The Testing

The Testing, Book 1

By: Joelle Charbonneau

Narrated by: Elizabeth Morton

Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

The story in which a 16-year-old is chosen by her government to undergo The Testing, which decides if she gets to go to The University. The University is for the country’s best and brightest teens and puts the rebuilding and future leadership of the United Commowealth in their hands. During The Testing, extreme psychological and physical trials pit them against one another to determine which teens have what it takes to become a leader.

©2013 Joelle Charbonneau (P)2013 Recorded Books

Pretty good

I was a little disappointed in the beginning. It seems like a lot of the dystopian genre books have very similar beginnings that sound almost exactly like the Hunger Games. Once I got further into the story it got better with some twists and turns I didn't completely expect. Overall a good story.

Fantastic book!

Fantastic book! Couldn't stop listening, and can't wait to read next one. The narrator's male voices were seriously lacking believability. However, it's such a great read that the writing overshadowed the narrator.

Listen past the nararation

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a good story, There were quite a few parts that reminded me of the hunger games. I would recommend listening to the book. Dystopia, survivor, romance. I got it with the romance package. The only thing that took getting accustomed to was the narrator's voice.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Testing?

Some of the scarier parts, ex: The second test. Cant give it away.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

yes.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

About an hour and a half before the end.

Any additional comments?

Worth a listen. packages so similar to hunger games.

Ugh!!! Her voice though!!!

It’s a pretty good story. It’s really just a mash up of hunger games, divergent, uglies. Same kind of story. I probably would have enjoyed it more if the narrator didn’t sound like she was 12.

CANT STOP LISTENING

I finished it in a few days. Great read. I will probably read it again someday.

I thought it was actually great

I thought it was an amazing story..... I think people may forget that the story is told in the perspective of a 16 year old girl, So I think the narrator was a good choice. in fact I think I added to the story a great deal.

Good story

Other people have said that the narriator is boring but this is supposed to be a 16 year old girl. The story is well written and I like the narrative. Can’t wait for the rest

Narration is ruining this for me

Only half-way through listening to this book and I'm not sure I will finish. The narration is awful. The narrator is so slow and deliberate that it sounds like she's at "read to me" day at Kindergarten. Please tell me it gets better.

Liked the concept, but many things irritated me

Would you consider the audio edition of The Testing to be better than the print version?

No

Would you recommend The Testing to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes with reservations. I would recommend they read rather than listen.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I didn't care for the narrator used for the audiobook. Her male voices were terrible, but the female was not great either. I definitely plan to physically read the future books if the same narrator is used.

Any additional comments?

I liked the concept of this book and did enjoy reading it. However, there were many things that irritated me. I found at times that many things/plot points/decisions seemed too perfectly laid out for the character. For example, it seemed that out of a large group of brilliant people, Cia was the only one capable of making rational decisions. It seemed that she just jumped to the correct conclusion every time and just knew what had to be done.

On the other hand, so many things were just too random. The main character Cia was singled out as special from the very beginning by an official who had never met her. It almost seemed that the author was trying to make a Katniss out of Cia but without having any reasoning. (No televised interviews found in the Hunger Games, or even the entire first Hunger Games which was what made Katniss a symbol of revolution.)

I liked the adventure of the story, and found especially the 4th stage of testing to be very interesting. The reason I rated it as highly as I did was that it maintained my interest. I wasn't overly fond of any of the characters, and thought they were all too inconsistent. One of the only major questions presented goes completely unanswered. (this is why I'll continue reading the series) It does have potential, and I'm hoping things improve in the second book.

Great book, an enjoyable listen!

If you liked the trilogies Matched or Divergent, you’ll love this book, the first in another dystopian trilogy.