Originally posted at Hooked on Books 
 Though I'm suffering from dystopia burn out right now, The Forsaken's amazing cover and thought provoking trailer, convinced me to give it a shot. And I'm glad I did because this book, if I had to sum it up in one sentence, is Lord of the Flies meets The Hunger Games. And it doesn't get much more exciting than that. 
 Right from the get go, the thing I appreciated most about The Forsaken was that it was a believable dystopia. The U.N.A is formed during a time of economic downturn and food scarcity, which causes the leaders to unite North America's three nations. The people are incredibly unhappy with this decision and riots start breaking out. So then the military steps in and basically takes over. Yes, it sounds crazy but for a least a moment there, you probably thought "I could totally see this happening." And furthermore, Lisa M Stasse, maintains this authenticity throughout the entire novel, because she doesn't shy away from the more unpleasant and violent features a society like this is bound to create. Bad things happen and they happen "on page". And I for one, appreciated that honesty. 
 Alenna (our protagonist) doesn't get to stay in this world Lisa M Stasse has built for long though. At 16 she takes a state mandated test to determine whether or not she has qualities that would make her a "criminal deviant". It sort of reminded me of the tests in Delirium and Divergent. Except that Alenna fails, and she's sent to a horrible island called "The Wheel." Again this is a time where the author doesn't shy away from the reality of the situation. The life expectancy on this wheel is two years, there's a crazy man, referred to as "The Monk" and a violent cult has risen up around him and there are these crazy machines called "feelers" that appear out of the blue and snatch kids up (presumably taking them to their deaths). This is when the story really gets started and once it starts it doesn't stop. It keeps you on your toes, guessing what will come next, flying through the pages to see how everything will turn out. 
 There's also a pretty fabulous cast of secondary characters. What I liked about them was they had such diverse personalities, proving that Lisa M Stasse really took the time to think about these characters and how they would act in the situations she put them in. I particularly liked Gadya, one of the only female warriors in the village Alenna ends up in. She's strong and independent but also stubborn and at times acts before thinking. But those flaws make her interesting. Same goes for David who arrives on the Wheel at the same time as Alenna. We don't know too much about him, and you'll never be totally sure you can trust him, but that's what makes him fun to read about. 
 My only complaint about this book is the relationship between Alenna and Liam. It's got insta-love written all over it. They only have a few interactions (and lack luster ones at that) before they decide there's an undeniable connection between them and they're willing to jeopardize friendships (and potentially their safety) to pursue it. It just seemed too extreme and too unbelievable based on how much time they actually spent together and how little they knew about one another. This whole insta love trope has been way over done and I was a disappointed to find it in a book I otherwise enjoyed. 
 Recommendation: The Forsaken is an interesting and well plotted start to what promises to be an exciting series and one that I hope will raise lots of interesting questions and ideas about our future and current society. I will definitely be picking up book two. Recommended for dystopia fans and those who loved Lord of the Flies.