[R] The Testing, by: Joelle Charbonneau

The Testing
(The Testing #1)
by: Joelle Charbonneau

★★★★☆

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one in the same?

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.

Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one.

But surely she can trust Tomas, her handsome childhood friend who offers an alliance? Tomas, who seems to care more about her with the passing of every grueling (and deadly) day of the Testing. To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.

my thoughts

“Leaders are forced to kill all the time. Then they have to learn to live with the decisions they make. Just like I'm going to learn to live with mine.”

So there's been time between I read this book and doing this review, so I do remember a lot, but not that much. I liked the book, like really like it. I tried very hard not to make comparisons with the Hunger Games and I kind of accomplished that at some level. I do need to let you know that you will find a lot of similarities, but forget about them and keep reading.

“The best leaders make mistakes and then learn from them. The best leaders never make the same mistakes again. The only way you can learn is if you understand the mistakes that were made.”

The world and everything that live inside of it almost perish after The Seven Stages of War, let's say something like World War III. The people who did survive begin from 0 to keep surviving and form a life better than they had. So our setting (I think is USA) is divided in Colonies and our main characters are from the little one (do not compare it to District 12, because these people are rich in comparison with them) called Five Lakes. After you graduate from high school, the best students are required to attend The Testing. Which is some kind of tests and if you past them all, you can go to University. Of course, our main character, Malenica "Cia" Vale, was chosen and some of her friends too.

“Things don't always work out the way we hope. You just have to pick yourself up and find a new direction to go in.”

I know you are wondering how is this plot is compare it to the Hunger Games, well after you are picked to be in the Testing, if you failed one of the tests you are "redirected" (aka maybe killed). And the last test is in a destroyed city, Chicago, where all the students that past the last tests must arrive to the finish line, but in the way they find interesting things and people. Traps, mutts, bombs, dirty water, hunger... all kind of things so your journey wouldn't be so easy. Plus some competidors just want to take a lot of people out, so they could warranty a place in the University. Cia must trust her father's words, but after seeing what she has, decisions need to be take and she questions if she can trust other people. Can she?

“Are you ready, Cia?” my mother asks. Swallowing hard, I nod. “Let’s go.”

I will not talk about other characters because I don't remember what I thought of them in this book and I do not want to spoiler how they REALLY are based in the book I'm reading now. What I do remember was not trusting Will neither Tomas, but I like him better. I liked how much Cia thought ahead and how fast Tomas jump to help her whenever she needed help. I liked the book, it wasn't wow, but ok.