Review: Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau

Title: Independen Study
Author:Joelle Charbonneau
Series: The Testing
Date Published:Janury 7th 2014
Publisher:Hmh Books for Young Readers 
Pages:320
Summary From Goodreads.
Seventeen-year-old Cia Vale survived The Testing, as has Tomas, the boy she loves, and they have both gained admission to the University. She has a promising future as a leader of the United Commonwealth and no memory of her bloody testing experience, thanks to a government-sanctioned memory wipe. Cia should be happy but  is plagued by doubts about the past and future. Determined to find the truth, she embarks on a path of study forbidden by the government delving  into the Commonwealth's darkest secrets. What she finds is the brutal reality lurking behind the friendly faces of her classmates and the unbearable realization that leaders chosen to protect us can be our greatest enemy.   The much-anticipated second book of the dystopian THE TESTING series is another blazing and intense story, packed with twists, romance, unexpected alliances, betrayal, and the heart-racing reality that your life is a test that begins right now.

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Independent study is the second book in the Testing series that takes place in a Dystopian society where you literally have to battle for your life to get to University and failure is never an option because it can be deadly. 

Independent Study opens a few months after the Testing, Cia still doesn’t remember much of the Testing but if the recording in her earpiece is to be believed she survived many horrors but as she learns about the Induction she knows more awful things are coming.

Things I liked:

-The Government lead, in this case a President, is not the evil dictator that is repressing everyone; this President actually wants to make things right and does not turn a blind eye to the problems of her country.

-New characters: both new villains and allies were great additions to the series.

-No love triangles: this book proves that a relationship can have other problems apart from one of the people deciding they like someone else.

-Thomas name was cleared: we have to believe that he didn’t kill on purpose and from what we’ve learned so far of him I choose to believe him.

Things I didn’t like:

-Cia is too perfect: she gets more classes than anyone else, smarter than anyone else, never does anything that is morally incorrect (not saying that doing the right thing is wrong but we all do something bad once in a while)

-All the female characters, except Cia and the President, are two faced, evil and not to be trusted; well at least according to Cia.

-Once again I was reminded of the Hunger Games series, this time the book I kept recalling was Catching fire; the students from Tosu City would be the career tributes and the Induction being the Quarter Quell.

All things considered I really enjoyed the book I just wished that the author didn’t take so much inspiration from the Hunger Games; Joelle Charbonneau can write original characters very well I’m sure she can write great unique plots too.

Final Rating: 3.5/4 stars