The Testing/The Testing Guide (The Testing #1 and .5)

 

Hello all! 

Today we have an awesome new series (to me) that is VERY similar to "The Hunger Games", "The Maze Runner" and "Divergent" as it is dystopian and about surviving tests. 

The .5 book is "The Testing Guide" and it is about Zeen (the main protagonist's older brother) during his graduation day. Zeen hopes to be elected for The Testing in order to attend university and help change the world for the better after many nuclear wars left the Earth in bare bones and mutated humans and animals. However, Zeen does not get chosen and we learn of his disappointment and his fights with his Father. Zeen introduces us to his little sister, Cia, who is the main protagonist of the series and provides her with The Testing Guide because chasing your dreams is a good thing. 

In the first novel, Cia is a teenage who is graduating and hoping to be chosen for The Testing. She gets chosen and meets her companions from the Five Lakes colony, Thomas and Zandri. However, only very few (20) of the 100+ selected for The Testing will pass all four phases and be chosen to attend University. Cia is a bright, determined, caring, compassionate and headstrong girl who has worked hard her entire life to attend University, so she is elated when chosen. 

However, she soon regrets her desires as she goes through the phases of The Testing: a written exam, a technical and hands-on exam, a team exam and finally a real-life exam followed by an interview to determine psychological and emotional personalities. Cia soon learns that her Father's warning to not trust anyone must be followed as she struggles to survive The Testing. Could the fate of the world be worth sacrificing your life and your ideals and sanity?