Book Review: The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
- MYSS
- Jul 11, 2019
- 4 min read
Rating: 4.75 stars
I just finished reading The Testing, and oh boy, do I have a lot of thoughts...
Goodreads summary:
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 and 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 honoured 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 gruelling (and deadly) day of the Testing.
To survive, Cia must choose: love without truth or life without trust.
I was (and still am) a big fan of both the Hunger Games and Divergent series, but in the years since their release, have struggled with finding a YA dystopian novel that really sparked my interest. The Testing, by Joelle Charbonneau, stole my interest and refused to give it back. As I was reading, I expected the story to follow a similar pattern that many dystopian novels tend to follow, and it did. However, despite following the general recipe of many a YA dystopian tale (which can become a bit redundant after a while), Joelle Charbonneau managed to create something that stands out from the rest of the genre.
I approached the book with a bit of apprehension given my past experiences with the genre, but was almost immediately sucked in. The narrative style of the book was very description heavy, but I wouldn't say that it made the story boring. If anything, I found the straightforward way that Charbonneau writes to be well-suited to both the pace of the story and a reflection of the narrator's voice. Our protagonist, Cia, is intelligent, observant, brave, complex, and extremely likeable. She made mistakes and her temper was sometimes quick, but I enjoyed how aware she was of herself, her actions, and how willing she was to learn from them. Another aspect that I really enjoyed about this character, is her passion for engineering and general interest in the sciences. I LOVE representation of women in STEM in novels, especially considering the underrepresentation found in real life. The statistics on women in STEM fields are underwhelming, and being interested in STEM subjects myself, I can only hope that characters like this will help normalize the idea of women working in/being interested in the sciences.
Going back to the narrative style again, the heavy focus on describing Cia's thought processes and surroundings, albeit interesting, led to a lack of dialogue between characters. I felt there was not a lot of conversations taking place between Cia and those around her, especially in the first half of the book. This made it a bit hard to gauge the kind of people that surrounded her, and resulted in me being equal parts disinterested and suspicious of her relationship with Tomas, her childhood friend turned sweetheart. However, the further I got into the tests (especially the fourth), the more I saw the usefulness of the mystery surrounding these central and minor characters. Once the ominous side of the Testing was revealed, I actually enjoyed not having a good grasp of the motives of other characters, as it only amped up the excitement and tension I felt whilst reading. Which then brings me to the Testing itself. I don't want to spoil what happens, so I will not go too much into this, but if you read the book you will probably understand my confusion. (Warning: short rant ahead) In what world does the severe punishments inflicted on these kids make sense? Especially considering the blow that both the environment and human population rates took after the Seven Stage War... For a society that prizes intelligence and sustainability so much, that is a HUGE, blatant waste of resources. (End of rant) That was the only really illogical thing that stood out for me in the book, otherwise I found the actions of Cia and the other characters to be very believable considering the situation and setting. The historical background of the United Commonwealth (the name of the dystopian society), in my opinion, was well explained and touched on relevant issues faced today concerning the environment and the relationships and actions of world leaders, thereby making the premise of the story even more interesting and thought-provoking.
After being stuck in a reading slump these past few weeks, The Testing was a much needed, and thoroughly enjoyed relief. I definitely plan on continuing this series. I look forward to finding out more about the motivations of those behind the Testing and to see in what direction Joelle Charbonneau takes Cia's story. Anyone looking for a thrilling story that will leave you on the edge of your seat, filled with suspense, betrayal, and a strong heroine? Do yourself a favour, and pick up The Testing.
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