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A review by nicholeb84
This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
2.0
I first heard of this novel some time ago. Reading the summary made excited. I’ve grown rather interested in zombie novels lately, and I do have a love of YA stories. This seemed like the perfect mix. Reading some reviews a few key words stuck out to me “snappy,” “sexy,” and “raw with emotion”. After reading the novel myself, I must wonder if these reviewers were reading the same novel as me.
Was the book snappy? This book did get going in Part Three and really got going in Part Four, but it was very slow for the first two parts. Sexy? Maybe a little, but not enough to be mentioned; and really a lot of the ‘romance’ struck me as the need for these teens to feel closer to someone in a time of stress. Raw with emotion? That I can sort of agree with.
Let me say this: Courtney Summers has a way with words. Her writing does make an atmosphere – a zombie outbreak sounds all exciting, but the truth is it would probably have long stretches of silence, hiding, and inner dialogue. There is some beautiful prose here. And, Part Four is satisfying with the epic race to safety. That’s the best thing about the novel.
Everything else? I really didn’t care for it. The characters! I understand that they are all between the ages of fifteen and eighteen, but must they play all these high school games? Sloane Price, our narrator, is a sullen, self-pitying, girl. Yes, she is an abuse victim. . .but she spends most of the novel sitting around and thinking about her sister Lily and how unhappy she is. She has survived! Yet, she just seems so out of it and suicidal. Her sister who ran away without her. Plus, there were moments were Sloane would do things that just made everything worse. At times I felt like I was at Sloane Price’s Pity Party/Obsession Party for Lily. I just found her so unlikeable – I felt like she never really grew.
As for the rest of the characters? Well, we really don’t get to know them! We have Harrison the cry-baby new kid – he really has no personality. No personality makes his Honestly there were times when I forgot Harrison was there. Cary sets himself up as the leader of the group and Trace and Grace are twins: Trace is a hot-head and a jerk, who really loves his sister and Grace is kind, sweet, and angelic. And Rhys is a bit of a bad boy and Sloane’s love interest. For these characters, we are mostly told about who they are - well Trace certainly shows his jerk-side more than once – as seen by Sloane. It really makes me wonder if they were just as Sloane saw them, or if she was missing something. It makes me wish we could have gotten inside their heads, too.
In conclusion, I really liked the atmosphere of the novel and the writing style. (I’ll probably check out another novel by Summers.) I just really disliked our main character and I felt like the other teens were just cardboard cutouts of high school stereotypes. Because of this (characters mean a lot to a story) I sadly have to give this one a 2 out of 5.
Was the book snappy? This book did get going in Part Three and really got going in Part Four, but it was very slow for the first two parts. Sexy? Maybe a little, but not enough to be mentioned; and really a lot of the ‘romance’ struck me as the need for these teens to feel closer to someone in a time of stress. Raw with emotion? That I can sort of agree with.
Let me say this: Courtney Summers has a way with words. Her writing does make an atmosphere – a zombie outbreak sounds all exciting, but the truth is it would probably have long stretches of silence, hiding, and inner dialogue. There is some beautiful prose here. And, Part Four is satisfying with the epic race to safety. That’s the best thing about the novel.
Everything else? I really didn’t care for it. The characters! I understand that they are all between the ages of fifteen and eighteen, but must they play all these high school games? Sloane Price, our narrator, is a sullen, self-pitying, girl. Yes, she is an abuse victim. . .but she spends most of the novel sitting around and thinking about her sister Lily and how unhappy she is. She has survived! Yet, she just seems so out of it and suicidal. Her sister who ran away without her.
Spoiler
Her sister who always told her they couldn’t have friends. (Meanwhile Lily has sex and tells nice girl Grace that Sloane hates her and to stay away.)Spoiler
Like with Baxter and Grace or when she asks the others to stop by her house before they flee the city.As for the rest of the characters? Well, we really don’t get to know them! We have Harrison the cry-baby new kid – he really has no personality. No personality makes his
Spoiler
heroic sacrifice toward the end less than shocking and emotional.Spoiler
he once had a relationship with Lily.In conclusion, I really liked the atmosphere of the novel and the writing style. (I’ll probably check out another novel by Summers.) I just really disliked our main character and I felt like the other teens were just cardboard cutouts of high school stereotypes. Because of this (characters mean a lot to a story) I sadly have to give this one a 2 out of 5.