"GRADUATION DAY: Book 3 of the Testing Series," by Joelle Charbonneau, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $17.99, 291 pages (f) (ages 14 and up)
Part three of the Testing series by Joelle Charbonneau is Greek tragedy meets teen drama meets conspiratorial mystery set in post-apocalyptic times. Reading the first two books is necessary for understanding this recently released trilogy conclusion, "Graduation Day."
The novel comprises several explosions, lots of gunfire, intense moments and several protagonist moral-crossroad dilemmas, all capped off with an abrupt finish.
It comes across as a version of "The Hunger Games" set at a university instead of in an arena and with a less dramatic heroine. The author maintains a quick pace, packing the pages with action sequence after plot twist after action sequence.
Malencia "Cia" Vale is trying to complete her Tosu University education and, at the same time, to discover ways to end the Testing, the means by which many of her fellow students have been "redirected." The city, meanwhile, is on the brink of civil war. Without knowing which side is telling the truth, Cia is left to her own devices, thrust into a sort of leadership role she wishes she never had. The deeper she digs into the mystery and history of the school, the higher the stakes grow.
Charbonneau, whose previous books have been on the New York Times best-selling list, creates an interesting world worth exploring, along with a few characters that shine and a few more that fall flat. Charbonneau has mastered the art of building intense moments but not really much else. While the plot moves along quickly, the storyline lacks the balance that could have really made it a great finale to the series.
Although readers are unlikely to be upset with this conclusion of the series, they may be slightly disappointed with what may have seemed to be a promise of a "bang" conclusion that ended up feeling more like a "pop."
This novel contains depictions of blood and violence.
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