Review: Quick Read That's More Bonus Information Than Prequel
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 15, 2013
Since this book was meant to be read before The Testing, and it was free to buy, I went into this novella as a short preview of what was to come in The Testing. Honestly, I felt this was a great preview of the series. This takes place entirely from Zeen's POV (Cia's older brother). I thought this was a brilliant idea on the author's part because it gives us an insight into his character, as well as the resentment he harbors for not being chosen for the Testing. However, it's also nothing new. We basically can figure out in the book why Zeen was so upset for not being chosen. Also, this was more of a bonus chapter than novella. The story itself probably spans 10 pages max, then there is a short Q&A; from the actual Test itself on the history, and then it's the first couple chapters of The Testing. I did like the Q&A; portion because it allowed us to find out more about the history of the dystopian world, and it would have been beneficial to read that prior to reading the actual book. However, a reader wouldn't get confused if they didn't read this novella either.From this novella, I'm hoping that Zeen will have more of a presence in future books, but I found this novella to be a nice way to find more out about Zeen, as well as the history. Like I said before, this is meant to be read as a preview for The Testing so don't be expecting a prequel to the series. However, if you really liked the book, or are thinking of reading The Testing, this is worth checking out (after all...it's free to download!).