The Testing Trilogy by Joelle Charbonneau

The Testing Trilogy

Author: Joelle Charbonneau

Publication: 2013-2014 HMH Books for Young Readers

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Reviews: 

The Testing

My review for this book can be found here. 

Independent Study

My review for this book can be found here. 

Graduation Day

My review for this book can be found here.

Overall

I was amazed at how fast this series was written. I mean, you have to assume that Joelle completely outlined out all three books before she started writing because of the balanced of writing time and detail. 

These books were an excellent example for what a dystopian book should be; detailed, deep, and well though out. 

The setting of these books were set up so well, that you believed that this happened/could happen. 

Future News

This is the end to the trilogy and so far there is no news on whether or not the author will be continuing with the story.

An Interview with the Author

• Did you plan out the series extensively before writing it? 

I wish!  I never know where a story is going before I start.  I only know who the main character is, what they are hoping to have happen and what the first big event is that will occur in the plot.  After that, I tend to improve my way through the story.  It's a scary way to write--and especially to write a trilogy where I knew the themes of each book, but not the plot-- but I find that I never lack for motivation to sit down and work each day because I am dying to find out what happens next. 

• What was you inspiration or original idea for the story?

I teach private voice lessons and a large number of my students are singers who are interested in pursuing musical theater or voice in college.  The college admittance process is incredibly stressful for any major, but even more so for theater and music major who have to audition for the program in addition to applying to the school.  The stress of taking the college admittance tests and going through the auditions gets more intense every year and I suddenly found myself wonderful what kind of process could be created that would be even worse for college bound students.  And The Testing was born.

• If you were put in Cia's position, do you think you could survive The Testing?

I doubt it, but I think I would give it a really good shot.  I might be able to make it through the first three rounds.  The fourth round would be a crap shoot and depend on how the other candidates around me approached that final tests.  I tend to look for the best in people.  That could totally get me in trouble if I had to go through The Testing.

• What was your favorite part to write?

THE END of each book:)  Actually, that isn't a lie.  I loved writing various characters, but really, for each book I adored writing the end because I was uncertain until the final moments as to what was going to happen and I was so excited to find out what turn the story was going to take.

• If you went to the University, what class would you be in?

Hmmm…I think I would probably end up in Education or Government.  Trust me when I say that no one wants me in biological or mechanical engineering since I tend to break things and my thumb isn't exactly green.

• Would you add anything to the books if you could? A specific scene? A character?

I always feel like I should say yes to this kind of question since there are always parts of the story that are never seen.  And yet, I don't think I will ever wake up one day sad that something is missing because the story is no longer mine to tell.  The story now belongs to the readers.

• Do you have a favorite book/series/author?

I have LOTS of them.  However, if you really pressed me to narrow it down I will say that my favorite series is The Belgariad series by David Eddings and the follow-up series the Mallorean.  If you want me to name the author that I grew up admiring and I still admire to this day I would have to say it's a tie between Stephen King and Lois Lowry.

• Do you plan on continuing Cia's journey in the future?

I can't say that I have plans to continue Cia's journey.  However, if I think of an idea for a new conflict in Cia's life, I would love an excuse to revisit the world of The United Commonwealth.

• Bonus Question: What Hogwarts house do you think Cia would be sorted into?

Cia would be Gryffindor all the way.  Loyalty is her finest trait and her biggest downfall. 

Thank you so much Joelle, and I cannot wait to see what you have for your fans in the future!

~Monty

Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau

Graduation Day
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Genre: Dystopian, Romance
Goodreads Blurb: In book three of the Testing series, the United Commonwealth wants to eliminate the rebel alliance fighting to destroy The Testing for good. Cia is ready to lead the charge, but will her lethal classmates follow her into battle?

She wants to put an end to the Testing
In a scarred and brutal future, The United Commonwealth teeters on the brink of all-out civil war. The rebel resistance plots against a government that rules with cruelty and cunning. Gifted student and Testing survivor, Cia Vale, vows to fight.

But she can't do it alone.
This is the chance to lead that Cia has trained for - but who will follow? Plunging through layers of danger and deception, Cia must risk the lives of those she loves--and gamble on the loyalty of her lethal classmates.

Who can Cia trust?
The stakes are higher than ever-lives of promise cut short or fulfilled; a future ruled by fear or hope--in the electrifying conclusion to Joelle Charbonneau's epic Testing trilogy. Ready or not…it's Graduation Day.

The Final Test is the Deadliest!
Publishing: June 17th, 2014 HMH Books for Young Readers
Rating: 4/5
Review:

These books have flown by. 

It must've been just yesterday when I received the first one for my birthday, and then dove straight in. 

To see it come to end so quickly is a bit startling. 

To start off my review, let me just say the amount of internal conflict from Cia in this book was enormous. It seemed that everywhere we turned Cia was having a new problem. Whether it was trust or the difference between right and wrong, Cia was having to deal with it. I think that aspect of the book pulled the reader in a bit more, because you yourself are questioning the trustworthiness of these people and whether or not Cia should have to take on her mission. 

This creates a bit of mystery also, because you have no idea who to trust or who will end up stabbing Cia in the back. 

Through Cia's investigation of the characters, we also get a deeper view of the many side characters than we did in the other books. We saw redemption, and never-ending trust, and other characteristics that made these character more realistic and round. 

The ending to this book was absolutely exceptional in my eyes. (Warning, Spoilers) There's that last minute decision that Cia has to make. Dr. Barnes spilled all the stuff he knew about the president right there, and Cia had to decide whether or not to kill him. 

I think that just completely built up the ending and let it slide to the calming end, where Dr. Barnes is gone, Cia gets to go back to her colony, and the Testing has ended. 

My only low point for this book was the slow beginning, but other than that it was amazing. 

One very small thing that I'd like to point out is Cia's overall independence. She doesn't let others influence her decisions; not the president, not her lover, and not her parents. And I thought that was downright awesome. At the end when she told Thomas that she had to go back to University and keep an eye on the president and he accepted it and told her goodbye I was so happy cause yes. That's how it should happened. 

I really want to see more from Cia and Joelle's dystopian writing. This series was one of the best dystopian trilogies I've read.  

Future News: 
There is no news to whether or not the author will continue the trilogy in any way. 

1/23/14: Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau

Independent Study

Cover: It plays in well with the book, and isn't overly detailed. 

Author: Joelle Charbonneau 

Genre: Dystopian, Action and Adventure, Post-Apocalyptic

Goodreads Blurb:In the series debut The Testing, sixteen-year-old Cia Vale was chosen by the United Commonwealth government as one of the best and brightest graduates of all the colonies . . . a promising leader in the effort to revitalize postwar civilization. In Independent Study, Cia is a freshman at the University in Tosu City with her hometown sweetheart, Tomas—and though the government has tried to erase her memory of the brutal horrors of The Testing, Cia remembers. Her attempts to expose the ugly truth behind the government’s murderous programs put her—and her loved ones—in a world of danger. But the future of the Commonwealth depends on her.

Published/ing: January 7th, 2014 HMH Books for Young Readers

Rating: 5/5

Review: 

Yes. Yes. Yes.

This book continued my adoration for this series. 

So, being a dystopian book, you have a revolution to go along with your broken society, right? Right.

So it's book two and it's time for a revolution! What I like about this book though, is that the revolution and the whole revolting part is more complicated than it seems. We don't just have rebel group against government, but rebel group, president, part of government against part of government and powerful guy. It's really truly interesting all the politics in this book. 

Moving onto characters, Cia is just amazing. She is absolutely the same as I described her in the last book. She is calculating and smart. She is clever and can get herself out of sticky situations. In this book, I love all the inner conflict and turmoil that is affecting her. I love seeing how she pushes through it to focus on the conflict in front of her, but still has to think about all the people she might've killed, he friends might've killed, and the government killed. 

Thomas, her significant other (but not really anymore), has become a lot more quiet and conflicting. I really with I'd get to see a bit more into his POV soon just to see what's going through his head. 

I really liked all the side characters introduced in this book, and their effect on the plot. 

The only real downside I have for these books is I wish they were longer. They are only about three hundred or so pages each but I want more. 

Future News:

The final book in the trilogy, Graduation Day, will be out on June 17th of this year.

I really really liked this book, so I suggest you go find a copy now. Have a good night guys!

~Monty

1/7/14: The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

The Testing

Cover: I like the simplicity. And it also goes along with the story. 

Author: Joelle Charbonneau

Genre: Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Romance

Goodreads Blurb: 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.

Published/ing: June 4th 2013 Houghton Mifflin Books for Children 

Rating: 5/5

Review: 

Overall, each aspect of the book was strong. 

I liked how planned out and flowy the plot was. You knew how the book was broken up, but you didn't exactly know what was going to happen in those breaks. You knew she was going to be accepted for the Testing, and then go through the four stages and then hopefully make it to the end. But you didn't know how she would get through those stages. How it would affect the main character mentally, physically, or emotionally. 

The main character, Cia (interesting name), is probably up there with one of my favorite characters. She is strong without knowing it. She is realistic and calculating. But she isn't that special. She doesn't just magically has special skills. The book tells you her experiences so it's not just poof! fire or poof! caught an animal. 

I also found it interesting how she handled killing her fellow contestants. Now, throughout this review you'll probably compare a lot of things to the Hunger Games, because it is a good comparison. The Testing is like The Hunger Games on steroids. 

In The Hunger Games, when Katniss starts killing people, and we don't exactly see how that affects her. We see how the death of other contestants affect her, but not her own killings. 

With Cia, she is emotionally affected. She is scared to kill others, no matter how cruel they are. She is disgusted and afraid when she witnesses a fellow student die in front of her because of the test. While everyone else just casually brushes it off, she is genuinely freaking out. And I think that is awesome. She is not some perfect robot heroine. She is broken and scared. 

Also, back to the gun thing. She doesn't just magically know how to use the gun. She doesn't have great aim. It once again shows that she isn't a perfect heroine. She is being shot at and she doesn't want to shoot at a contestant but since her life relies on it, so she just does. And misses. And shoots again. And misses. Then she clips him in the shoulder and runs. 

I loved her throughout the book. That 'never-give-up' attitude she gives throughout the whole book, through everything that she goes through. She's the perfect heroine to look up to, because she isn't perfect. She doesn't have amazing skills. She learns from experience and is intelligent. 

I also want to mention how the romance wasn't the main idea of the story. There wasn't a major love triangle. The guy isn't perfect. *slop claps for Joelle* 

I liked Thomas, Cia's counterpart, from the beginning; intelligent and in my mind, was pretty hot. But I had a bad hunch about him. 

He was so sweet and loving and had a cute crush on Cia the whole time and I thought they were just such a great couple. Like there's this one part when he confesses his love to her and finally says those three magic words, and her response was "I think I love you, too."

It made me happy because she wasn't sure of herself, and she didn't jump into it without being one hundred percent confident. 

I'm not gonna mention anything else for fear of spoilers.

The only downside I found to this book, was, although there were many exceptional side characters, they didn't have very absolute personalities. I didn't feel as sad as I usually did when they died (or other) because they didn't capture me. 

Other than that, I enjoyed the heck out of the book. And I think you would too. 

Future News:

The next book in the series actually came out today! The next book in the series comes on June 3rd of this year.