Book Review: The Testing Series by Joelle Charbonneau

So I recently finished reading a *fabulous* series of books.

'Cuz you know. It's summer and I don't have anything else to do except work on summer HW which equals EWW!!

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Anyway, on with the review. And you all know how I feel about spoilers, so no spoilers, I promise!!

The story is about sixteen year old Malencia Vale and her friend (ahem, ahem, more than just a friend) Tomas Endress. It's a dystopian series of novels about "The United Commonwealth." Basically the United Commonwealth is the U.S. after a war called the "Seven Stages War." It's broken into a series of colonies with the capital in Tosu City (aka Wichita, Kansas).

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The University in Tosu City is a highly selective institution of higher education. Once the students from the colonies graduate from high school, they have to be accepted for the Testing, or they won't be able to continue their education. Also, if one does not pass the Testing, they will not be allowed to study at the University. 

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The whole point of the University is to revitalize the land that the citizens of the United Commonwealth live on. During the Seven Stages War, the land was destroyed by chemical warfare, and biological warfare. Therefore, the students who graduate from the University work to revitalize the land around them.

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Once Malencia begins the Testing, she realizes that the leaders of her country are very corrupt. This eventually evolves into her deciding to try to make a difference, etc. etc. 

Now, I know what you all are thinking at this point: it sounds like a copy of THG.

Well, to clarify, it is a bit like the Hunger Games. Malencia goes to Tosu to be Tested. She lives in an outlying colony. It is a bit of a love story as well. 

While it has many aspects in common with THG, it is a very unique story. I mean, the idea of being tested to get into a University isn't a new concept (think the ACT's and SAT's), but the different tasks this test entails makes it a high-stakes test.

Anyway, I found this series extremely enjoyable. I literally finished the first book in four days. The other two took my about six days each. They are easy reads because of the gripping storyline and Joelle's writing style, not so much the vocabulary. The books do use a lot of advanced language, but don't swear or become vulgar.
The titles of the three books are:
The Testing
Independent Study
Graduation Day

It is a bit violent, so if that makes you uncomfortable, be aware.

I embedded the book trailer, but in my opinion, the trailer is lacking and kind of pointless. I watched it the other day and was like, "Why am I still watching this? This doesn't even portray the story well." I did not imagine Cia that way, so I guess that's what bothered me the most. :P

So, if any of you need a summer read, I suggest this one for sure!! I've had a couple friends who have read it and loved it as well. 

Have a wonderful day everyone!