"The Testing" by Joelle Charbonneau is all About Choices

The Testing is the first of a series of three books by Joelle Charbonneau and a young girl, Cia.  By orders of her government, she must go through a testing to move on to the University.  I thought the lead character was made to be a bit too smart compared to the other people, but near the end, an unexpected twist got my interest.  The last 100 pages or so were really good and it ended with a promise of a surprise in book two--Independent Study. 
(Gerard's review, 4 stars) 

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau is a Dystopian teen thriller that starts slow but gets better and better as it goes on.  About half way through, things really pick up.  Cia, age 17, is chosen for "The Testing" to see if she can attend the University and become one of the leaders of the United Commonwealth to restore the country.  However, she soon finds out that the tests are not easy and have dire consequences if she fails.  It has been years since anyone has been chose from her Five Lakes Colony, but several others from her colony are also going with her to Tosu City to be tested, including her childhood friend, Tomas.  Cia is pretty smart, mechanically inclined, compassionate and very knowledgeable about plants. 

I enjoyed this first book of a series and had trouble putting it down when Cia and her friend, Tomas were struggling to survive the fourth test.  The relationship between Cia and Tomas was interesting to me as well.  This book is all about choices and consequences and the pressure of getting into college.  Basically, Cia's father's advice about trusting no one serves her well during the testing, but unfortunately, she didn't always follow it.  I look forward to reading the sequel:  The Testing:  Independent Study coming out this fall.
(Karen's review of June 23, 2013, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!