Ok, so we have been meaning to do a book review for quite a long time, but after asking each other numerous times, "What book should we review?" we just shrugged and went back to whatever it was we were doing. Finally, we became determined to review a book no matter what the cost! We have noticed, though, that we have been known for doing book reviews for the second or third books in a series without actually reviewing the first book. I guess you could say, that is a problem. So, we decided to review a book that we recently read this summer and is the FIRST book in the series. Also, please take note of our the new feature to our book reviews where we review the amount of violence, sexual content, and language so y'all can make sure you don't fill your brains with garbage!
Book Review:
The future of the world belongs to a few selected candidates: ones with intelligence, bravery, and spunk. But before these young contestants can become leaders, they must pass a gruesome challenge called, The Testing. Cia Vale has been searching for something to do with the rest of her life, so when she is selected for The Testing, she is overjoyed. However, Cia's father reveals The Testing may not be as great as she thinks. Her father warns her that no one can be trusted. But when Cia reunites with Tomas, a classmate of hers who has also been chosen for The Testing, she is certain she can trust him to be apart of her alliance. And as The Testing begins, she may indeed need an alliance, as this challenge may not be like anything she has ever experienced.
Violence:A fair amount of violence, but not as extreme as most books these days. There is shooting, a teen suicide, and numerous deaths, without too much description.
Sexual Content: The only suggestive content is some mushy kisses (yuck!) and hand holding.
Language: The language is quite mild besides d--- uttered here or there and a few exclamations of h---. God's name is also declared a couple times.
Joelle Charbonneau has certainly thought of an interesting concept in her latest book, The Testing, but we had to stop and ask the question, "Doesn't this plot line sound a bit familiar?" To be honest, we couldn't help but compare this book to the ever so famous The Hunger Games and when we did compare the two, we would have to say that Suzanne Collins' dystopian sci-fi novel was a bit more exciting. Nevertheless, we did enjoy some aspects of this book. The first couple rounds of The Testing had us eager to find out what was going to happen next and the mysterious aspect of this novel kept us engaged for a few more chapters. However, this read did lack a couple of things, one being emotion and character. We felt as if Cia did not have much depth or layers to her personality. That being said, we found it a little difficult to get through this book. The similarity of this novel and other dystopian fiction caused us to pound our heads in frustration and ask each other why authors cannot come up with more original ideas.
We rate this book
| 3 of 5 sta |
♡
With love,
Mickey & Jen
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