergent series. 

Judging a book by its cover: This cover really captured me. I like simple and abstract covers. On the cover there is a gerl's profile made up of trees, a satellite dish, and abstract colored lines that connect to form topographic-like lines.I also like the font. 



-PAUL

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