Release Date: June 4th, 2013
336 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.
Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one.
But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.
If I could pick some novels that can satiate fans of The Hunger Games trilogy, The Testing would certainly be one of them. Sure there are many similarities, but also many differences that make The Testing special in its own way. With compelling characters, a plot full of action and a captivating romance, this is a dystopian novel you won't want to miss!
With a captivating plot, The Testing will leave you completely breathless, and I don't mean that because of the writing (which is amazing as well) but because this novel just doesn't have one moment of boredom. You will be sucked right in and you won't stop until you get to the end of it. And the ending, well, it's a big cliffhanger. So what's the Testing? The Testing is a way to filter the people who get to go to university and later have a great career. But what happens to those who fail the Testing? This and many other questions will be raised throughout the novel, making the sequel (this is a trilogy) a must-read. Charbonneau does have a way to write that will pique anyone's interest.
The characters were also amazingly well-developed. Cia is a worthy main character, almost reaching Katniss standart of awesomeness in a heroine. She is strong, intelligent and really confident (she must be to be chosen for the Testing). But throughout this novel you could see how she developed and changed because of the Testing mostly, and that was a decisive factor. I love when authors can write characters that are realistic, showing how their personalities or emotions change because of certain events. Her relationship with Thomas was also well-written. After reading the whole book, I'm still not sure which character Cia should or shouldn't trust.
The Testing is a promising beginning to a most probably enthralling trilogy. I, for one, can't wait to get my hands on the sequel and I'm even more incredibly lucky to have had the oportunity to read this one before the release date (although my review is bit late). I would certainly recommend fans of the Hunger Games or the Divergent trilogy to read this amazing novel. I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I did.
With a captivating plot, The Testing will leave you completely breathless, and I don't mean that because of the writing (which is amazing as well) but because this novel just doesn't have one moment of boredom. You will be sucked right in and you won't stop until you get to the end of it. And the ending, well, it's a big cliffhanger. So what's the Testing? The Testing is a way to filter the people who get to go to university and later have a great career. But what happens to those who fail the Testing? This and many other questions will be raised throughout the novel, making the sequel (this is a trilogy) a must-read. Charbonneau does have a way to write that will pique anyone's interest.
The characters were also amazingly well-developed. Cia is a worthy main character, almost reaching Katniss standart of awesomeness in a heroine. She is strong, intelligent and really confident (she must be to be chosen for the Testing). But throughout this novel you could see how she developed and changed because of the Testing mostly, and that was a decisive factor. I love when authors can write characters that are realistic, showing how their personalities or emotions change because of certain events. Her relationship with Thomas was also well-written. After reading the whole book, I'm still not sure which character Cia should or shouldn't trust.
The Testing is a promising beginning to a most probably enthralling trilogy. I, for one, can't wait to get my hands on the sequel and I'm even more incredibly lucky to have had the oportunity to read this one before the release date (although my review is bit late). I would certainly recommend fans of the Hunger Games or the Divergent trilogy to read this amazing novel. I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I did.
Huge, huge thanks to Houghton Mifflin Books for Children for providing me with a copy for review!
Great review :D Glad you loved this book :) Never heard of it before, but it sounds awesome.
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting on my mailbox last week. <3 Psst, you should google HarperCollins International :D They are awesome.
Love, Carina @ Carina's Books