This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers: Book Review

THIS IS NOT A TEST by Courtney Summers Book Review
Publication Date: June 19th 2012 by St. Martin’s Griffin
Rating: – Exceeds Expectations |

Book Summary: It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

This is Not a test by Courtney Summers Book Review Overview:

• Nail-biting tension from beginning to end
• Reminds me of the Walking Dead because of the complex social interactions
• A fantastic zombie book that will have you reading more of the genre

THIS IS NOT A TEST  by Courtney Summers is the kind of book you should not be reading in public – especially if you’re the type of reader like me. THIS IS NOT A TEST is full of nail-biting scenes that made me gasp in shock and jittery with anticipation. I could have read it straight through if it weren’t for the fact that my e-reader’s battery died.

Don’t expect a plausible explanation for the zombie outbreak. THIS IS NOT A TEST by Courtney Summers explores more of human interactions after a disaster rather than the science behind the outbreak. The science is explained a little, but is based on observations made by Sloane and the other characters. Besides, the story revolves around a group of teenagers. They wouldn’t be the ones to know what is going on. At first, THIS IS NOT A TEST by Courtney Summers is confusing because you have no idea as a reader what is going on after the prologue and first chapter. It takes a while for the pieces to come together. In a way, I like that this is how Courtney Summers organizes the novel because it reflects what it would be like in the shoes of Sloane. Utter chaos.

THIS IS NOT A TEST by Courtney Summers reminds me of The Walking Dead on AMC because it’s more than just a novel about zombies. It’s about the complex social interactions between the survivors. It’s about discovering and appreciating life – or what’s left of it. For the main character, Sloane, accepting the fact that she is alive becomes a major struggle and she constantly has to overcome suicidal thoughts. Courtney Summers makes you think about survival and the ways it changes you. One of the most striking observations in THIS IS NOT A TEST by Courtney Summers is about nostalgia. The author makes a great point that despite the fact that they can be nostalgic about their past, it means absolutely nothing in the present world that the characters were living in. Everything they knew was gone.

I loved the tension and suspense in THIS IS NOT A TEST by Courtney Summers. She gives readers an impression of a false sense of security right before all hell breaks loose. The tension kept me on my toes the entire time. I was no silent reader. I gasped, I cursed, and I flailed wildly at the first sign of zombies. Like I said, I was so glad I didn’t read THIS IS NOT A TEST by Courtney Summers in public.

I’m pretty new to zombie books, but I can say for a fact that Courtney Summers has me hooked with her first, THIS IS NOT A TEST. The novel can stand on its own but the ending is open for a future sequel.

I would definitely recommend this book to those who are fans of ASHES by Ilsa J Bick and the Walking Dead television show.

Other Book Reviews:
Black Inside
The Reading Housewives
The Realm of Fiction

Related Posts:

Book Review: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter Behind the Book: Aimee Carter & The Goddess Test Divergent by Veronica Roth: Book Review