ARC Review: The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Release Date: June 4th, 2013

336 pages

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same?

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.

Huge, huge thanks to Houghton Mifflin Books for Children for providing me with a copy for review!

ARC Review: Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead

Expected Publication: June 4th, 2013

464 pages

Publisher: Dutton Adult

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Despite having a plot that's all over the place, Gameboard of the Gods will keep you completely hooked. I just couldn't put it down, even though I didn't enjoy the story so much. That's saying something about Mead's writing. Gameboard of the Gods was entertaining and interesting enough, however I had expected so much more from this writer that I've heard so much about and maybe that was the problem.

I'm so conflicted about the plot! I liked it but I know there were some huge problems with it. Foremost the world-building was a bit weird, too many unexplainable things. I get that religion was banned but I didn't understand why (how did it come to that?). And I thought the reason that the Decline happened in the first place was a virus, but then religion illogically takes the blame. Then, there were the castes that were also highly illogical and against the RUNA's own rules. Nevertheless I enjoyed the premise about Justin and Mae working together to catch this murderous cult and how this was executed was also really captivating. But for me, the other plot lines weren't necessary to make this novel more interesting, it only succeeded in making it the more complicated and unlikable.

The characters were mostly interesting enough. Justin was a really charismatic character, he was just full of himself and that was entertaining to read. His relationship with Mae was also a nice addition to the series, since it's more mature and yet still full of complications and ups and downs, yet I would have liked for it to be less downs and more ups. Mae was a difficult character for me. At times, I really enjoyed her presence but in others (most of the time), I just wanted her to disappear. Tessa was a worthless character, she was nice and all but I still don't understand her role in the story. At least, I don't think that her story was worthy of its own POV in the novel.

Gameboard of the Gods is a more mature read, I would rather put it in the New Adult section than in the YA genre. The plot was a bit over the place, as mentioned; I would have enjoyed it more if the author had just concentrated the story on just one story line. There were too many details that could have been left out, in my opinion the whole caste thing could have been left unmentioned. The most interesting aspect of the novel was the religious problems and how they tried to uncover the cults and I guess that the Gods trying to possess people was also an interesting premise. Nonetheless Mead succeeded in captivating me throughout it and that's the reason this novel will be receiving a three stars rating. I was eager to get to the end of the novel and now I am certainly expecting the sequel to know how things will play out.

Huge thanks to Dutton Adult for providing me with a copy in exchange of an honest review!

ARC Review: The Pirate's Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Release Date: June 4th, 2013

336 pages

Publisher: Strange Chemistry

After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.

Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction.

This is something I rarely say about sequels but: I prefered The Pirate's Wish to its prequel, The Assassin's Curse! I'm plesantly shocked since the first novel in a series is almost always better than its sequels. Cassandra really achieved the impossible with this one. I was totally captivated and the world-building, the romance and even the characters developed so much in contrast to the prequel. The Pirate's Wish is exactly what every sequel should be: better.

There is a great pace to this novel, it a great mix of slower paced scenes with action-filled ones. It is the perfect sea adventure, with pirates and magic, curses and a unique humor. I also loved the building up to the romance, since we didn't get much of it in the first novel. It was so much fun to read, even more so than the first. I didn't know that this was the conclusion to this series when I started it, but now I that I know, it does certainly feel like a conclusion, with the curses broken and the romance question answered. But it was a blast to read just how they got to this point.

The main character, Ananna, is a great heroine. She is sarcastic and independent, naive and sweet. She is not the usual main character and that's refreshing. She is just so strong and thinks about her interests as well as those of the others. She loves Naji but she doesn't let her feelings cloud her dreams, she would make the best of it, even if he didn't like her back. She has a hard shell but a soft core. Naji is also a nice partner for her, he is not as expected. He is not swoony, but nice in his own way. He was way more romantic in this one too (I was even a bit surprised!). The manicore was, in my opinion, the best addition possible! She was funny in that serious way and made this novel even more entertaining.

All in all, The Pirate's Wish was a great conclusion to this captivating adventure. The romance is awkward, sweet and funny to read. The plot feels a lot like the Pirate of the Caribbean films with quest to break the curse, lots of dry humor and an adorable romance. Just what a fantasy should feel like. I really like fantasy novels and this one is certainly a great addition to the genre.

Huge thanks to Strange Chemistry for providing me with a copy for review!