The Testing

book notes

title: The Testing
author: Joelle Charbonneau
series: The Testing #1
published: 6.4.2013
publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Source: Kindle Unlimited
genre(s): dystopian, postapocalypse
pages: 324
format: eBook
buy/shelve it: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | BookBub | BookHype | StoryGraph | Goodreads
rating: | series rating:

the 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 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.

a few notes

POV: 1st person
setting: United Commonwealth
keywords/phrases: new world, trust, survival
tropes: dystopian world, new world order
spice: 0/5
language: 0/5

my review

Like many other YA dystopian novels I’ve read, the story of The Testing leaves me wondering just what is wrong with the adults of the world the series is set within. This isn’t a complaint but rather an observation. There was a time when this might have needed a bit of suspension of belief. But reading it now, some thirteen years after it was initially published, the level of disbelief is much less, making it an impactful, scary read. Just how do the leaders of the United Commonwealth justify their actions, justify what they do to young adults, even children? Yes, the world of this series has suffered massive loss of humanity, horrible wars and environmental catastrophes. But how does that justify the levels to which and the means by which they create leaders for the next generation? And this is the root of the dystopian elements of this book, and the series.

I enjoyed the premise of this book, the cultivation of leaders to carry the country forward in the future. Out of the entire candidate pool, over 100 students, less than two dozen will be given entrance to the University. And even those students have zero control over what their futures will look like, their educational paths assigned to them. The testing process does have some Hunger Games vibes, but with one major difference. In The Hunger Games, the brutality had a clear purpose, to keep the downtrodden cowed, too scared to ever rebel again. Here, the reason for the brutality seems less clear, or at least less necessary to the process. The qualities the leaders are looking for in candidates don’t really require the physical brutality, so it’s a little murky.

Cia was a fabulous character, strong and free-thinking and completely focused on being both morally and ethically on the right side of the world. She’s loyal, wanting to do her part to help her world revitalize itself. She’s absolutely dedicated to that, even when her view of what that dedication means changes drastically as she peeks behind the curtain. She’s an incredibly complex character.

Rating Report
the story
the characters
the writing
the pacing
the world-building
the mood
the emotional significance
the conclusion
Overall:

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2026 52 Books Reading Challenge
• 2026 Barnes & Noble Reading Challenge
• 2026 Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge
• 2026 Linz the Bookworm & Logophile Reading Challenge

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