Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau

 

Published: June 17th, 2014

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Pages: 304

Copy: Publisher via Edelweiss

Summary: Goodreads

In book three of the Testing series, the United Commonwealth wants to eliminate the rebel alliance fighting to destroy The Testing for good. Cia is ready to lead the charge, but will her lethal classmates follow her into battle?

She wants to put an end to the Testing
In a scarred and brutal future, The United Commonwealth teeters on the brink of all-out civil war. The rebel resistance plots against a government that rules with cruelty and cunning. Gifted student and Testing survivor, Cia Vale, vows to fight.

But she can't do it alone.
This is the chance to lead that Cia has trained for - but who will follow? Plunging through layers of danger and deception, Cia must risk the lives of those she loves--and gamble on the loyalty of her lethal classmates.

Who can Cia trust?
The stakes are higher than ever-lives of promise cut short or fulfilled; a future ruled by fear or hope--in the electrifying conclusion to Joelle Charbonneau's epic Testing trilogy. Ready or not…it's Graduation Day.

The Final Test is the Deadliest!

I have been thoroughly enjoying this trilogy from the beginning and watching Cia and Thomas grow as characters and strengthen their relationship has been a pleasure.  This final volume was full of intrigue and suspense just as the others were , but for some reason I just wasn't quite so engrossed in it as I have been previously.

I've been trying to puzzle out why and I really can't give any concrete answers, but for me it seemed to end with a fizzle and not a bang.  There are twists and turns galore, and trying to work out who can be trusted is a complicated prospect I admit, but that urge to keep turning the pages so I could get to the end faster - well it just wasn't there.  I finished Graduation Day about 3 weeks ago and I find myself struggling to remember exactly what happened.  Oh, I remember in general, and I never once thought of not finishing, but I think I finished another 3 books while reading this one and that is never a good sign.

All in all I would definitely recommend the series for dystopian lovers, and I did love the fact that while there is a romance here, it takes a back seat to the intrigue and action, but in the end this finale was a disappointment for me.  What did you think?

Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau

 

Published: January 7th, 2014

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Pages: 310

Copy: Publisher through Edelweis

Copy: Goodreads

In the series debut The Testing, sixteen-year-old Cia Vale was chosen by the United Commonwealth government as one of the best and brightest graduates of all the colonies . . . a promising leader in the effort to revitalize postwar civilization. In Independent Study, Cia is a freshman at the University in Tosu City with her hometown sweetheart, Tomas—and though the government has tried to erase her memory of the brutal horrors of The Testing, Cia remembers. Her attempts to expose the ugly truth behind the government’s murderous programs put her—and her loved ones—in a world of danger. But the future of the Commonwealth depends on her.

Back in June I reviewed the first book in this series 'The Testing'  and I really enjoyed it. So of course I was a little apprehensive when I started Independent Study, just in case it didn't measure up.  No worries - no worries at all.  Independent Study was every bit as good.  Not better, but definitely just as good. 

I found it really easy to step back into this world that Ms. Charbonneau has created and to relate once again to her characters.  It was very interesting to see these characters after having their minds wiped and their memories of the testing erased. This time around we are introduced in more detail to some that we met before and we also get to know some new characters.  So many of the adults in this story have that aura of dishonesty about them, but that of course could just be because we're seeing them through Cia's eyes.  She doesn't know who to trust or what is going on really, but she is sure that whatever it is, she has to stop it.

There is a nice gentle romance going on in the background.  Nothing too complex, but not too straight forward either and there is just enough uncertainty to keep it interesting.  On another level, Ms Charbonneau is definitely not afraid to kill off her characters, so be prepared for upsets.

Yet again there are a whole host of surprises and the events take place with mystery and tension in spades.   This series is a worthy successor to The Hunger Games - entrance exams should never be like this!  I really do not want to wait another year to find out what happens.