Saturday, September 22, 2012

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers


This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Publication Date: June 19th
Source: Publisher
Rating: I liked it
It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?
 
The Skinny: A dash of Lord of the Flies and a scoop of reality

I have not read a lot of zombie books, so when I heard about This is Not a Test, I was excited to read it. The idea of teenagers seeking shelter in a high school and having to band together in order to survive is an intriguing storyline. What would these kids do when faced with important decisions? How would they cope with the stress and fear of being alone? This is Not a Test answers each of these questions and provides a realistic view of what would happen if teenagers were placed in such a situation.

The characters are all different manifestations of coping mechanisms when faced with trauma or conflict. One is angry, one is fearful, one is aloof, and one is silent. Sloane, our main character, is so different from most YA characters. She has experienced great abuse and torture. She does not have a stable family life, and she is more interested in ending her life than fighting for it. It is so ironic that she is placed in a situation in which she must fight to survive when she was unable to keep fighting. I really liked Sloane and thought that she behaved in a realistic and consistent manner throughout the story. The other characters are interesting, and I liked seeing how each one handled the stress and loneliness that came with the constant fear of death.

The writing is good and situations are described realistically. Just enough information is revealed to keep readers interested and guessing. The twists and turns are unraveled slowly, so a lot of tension is built up before the great reveals. The one part of the story that I did not enjoy is the end when information is revealed about her family. It seemed a bit farfetched to me, and I did not understand it.

Overall, I liked This is Not a Test. Though I wanted a bit more zombie action, I appreciated the deeper themes that Summers included in the story. Abuse, conflict, anger, and fear are all touched upon in this YA novel. Summers does not gloss over difficult subjects and really embraces the difficult and true parts of life. The best part of this book is that it is realistic in terms of emotions. Some people try to be leaders when dealing with emergency situations, while others will resent those who try to the lead. Others will follow and others still will break away. It’s a good read, and I recommend it to readers who are looking for a deeper YA.

13 comments:

  1. Excellent review. I've had my eye on this one for a while. I was hoping it would have lots of zombie action though!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I want a book with zombie action! lol I have read Something Strange, and Deadly which has zombies and I was dissappointed with zombie action in this one but, I have heard great things about this one, I like the idea of it being a emotionally deeper read and not just about trying to survive, definitely going to give it a try!

    Kristin @ Young Adult Book Haven

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm not a huge fan of zombie books but I've been wanting to read this one for a while :)!! I'm glad to know that it's a good read, thanks for the great review :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wonderful review! I loved this book and was blown away by the complexity of it, but I did reiterate constantly that it wasn't a zombie book. I think it gives readers false expectations since it's portrayed that way, but I'm glad you still loved it! :D I know Feed by Mira Grant has a lot of zombie action, but it's infused with a ton of politics, so I don't know if you'll enjoy that, but if you do, you should definitely check it out! :)

    ~Keertana
    Ivy Book Bindings

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lovely review! I'm not a zombie fan in the least, but I've heard super amazing things about this book. I love books with deeper messages, so maybe when my tbr dies down a little, I'll pick this one up! Thanks for the great review. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I really don't like zombie books so I'm glad Summers kept that aspect pretty minimal, focusing more on the characters instead.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hmm.. Interesting review :) I've heard a lot about this book but didn't know it dealt with deeper issues will check it out now :)


    Krazyyme @ Young Readers

    ReplyDelete
  8. I don't really usually read many Zombie novels but after reading your review I will be sure to check this our :)
    Alex @ Possession of Books

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am always looking for for deeper YAs and with a mix of zombies how can I not check this out.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I always hear amazing things about Courtney Summers' books. She really does sound like an amazing writer. Her characterization seems realistic and deep. I really want to read this book now! I would probably agree with you on the need for more zombie action though.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I haven't read too many zombie books either and I do remember seeing a lot of positive reviews for this book but I have still not gotten a copy for myself. I have TBR pile problems haha

    Im glad to see that you liked it, though. It is one of those books that I have every intention of reading sometime, I just don't know when that will be,

    Thanks for the great review :) oh an ps I love the tag line of your blog (in your header)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Very well thought out review. I absolutely loved this one and although I wouldn't have minded more zombie action either I really liked that it was much more than a zombie book. It was more like a deep contemporary inside a zombie apocalypse. Wonderful review!

    ReplyDelete
  13. "Just enough information is revealed to keep readers interested and guessing"

    That's such a nice promise. I love it when I have enough information to satisfy my need for explanation; but it's not enough to spoil the plot from the start. And, it's about zombies :D

    Great review!

    ReplyDelete