Review of "Independent Study" by Joelle Charbonneau

I won this book in a contest so I did not know it was part of a series. The first book "The Testing" was published in 6/13. This book I am reviewing I got an advanced copy of (thank you!) and is not set for release until 1/14 and the third book "Graduation Day" is due out 6/14.

This book stands on its own. It is a science fiction/post apocalyptic book. It occurs after the seven wars that destroyed the country. The main character Cia, is from the colonies. You are lucky to be chosen for The Testing if you are from the colonies. Those who live in Tosu city are assured getting into The Testing. The Testing is to help pluck out the best and brightest minds in all of the colonies so that they can all work together to rebuild what the wars destroyed. For example, Cia's father is a Botanist who works on getting rid of deadly plant strains, among other things.

Cia is so nervous about The Testing and the book starts off by telling you how hard The Testing is and when you pass, what areas of study you can be assigned to. Cia wants to go into Engineering but is chosen for Government. But there are other things on Cia's mind. Mainly where do the students that do not pass The Testing go? The students that pass The Testing are told the students who fail The Testing are reassigned. Cia is about to find out what that really means.

Once Cia starts her internship, she learns more and more secrets about The Testing and about how the University is really run. She also learns horrible secrets about those in power and how this relates to the highest people in government. Not to mention which of her fellow students she can trust.

This book was an honest to goodness page turner. So many things to remember, so many secrets hidden. Information gets revealed a little bit at a time, building suspense. I knew it was a series but was still sad at the end because I want to read the nest book in the series now! At least I can read the first one.

This book is listed under YA, and SciFi, and Post Apocalyptic. So if you like any of those genres, you will like this book. I do not do spoilers so this is a short review. But you will love the character of Cia. She is a smart and kick-ass heroine but she is not only physically strong but emotionally strong. And the Tests that are given are just amazing, and the secrets and things going on under everyone's nose are mind-blowing.

Make sure you pick it up when it comes out January, 2014!