3.5-4 stars 
 This is a hard one to review. I wasn't really thrilled with the beginning and felt like it was taking long time for action to get going but the ending was pretty good with a couple of great surprises. I actually really enjoyed the second half of the book. 
 Full review originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide: I guess I shouldn't start off a review by saying that I almost didn't read this book but... I feel like I must disclose that! After reading THE TESTING last year and feeling like it too-closely resembled THE HUNGER GAMES (not just because it's a dystopian but really in so many ways), I almost didn't pick up INDEPENDENT STUDY. I was just so torn on whether I would really enjoy it or if I would still see those parallels and feel unable to separate myself from that idea. What I can say is that I decided to read it thanks to encouragement from Nicole at The Quiet Concert (thanks for the encouragement!!!!) and although I wasn't stuck on THE HUNGER GAMES parallels, it still didn't quite knock me off my feet. 
 I liked INDEPENDENT STUDY... But I almost didn't. The beginning was very slow to me. It wasn't that nothing was happening but I just was still very unsure in what direction the book -- and the series, actually -- was taking me. THE TESTING ended with quite the epic finale, including a shocking cliffhanger and INDEPENDENT STUDY kind of did where we left off... So maybe that's actually the reason it was slow for me. I almost feel like it would have benefitted from some time in between the two books and backtracking through the story to fill in what we've missed. It sounds crazy, right? Isn't that the kind of stuff that normally confuses me and I get frustrated with? Yes. It is. But for this book, I feel like that would have worked because I wanted both me as the reader and Cia as the main POV to be more... in the dark. I can't really say any more because of book one spoilers and honestly going in, I had no expectations or an idea that that's what I wanted so it wasn't even a let down of expectations. I was just... restless. 
 I actually appreciated the content of this book more than the first, I think. While THE TESTING set up necessary elements, characters, and world building, INDEPENDENT STUDY really started to explore those elements and how Cia would ultimately fit in and how she could change things. I know, I know, you're saying, "Well duh, that's what a book two should do!" But trust me -- it doesn't always. That being said, INDEPENDENT STUDY also felt like a totally different book in many ways. I think it matured a lot from its predecessor and the content went much deeper than Cia's experience in the Testing. Things got much more political and the stakes were higher when it came time for Cia to decide who to trust and who to fear. 
 There were a few twists involved in the second half of the book but I was torn whether I liked them or not. The one big twist I'm thinking of I'm still very hesitant about because it hasn't been developed yet but I guess that's something for me to find out in book three! In all honesty, I was almost surely not picking up book three -- which is called GRADUATION DAY, coming in June -- and I almost didn't even pick up book two! I'm actually glad that I did because I enjoyed it and it was a quick, fun read once the ball got rolling. I'll be looking forward to book three to finish off the series but admittedly, I won't be running to the shelves to get it.