Book Review: The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Title: The Testing Series: (The Testing  #1) Author Info: Website | Twitter | Goodreads Age Group: Young Adult Genre Type: Dystopian Publication Date: June 4th 2013 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
 
              Format: eGalley …

Title: The Testing
Series: (The Testing  #1)
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre Type: Dystopian
Publication Date:
June 4th 2013
Publisher:
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
              Format: eGalley
Pages: 352 pages
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Reading: For Review

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau is a new and exciting addition to the Young Adult book world, and should especially please Dystopian fans.

Similar  in style to The Hunger Games, The Testing has great pacing and kept me intrigued throughout. Filled with both psychological and physical drama, I easily got caught up in the testing process. The Testing had me turning the pages as the tension slowly escalated. Joelle Charbonneau did a great job with the backdrop for the story too, giving it a believable Dystopian setting for the story to unfold as well a nicely developed characters. I think readers will be pleasantly surprised after reading The Testing, and eagerly awaiting it’s next installment. The tension is amazing, and the ending will really leave readers wanting more!

The Testing begins at the Five Lakes Colony where we meet Cia, the main character, and begin to understand more about why Cia and the Five Lakes Colony are such a unique community. Cia has just graduated and is wondering if she will be chosen as a candidate for The Testing, a process where only the  “best and brightest” are chosen to compete for a better future including further education and possible leadership. But after Cia is chosen along with several other classmates for the Testing, she begins to have doubts. Her father warns her about his strange memories of the The Testing and warns:“Cia, Trust no one.”

There’s plenty of turmoil and distrust among the other candidates too. I felt like I was watching my back right along with Cia, and I was still guessing all the way to the end on which characters were really trustworthy, if any.  By the time Cia is chosen as a Testing candidate and the actual Testing begins, the tension is already high, and it just keeps going, making you turn the pages to see why sort of test Cia must go through next. There was both mental and physical challenges that Cia and the other Testing candidates were going through. Overall,  I thought the actual Testing sequences were amazing, and I definitely was not disappointed.


Cia's character really shines in The Testing, and I found her not only very likeable, but easy to admire. She is smart and adept both mentally and physically. Her ability to keep adapting to the Testing and her unique background from the Five Lakes Colony really made her interesting and not easily forgotten.

There is some romance in The testing which I liked and it’s a gradual romance that compliments the story without overpowering it. I loved watching it develop slowly along side the tension that was building as each Testing sequence was happening to Cia.

The Testing had a great ending with just the right amount of surprise and drama. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and can't wait to find out more about Cia. If you're looking for a new series set in a Dystopian world with a great heroine, lots of action and some gut wrenching tension, I think you'll enjoy The Testing.

My Rating: Four Stars. I really liked it! 

I received an ARC copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley.

For Author and Publishing information simply hover over image.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Kim

Avid reader, I enjoy reading all kinds of genres including: Paranormal, Urban, Steampunk, Dystopia, Fantasy, and Gothic, Horror and of course Romance, just to name a few. From Swoony Romances to Zombies and everything in between. 

http://www.book-swoon.com/
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