ark99's review against another edition
3.0
gave me hunger games and divergent vibes but what dystopian book doesn't
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
5.0
*I received a free ARC of The Testing from via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
Very interesting, but tough book!
This and other reviews can also be found on my blog (un)Conventional Bokviews.
The Testing starts with Cia’s graduation, and the hope that she will be selected for the testing in the Commonwealth’s capital Tosu City. Several of Cia’s friens think she’ll be chosen, even if it has been a long time since any student from Five Lakes has been chosen.
Very interesting, but tough book!
This and other reviews can also be found on my blog (un)Conventional Bokviews.
The Testing starts with Cia’s graduation, and the hope that she will be selected for the testing in the Commonwealth’s capital Tosu City. Several of Cia’s friens think she’ll be chosen, even if it has been a long time since any student from Five Lakes has been chosen.
egbella's review against another edition
4.0
A fun read with some fascinating backstory and intriguing and suspenseful plot. I'll admit upfront that there are many things I think this story could have done better - namely character development, further explanation of the world, and several plot lines - but as I'm forever a fan of dystopian novels, I enjoyed this more than I maybe should have, haha. There's nothing ground-breaking or differing much from your generic dystopian, but I read the story in one night, and am definitely open to reading the rest of the books in the series if I come across them (this one was loaned to me).
crystal_reading's review against another edition
3.0
The Testing has a premise that has been used before - after horrible wars, the government needs to rebuild and wants to find the very best of the best to help create the new nation. To do this, they choose young people and run them through some tests. It is a survival of the fittest type of situation. This is no Survivor reality show though. It is the real deal and there are life or death choices to be made. Such an idea is not completely unique, but Charbonneau did keep it interesting for the most part and filled it with plenty of action and suspense. She managed to fit in a few surprises along the way including machine guns, betrayal and a few assorted predators.
Though some of it felt like a repeat of recent popular dystopian novels, Cia was not just a copy of the others. She is impressive from the very beginning. She's intelligent, cares for and respects her family, and has some serious mechanical skills. She has a girl-next-door appeal. There is no doubt that she's tough, but she also manages to stay warm and open. That made it very easy to root for her. Cia's character is the strongest part of the novel.
Dystopian fans will likely enjoy it, but there isn't a lot about it that stands out from the rest of the crowded shelves.
Digital ARC from NetGalley. Original review http://readingtl.blogspot.com/2013/06/review-testing.html
Though some of it felt like a repeat of recent popular dystopian novels, Cia was not just a copy of the others. She is impressive from the very beginning. She's intelligent, cares for and respects her family, and has some serious mechanical skills. She has a girl-next-door appeal. There is no doubt that she's tough, but she also manages to stay warm and open. That made it very easy to root for her. Cia's character is the strongest part of the novel.
Dystopian fans will likely enjoy it, but there isn't a lot about it that stands out from the rest of the crowded shelves.
Digital ARC from NetGalley. Original review http://readingtl.blogspot.com/2013/06/review-testing.html
phonologia's review against another edition
3.0
I actually enjoyed this book a lot, but it was a fairly blatant Hunger Games rip off. If derivative fiction annoys you, best to skip this one.
juliaremi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
chasingholden's review against another edition
5.0
full review coming soon. For now I'll just say this went straight to my list of favorite series. I bought it before I even finished it because I loved it so much! sleep can wait. book two here I come!
erinarkin20's review against another edition
4.0
The Testing was a quick and interesting read. There was enough action to keep me turning the pages and plenty of deception and secrets to keep me engaged in trying to figure out what was going to happen next.
Every year, the Commonwealth chooses from the brightest students in each colony to attend the The Testing. This is a series of tests the candidates are put through to determine who will attend University and become the future leaders. The Five Lakes colony has not had representatives participate in quite a while and it turns out there is good reason for it.
Malencia (Cia) Vale is one of four graduates from Five Lakes that get chosen to participate. This is something she has worked extremely hard for and just prior to making the journey to Tosu City, where the testing will be held, Cia has a heart to heart with her father who also participated in The Testing when he was young. He cautions her to trust no one and be careful. Another candidate from Cia’s colony is Tomas. Turns out he is the smartest person in her class (according to Cia) and while they have worked together on school projects, they never really had an opportunity to get to know each other. All of that changes as quickly they gravitate toward each other and become one another’s confidante….kind of.
Cia and Tomas trust each other but there are definitely limits to that trust. For Cia, I get the sense that she wanted to fully trust in him but she plays it off that it is never a good time to reveal any of the secrets she was keeping. Because we don’t get to view anything from Tomas’ point of view, I’m at a loss as to what his deal is. I think he does truly care for Cia but I get the sense that there is something more to him and his actions. Considering the final secret that is revealed regarding what happened while Cia and Tomas were separated during the fourth test, I feel somewhat justified saying that.
I thought the world building Charbonneau did here was wonderful. As a reader I was brought into the history of the Cia’s world through her testing. As she responded to the questions as well as traversed through the uncolonized areas, we were able to learn more about how things came to be as well as just how bad it really was for some. I was really not expecting the humans that were not really human anymore so bravo on that one.
This book will ultimately be compared to other dystopians out there (there is one in particular that comes to mind) but I have to say, I was impressed with this novel. It isn’t pretty and these are life and death situations the candidates are facing. It was interesting to see how some responded to the pressure and situations. Cia never compromises her beliefs and what her parents taught her just to survive and while this is admirable, it is one of the things that causes trouble for her. Don’t get me wrong, Cia is tough and very smart. She thinks things through but she also isn’t afraid to act and do what she feels is right or needs to be done. She just tends to give people the benefit of the doubt and more often than not, it came back to bite her.
Overall this was a great first book in the series. I found it interesting and although there is somewhat of a cliffhanger with this one, it was a logical place to create a break. I am definitely looking forward to the next book and hoping to learn more about Michal and these rebels as well as see if Zeen makes an appearance. It will be interesting to see what happens as things start to be revealed (hopefully) in the next book.
Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of the book for review.
Every year, the Commonwealth chooses from the brightest students in each colony to attend the The Testing. This is a series of tests the candidates are put through to determine who will attend University and become the future leaders. The Five Lakes colony has not had representatives participate in quite a while and it turns out there is good reason for it.
Malencia (Cia) Vale is one of four graduates from Five Lakes that get chosen to participate. This is something she has worked extremely hard for and just prior to making the journey to Tosu City, where the testing will be held, Cia has a heart to heart with her father who also participated in The Testing when he was young. He cautions her to trust no one and be careful. Another candidate from Cia’s colony is Tomas. Turns out he is the smartest person in her class (according to Cia) and while they have worked together on school projects, they never really had an opportunity to get to know each other. All of that changes as quickly they gravitate toward each other and become one another’s confidante….kind of.
Cia and Tomas trust each other but there are definitely limits to that trust. For Cia, I get the sense that she wanted to fully trust in him but she plays it off that it is never a good time to reveal any of the secrets she was keeping. Because we don’t get to view anything from Tomas’ point of view, I’m at a loss as to what his deal is. I think he does truly care for Cia but I get the sense that there is something more to him and his actions. Considering the final secret that is revealed regarding what happened while Cia and Tomas were separated during the fourth test, I feel somewhat justified saying that.
I thought the world building Charbonneau did here was wonderful. As a reader I was brought into the history of the Cia’s world through her testing. As she responded to the questions as well as traversed through the uncolonized areas, we were able to learn more about how things came to be as well as just how bad it really was for some. I was really not expecting the humans that were not really human anymore so bravo on that one.
This book will ultimately be compared to other dystopians out there (there is one in particular that comes to mind) but I have to say, I was impressed with this novel. It isn’t pretty and these are life and death situations the candidates are facing. It was interesting to see how some responded to the pressure and situations. Cia never compromises her beliefs and what her parents taught her just to survive and while this is admirable, it is one of the things that causes trouble for her. Don’t get me wrong, Cia is tough and very smart. She thinks things through but she also isn’t afraid to act and do what she feels is right or needs to be done. She just tends to give people the benefit of the doubt and more often than not, it came back to bite her.
Overall this was a great first book in the series. I found it interesting and although there is somewhat of a cliffhanger with this one, it was a logical place to create a break. I am definitely looking forward to the next book and hoping to learn more about Michal and these rebels as well as see if Zeen makes an appearance. It will be interesting to see what happens as things start to be revealed (hopefully) in the next book.
Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of the book for review.
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
5.0
The Testing is set in the future on the Earth ravaged by wars. Humanity lives in small green oases which are man-made by soil-regeneration and genetic modification of plant life to grow in new conditions. I liked the world Joelle Charbonneau developed, it presents a scary but possible future for humanity. There is no info-dumping, instead we are presented with small significant (and insignificant) bits and facts through the whole book that in the end help us understand the society and the motives behind the Testing better.
Story is narrated by Cia. I immediately felt connection to her. Cia reminded me a lot of me when I was high school graduate (a geek, from a small community, hopes to go to The University). Because she is smart, problem-solver, compassionate, thinks before she acts and plans ahead, Cia is one of my favorite heroines in young adult novels. I wish there were more like her.
Sadly for Cia, she has no control over the decision if her education will be continued. Since college is expensive, government picks only the best to come to The Testing for The University. And believe me if you thought your exams for college entry were hard, you are going to rethink that statement after you see what Joelle Charbonneau has in store for our heroes.
As always, every time a novel is labeled as young adult dystopian, comparison to The Hunger Games is inevitable. But this time the advertisement is not lying. In many ways The Testing has some elements similar to The Hunger Games: heroine is a smart and resourceful young girl who with a group of teens is set to compete against each other in a battle of wits. But here the motives for this competition are much more reasonable to me, after all when you are choosing future world leaders and politicians, you need him to be able to endure pressure and be the best there is. In some sick way, their logic has some weird sense.
In fact, I liked The Testing more than The Hunger Games. There, I said it kill me now. Sorry but, I adored the heroine and the world was chilling but possible future for us. Something like this could truly happen people, so be careful!
I will stop singing praises about The Testing now, and if you waited for me to say something bad about this book - it's not going to happen. I would not change a thing. I can not wait to read more about Cia's adventures in a sequel Independent Study. I know that she will not give up to fight for the right cause.
"Funny, but giving up is the last thing I will do. Not after everything we have witnessed and the things we have been forced to do. Giving up would be like admitting none of it mattered. And it needs to matter. It needs to be remembered."
So, if you are in a mood for young adult dystopian novel who is set in a frighteningly possible future world with smart realistic characters, likeable heroine, cute friends to lover side romance (100% clean and young adult safe) then grab The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau. Or buy it as a birthday gift to those friends who loved The Hunger Games, there is a big chance they are going to enjoy this one too!
My rating: 5 perfect stars!
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
Story is narrated by Cia. I immediately felt connection to her. Cia reminded me a lot of me when I was high school graduate (a geek, from a small community, hopes to go to The University). Because she is smart, problem-solver, compassionate, thinks before she acts and plans ahead, Cia is one of my favorite heroines in young adult novels. I wish there were more like her.
Sadly for Cia, she has no control over the decision if her education will be continued. Since college is expensive, government picks only the best to come to The Testing for The University. And believe me if you thought your exams for college entry were hard, you are going to rethink that statement after you see what Joelle Charbonneau has in store for our heroes.
As always, every time a novel is labeled as young adult dystopian, comparison to The Hunger Games is inevitable. But this time the advertisement is not lying. In many ways The Testing has some elements similar to The Hunger Games: heroine is a smart and resourceful young girl who with a group of teens is set to compete against each other in a battle of wits. But here the motives for this competition are much more reasonable to me, after all when you are choosing future world leaders and politicians, you need him to be able to endure pressure and be the best there is. In some sick way, their logic has some weird sense.
In fact, I liked The Testing more than The Hunger Games. There, I said it kill me now. Sorry but, I adored the heroine and the world was chilling but possible future for us. Something like this could truly happen people, so be careful!
I will stop singing praises about The Testing now, and if you waited for me to say something bad about this book - it's not going to happen. I would not change a thing. I can not wait to read more about Cia's adventures in a sequel Independent Study. I know that she will not give up to fight for the right cause.
"Funny, but giving up is the last thing I will do. Not after everything we have witnessed and the things we have been forced to do. Giving up would be like admitting none of it mattered. And it needs to matter. It needs to be remembered."
So, if you are in a mood for young adult dystopian novel who is set in a frighteningly possible future world with smart realistic characters, likeable heroine, cute friends to lover side romance (100% clean and young adult safe) then grab The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau. Or buy it as a birthday gift to those friends who loved The Hunger Games, there is a big chance they are going to enjoy this one too!
My rating: 5 perfect stars!
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.