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bernluvsbooks 's review for:
The Testing
by Joelle Charbonneau
4 Stars for The Testing
Yes, The Testing has similarities to Divergent and The Hunger Games but it's just different enough to set it apart and strong enough to make it's own name in the vast YA Dystopian category.
About the Book:
The world has been ravaged by The Seven Stages War. The United Commonwealth is trying to re-build with the help of a few chosen students. Cia has worked hard in school to be "chosen" as a candidate for The Testing so that she can attend the University. Unfortunately, The Testing is not at all what Cia imagined it would be. Here is where you would mentally insert comparisons to The Hunger Games. The Testing is not just cut throat - passing the different stages determines if you live or die. I don't want to provide spoilers but the different stages of The Testing were fast-paced and interesting and by far my favorite parts of the book.
I enjoyed the main character, Cia. Cia was smart (she knows all about botany and is into engineering - I love that!), rational (I loved how she puzzles things together!), vulnerable (in a way that was true to her age) and caring. Even in an environment that rewards vicious, ruthless behavior Cia was kind and struggled with choices that went against her heart. I appreciated her remaining true to herself and her core values.
There is quite a bit of death and violence in the book as you'd expect from a YA Dystopian read. People tend to be ruthless and cutthroat in this kind of world. The actual "Testing" process was very interesting. It was like a massive psychological mind game. It kept Cia analyzing, second guessing and doubting everything. I was right there with her for it all.
There is also a touch of romance in the book but nothing inappropriate if you have a middle school reader. It wasn't dominant which I liked. I felt like Cia was too strong to be sidetracked by a boy when she had so much going on. She knew how important it was & I was glad to see that she kept Tomas from becoming front and center.
I hope the rest of the series will be equally good or better. The cliffhanger ending definitely piqued my interest. I'll certainly be reading on at some point to see what happens next as they move from The Testing to the University.
Yes, The Testing has similarities to Divergent and The Hunger Games but it's just different enough to set it apart and strong enough to make it's own name in the vast YA Dystopian category.
About the Book:
The world has been ravaged by The Seven Stages War. The United Commonwealth is trying to re-build with the help of a few chosen students. Cia has worked hard in school to be "chosen" as a candidate for The Testing so that she can attend the University. Unfortunately, The Testing is not at all what Cia imagined it would be. Here is where you would mentally insert comparisons to The Hunger Games. The Testing is not just cut throat - passing the different stages determines if you live or die. I don't want to provide spoilers but the different stages of The Testing were fast-paced and interesting and by far my favorite parts of the book.
I enjoyed the main character, Cia. Cia was smart (she knows all about botany and is into engineering - I love that!), rational (I loved how she puzzles things together!), vulnerable (in a way that was true to her age) and caring. Even in an environment that rewards vicious, ruthless behavior Cia was kind and struggled with choices that went against her heart. I appreciated her remaining true to herself and her core values.
There is quite a bit of death and violence in the book as you'd expect from a YA Dystopian read. People tend to be ruthless and cutthroat in this kind of world. The actual "Testing" process was very interesting. It was like a massive psychological mind game. It kept Cia analyzing, second guessing and doubting everything. I was right there with her for it all.
There is also a touch of romance in the book but nothing inappropriate if you have a middle school reader. It wasn't dominant which I liked. I felt like Cia was too strong to be sidetracked by a boy when she had so much going on. She knew how important it was & I was glad to see that she kept Tomas from becoming front and center.
I hope the rest of the series will be equally good or better. The cliffhanger ending definitely piqued my interest. I'll certainly be reading on at some point to see what happens next as they move from The Testing to the University.