Alenna has escaped from the wheel, against the odds. The wheel is an island where criminals are sent, with orders from the UNA -- a totalitarian country that is made up of United States, Mexico and Canada. Alenna and her boyfriend, Liam have escaped, but their safety is still at risk. Here's the problem - to destroy the UNA they have to have control of the wheel. Now there's a new Monk with an even better army of Drones. Soon Alenna and Liam are in over their heads. Alenna knows she must save them all.

I read THE UPRISING, the second installment in The Forsaken Trilogy, without having read the first book. Having said that, I was kept enthralled enough to want to read the first book immediately after having finished this one, and also, more importantly, wasn't held back too much as a new reader to the series. There's a pretty high level of intensity throughout. The plot is taut, and there is a lot of action with many twists.

THE UPRISING can function as a stand alone, but I suspect there will be more understanding and more meaning behind certain things once I do read the first. It's always a gamble not to read a series from the start to finish, and admittedly not my usual way to go about things, but the premise of this story sounded so intriguing that I jumped at the opportunity to give it a perusal. The author, Lisa M. Stasse, provides enough information in the beginning to effectively catch up new readers to the series. Science fiction and dystopian YA fans should check THE UPRISING out.