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A review by halcyone
This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
4.0
Originally posted at The Cozy Armchair.
I’ve been trying to review This is Not a Test for about five months, but I kept stalling, struggling to find the right words. Simply put, this book is an intense look at the experiences of a girl who has nothing left to lose. Sloane wants to die yet she’s found herself hiding out in the school with a group of acquaintances. Tensions are high and rising, especially with the lingering anger at losing a few members of their party. Coupled with the undead constantly pounding at the walls and doors, looking for a way in, you have a recipe for apocalyptic disaster.
I’ve seen other reviews say that this is not a book about zombies, and that’s just about the most accurate way I can think to describe it. The zombies are a constant threat throughout the story, but they don’t make their official appearance until a bit later. They’re the foundation of the setting, but they're only one of many external and internal conflicts. The horror comes more from the ever-present fear of there being a breach in the school and the group being trapped, which is very effective in setting this bleak, desperate atmosphere.
Sloane is such a fascinating character, and her arc carries the novel through to the end. She debates living and dying from the start, and her emotions are so very raw and visceral. I ached for her, and I had to set the book aside at several points because it got to be a bit too much. Both her emotions and those of the people around her are very realistic.This is Not a Test explores group dynamics and emotional responses at the end of the world.
Another important element is the will to survive and the role it plays in apocalyptic situations. So often we get books where everyone works toward surviving the threat and maybe a few are lost along the way, but the message is clear: survival. Here, it is not so easy to find the will to keep going despite losing so much. Everyone has their reasons, and everyones makes their own decisions, some of which are hard to face.
This is Not a Test is definitely a page turner and unpredictable in so many ways. I kept wondering what Sloane would finally do in the end and how the group would move forward. The plot itself is very self-contained, occurring almost entirely within the school they’re hiding in, and it works so well. While I might have liked more information about how the zombie apocalypse came about, in some way it works because Sloane and her group don’t have that information. You only hear about the past through Sloane as she remembers her home life, but beyond that you’re thrust into the middle of this situation much like the characters were.
The story haunted me long after I had put it down. I remember finishing and just sitting on my couch, staring down at the final words and trying to process what I had just read. This is Not a Test was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. The ending is the right kind of ambiguous because this book works perfectly as a standalone. Overall, it’s a dark look at the zombie apocalypse with less action that most books in the genre usually have, but it’s such a compelling read. So, do I recommend this book? Wholeheartedly.
I’ve been trying to review This is Not a Test for about five months, but I kept stalling, struggling to find the right words. Simply put, this book is an intense look at the experiences of a girl who has nothing left to lose. Sloane wants to die yet she’s found herself hiding out in the school with a group of acquaintances. Tensions are high and rising, especially with the lingering anger at losing a few members of their party. Coupled with the undead constantly pounding at the walls and doors, looking for a way in, you have a recipe for apocalyptic disaster.
I’ve seen other reviews say that this is not a book about zombies, and that’s just about the most accurate way I can think to describe it. The zombies are a constant threat throughout the story, but they don’t make their official appearance until a bit later. They’re the foundation of the setting, but they're only one of many external and internal conflicts. The horror comes more from the ever-present fear of there being a breach in the school and the group being trapped, which is very effective in setting this bleak, desperate atmosphere.
Sloane is such a fascinating character, and her arc carries the novel through to the end. She debates living and dying from the start, and her emotions are so very raw and visceral. I ached for her, and I had to set the book aside at several points because it got to be a bit too much. Both her emotions and those of the people around her are very realistic.This is Not a Test explores group dynamics and emotional responses at the end of the world.
Another important element is the will to survive and the role it plays in apocalyptic situations. So often we get books where everyone works toward surviving the threat and maybe a few are lost along the way, but the message is clear: survival. Here, it is not so easy to find the will to keep going despite losing so much. Everyone has their reasons, and everyones makes their own decisions, some of which are hard to face.
This is Not a Test is definitely a page turner and unpredictable in so many ways. I kept wondering what Sloane would finally do in the end and how the group would move forward. The plot itself is very self-contained, occurring almost entirely within the school they’re hiding in, and it works so well. While I might have liked more information about how the zombie apocalypse came about, in some way it works because Sloane and her group don’t have that information. You only hear about the past through Sloane as she remembers her home life, but beyond that you’re thrust into the middle of this situation much like the characters were.
The story haunted me long after I had put it down. I remember finishing and just sitting on my couch, staring down at the final words and trying to process what I had just read. This is Not a Test was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. The ending is the right kind of ambiguous because this book works perfectly as a standalone. Overall, it’s a dark look at the zombie apocalypse with less action that most books in the genre usually have, but it’s such a compelling read. So, do I recommend this book? Wholeheartedly.