erinarkin20's review against another edition
2.0
So this one was a bit of a let down for me. The first few chapters were great and I was super engaged due to the immediate action as well as the background and world building. Beyond that I wasn't that impressed.
Alenna became an orphan at the age of 10 due to her parents being taken by the government. At the age of 16, kids are given a test to determine whether they are solid citizens of the UNA. Surprise - Alenna doesn't pass the test and wakes up from it to find herself stranded on the island (everyone calls it The Wheel). Here is where things get iffy for me. There is a ton of descriptive text but things aren't really explained. How did Vei and The Monk live for so long if the normal life expectancy is 2 years. Where did the extra clothes come from - seriously, if they have a stash of spare clothes and robes somewhere (and let's not forget spare eyeglasses for David - WHAT??)...what else is around the island?
Outside of that, the characters didn't really draw me in. I initially liked Alenna and I suppose I don't dislike her but I didn't love her. Gadya was actually a bit annoying to me - the whole "we're friends, we're not friends" thing was silly and I don't even think that aspect to the story was necessary. I was glad to learn a little bit about Liam but wanted to know more about David. There just wasn't enough development there and the fact that the book ends without anything regarding what happened to him is just mean...I mean, there was nothing to indicate anyone had any idea and that anything was going to be done to figure it out.
Finally, the romance. I find it interesting when a character decides they are in love after 3 weeks (rough estimate) of being around someone. Nevermind that they have only really had about 3 full conversations and kissed briefly twice.
Overall this story has a lot of promise - I might read the next one to see where it goes and learn more about what the deal is with the government, the rebels and also what the heck happened to David.
Alenna became an orphan at the age of 10 due to her parents being taken by the government. At the age of 16, kids are given a test to determine whether they are solid citizens of the UNA. Surprise - Alenna doesn't pass the test and wakes up from it to find herself stranded on the island (everyone calls it The Wheel). Here is where things get iffy for me. There is a ton of descriptive text but things aren't really explained. How did Vei and The Monk live for so long if the normal life expectancy is 2 years. Where did the extra clothes come from - seriously, if they have a stash of spare clothes and robes somewhere (and let's not forget spare eyeglasses for David - WHAT??)...what else is around the island?
Outside of that, the characters didn't really draw me in. I initially liked Alenna and I suppose I don't dislike her but I didn't love her. Gadya was actually a bit annoying to me - the whole "we're friends, we're not friends" thing was silly and I don't even think that aspect to the story was necessary. I was glad to learn a little bit about Liam but wanted to know more about David. There just wasn't enough development there and the fact that the book ends without anything regarding what happened to him is just mean...I mean, there was nothing to indicate anyone had any idea and that anything was going to be done to figure it out.
Finally, the romance. I find it interesting when a character decides they are in love after 3 weeks (rough estimate) of being around someone. Nevermind that they have only really had about 3 full conversations and kissed briefly twice.
Overall this story has a lot of promise - I might read the next one to see where it goes and learn more about what the deal is with the government, the rebels and also what the heck happened to David.
pinkhydroflask's review against another edition
3.0
RATING: 7/10
This book was a nicely tossed salad comprising of elements from the hunger games, the maze runner
and lord of the flies. it's a very typical dystopian scifi novel that seems to follow the exact same style and formula used by a lot of YA authors in their storytelling.
THE PLOT
100 pages in, my first thought was that this held so many similarities with the maze runner. From GPPT, to sending kids to live in isolation on their own, being trapped on 'the wheel', the feelers that would attack the kids etc, the similarities were endless. the different 'tribes' reminded me of the lord of the flies, two groups constantly trying to usurp each other and fight for survival, kids that just want to leave the 'wheel' but need to fight their way out and so on and so forth.
i'm not saying that this was a bad thing, but i do wish that the storyline isn't quite as overused. i wanted something fresh and unique, and this just didn't really do it for me. it felt very much like i was reading a knockoff version of all these bestselling novels.
THE PACE
The pace however, was pretty good. There wasn't much dull scenes that made me want to scream and punch a wall, which was nice. I thought that the pace was relatively fast throughout, and more than once i was clutching the book tightly, trying to read as fast as possible. the action scenes were packed and well written, which made this book so enjoyable.
THE CHARACTERS
I thought the romance was unnecessary and trash, but what's a YA novel without two hormonal kids sucking face even when they're facing mortal danger, am i right? the romance contributed absolutely JACK SHIT to the plot. it didn't improve the story, it didn't make anything more interesting... it was just there, irrelevant and annoying.
the characters are not the most well-developed ones i've read, but i didn't really dislike anyone so that's a plus. i do wish we could've seen more of people like rika, david and veidman, and i'm hopeful for more solid buildup in the next two books.
THE ENDING
good lord this was one predictable ass book. there was no curveball, there was no plot twist, everything just seemed to fall into place somehow and everything ended on a nice, happy(?) note with the main character and her beautiful boyfriend feeling safe and warm etc. the ending gave me a lot of hunger games vibes, what with the rebellion against the government etc. it was your typical "pre-2nd-book-typical-ending", nothing i haven't read a thousand times before.
i'll admit that it does lay a good foundation for the second book, but i do wish it had ended on a more thrilling note.
overall, it was an enjoyable read! i whipped through it in less than 24 hours, and have high expectations for the rest of the trilogy.
This book was a nicely tossed salad comprising of elements from the hunger games, the maze runner
and lord of the flies. it's a very typical dystopian scifi novel that seems to follow the exact same style and formula used by a lot of YA authors in their storytelling.
THE PLOT
100 pages in, my first thought was that this held so many similarities with the maze runner. From GPPT, to sending kids to live in isolation on their own, being trapped on 'the wheel', the feelers that would attack the kids etc, the similarities were endless. the different 'tribes' reminded me of the lord of the flies, two groups constantly trying to usurp each other and fight for survival, kids that just want to leave the 'wheel' but need to fight their way out and so on and so forth.
i'm not saying that this was a bad thing, but i do wish that the storyline isn't quite as overused. i wanted something fresh and unique, and this just didn't really do it for me. it felt very much like i was reading a knockoff version of all these bestselling novels.
THE PACE
The pace however, was pretty good. There wasn't much dull scenes that made me want to scream and punch a wall, which was nice. I thought that the pace was relatively fast throughout, and more than once i was clutching the book tightly, trying to read as fast as possible. the action scenes were packed and well written, which made this book so enjoyable.
THE CHARACTERS
I thought the romance was unnecessary and trash, but what's a YA novel without two hormonal kids sucking face even when they're facing mortal danger, am i right? the romance contributed absolutely JACK SHIT to the plot. it didn't improve the story, it didn't make anything more interesting... it was just there, irrelevant and annoying.
the characters are not the most well-developed ones i've read, but i didn't really dislike anyone so that's a plus. i do wish we could've seen more of people like rika, david and veidman, and i'm hopeful for more solid buildup in the next two books.
THE ENDING
good lord this was one predictable ass book. there was no curveball, there was no plot twist, everything just seemed to fall into place somehow and everything ended on a nice, happy(?) note with the main character and her beautiful boyfriend feeling safe and warm etc. the ending gave me a lot of hunger games vibes, what with the rebellion against the government etc. it was your typical "pre-2nd-book-typical-ending", nothing i haven't read a thousand times before.
i'll admit that it does lay a good foundation for the second book, but i do wish it had ended on a more thrilling note.
overall, it was an enjoyable read! i whipped through it in less than 24 hours, and have high expectations for the rest of the trilogy.
xdarkthunderx's review against another edition
2.0
Enjoyed it for the most part, but the characters had so little depth and it was really hard to care about them. Also, the ending sucks. Make a sequel please, Lisa Stasse. Please. Tie up the loose ends.
juniperbranches's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Dystopian future society where the government scans and removes teenagers that they determine to be ‘untethered souls’ or dissidents and sends them to an uninhabited tropical island.
Cool concept, except that the main character sees a cute boy with abs and then proceeds to think about very little else for the rest of the book. Very meh for me.
Cool concept, except that the main character sees a cute boy with abs and then proceeds to think about very little else for the rest of the book. Very meh for me.
megatronix's review against another edition
4.0
Lord of the Flies meets The Island = intriguing plot.
Romance = so bad it loses a star. YA writers, you don't always have to include a love interest? Especially when it actually detracts from the rest of your story??
Romance = so bad it loses a star. YA writers, you don't always have to include a love interest? Especially when it actually detracts from the rest of your story??
amiejcp's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely interested in reading the next books in the trilogy. Interesting concept, similar to some other dystopian novels but not in a way that it gets predictable or repetitive.
ashleyprice_2000's review against another edition
3.0
The premise? Intriguing. The execution? Meh. I’m all for a fast paced book, but this book was too fast, if that makes sense:
**SPOILERS**(kinda)
In an effort to make the book interesting, the faster pace often translated into character after character being killed/taken…even the important ones. But there was no real character development, sooo I was mostly going “Oop so and so died. Oh and so and so disappeared. That’s a shame. Oh dang he got stabbed. Oh well.”
It felt like the book was trying to accelerate to the ending/future books at the detriment of forming a connection to any characters.
**SPOILERS**(kinda)
In an effort to make the book interesting, the faster pace often translated into character after character being killed/taken…even the important ones. But there was no real character development, sooo I was mostly going “Oop so and so died. Oh and so and so disappeared. That’s a shame. Oh dang he got stabbed. Oh well.”
It felt like the book was trying to accelerate to the ending/future books at the detriment of forming a connection to any characters.
novelheartbeat's review against another edition
I can't bring myself to finish this one. I've been trying to for the past 2 weeks, and not only do I need to return it to the library, but I feel it's time to move on to something else.
Not halfway through the book, the main character says she's 'fallen for him' after just meeting the dude and only talking to him 2 or 3 times. YOU CANNOT LOVE SOMEONE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW. This ruined the book for me.
Maybe someday I'll try again. Maybe.
Not halfway through the book, the main character says she's 'fallen for him' after just meeting the dude and only talking to him 2 or 3 times. YOU CANNOT LOVE SOMEONE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW. This ruined the book for me.
Maybe someday I'll try again. Maybe.
radiansreads's review against another edition
4.0
A real page-turner, The Forsaken is full of thrills and adventures. It's also very addicting, and, I kid you not, I had a hard time putting this down even after it ended.
I kinda like Alenna. She was a weakling when she first landed on the Wheel, but she didn't let that stop her. Instead she did everything she could to get stronger. She's also the type to avoid using violence unless necessary. I admire how she's still kind and doesn't just get angry to the person who not-so-subtly turned their back on her.
I thought the relationship between Alenna and Liam was a bit too quick and shallow. The two barely even spend time with each other to fully say that they are in love. I also think she doesn't really know Liam much. Sure there was a couple of times when he told us a little bit about his past, but, in my opinion, it wasn't enough to jump-start their relationship like that.
The plot was intriguing enough. The story was told in Alenna's point-of-view, and the readers share he same sense of hopelessness and confusion since she didn't really know much about how she ended up in the Wheel. Most of the time I had this feeling like it was a bit similar to another dystopian, although I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
In short, I'm actually surprised at how much I love this book. It wasn't the exact thing I was expecting, but a mixture of adventures, romance, and tangled mess of secrets waiting to be unveiled. In a way, it was exactly what I liked and needed. 4 stars!
I kinda like Alenna. She was a weakling when she first landed on the Wheel, but she didn't let that stop her. Instead she did everything she could to get stronger. She's also the type to avoid using violence unless necessary. I admire how she's still kind and doesn't just get angry to the person who not-so-subtly turned their back on her.
I thought the relationship between Alenna and Liam was a bit too quick and shallow. The two barely even spend time with each other to fully say that they are in love. I also think she doesn't really know Liam much. Sure there was a couple of times when he told us a little bit about his past, but, in my opinion, it wasn't enough to jump-start their relationship like that.
The plot was intriguing enough. The story was told in Alenna's point-of-view, and the readers share he same sense of hopelessness and confusion since she didn't really know much about how she ended up in the Wheel. Most of the time I had this feeling like it was a bit similar to another dystopian, although I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
In short, I'm actually surprised at how much I love this book. It wasn't the exact thing I was expecting, but a mixture of adventures, romance, and tangled mess of secrets waiting to be unveiled. In a way, it was exactly what I liked and needed. 4 stars!