Book Review; The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Summary:
DO YOU POSSESS A WINNING COMBINATION OF THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE, PRACTICAL SKLLS AND RAW INTELLIGENCE? DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO LEAD OTHERS? ARE YOU WILLING TO CRUSH THOSE WHO STAND IN YOUR WAY?

Every year, the United Commonwealth invites top graduates from each colony to participate in The Testing. Successful candidates will go on to the University and help the government work to rebuild our war-stricken world. This process is not optional.
Disclaimer: The United Commonwealth is not responsible for candidates’ psychological or physical heath during The Testing.

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To Be A

Having heard that this book was a lot like Hunger Games put me off reading it. I love the Hunger Games and I’m not really in the mood to read a replica. However, fortunately, when I finally got around to reading The Testing, I was pleasantly surprised. This book truly gripped me and I found it so difficult to actually stop reading and resume to normal life. While I agree that this book has elements that are vaguely similar to both Hunger Games and Divergent, it is also unique in its own right and well worth the read. Of course, if you Hunger Games and/or Divergent, you are more likely to like this book, if only because it is a dystopian with a similar style.

Great Leader

As mentioned above, the plot of this book truly gripped me. It was intense, full of mystery and intrigue andd was hard to find fault with. Joelle has created an interesting world that I found fascinating to learn about through this plot. It is a world with a newfound government that is all for making the world a place of peace with brilliant leaders. These leaders become leaders after they have first been tested It is of the highest priveledge to be tested, or that is what everyone is led to believe anyway. All of the tests in The Testing were brilliant and I loved reading about them. I was continuously on edge and curious about what would happen next, something that occured because of this marvellous plot. I fif have a few issues further into the book that irked me somewhat – but can’t mention without spoilers – but fortunately they didn’t ruin my overal enjoyment of the book.

You Must

Cia was my favourite character in this book by far. She was strong, smart and resilient. But, she also had her flaws and was just a truly human and realistic character that I couldn’t help but love. She was everything I love to see in female dystopia characters – completely kickass but with a true conscience. She definitely made this book a lot more enjoyable for me. If she had acted differently I think I would have given up on the story a while back. Tomas, in comparison, was irritating. I didn’t trust him and as much as I could see why Cia liked him, I just couldn’t do it myself. But, that’s not to say he wasn’t a good character. He was kind, supportive, and friendly and I can understand why others would like him. Other supporting characters were well-written and fleshed out and there were many I found myself connecting with!

First Pass

Truth be told, I have read a Joelle Charbonneau novel before and I really enjoyed it. However, that was a cozy mystery novel for adults; very different from this, thus I wasn’t sure if I would still enjoy her writing style for a more serious type of book. So I was glad to find myself pleasantly surprised by her writing in this book. She has really managed to make her writing intense and gripping one minute, and then full of pause and emotion the next. She’s really found the perfect combination for a dystopian, which made the book that much more enjoyable to read. It just made it clear how talented Joelle is and I am looking forward to reading more books by her – in any genre!

The Testing

In a few words to summarize everything, I loved this book! It was a great read that was full of suspense, mystery and action. It had amazing and powerful characters you can’t help b love, and a truly electric and unique plot that had you on edge throughout the book. It truly is an amazing book that I think so many more people should be reading! So if you like dystopians that are similar in style to Hunger Games and Divergent, but also manage to hold their own, then please do pick up this book, I am sure it will be worth it! And do not worry if you are a Hunger Games lover and don’t want a story that is practically the same because you won’t find that with The Testing, I promise. So, what are you waiting for? Go read it!