The Black Trials

The Trials Trilogy #1

by Tara Benham

In a world where dreams and nightmares are monitored by the government, nothing seems sacred anymore. Each year, thousands of sixteen year olds are forced to face the worst of their recurring dreams. If they survive, they are promoted to adult status. Once you're an adult you get to get a job, get married and only have your dreams monitored on a rotation schedule. This year, I face my nightmares. I'm not sure what's scarier, the thought of my nightmares becoming real or that I might not survive.

Genres: Ebooks, Young Adult

217 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 7, 2017

Reviews

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted this book and I was glad I was because I haven't heard of this author before and I have to say I was very interested in this book as I was reading.



The book flowed so well that all I remember last night before I ended up going to sleep was I was at 32% but some how I got up to 74% before I closed the kindle. Then picked it up this morning to finish it up. Sixteen-year-olds who will have to face their nightmares sounds pretty simple you would think. That is until it seems that Fanya who will be on of the teens to face her nightmares doesn't act like the other kids. She has something special about her and not only while preparing for her trials but later on she gets these mixed signals on what she is suppose to do. It seems that there is something else going on within the community and government to where all the chips are being placed on Fanya. The first trial being in Chernobyl and the way things were described sounds not like a place I want to visit. Everyone knows that if you haven't passed your trials you don't get a job but they don't know what actually happens to you. My only question on all of this is why was the government having these teens face their nightmares. What was the main point on this. Maybe in the other book it will tell us?

I do like the concept of being able to survive your nightmares to me that was a new idea in the book world. Where this book ended I am curious to read the next one, what the heck will the be next trial and who will survive.

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[Gracie Bergan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick and easy read. Definitely not the most complex story, but who doesn't love a good dystopian story (especially when it's free)! 3/5

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was gifted this book, along with The Secret Trials & The Riot Trails, by a dear friend of mine.

I sadly do not know how to go about rating this book. I have gone back and forth between my ratings for hours. 😔 After pondering my thoughts on this book I have decided to rate this book a 3/5. The concept for this book was unique and had such great potential, however I felt there was some details lacking throughout the story. I found myself wanting more; more detail/world-building, more character development and more of Fanya’s inner thoughts. I found myself wanting Fanya’s insight on her and Radek’s situation, and her breakdown of what she thought was happening.

There were also many typos, I can usually overlook such things but due to the sheer number I had a hard time overlooking them. 😢

I am going to continue the trilogy, just to see how it ends and if we get more insight into the characters and the world.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I DESPERATELY wanted to like this series. The storyline had so much promise and that's the only reason I finished the series and didn't quit after the first book. The amount of spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and all around typos was beyond frustrating for me and took away from being able to focus on the experience I was trying to immerse myself in.

I continuously had to read paragraphs over and over because the story would jump from one scene to another with little to no explanation and I was worried I was zoning out and had missed some key elements to the story.

This series could have been amazing but unfortunately it fell flat with lack of depth, character development, details, and all around what the hell is happening.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Dystopian
Rating: 4.5 stars

Fanya has just turned sixteen and is about to complete the government mandated trials for entering adulthood. She, like every other sixteen year old headed to the training center, knows little about what will happen. When she gets there, she is surprised to discover that she has extra tasks to complete, and people keep telling her that she is "special" and she "thinks differently" than everyone else. After completing what is called "The Black Trial" (an additional task almost no one else has to do) she is scheduled to face three of her worst nightmares. Can she survive the nightmares-come-to-life? If she does, what does the government have in store for her?

I'm always up for a good dystopian novel, and this one certainly keep me guessing. It was full of little twists and turns and unexpected things. It got really exciting when they sent her off to the location of her nightmare trials. That part was delightfully creepy -- like some kind of horror movie! I feel like I would be spoiling the book to remark on too much more, but I really did enjoy this book a lot. It is a quick read, and it's fairly unique. It does remind me of the Maze Runner series a bit, and it's always just a little frustrating to read books that end on cliffhangers, but I will definitely be picking up the next book. The "chosen one" trope is not my favorite (and I was getting sort of irriated at EVERYONE blowing sunshine up Fanya's nose about how she was so "special") but I thought the book was enjoyable despite that, and I understand that things aren't always as they appear. There is much that will be revealed later, I am sure!

[Dawn O Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hungry Games

I loved that Ms. Benham made the characters come to life.
I did see the similarities between The Black Trials and the Hunger Games, but there were teists and turns that were quite exciting. I couldn't stop reading! (One more chapter, just one more chapter...) was my mantra.
I intend to purchase the next book in the series. I greatly appreciate Ms. Benham's talent!

[Sara Jane Korczak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book and it just blew me away. I read a lot, so finding an idea that is completely new is sometimes hard, but this book was it.

It was creepy and original and lived up to the expectations as a writer I had set forth for Ms. Benham. The characters were well developed and the action was intense. I highly recommend!

[Ann-marie Ambler · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a big lover of The Hunger Games & Divergent I was excited to get stuck into this series. I have enjoyed the first book and although it didn’t go down as well for me as the others did I’m still eager to read the next one- not sure when it comes out tho! I read this very quickly and got quite into the plot, all in all it’s a good read

[Sterling Kirkland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not your typical dystopian story. It does start out following the mold but quickly takes you in a different direction. The ending comes up abruptly, leaving you wanting just a little bit more. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

[Kodey Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Black Trials had an interesting premise, but the pacing was quite slow at the start and I struggled to stay engaged. The writing style didn’t fully click with me, which made it harder to get into the story. While it wasn’t a favorite, there were still some good moments that kept me reading.

[Chelsea Eyre · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrible editing. So many mistakes throughout. Words spelled wrong constantly. One time a characters name was spelled wrong. An interesting premise but it was so disjointed. The plot jumped from place to place with little world building or explanations.

[LORRIE · Rating 4 out of 5]

FNtastic

This was a great read. I wasn't sure if I'd like this or not. However, I ended up loving it.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Not sure if I'll read the next one. Typical dystopian futuristic book. I like the dream element.

[Joy Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting build-up... waiting for a conclusion!!!!

[Kelly Stepp · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a twisted, slightly creepy, but wonderful read! It has a fresh twist that I haven't read anywhere else before and I loved that the turns kept me guessing the whole time. The characters were likable and I look forward to more background and learning how they are all connected in the future. The ending left me reeling and dying to know what happens next! If you're looking for something new, mysterious, and unpredictable, I'd definitely recommend giving this a try!

[Marilette Fronda]

A Trial of your own

It's like undergoing your own trial when you read this.
It is mind boggling and will give you intense feelings towards the twists and turns of the story.
The ending will totally surprise you.

[Alice Blessing · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was an amazing book. it had my heart racing in places, it had me looking behind me at times. facing your nightmares is not an easy task, thanks Tara Benham for an incredible ride.