Goodreads Rating: 3.94
Pages: 336
Format: Finished Copy from BEA13
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.
The concept of this book rocked my socks off. I loved how we had this dystopian society where they draft the best and brightest to go to a bigger school of being better. I had this one on my radar for awhile before it was able to be picked up at BEA which was where I got my shiny hardcover. I also got the second book and now that I have the third I can't wait to read them back to back.
I felt like this book was a combination of The Giver and The Hunger Games, the way that there were awards given out the at the end of their school and they were given their jobs and then the way that they had these competitions that they had to do was very Hunger Games. I loved it though. I was on the edge of my seat reading this book trying to figure out what was going to happen next.
I sort of liked Cia, but mostly didn't because she made a lot of bad choices and got mad when they blew up in her face like trusting the wrong people and then her feelings towards her family. I loved that she wised up as the book went on and realized that being selected for University was not a good thing and that she needed to learn things quickly.
She was already smart and talented which was a start, but she sees awful things happen associated with the testing. Like the bitter edge that some students have like leaving out poisoned muffins and seeing all the bad things that will happen like answering a question wrong.
This book will leave you on the edge of your seat dying to know what is going to happen next and then once it's over you're going to be craving even more. Charbonneau showed tremendous strength in her dystopian series starter. I'm hoping that there is just as much follow through.
The Courts Decision:
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