The Testing

Great new YA dystopia novel! Okay, yes, this book is similar to "The Hunger Games." But considering all the dystopian society works of late, why not be comparable to probably the best of its genre? The characters are interesting and the themes are thought-provoking. I do appreciate that the MC's love interest is not perfect, and the author approaches the end of the book (which obviously will have a sequel) without sacrificing the flow of the writing and making sure it doesn't feel forced. The settings are more city-based/urban than many novels of this market. What makes this book worth reading is simply that, even though it follows the YA dystopia formula, the characters and storyline are as original as any reader could ask. Recommended for fans of all YA dystopias, especially "The Hunger Games," "Divergent," and "Partials."Net Galley Feedback[book:The Testing13326831][author:Joelle Charbonneau4027380]

Read from April 08 to 11, 2013People in power will always find a way to punish those not in power...especially in post-apocalyptic societies. This book is A LOT like The Hunger Games. The society is different, the world itself is different, the end of civilization happened in a different way. But there was so much that was similar -- children are chosen to go to "University" instead of "the Games" and some of them might die. Instead of one surviving out of 24, 20 survive out of 100. Our main character, Cia, must stay alive and help her boyfriend live, too! Despite the obvious similarities, I did enjoy this book. I think the next book will offer a very different set of challenges for Cia that will separate this book from The Hunger Games. But as for this one, wow. It is VERY difficult not to compare.Reading Progress04/11 page 336 100.0% "Trust no one. Seriously."04/11 page 232 69.0% "Wait...so the Michal guy said they weren't listening...but she's wearing the bracelet...so he doesn't know about that either or he's a trickster?"04/10 page 146 43.0% "Where is Tosu City supposed to be? And why do so many dystopias exist near Chicago?"04/09 page 127 37.0% "These tests are intense."

This is a Netgalley review - and I decided to do it by taking notes as I read. If you're sensitive to spoilers, DO NOT READ this.OK - what exactly has been Cia's and Tomas's relationship? First, in the skimmer, she's had a mild crush on him but she's not thinking about dating or boys. Then they've worked and played and danced together. Then they've regularly been partners and gotten top scores. Inconsistent!Why? What's the point of all the secrecy and coercion in the Testing? (writing as they arrive at the Testing Center) How does it help reconstruction, or keeping the current rulers in power, or anything else? OK, a little more explanation as she sets out on the trek...but still. Weeding out the nearly best doesn't really seem the smartest way to keep things going. And nobody's seriously objected in 50 years?Elevator - is it that gentle? I'd have expected them to stagger, and notice more than the numbers changing if it went up 4 floors in "a matter of seconds" and they've never been in one before.Why would a bully be chosen at all? ("mean eyes")She's awfully sensitive if her father's single, quick description of the testing room a) made her able to instantly recognize it and b) gave her a mild panic attack upon recognition.What's the name of the water purifier? He's mentioned twice now, with never a name attached. It begins to sound deliberate. And no mention, in the discussion of what the cameras saw, of the fact that they made her walk in to find Ryme.Why is Michal on her side? Does he know her father, or something? Why her - just because she spotted the cameras?Minor point - not from Chicago, never heard of the arch. All of it made sense except the B. If it was BU L G or something, it wouldn't have distracted me (enough to set me searching the internet for the answer).An awful lot of telling. "But Tomas wants to enter." Either the dialog should express that or...well, that's about it. It would be a longer book, I suppose, if they argued out all the bits, but I think it would be stronger.What if? and she doesn't immediately think of the bracelets. Sometimes she's unrealistically stupid."every mutated animal became vicious". Yeah. Speaking of unrealistic. And 99 years later? Even less likely. Now this one probably is dangerous, but as a blanket statement...no.Dumb. If there's infection, you _don't_ close the wound. I don't even have basic first aid training - nothing but putting on bandaids - and I know that.Food = meat? sheeshWalking away from her watch to forage, without waking anyone. Again, unrealistically stupid (though she gives a somewhat reasonable reason. Very reasonable if there wasn't good reason to keep watch!).All the gifted food is very non-foragable. He could have given her eggs and carrots, or the like. Sounds more like a test to me."Whatever chemicals twisted the humans in this area have now infected me." Oh, come on. Infection is infection - and remember the 99 years? Stupid. Not to mention they keep washing in pools and rivers, with both of them with open wounds - lack of infection would be amazing."listen with a smile as Tomas weaves a tale about a squirrel he tried to capture" This is how they cover silence? Sigh.Balanced - and earlier, she threw down the bike. Doesn't it have two rear wheels? I don't see how a medium-sized cart wheel could be turned into a larger bike wheel - or why the work would need two (and it said they used both wheels). Every time she mentions this it shakes the story universe a little.So unlikely. Why can't Tomas do the infection removal? Doesn't she trust him to do the full job? If she's as bad off as presented, she shouldn't be capable of doing it - pain makes your grip weak more often than not, for one thing."barrel of the gun peaks out from behind the tree" typo - and the first one I've spotted! That would be impressive in a finished book.If you bank a fire, you reduce the heat as well as the light. Not very useful. Though I'm not sure what she's using it for.Yeah. There. Two back wheels on her bike, which needs balancing and has fallen over when she let go...inconsistency.Which arm is she using to hang on to Tomas? The bad one? Or steering with the bad one? Another inconsistency. OK, described more clearly later, but wow that improved fast."Tomas has the pills. Both of them. Our one chance at keeping our memories of The Testing alive if we make it through the interview" One chance? So despite drinking the vial, she doesn't believe it will do anything? Hmmm - did Tomas forget to give her a pill or...was that intentional? She didn't (as far as we were shown) show any interest in getting one, though.Fourteen of 29 does not equal 20. She said 20 when aiming for the finish line (I don't remember what was said earlier). Oh, OK, I missed the "five more candidates". Maybe restate the full number? In the "such a small group" thought?Oh. The pills are for the memory wipe, the vial was for the truth serum. Huh. Very convenient."The small meal I consumed rolls in my stomach" should that be "roils"? If so, second typo in the whole thing - still very impressive."Tomas walks me to my door, gives me a tender kiss, and then gives me something even better— his love. When I tell him I think I might love him back, " Oh come on. This one _really_ should be dialog.If I were just reading, not reviewing, I'd have enjoyed (most) of the story. Some things would have bothered me anyway - mostly the survival stuff, and maybe the bike. Universe inconsistencies. Because I was reviewing and looking for problems, I probably found more than I would have noticed in a straight read-through. However, I think that I would have enjoyed it, put down the book and felt unsatisfied, and the same sorts of questions I asked here would have come up after the fact. It's an excellent story, particularly as I dislike manipulation/plotting storylines and don't usually think much of post-apocalypse stories. This one drew me in and had me very interested - it helped that the POV character is a decent person (as all too many are not, in this type of story). But there are some annoying inconsistencies in what's presented, and way too much tell and not enough show. More dialog would make it a better, stronger story (assuming the author can write good dialog, which seems to be true from what is in here).I'd rate it 3.5/5 - interesting, not my preferred type of story, and with some problems. Not sure the problems can be fixed at this point, if the book's already in ARC. Is this a first novel? If so, I want to keep track of this author and see what she can do with a couple more books under her belt. And I will probably reread this, and definitely will look for the next one.OK, not a first novel, though a first in this genre (as far as I can tell) - her previous were detective novels. I wonder if they were first-person, or the more common third-person? I'll have to check them out, and see if the same thing (the lack of dialog) appears there.

A natural fit for Hunger Games fans. The horror is gruesome and not for the faint of heart. Of course it's a trilogy. Happily, HMH is smart and releasing every six months.

a better narrator would have made this book more enjoyable. The pronouncing Tomas as 'toe-moss' is enough to make the reader wish for his early demise.