Book Review: This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

Title: This Is Not a Test

Author: Courtney Summers

ISBN: 0312656742

Reading Level: Young Adult

Genre: Horror, YA, Contemporary

Theme(s): Suicide, Zombies

Binding: Paperback (ARC)

Length: 336 pages

Published: 19 June 2012; St. Martin's Griffin

Buy: amazon.com

 Synopsis: 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?

My Rating:  

My Review: This Is Not a Test absolutely blew my mind. There is no other way to say it. I actually went into this book with low expectations. Come on, 6 students stuck in a high school while a zombie horde tries to find a way in? A protagonist who no longer wants to live? In the wrong hands, this story could have turned out a complete mess. But thanks to Courtney Summers, This Is Not a Test is a gripping, frighteningly realistic portrayal of not only human survival, but of finding the will to live.

There have been a few reviews floating around that have basically said that This Is Not a Test is not a zombie book, but a story that just so happens to have zombies in it. I would say that there is some truth to this statement. You could take the zombie aspect out and replace it with a natural disaster, an alien invasion, etc. HOWEVER, if you think this somehow makes the book less scary, think again. I had the pleasure (or displeasure depending on how you look at it) of reading the novel during a storm that knocked out my power for about 12 hours. I couldn't sleep since it was so unbearably hot, so I lit some candles and decided to give the book a shot. I finished it in less than 6 hours and it left me shaken. The title of the book combined with the eerie, blood splattered cover only intensified what lie between the pages. To put it bluntly, I was thoroughly creeped out and the feeling didn't leave me right away.

Every protagonist in a story has issues to face or overcome. And most of the time, these issues are revealed methodically and are carefully paced to keep the reader engaged. Courtney Summers does something quite different with her protagonist. Before jumping into the novel, I pretty much thought I had the story figured out. Zombies take over, Sloane's whole family is killed, therefore, she has no reason to stay alive. I couldn't have been more wrong because Summers drops a bomb on us within the first few pages of the story. Sloane's nightmare began way before zombies ever entered the picture. It started when her father began physically abusing both her and her sister Lily. What kept Sloane going was her sister's promise that they would one day run away together. However, she was never prepared for Lily to betray her by taking off and leaving her with their monster of a father.  We learn this within the first few pages of the book as well as the fact that because of this, Sloane has given up on life. She is ready to commit suicide, preferring to face death than be her father's punching bag. But before she can follow through with her plan, the world as she knows it comes to an end. The dead roam the streets looking for human flesh. If it wasn't for a small group of survivors, she would be zombie food or become one herself.  But did them saving her only prolong the inevitable? I guess this is why I find Sloane such an interesting, complex character. While the others have fond thoughts of their parents or a sibling or a significant other, all she has is the painful memories of her dead mother, abusive father, and selfish sister.

One of the most heartbreaking parts in the story is when Sloane is talking to Rhys after he discovers her desire to end her life. She says to him, "I wouldn't have left you like that. Not like [Lily] did to me...She always said I'd die without her and she left anyway."

"But you didn't die," [Rhys] says.

"I did," I say. "I'm just waiting for the rest of me to catch up.”

Here is another line that gives you a clear view of Sloane's despair. “Waiting around to be saved is like waiting to die and I have done more of both than anyone else in the room.”


This Is Not a Test is an extremely well written story that has a beautiful flow to the writing style. The chapters are short which compliments its somber tone. What absolutely amazed me about this book is the fact that not once did I wonder how the epidemic started nor was it ever mentioned or explored. 9 times out of 10, when I am reading an apocalyptic tale, I want to know why, when, and how. I think the reason it never crossed my mind with this book is because the story's main focus is not on the zombies scratching at the door. This is Not a Test is a character driven novel that focuses on the human psyche in extreme circumstances. It's about the decisions and sacrifices that have to be made, the trust that is formed and broken, etc.

That being said, I must warn you this book is not for the faint of heart. It will test you emotionally, ethically, and morally. It covers an array of controversial topics such as abuse, suicide, abandonment. But as the story progresses, and hidden truths come to surface, a whole new set of topics are introduced. If pushed to the extreme, would you sacrifice one life for another? Would the guilt of split second decision making be too much weight on your shoulders? Would you rather take your own life than try to survive in a world overrun by the dead?

If you are looking for a book that will give you a few hours of mindless entertainment, this one is not for you. However, if you want a story that will touch you emotionally, challenge you morally, and keep you on the edge of your seat, then I recommend This Is Not a Test. If you are a fan of The Walking Dead tv series or the Aftertime book series by Sophie Littlefield, then you are in for a treat. If you haven't, you definitely need to check them out, especially since Sloane reminds me of both Andrea (The Walking Dead) and Cass (Aftertime). I thank LibraryThing.com and St. Martin's Griffin for giving me the opportunity to read and review this riveting novel.

Author Spotlight & Giveaway: Alicia K. Leppert, Author of Emerald City

A little over a week ago, I posted my review for Emerald City by debut author Alicia K. Leppert. If you missed it or are new to my blog, feel free to check it out HERE. But in a nutshell, this is what I thought about it:

Emerald City was not a bad read. I think the author captures the realistic and ugly stages of grief, depression, and suicide. I liked that the paranormal elements were introduced a bit later in the book. It was a nice change to see the relationship between two characters take its time to develop rather then using the instant love formula that we see so much in YA novels. Great characterization, interesting angel mythology held the story together. But a few plot holes such as poor editing, combined with the terrible marketing of this book is why it only gets a 3 out of 5 star rating. I think paranormal romance fans will miss out on Emerald City because they won't know about it. Thank God I am open minded! Someone who picks up this novel thinking its a contemporary romance may leave a worse review simply because they felt misled.

After I posted my review, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a message from the author. Alicia not only liked my critique, but she was nice enough to clarify my confusion over some of the issues I had stated in my review. How many people get that opportunity, right? So I took it a step further. I asked her if she was up for a quick Q & A and I am so happy she said yes! Oh and there is more! Alicia not only was gracious enough to answer my questions, but she also is allowing me to host a giveaway! After the Q&A, check out the rules so that you can enter for a chance to win an E-book (pdf format) version of her novel Emerald City!

Enjoy and Good Luck!

Author Spotlight:

10 Things You Should Know About Alicia K. Leppert & Her Debut Novel Emerald City

http://www.aliciakleppert.com/

1. How long has the process been from the time you started writing Emerald City to it being published?

About four years. It took me about three years to write, but that was very off and on. There were sometimes months at a time that I wouldn’t write at all. A year ago I was signed by Cedar Fort and it took a year for the re-writes, edits, and actual publishing of the book.

2. To clarify, what reading level/genre is Emerald City considered?

It is being marketed as a Young Adult paranormal romance. I wrote it with adults in mind and wasn’t particularly comfortable with the idea of it being marketed as YA because of the suicide and depression factor, but I had no say in what genre it would be categorized in. It’s very confusing to people, I know.

3. I saw on your website that you started and abandoned 10 stories before coming up with the idea for Emerald City. What inspired you to write about such sensitive topics as depression suicide?

When I decided to write a book, I knew three things right from the start: that it would be a love story, it would take place in Seattle, and it would be about a girl suffering from depression. This is a very personal topic for me, as I’ve suffered from anxiety and depression my entire life, although I’ve never had experience with suicide. I wanted to tell a story that would give people an idea of what depression sufferers go through on a daily basis. A lot of people don’t think it’s a “real” thing, or that it can be willed away. But it’s a very real disease and extremely debilitating. I hope that those who are suffering from it might find hope from my story, and those who aren’t will have a better understanding of those who are.

4. Where did the idea for the paranormal element come from?

I actually never set out to have any fantasy aspect to my story. In fact, I fought against it for a long time. But when I just wasn’t coming up with any solid ideas for my book, I finally started toying with the idea and suddenly I knew I had my story. I’d been reading a lot of fantasy/paranormal stories at the time (still am) and it suddenly seemed like the natural way to go.

5. I’m sure you are aware of the love/ hate debate over the “Instant Love” formula in some novels. Some readers love it when 2 characters “instantly” fall in love and others hate it, wanting to watch characters fall in love over the course of a novel. According to the story you mentioned about how you and your husband “met and were married” in less than 3 months, I would say your relationship falls into the “Instant Love” category. But Jude and Olivia take their time getting to know each other. What are your views on the instant love formula? Feel free to talk about your own relationship and also Olivia and Jude’s relationship in your novel.

I am on the hate side of the love/hate debate over instant love. I can’t stand stories where the love interests meet and within a day would give their lives for each other. I think it’s totally unrealistic and way overused in books today. I have a hard time finishing books with these kinds of relationships. My goal in writing Emerald City was to create a very realistic, believable romance that slowly built up so that by the time the characters finally got together, the reader was just dying inside. Now, this does make me sound like a horrible hypocrite given the way I met my husband, which was, yes, virtually instant. But it wasn’t love at first sight. In fact, we never saw each other at all. We met online and fell in love getting to know each other through chat in a matter of a week. We got engaged over the phone before ever seeing pictures of each other or meeting in person. After meeting, we got to know each other in person over the course of three months as we planned our wedding. We’ll be married 12 years in July. So here is my official stance on the “instant love” thing: I know it can happen in real life, in rare cases. However, I don’t buy it for a second in every single novel that seems to be put out these days. I think it’s formulaic and cheap and doesn’t invoke any feelings of romance from me when I read them, which is saying a lot for this die-hard romantic!

6. Like I said in my review, I know that some authors have little to no choice in choosing their book cover art, book synopsis/blurbs, etc. How much creative freedom did you have with the final book art, book blurb, etc?

Typically, you are right. Most authors don’t have any say in what goes on the cover of their book. I, however, was an exception, in that I know someone very well who works at the company that published me, and because of that I had the rare opportunity to write my own blurb, synopsis, and even to approve my cover (which I did immediately, they did a FABULOUS job). I know some people find it frustrating that my blurb and synopsis are so vague and that the cover and title give absolutely nothing away about the story and more specifically a paranormal aspect, but actually that was intentional. I love an air of mystery, and I wanted the reader to be as surprised as possible when they read the story. I know for some people this made them dislike my book, not knowing what they were getting into, but I don’t regret it for as second. Soon everyone will know what the book is about and for the sequel I won’t have to be so secretive. It was fun while it lasted.

7. So in my review, I stated my confusion over the title of the book and book cover and how it relates to the story. You were kind enough to contact me and clarify. Can you explain why you chose Seattle as the setting of your book, why it is called “Emerald City”? And any other significance behind the title?

Yes, this was a case of me assuming too much. I knew not everyone would know that Emerald City was Seattle’s nickname, but I assumed more people did than actually do. And it, stupidly, never occurred to me to mention it in the book for those who didn’t know. Rookie mistake. I chose Seattle because I have always had a sort of love affair with it. I was born there, and my birthstone is the emerald. I’ve only ever lived in two places, Seattle and where I live now and if you saw where I lived now, you’d understand why I chose Seattle as the setting. Besides, I always envisioned Olivia’s story in a big city and Seattle is the only one I know well enough to write about. As far as choosing it for the title, I don’t know, I just loved it. I thought it sounded perfect and I still get tingly when I hear it. There really is no other significance behind it other than that it means Seattle.

8. One thing I forgot to add in my review is how the book ends. While things are pretty much wrapped up, I couldn’t help but feel that this book could lead to a sequel or two. Any plans to expand on Emerald City?

Yes, a sequel is definitely in the works. It will be called Sin City, taking the characters to Las Vegas. The books will be a series, although I don’t know how many books there will be yet. I tried to write Emerald City so that it could stand on its own as a book, but also leave it open to a sequel. I do know I left a few things unfinished though, so…watch for the sequel!

9. What’s one thing you love about Emerald City? Is there one thing you could go back and change?

I love the raw, powerful way that Olivia’s emotions are portrayed. I’ve been told by many readers that it sucked them in and they could feel everything she was feeling. I’m very proud of the way I wrote her. There are, of course, things I would change about it, but they’re mostly minor. The biggest thing would probably be the ending. The general consensus seems to be that it happened too fast. If I could go back and redo it I’d draw it out, take more time on it.

10. Now that Emerald City is out on bookshelves, what are you doing now? Any new projects or future plans?

Oh boy. I’m so busy promoting Emerald City, with book signings and speaking events. But I am starting Sin City, the sequel, and that will be my focus from here on out.

Thanks for the interview! I loved answering your insightful questions!

EMERALD CITY E-BOOK GIVEAWAY!

The Giveaway is open WORLDWIDE!

1 (ONE) winner will be chosen. The winner will receive an e-book (PDF format) version of Emerald City!


Please read the following rules/instructions carefully. All responses must be left in MY comment section of this post.

---- ---- ---- ---- ----

RULES/INSTRUCTIONS

1.. Must be a follower of my blog through GFC and/or Networked Blogs (must leave GFC name/username in the comment section of this post so I can check you joined)

2. Leave your name and email address in the COMMENT section of this post.

3. Must answer this question: Why do you want to read Emerald City?

Optional/Bonus: Add/Follow me on Twitter and Facebook! :)

My Twitter
My Facebook

---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Giveaway ENDS: Thursday, May 10th (last day to enter) and the winner will be chosen and contacted by Friday, May 11th. Winner(s) will have 48 hours to respond to my email. If I don't hear from you, a new winner will be chosen. So please make sure you leave your correct email addresses in the comment section!

For any comments, questions, or concerns about this giveaway, feel free to email me: famulan23@gmail.com


Good Luck!

Book Review: Emerald City

Title: Emerald City
Author: Alicia K. Leppert
ISBN: 1599558645
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Theme(s): Angels, Suicide, Depression
Binding: Hardcover
Length: 320 pgs
Published: 10 April 2012; Cedar Fort, Inc.
Buy: amazon.com, bn.com
My Rating:


Synopsis: Olivia Tate is a broken shell of a girl haunted by the tragic events that fill her past. She has closed herself off from the world, each day grasping at something—anything—to live for. Convinced there will never be a way out, she seeks solace in the depths of her medicine cabinet. When she wakes up days later in the hospital she is introduced to Jude, the quiet stranger responsible for saving her life. She never could have guessed then that her mysterious rescuer would end up saving her life a second time, while simultaneously turning her world upside down.

My Review: I am not sure what it was about the synopsis of Emerald City that caught my attention. Yes, I am a sucker for romance and "mysterious" heroes, so maybe it was that aspect of the summary that made me click the "request" button on netgalley. I definitely don't regret it, even though this debut novel by Alicia K. Leppert turned out to be quite different then what I expected it to be.

As the synopsis states, the story opens with a harrowing scene of attempted suicide. Olivia is a 20 year old shell of a young woman, broken down by losing everyone that has meant something to her. Abandoned by even her best friend, Olivia has attempted to eke out her own life by working and owning her own apartment. But she lives like a robot, going through the motions without truly seeing or feeling, barely eating or full-filling other social or physical needs. After a particularly bad day at work, swallowing a bottle of anxiety pills becomes her answer to her problems. One minute Olivia feels nothing and is greeted by white light, the next she is waking up in the hospital, told she has been saved by her mysterious neighbor named Jude. And so Olivia's journey begins, her fight back to mental and physical wellness, finding something worth living for... Sounds like a pretty straight forward, contemporary novel, right?

I battled back and forth on how much I should reveal about Emerald City in my review. But after some careful thinking and seeing that other reviewers have talked about what I wanted to reveal, I decided to go for it. If you haven't figured it out already, Emerald City is actually a paranormal romance and our mysterious hero, Jude, is an...angel! Now hold that thought.

Here is what I liked about the novel. I think the author did a great job with capturing the realistic nature of depression and suicide. I completely disagree with another reviewer in regards to how long it takes to heal after suffering a great loss. In the book, Olivia's mother killed herself a year before. Another reviewer felt that her depression lasting a year over the death of her mother felt unrealistic. They felt that after a couple of months, Olivia should have been able to start healing from her loss. Seriously?? Who puts a limit on the grieving process? Everyone deals with loss differently, so I thought the author dealt with the subject conscientiously.

Emerald City is filled with great characterization. The author really takes her time to build the relationships between her characters. While some other reviewers felt it may have taken too long for the relationship between Olivia and Jude to begin to really blossom, I thought it was a nice change from some of the typical "instant love" romances out there. I also like the fact that the author didn't bog the story down with tons of secondary characters. Not that I have issues with secondary characters, but Alicia K. Leppert does a great job making the characters she has three dimensional. One of my favorites is Hal, the mysterious homeless man that Jude always goes to when he needs to borrow materialistic things, like a truck, money, etc. I know, sounds weird, right? How can a homeless man have those kinds of connections? Read to find out :)

Even though the paranormal element wasn't really evident until about halfway through the book, I liked the angel mythology that was introduced. In Alicia K. Leppert's world, her angels don't have any wings. Heaven is not located in the sky, but is hidden in some sort of alternate dimension. Spirits are kept separate from angels. There are also many different kinds of angels, like ones that comfort you before you pass on, those that guard you, etc.

Now to my issues with Emerald City. A few are minor and are just thoughts/questions I had while reading. Olivia owns her own apartment in Seattle, but only works at a cafe shop. Is that realistic? Olivia swallows a whole bottle of pills but somehow Jude convinces the hospital it was an "accident". Really?? Apparently he did not use any of his "heavenly" influences to convince the hospital staff that it was an accident. It doesn't sound plausible.

When Olivia is at one of her therapy sessions, she thinks to herself that she doesn't want to reveal that Jude is the one that saved her. She tells Dr. Robinson that she has been spending time with a guy and that he is her neighbor. Then later in the conversation, she mentions that her savior the night she tried killing herself was her neighbor. Wait, didn't she just give it away??? I think it was one of those unconscious errors the author made and the editor didn't catch it. A little proof reading and rewording would have solved that mistake.

Also, without giving away too much, there is a part where Olivia is able to "meet" Jude's mother on the other side. I thought this was a bit odd since I would have thought that if the author was going to go in that direction with the story, it would be Olivia's mother that she would be able to see. Considering the fact that she has regrets about her mother's death and wishing she had the chance to talk with her one last time, I'm not sure what purpose was gained by making it be Jude's mother whom she meets. Again, maybe it slipped the author's mind, but I thought adding Jude's mom to the mix was a bit of an odd angle.

Lastly-- and this is my biggest issues and sadly, I don't think this is the author's fault-- I think Emerald City was completely marketed wrong. Back to my earlier comment, I first went into this novel thinking it was going to be a contemporary YA novel. Then I started reading it, and with Olivia's age being revealed at 20 and the serious/grimness of the depression and suicide attempt, I thought wow, maybe this is more of an adult novel. Then the angel concept was intertwined and I came to the conclusion that this is a YA paranormal romance for older teens. On top of the genre confusion, throw in a completely ambiguous cover art and book title, and you have yourself a hot mess of confusion. Now, I have talked to enough authors to know cover art is usually completely out of their hands. But I am still stuck on the title. Sometimes authors have a say, sometimes they don't. Other then Jude's green eyes which are mentioned quite a bit throughout the novel, I can't figure out what "Emerald City" means. And it absolutely does not help market the book at all.

Emerald City was not a bad read. I think the author captures the realistic and ugly stages of grief, depression, and suicide. I liked that the paranormal elements were introduced a bit later in the book. It was a nice change to see the relationship between two characters take its time to develop rather then using the instant love formula that we see so much in YA novels. Great characterization, interesting angel mythology held the story together. But a few plot holes such as poor editing, combined with the terrible marketing of this book is why it only gets a 3 out of 5 star rating. I think paranormal romance fans will miss out on Emerald City because they won't know about it. Thank God I am open minded! Someone who picks up this novel thinking its a contemporary romance may leave a worse review simply because they felt misled.

Recommendation: To Save A Life

I have been waiting about 6 months for To Save A Life (2009) to finally come out on dvd. It was finally released this week (Aug. 3rd) and I just got around to watching it last night. The movie is about Jake Taylor, a popular senior high school student that seems to have the perfect life--hot girlfriend, full-ride scholarship to The University of Louisville, (due to being an all star athlete) big house, jock friends, etc. But one day at school, his childhood best friend, Roger, whom he has ignored for years because he is not "cool" enough, open fires and kills himself in front of Jake and other students. Plagued with guilt for not being a better friend or seeing the signs, Jake goes on a spiritual journey and begins to reevaluate his life. More importantly, he tries to find the answer to this one question: what does it take to save a life?

Some of you may or may not know this but I am in the teaching field so I deal with kids (ranging from 12-20 year olds) on a daily basis. I found out about this movie back when school was still in session and couldn't wait until I got my hands on it because I was hoping this would be a good movie to show to teenagers. Teen suicide is such a sensitive topic especially in today's society when we hear about tragedies like Columbine or severe bullying that leads to kids feeling alienated and desperate to be heard (such as teenager Phoebe Prince's sad story).

To Save A Life is a movie that not only covers teen suicide but topics like bullying, peer pressure, teen drinking, cutting (as in teens that cut themselves), the effects on teens in single parent homes, the effects on teens whose parents are going through a divorce, pregnancy, Christianity, spiritualism, and I will even go as far as to include interracial relationships. For a 120 minute movie, it covers alot of issues that teens, parents, AND teachers go through and should look out for in their daily lives.

The only thing that I want to caution viewers about is that this movie does get a little "preachy" so if you are a teacher that is thinking about showing this film to your students you might want to be careful on how you go about it. I myself got a little tired of the constant push towards Christianity. However, I do know that a teenager's life is filled with questions and self exploration so it doesn't surprise me that the topic is brought up. I just wasn't expecting it to be one of the main themes of the movie. So for all you teachers out there, this is definitely a movie students should see but tread carefully.

~~Mia~~