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Series Review: The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Series Review: The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

booksynopsis

Synopsis for The Testing (from Goodreads):

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.

breakdown

Series: The Testing
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
# of Books: 3 (Full Reading Order Here)

There is a prequel novella: #0.5 The Testing Guide

Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Post Apocalyptic
Heat Rating: cool
Point of View: First Person, Single
Publication Dates: June 2013 – June 2014
Source & Format: Public Library–Audiobook

thoughts

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I actually think The Testing (#1) is the first book I added to my TBR by Charbonneau; I saw it as a freebie on Amazon one day and downloaded it. But I ended up reading (and enjoying) her Dividing Eden Series first. When my library added the audiobooks for this trilogy last year, I was excited to give this series a try! It has been a long time since I read a dystopian novel and I couldn’t wait to dive in!

The Concept / The World:

If the Hunger Games and Divergent had a baby, I feel like it would be this book. It reminded me a little of the construction of the Red Queen where it is a mash-up of everything you expect in the genre (only the Red Queen is high fantasy). Yet at the same time, everything here felt unique and refreshing in a way. It’s a really cool world to explore and it has so many layers to it–but you don’t realize that is the case right away either which I think is a lot of fun.

The Plot:

At the start of The Testing (#1), this book felt really “young teen” or middle age dystopian to me. I think I got that impression thanks to the naïve vibes I was getting from our heroine, Cia. Of course, she’s naïve because society wants her to be that way, not because she is unintelligent. (More on that below!)

Once the true nature of the testing is revealed and the more sinister edge to this world takes center stage. This series doesn’t have a lot of physical action compared to others in the genre. Yes, parts of the testing has physically dangerous elements but I found everything was rooted more in logic and thinking and testing the characters that way. It almost reads like Divergent, only if you focused more on the politics of the world than the physical battle for it.

However, I felt a little let down in how everything progresses. I kept waiting for a big reveal to take things to the next level. And while there are some great twists that I really didn’t see until they were just about to be revealed, they were just a little underwhelming for me.

The Characters:

Perhaps I am in the minority for this: but I loved how Cia’s character evolved as the series progressed. One thing that I thought was interesting about her character is that she really isn’t emotionally driven like some heroines we meet in this genre, but more moral based. Although she has a strong moral compass, she definitely isn’t devoid of feelings. She’s an intelligent, logical girl who really tackles everything that comes her way by thinking things through. I appreciated that she was always thinking 3 steps ahead when she made decisions and could see the bigger picture.

To a certain extent, Cia is a bit of a special snowflake heroine and I know that irks others who have read this series. For some reason she is singled out during the Testing when really, there isn’t anything extremely remarkable about her. But I think she works really hard to apply herself when challenges are brought her way rather than things just falling into place for her.

The Romance:

I liked that this kept me guessing a bit. It’s an interesting element to the story, particularly in the first book during the Testing. It isn’t a huge driving element to the story but another factor to consider as the plot moves on. Could it have been played upon more?–Definitely. I really thought there was a missed opportunity to have this element take things to the next level and add a more dramatic flare to Cia’s life than the dull flare it brings.

My Audiobook Experience:

It took me a bit to get into but once I got into the story, the audiobook was addicting to listen to throughout the series. I thought the narrator did a good job bringing Cia’s character to life.

When to Read The Testing Guide (#0.5):

I didn’t read this prequel but you can likely read it at any time since the events take place years before the trilogy. If you want to read it in chronological order, then read it before The Testing (#1).

Series Rating: 3/5

[The Testing Guide N/A| The Testing 3.5/5 | Independent Study 3.5/5 | Graduation Day 3/5

overall

Fans of dystopian YA fiction will see a lot of similarities to other books but I enjoyed the weaving of classic dystopian elements. However, I kept waiting for something amazing to happen so the conclusion felt a little lackluster to me. And I when I finished, I kinda struggled with “what was the purpose of this whole series” which isn’t the best way to end a series if you ask me.

Read if You Like: dystopian fiction, books dealing with politics
Avoid if You: want more physical action

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Series Review: Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau

Series Review: Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

booksynopsis

Synopsis for Dividing Eden (from Goodreads):

Twins Carys and Andreus were never destined to rule Eden. With their older brother next in line to inherit the throne, the future of the kingdom was secure.

But appearances—and rivals—can be deceiving. When Eden’s king and crown prince are killed by assassins, Eden desperately needs a monarch, but the line of succession is no longer clear. With a ruling council scheming to gain power, Carys and Andreus are faced with only one option—to take part in a Trial of Succession that will determine which one of them is worthy of ruling the kingdom.

As sister and brother, Carys and Andreus have always kept each other safe—from their secrets, from the court, and from the monsters lurking in the mountains beyond the kingdom’s wall. But the Trial of Succession will test the bonds of trust and family.

With their country and their hearts divided, Carys and Andreus will discover exactly what each will do to win the crown. How long before suspicion takes hold and the thirst for power leads to the ultimate betrayal?

breakdown

Series: Dividing Eden
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
# of Books: 2 (Full Reading Order Here)

There are 2 novellas: #0.5 Into the Garden & #1.5 Forbidden Fruit

Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic, Politics, Romance
Heat Rating: cool **suggestive content**
Point of View: Third Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: June 2017 – June 2018
Source & Format: Public Library–Audiobook

thoughts

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I came across this series on another blog, YA Romantics just before Dividing Eden was released and it caught my attention because it focused on royalty. I love fantasy novels that focus on royalty, but there is a special place in my heart for royalty novels that seem to have a conspiracy theory of sorts happening. So this series seemed like a no brainer to pick up once I read the synopsis.

The Concept / The World:

I HATE when something that is described in the synopsis doesn’t happen until well past the 50% mark. It just makes everything seem trivial because you know A and B must happen to get the C (what was described in the synopsis). I was really looking forward to the Trial of Succession and I wish more of the book was dedicated to that in Dividing Eden…but the bits we did get of the trial were great!

As for the world itself, it’s a really unique one. I loved the idea of wind power and the dependency upon it. Add to it the curse and the monarchy and it’s a world that will suck you in without too much preamble.

The Plot:

Like I said, the plot takes a while to get to what I thought/wanted it to be. In the meantime though, I was definitely invested in the political intrigue and the like. I’m a sucker for some solid royal politics in my fantasy novels and this one had it. And while I loved the conspiracy theory that seemed to be brewing, I had a pretty solid idea of what was happening very early on. However, the last quarter of, Dividing Eden, had me on my toes because it went in a direction I never anticipated. And the sequel, Eden Conquered, had some extra twists to the aspect I had already figured ot.

The Characters:

I’ll be the first to say I wasn’t a Carys fan at the start of Dividing Eden. While I could appreciate her passion for protecting her twin brother, she was almost too much of a cliche for me. Yet somewhere along the way, she truly found her own character-ness and I was super impressed with her character development by the end of the novel. And the same can be said for Andreus as well; he really grew out of his shell of what he was first presented as. You can’t ask for anything more from your characters!

The Romance:

It isn’t really a big focus in Dividing Eden but it is there and does contribute to the story in a positive way. Andreus’ romance bored me to tears; I absolutely detested it. As for Carys’ I liked how it worked into her story and created this additional layer to factor in to everything.

The Novellas:

I never read the novellas solely because my library doesn’t have the copies. I think you can take them or leave them given what I’ve gathered from the synopsis.

My Audiobook Experience:

For this being third person narration, I had really great success with the audiobook. I waited a long time for my library to get the sequel in audio because I loved it so much.

concSLOW

Series Rating: 4/5

[Into the Garden N/A] | Dividing Eden 3.5/5 | [Forbidden Fruit N/A] | Eden Conquered 4/5

overall

If you like books that take their time to slowly weave the plot, this is the series for you. Or if you want a high fantasy series that doesn’t have copious amounts of terms and characters, this is a great option for you to read!

Read if You Like: high fantasy, politics, conspiracy theories, siblings battling
Avoid if You: want something slightly faster paced at the start

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