Review Detail

It is no secret that I am not a fan of dystopians. Yet, Joelle Charbonneau manages to do something with The Testing I have been waiting to have happen: written a dystopian I loved and adored and am STILL thinking about months later. Joelle Charbonneau has crafted a futuristic world that will just captivate you.

I love the contrast between The Testing and Joelle Charbonneau's other books. Her others are wacky mysteries, and with The Testing she dives into the world of YA with a psychological, dark gritty dystopian.

The Testing brings out all the emotions. The stakes are immensely high and it is chilling. The reality factor is a huge part of that - this whole situation could definitely happen and that is what makes The Testing so neat. It really is just a psychological mind twist - I can never quite wrap my head around it.

The Testing consists of four stages and with each, the stakes become higher. Joelle Charbonneau doesn't allow anyone the comfort of safety. Characters are pegged off like dominoes. It makes everything really unsettling, as I never knew who to trust. I love that risk of knowing no one is safe. Joelle Charbonneau takes what I would consider some risky decisions and it really pays off in the end. The Testing was a complete win.

The world is really neat. The Testing is set in what used to be the United States; only now it is the United States after it survived Seven Stages of War. I love the structure of the world and how all of this led to The Testing being formed.

Cia is such a strong main character. She is intelligent and a little bit of the underdog. I love her conviction with everything she does. Michal is such an intriguing character and I really hope to see lots more of him in the next two books. He played such a small role, but I think he was my favorite character in The Testing.

Reminiscent of The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner, readers will love this thrilling debut from Joelle Charbonneau. It has been awhile since I have become so emotionally invested in a book. By the time I finished, I felt like my heart had been forced through a paper shredder. The characters and the plot, I just was so attached. I cannot wait to read more from Joelle Charbonneau and see what is next for the cast of The Testing. Basically, The Testing is the book of the season and I just loved it so much.