Lord of the Flies blogged by Mya W.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
3 hours

    Lord of the Flies starts off with a group of British schoolboys who get marooned on an island after their plane crashes during World War2. Piggy and Ralph quickly find each other and decide to have fun and swim in a lagoon on the island. They have no cares in the world, and do not worry about being rescued. After a while, Piggy finds a conch. Piggy has asthma, so he tells Ralph to blow to conch and signal other survivors. After other survivors arrive, they have a meeting and vote on the leader of the group. Ralph is elected as leader and he appoints Jack and the choir as the hunters.
    At first, the boys enjoy their life without grown-ups and spend much of their time splashing in the water and playing games. Ralph, however, complains that they should be maintaining the signal fire and building huts for shelter.
   

The Testing blogged by Callista M.

Hours Read: 11hrs 45min
The book I would like to report on: The Testing
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Genre: YA Dystopian
Rating: Four and a Half Stars

Summary:
Malencia “Cia” Vale has always yearned for the chance to prove herself and leave her mark on the world. To do this, she must be selected as one of the best and brightest among all of the United Commonwealth's colonies and sent to Tosu City where those chosen undergo the mysterious Testing method. The only way for a student to continue their education after secondary school is by attending the University which only accepts those who pass the Testing process.

On her graduation day, Cia wishes for nothing more than to be accepted into the Testing program just like her father had been many years before. Luckily, her wish is granted, so Cia, as well as three others from her colony are transported to Tosu City. Before her departure, Cia receives strange words of warning from her father about trusting others in the Testing program.
As the tests get harder and increasingly more dangerous, Cia must carefully decide who to trust because if she chooses wrong, her life will pay the price. The Testing transforms into a game of survival that pushes some candidates beyond their limits. Cia holds her allies close as she attempts to play fair, but others are willing to kill to get to the top.

Review:
Normally, I am not a huge fan of dystopian novels, but The Testing was a breath of fresh air. The post-war, fractured colony setting seemed almost perfect with everyone working together to restore the barren land. Slowly the book reveals the flaws in  the society rather than all at once. Readers who enjoyed Divergent and  The Hunger Games will love the similarities between  the popular novels and The Testing.  There are not enough similarities to consider The Testing a blatant rip-off, but rather an amazing combination of the two worlds. Well-written, and full of original ideas, The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau is a groundbreaking book that has the potential to become the next big thing.