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Saturday, August 27, 2016

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

by:  Joelle Charbonneau
published by:  Houghton Mifflin
publish date:  June 3, 2013

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. 


This is a book I've had on my TBR pile forever.  My library got the audiobook so I was finally able to get this one done.

Basically this a pretty typical dystopian type book.  The world has been destroyed by war.  The country has been broken up into large sections.  Each section sends its best and brightest to The Testing each year.  If a candidate is able pass the testing then they are able to attend university and be eligible for some of the more coveted jobs.  However, the students that pass are given medication to wipe all memory of the test.  No one can pass tips down, except Cia's father, who was able to maintain some memory of the test.  He gives her advice that gives her a leg up on all the other candidates.

Despite the fact that I've been trying to stay away from YA dysopian trilogies, I wanted to give this one a try.  I'm glad I did, it was a pretty story.  It wasn't anything super amazing, but there were a few spots that I was surprised about.  I would recommend this book for fans of the genre.

1 comment:

Ethan said...

It seems like this one is a good way to get out of a reading slump. Sometimes I have to read something like this that isn't too taxing. I recently started listening to audiobooks during my commute to work and have found them to be a great way to get in some extra reading. Thanks for the great review!