4 of 5 stars.The Basics: Cia Vale, at the age of 16, is the youngest graduate of her Five Lakes Colony class. She is hoping to be selected for The Testing but is disappointed when no one from her class is announced as potential University candidates. A day later, not only is she surprised that she has indeed been selected but three other students from her class have been selected as well. Before leaving for Tosu City, Cia's father warns her of the potential dangers that The Testing may bring and warns her not to trust anyone.
As Cia embarks on this journey, she learns that everything isn't what it seems. Her roommate tries to poison her with corncakes and is later found hanging from the bedroom ceiling. A fellow Five Lakes Colony student is killed during a test and no one attempts to help him. And worst of all, the fourth stage of the test brings candidates to murder each other as they deal with harsh terrain, boobie traps set by Testing officials, and mutated humans and animals that are just as hungry and weary as the candidates. Through it all, Cia does learn to trust and partner up with Tomas, who may be hiding his own secrets.
My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I picked it up one afternoon, after purchasing the book several months ago, and I have not been able to put it down. It is a bit of a copy cat of Hunger Games and Divergent, but it still has its own ID, which I hope will develop much more as the series continues. But yes, as I read, I constantly thought about the other dystopian series that have the same premise: corrupt government, young adults dying in gruesome ways, a female protagonist, a simulated type game or contest, and a stand out who tries to bring justice to show the corrupt government that they can't get away with all they have done.
I am going to continue with the series though because I just seem to like these types of novels right now.
~Remember, teaches read fun stuff too!
