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The Prosperous Exams
Sixteen-year-old Raelynn Barker has had enough of school, mainly because she is highly against the current exam system, "The Prosperous Exams." It is compulsory for students to sit these exams before leaving school. They are demanded to perform perfectly and many students do not benefit from them due to how unjust they are. Raelynn has to decide if she should stay silent like every student before, or rightfully speak out in an attempt to expose and reform this system of unrealistic standards...
459 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2023
2 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Isabel Maher
1 book10 followersIsabel Maher is a 20-year-old author from Ireland. From a very young age, she gained an interest in reading, which inspired her to create her own captivating characters and stories. She wrote her very first book to share with her family at the age of 10 entitled "Piano Problems." Now, she has accomplished her dream of publishing her very first book for all to read. As well as writing fictional stories, they are primarily based on Isabel's true experiences that she hopes others will relate to.
Isabel also loves music and has been playing the piano for over a decade. She loves movies too, particularly horror and thrillers. She aspires to write a successful film script someday. Isabel is currently studying creative writing in university, to learn more about the craft and study something she thoroughly enjoys.
Isabel also loves music and has been playing the piano for over a decade. She loves movies too, particularly horror and thrillers. She aspires to write a successful film script someday. Isabel is currently studying creative writing in university, to learn more about the craft and study something she thoroughly enjoys.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 20, 2023
So good! I hadn’t read a book in a while because I struggled to focus but Omg! I couldn’t put this down!
Drama with a splash of romance!!
I LOVED IT! It was really easy to relate to the characters and I even found myself Talking (and screaming) out loud, rooting for them!
I totally recommend to anyone still in school or if u r interested in the mental health side of things. READ IT NOW!!!
Drama with a splash of romance!!
I LOVED IT! It was really easy to relate to the characters and I even found myself Talking (and screaming) out loud, rooting for them!
I totally recommend to anyone still in school or if u r interested in the mental health side of things. READ IT NOW!!!
April 8, 2023
not a great reader haven’t read in years but great read love the humour in it especially with school 😂 would definitely read
July 23, 2023
Where do I begin? All I can say is that the 4.5 stars I'm giving this book is SO deserved, and if you have Kindle Unlimited, don't hesitate in rushing to download this book. It far surpassed any expectations I had of an underrated book by such a young author, and I wish more young people could write with this level of passion and understanding.
'The Prosperous Exams' is a sort of dystopian book, in a way. Set in an unnamed country with an exam system set up to fail, it looks at the unnecessary pressures of the academic system, the affect it has on people with mental health issues, such as Cyrus, the love interest, and people with dyslexia and other learning disabilities, such as Aiden, the misunderstood "popular" guy at school. There's racial bias, shown by side character Johnny's struggles, and a lack of opportunities for those who might mess up on the day of exams and never find an opportunity to excel at life again, which is shown through the tragic story of protagonist Raelynn's relative, who committed suicide.
I really enjoyed the way the PEs, as they were abbreviated, were shown to be a representation of exam structures across the world. The mimic the English GCSE system, in a way, with the kind of pressures one set of exams place on students across the board. I'm sure (from my extensive Derry Girls education) that the school system with its uniform and strict teachers in some way was inspired by the education system over in Ireland, which is where the author grew up. Rules are exaggerated in the book to prove their ridiculousness, as the book becomes an example of what society could become without support for teens with their own individual life struggles, and so on.
I really enjoyed that there were so many other sub-plots, however, which made the book not just inspiring, but enjoyable and heartwarming and quick to read. There was an emphasis on Cyrus's anxiety, which I found so sweet, and on terminal illness and grief, which was done so beautifully. Isabel's writing is tender and lovely and she writes her characters with a real rawness many authors struggle to capture, which was so nice to read.
Being Isabel's first book, I couldn't give the book a full five stars, because there were a few elements I think would be improved should she look back and edit the book in a few years time, with more understanding and hindsight. I could tell the book was written with the anger and passion of a student still at school, meaning a few things, such as rules about not talking back to teachers, strict uniform codes, and a general awkwardness about sex education lessons were written about with a distaste not entirely fair. The education system has a power divide for a reason, especially given the immaturity of Raelynn's peers at school, and I can understand that while some teachers are unkind for no reason, it's often necessary to keep boundaries in place. Rules around exams, homework and uniform are also important in maintaining discipline, and I think that could've been emphasised - as well as the importance of sex ed. I would've really enjoyed it if Isabel had laid out more of an example of how she thought the education system should be structured, as this was a little hazy and ambiguous.
Maybe I only picked out these things because I'm a few years older than the target audience... and haven't been in "school" as it were for about four years! But aside from a few minor issues I had, I honestly loved this book, and it'll definitely be up there as one of my top ten reads this year.
I'm so excited to see what Isabel does next!
'The Prosperous Exams' is a sort of dystopian book, in a way. Set in an unnamed country with an exam system set up to fail, it looks at the unnecessary pressures of the academic system, the affect it has on people with mental health issues, such as Cyrus, the love interest, and people with dyslexia and other learning disabilities, such as Aiden, the misunderstood "popular" guy at school. There's racial bias, shown by side character Johnny's struggles, and a lack of opportunities for those who might mess up on the day of exams and never find an opportunity to excel at life again, which is shown through the tragic story of protagonist Raelynn's relative, who committed suicide.
I really enjoyed the way the PEs, as they were abbreviated, were shown to be a representation of exam structures across the world. The mimic the English GCSE system, in a way, with the kind of pressures one set of exams place on students across the board. I'm sure (from my extensive Derry Girls education) that the school system with its uniform and strict teachers in some way was inspired by the education system over in Ireland, which is where the author grew up. Rules are exaggerated in the book to prove their ridiculousness, as the book becomes an example of what society could become without support for teens with their own individual life struggles, and so on.
I really enjoyed that there were so many other sub-plots, however, which made the book not just inspiring, but enjoyable and heartwarming and quick to read. There was an emphasis on Cyrus's anxiety, which I found so sweet, and on terminal illness and grief, which was done so beautifully. Isabel's writing is tender and lovely and she writes her characters with a real rawness many authors struggle to capture, which was so nice to read.
Being Isabel's first book, I couldn't give the book a full five stars, because there were a few elements I think would be improved should she look back and edit the book in a few years time, with more understanding and hindsight. I could tell the book was written with the anger and passion of a student still at school, meaning a few things, such as rules about not talking back to teachers, strict uniform codes, and a general awkwardness about sex education lessons were written about with a distaste not entirely fair. The education system has a power divide for a reason, especially given the immaturity of Raelynn's peers at school, and I can understand that while some teachers are unkind for no reason, it's often necessary to keep boundaries in place. Rules around exams, homework and uniform are also important in maintaining discipline, and I think that could've been emphasised - as well as the importance of sex ed. I would've really enjoyed it if Isabel had laid out more of an example of how she thought the education system should be structured, as this was a little hazy and ambiguous.
Maybe I only picked out these things because I'm a few years older than the target audience... and haven't been in "school" as it were for about four years! But aside from a few minor issues I had, I honestly loved this book, and it'll definitely be up there as one of my top ten reads this year.
I'm so excited to see what Isabel does next!
May 16, 2023
There is so much to like about this book. It is astonishing to know that this novel has been written by a young teenager and that this is her debut novel.Without wanting to give too much away, this book has a very clever central premise where the nature of the leaving cert exam is re-examined under the spotlight of the pressure it exerts on young minds and lives and the traumatic effect this can have for many. With strongly developed characters, a fantastic lead character at the centre of the story and a very well observed dystopian world where only those that succumb to the system prosper, I found this book to be unputdownable and a really good read.I cannot recommend this strongly enough.
July 6, 2023
I am in the middle of reading this book and usually I wait until the end of a book to review it but because the book is so good I had to let others know. It is a very Important book and so well written. It is a topic that needs more discussion as learning and education is so different for everyone society needs to be creative how it is approached. The book is funny and cleaver and really engaging. I wish it was written when I was in school 35 years ago!! Well done to the writer. Keep writing ✍
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews