Book Synopsis:
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.
My Review:
5/5 stars. It's been a while since I've read a dystopian book, and this was a great one! It was similar to the Hunger Games in a lot of ways, but also its own unique story. It was very fast-paced and engaging, so I read the majority of it in just a few sittings. The romance and love interest were very bland, but the rest of the book made up for it. I will definitely be reading the rest of the trilogy.
Right away, the mystery behind The Testing kept me engaged. Once the tests started, I thought there were a lot of creative concepts. Particularly, stage two and three of The Testing, were very interesting. They were kind of like puzzles that you could solve right along with the main character. If it weren't for how gruesome it was, it would be like a fun game show.
The second half of the book was pretty different to the first half, and much more similar to the Hunger Games. The second half was also the most action-packed and intense, though. There were so many moments I just had to keep reading to find out what happened next.
The romance subplot was the least compelling part of this story to me. Tomas, the love interest, was so boring. He didn't have enough depth for me to love him. He and the main character, Cia, had no chemistry and barely any banter. It wasn't a romance I could root for at all. I didn't dislike it, but I could've gone without it.
As is the case with most dystopian novels, there were a lot of things that the reader as to just accept with little explanation. Logistics behind the backstory for the dystopian world, scientific-sounding reasons for new developments, etc. aren't meant to always be realistic. That is not unique to this book, though, so that wasn't a problem.
Content:
Language: Mild language used very infrequently, p*ssed, h*ll, d*mn, sexy, a**
Sexual Content: Lots of kissing, some pretty passionate, but nothing beyond that
Violence/Gore: The gore in this book is pretty high. There are lots of injuries and wounds described in detail. Many mentions of blood, different kinds of deaths, and medical descriptions
Drugs/Alcohol: Cia is drugged a couple of times by the Testing Officials.
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