Speculative Fiction Archives - Page 2 of 2 - A.J. Cattapan

Feeling dystopian withdrawal after The Hunger Games and Divergent series ended? Look now further than The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau.

Title: The Testing

Author: Joelle Charbonneau

Genre: dystopia

Age group: young adult

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Cia Vale wants nothing more than to qualify for The Testing, a series of tests that allow only a chosen few to study at the University. Those who pass will study to be the leaders for the United Commonwealth. They must revitalize the planet after much of it was destroyed during the Seven Stages War. However, finding out she’s qualified for the Testing turns out to be not such great news. Cia’s father (who had also passed the Testing and studied at the University) reveals that being chosen for the Testing isn’t such a great honor after all. In fact, it’s the last thing he would have wished for his only daughter.

Fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent will really like this book. It’s the first in a trilogy. (The last book just came out so you can read right through them if you want.) Like the other two series, there is definitely some violence in the book, but the main character tries to live by the morals she was taught as a child. Cia isn’t interested in “taking out” her competition during the Testing, but other candidates aren’t as morally attuned. Like Katniss in The Hunger Games, we see Cia care for a fallen comrade. Ms. Charbonneau did a nice job making Cia a character we can empathize with as she struggles with making ethical choices.

In terms of plot, Ms. Charbonneau hits all the right notes for this dystopian. The tension is great. It’s not as full-on tense as The Hunger Games (which I was thankful for because too much constant tension is tiring to me as a reader), yet there was enough tension that the plot is driven forward (I felt Divergent didn’t always keep the plot moving forward as much as it could have). This book hit the right mix.

I have a lot on my summer reading list, but I do look forward to reading the rest of the series in the near future.

When I first met Jessica Keller at an ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) meeting, I learned that she wrote adult Christian fiction. What I didn’t know right away was that she had a YA book in the works. When the book was released last month, I jumped at the chance to snatch a copy so that I could share it with all of you.

Title: Saving Yesterday

Author: Jessica Keller

Genre: Speculative fiction (I love that in the dedication she thanks her dad and brother for making her watch Star Trek and all those sci-fi shows.)

Age group: YA

Synopsis: Gabby Creed never knew her mother, and she’s been forced to act like a parent to her alcoholic father. However, on her seventeenth birthday, her life is really turned upside-down. A bracelet mysteriously appears on her wrist, and she is sucked back into time. She finds herself during the Civil War with a boy who can also time travel. Eventually, she learns that they are both Shifters, time travelers who switch time periods at the whim of a man known only as Nicholas. When they time travel, Shifters are expected to protect humans and their history. But that’s not easy to do when the Shades (creepy creatures with melting faces) want to feed off human despair and capture Gabby for their own evil purposes.

As I mentioned on Facebook yesterday, I figured Jessica Keller and I were kindred spirits when she mentioned things like Anne of Green Gables, Jane Austen novels, and having to take away someone’s nerd card when they confused Star Wars and Star Trek. (No problem for me there. While Jessica only has one brother, I have four brothers to ~~indoctrinate~~ teach me in the ways of the Force, show me how to give a Vulcan salute, and know not to confuse the two!) However, after reading Saving Yesterday, I’m absolutely sure we’re kindred spirits.

The book moves at a great pace, the characters are sympathetic, and the plot is intriguing. Even though we lost an hour of sleep Saturday night, I stayed up late to finish! Saving Yesterday is the start of a series, and I’m looking forward to the next installment.

Parents of teens: No need to worry about inappropriate language and such here.

While Jessica is an author of Christian fiction, there is no overtly Christian talk in this book. However, it’s a “safe read,” and there are definitely some Christian themes running through it.

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Monday Book Review: The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Monday Book Review: Saving Yesterday by Jessica Keller

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