To be fair, I did not give this book a decent shot. I gave up shortly before the main character left for the testing, which is only two or three chapters in. There were just too many things about this book that I didn't like.
Likes:
*I feel that the narrator has the voice of a 12-year-old with a good vocabulary, which I kind of liked.
Dislikes:
*Very slow start.
*Inconsistent details. Ie, it has been 10 years since anyone has been chosen for a testing, but the main character knows exactly when a testing cadidate will be announced during the graduation ceremony. Also, the graduating class is enormous with 14 graduates, yet it's a surprise to be able to recognize everyone in the community.
*It feels as though this author is just copying other book formats that have been known to sell well. Nothing original sticks out.
*Shallow description. 1st person narrative exacerbates this.
*Cheesy relationships. "Look out for so-and-so when I'm gone! She won't have any friends without me!" *cringe*