The Testing. Joelle Charbonneau. 2013. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 344 pages. [Source: Review Copy]
I had not planned to reread
The Testing in anticipation of reading Independent Study. But as I
opened the pages of Independent Study, I felt it only fair to begin at
the beginning, to go back and experience it in full, to refresh my
memory so that I would be more likely to fall in love with this second
book. I am very thankful I chose to spend the time with The Testing. It
was interesting to see what I remembered and what I had forgotten. It
was interesting to see if the same scenes still stood out to me.
For
those that enjoy dystopia, I would definitely recommend The Testing. I
liked Cia Vale, our heroine. I liked the brief introduction to the Five
Lakes Colony. There was just enough mystery to hook me. Her dad and her
brother prove even more interesting upon rereading. I liked the four
stages of the test. I liked how the horror comes gradually--surely and
inevitably, but paced well in my opinion. I liked the twists and turns.
Overall, I thought the characterization was good, was interesting. The
world-building was good, perhaps not great, but solid enough. Even
though it was a reread, I found it hard to put down!
I first read this one in June 2013.
© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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