This is an intense page-turner! I buzzed straight through the 2nd half, I couldn't put it down! The protagonist's point of view is a unique perspective among this group struggling to survive because she had already given up and she wants to end her life. As bonds form and she observes those who know what it is like to be a part of a family, she weighs her choices and will not let her actions jeopardize their safety. The storyline is emotional and exciting. Well done!
Sloane Price wants to die, but she can't find her sister Lily's pills. Frustrated, she goes to breakfast, knowing that her dad will make her pay if she is late. But something strange happens at breakfast. A woman screams for help, banging on the front door. Her father goes to help, but demands that Sloane sit still and eat her breakfast. Knowing the consequences if she disobeys, Sloane does just that. Until her dad screams at her to run. She can't help but look as the woman, covered in blood, breaks through their picture window and her dad murders her with the glass. Horrified, Sloane runs.
She's found by five other students and the six of them run for cover, for safety. Everyone around them is either being killed or infected, a zombie. They run to the high school and immediately cover up all of the windows and barricade the doors. Sloane is quiet and doesn't say much, but in her mind, she doesn't care if she dies. Her sister, Lily, ran away six months ago and didn't take her with her. She hopes she is ok and safe, but doesn't understand why she left her alone with their abusive father.
The six teenagers try to get along to survive, but there is animosity. The twins, Grace and Trace, blame Cary for their parents' demise. They were all together when Cary said the alley was clear, but it wasn't. Carey says it wasn't his fault, but inside, he is ate up with guilt. Harrison cries all the time; he's just so scared. Rhyse tries to keep everyone alive, even though he isn't one to talk about his own fears and desires. Together, they must do what it takes to survive, even as the thudding of the doors increases; the zombies seeking an entrance.
Chilling, riveting and emotional, THIS IS NOT A TEST is not your average young adult paranormal. In fact, the zombies aren't the main attraction. Instead it is the characters trapped within the school. THIS IS NOT A TEST is the warning that is repeated over and over on the radio and telephone lines, which beseeches everyone to seek a safe haven and that help will come for them. But will it come in time? With a modern setting, diverse characters and seamless writing, THIS IS NOT A TEST will stay with you long after the last page. A highly recommended read this summer!!
She's found by five other students and the six of them run for cover, for safety. Everyone around them is either being killed or infected, a zombie. They run to the high school and immediately cover up all of the windows and barricade the doors. Sloane is quiet and doesn't say much, but in her mind, she doesn't care if she dies. Her sister, Lily, ran away six months ago and didn't take her with her. She hopes she is ok and safe, but doesn't understand why she left her alone with their abusive father.
The six teenagers try to get along to survive, but there is animosity. The twins, Grace and Trace, blame Cary for their parents' demise. They were all together when Cary said the alley was clear, but it wasn't. Carey says it wasn't his fault, but inside, he is ate up with guilt. Harrison cries all the time; he's just so scared. Rhyse tries to keep everyone alive, even though he isn't one to talk about his own fears and desires. Together, they must do what it takes to survive, even as the thudding of the doors increases; the zombies seeking an entrance.
Chilling, riveting and emotional, THIS IS NOT A TEST is not your average young adult paranormal. In fact, the zombies aren't the main attraction. Instead it is the characters trapped within the school. THIS IS NOT A TEST is the warning that is repeated over and over on the radio and telephone lines, which beseeches everyone to seek a safe haven and that help will come for them. But will it come in time? With a modern setting, diverse characters and seamless writing, THIS IS NOT A TEST will stay with you long after the last page. A highly recommended read this summer!!
Courtney Summers trademark sparse yet hard-hitting prose meets the walking dead. Sound like either the next best thing or the stuff that makes you squirm in discomfort? It was astrangepairing in my opinion, and Im still not sure what to think of it, but THIS IS NOT A TEST was a quick and intense that was still hard for me to put down, despite some of my hesitations toward it.
There were many moments while I was reading when I stopped, pressed my palms into my eyes, and thought again how much subjective overkill of content this book contained. Sloane is a suicidal teenage girl with an abusive family history and a missing older sister. Sound like the beginning of a YA contemporary novel to you? It did to me too. Which was why I found the choice to make zombies a huge part of the problem in THIS IS NOT A TEST a rather strange one. The zombie premise made the book read sort of like a giant metaphor for not killing yourself and whatnot, and maskedat least for methe subtlety of character development that a sophisticated contemporary YA allows.
Its hard to not get fed up with the characters in THIS IS NOT A TEST. Sloane has a sort of narration that can dip into stream-of-consciousness at times, which combined with The Zombie Situation gave me headaches sometimes. (There are zombies. I just wanted some direct prose sometimes, yknow?) Other characters are even less likable, hung up on past events or sniffling at every single new thing that goes wrong. There were large chunks of the book that felt like characters simply shouting at one another, to no avail.
On the other hand, even if I wanted to grab some characters by the scruffs of their necks and drop-kick them outside to be at the mercy of the zombies, its hard for me to say whether or not this would be the natural behaviors of a group of six people stuck together in the middle of an apocalyptic situation. So I, as a reader, was torn between my frustration with some of the characters pettiness and the sobering thought that even I would be like those characters in that situation.
THIS IS NOT A TEST is not my favorite YA take on zombies, nor is it my favorite of Summers objectively accomplished novels: the strange juxtaposition of the supernatural with a setup that seems more ideal for a contemporary YA story didnt quite work for me. However, if youre a big fan of Summers writing style, dont mind reading about zombies, and are interested in the details and behaviors of human beings in apocalyptic situations, THIS IS NOT A TEST will be just the thing for a dark and stormy nights read.
There were many moments while I was reading when I stopped, pressed my palms into my eyes, and thought again how much subjective overkill of content this book contained. Sloane is a suicidal teenage girl with an abusive family history and a missing older sister. Sound like the beginning of a YA contemporary novel to you? It did to me too. Which was why I found the choice to make zombies a huge part of the problem in THIS IS NOT A TEST a rather strange one. The zombie premise made the book read sort of like a giant metaphor for not killing yourself and whatnot, and maskedat least for methe subtlety of character development that a sophisticated contemporary YA allows.
Its hard to not get fed up with the characters in THIS IS NOT A TEST. Sloane has a sort of narration that can dip into stream-of-consciousness at times, which combined with The Zombie Situation gave me headaches sometimes. (There are zombies. I just wanted some direct prose sometimes, yknow?) Other characters are even less likable, hung up on past events or sniffling at every single new thing that goes wrong. There were large chunks of the book that felt like characters simply shouting at one another, to no avail.
On the other hand, even if I wanted to grab some characters by the scruffs of their necks and drop-kick them outside to be at the mercy of the zombies, its hard for me to say whether or not this would be the natural behaviors of a group of six people stuck together in the middle of an apocalyptic situation. So I, as a reader, was torn between my frustration with some of the characters pettiness and the sobering thought that even I would be like those characters in that situation.
THIS IS NOT A TEST is not my favorite YA take on zombies, nor is it my favorite of Summers objectively accomplished novels: the strange juxtaposition of the supernatural with a setup that seems more ideal for a contemporary YA story didnt quite work for me. However, if youre a big fan of Summers writing style, dont mind reading about zombies, and are interested in the details and behaviors of human beings in apocalyptic situations, THIS IS NOT A TEST will be just the thing for a dark and stormy nights read.
