Recently, I read The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau, and it was such a fun story! I am a huge fan of dystopian books, so the genre immediately attracted me. I also love a good trilogy, it allows me to fall in love with the characters and fall deep into the world.
This book was one of my favorite reads so far this year! I can’t wait to read the next two books in the series. If you are looking for an exciting and unique read to put on your TBR, this is the book for you! Check out my full book review below.
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Title: The Testing
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Release Date: June 4, 2013
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This is a spoiler-free review : )
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Book Summary
This book opens up in the United Commonwealth, which is what remains of the US after a seven-stage war. Much of the land is full of toxic radiation and mutated animals. The United Commonwealth has been divided into different colonies, one of which is where the main character, Cia, has just finished her general schooling. After graduation, Cia is accepted into an intense testing program used to analyze applicants physically, mentally, and emotionally. Results from this test determine who will get the honor of continuing their education in the capital, Tosu City. Those who make it through testing are guaranteed important jobs in the United Commonwealth. However, a warning from her father makes her suspect that there is more to the testing process than meets the eye. Cia must decide who she wants to trust and what she can do to ensure her safety through The Testing.
The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau Book Review
This is my very first book review, so I am incredibly excited. Let me know what you think and if I left anything out. Be gentle!
The publisher introduced this novel as something fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent will love. Therefore, walking into this series, I expected it to be like every other dystopian novel released in the past couple of years. In some ways, it was. Some aspects were similar to both The Hunger Games and Divergent so I can understand why some readers felt that this series was attempting to copy or hop on the bandwagon. However as I dove deeper into this book and explored the world and the characters, there are clear separations that make this book unique. This story brings up many interesting topics about society, it is great for anyone who loves dystopian books.
The author of The Testing, Joelle Charbonneau, was really successful in displaying how the young adult characters would be feeling under the stress of the testing process. I am a huge fan of characterization in stories, and Charbonneau hits it right on the head. Cia and the other teens are experiencing things they never thought possible, and their reactions and emotions surrounding that were completely believable.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was the tests that the students endured throughout the story. These tests were so different and exciting, pushing the characters both physically and mentally. While reading, I was excited to find out what the next challenge was going to be, and how Cia was going to handle it. It kept me turning the page.
However, The one thing in this book that I didn’t entirely like was the relationships portrayed. I really enjoyed the reliance that Cia put on members of her colony because I think that is what any young adult would do in this situation. And, I did find it believable that she would become closer to these other testing students. However, I feel at some points she puts a little too much trust in the other students after she was warned by her father not to do just that. It made his warning at the start of the story an unnecessary inclusion from the author. This was especially true with Tomas. Some of the things he did throughout the testing were sketchy, but Cia never seemed to lose any trust in him.
Overall, I found this book very enjoyable. Despite some hang-ups I had with the character’s relationships, I read through the story quickly and I never had a problem with the writing or the plot. I was often on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen next. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an intriguing and immersive YA dystopian novel!
Thank you so much for reading!! Let me know what you think 🙂