I received a digital copy, free of charge, from Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review.
I've seen multiple reviews for this book (which I really shouldn't do, as it clouds my judgement, just a bit). Some are full of praise. Others, not so much. And I really don't see what's excellent about this book. I've read the Divergent series. Honestly, though the story line and characters are a bit different, and the occasional language and content are just a bit more adult, I don't see a huge difference. Nothing near enough to see this as an adult focused book-aside from the fact that the characters are in their late twenties/early thirties.
Also-the random switch about two-thirds of the way through-where our main character randomly starts liking the villain and he doesn't just kill her like he had killed many others? It made no sense.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book. I had a hard time getting past the first few chapters to the point where I put it down, waited a couple of weeks, then picked it back up. I'm really glad I gave it a second try. Once I got into it, I was hooked. The Chosen One was purported to be able to defeat the Dark One. Some things didn't quite turn out the way they expected. I was floored once all of the clues in the story came together. I didn't see ANY of that coming!

Just a reminder that this is an adult book, not YA. Although, I read a lot of both and did not have issues with this book.

3.5 stars. Really great story building and character development. I liked that the book had "documents" in it to help the reader get a better understanding of the past without the narrator telling it. Unique story and ending too! Of the three parts of the book, part three was the most interesting. The first two parts are essential especially if this is setting up a series but part three is where the story really comes alive.

I really wanted to love this one but found myself struggling to get into it. I found it extremely slow and while I was very intrigued in the world building and the idea of the characters having ptsd from being the "chosen ones", I found myself lacking any real connection to them and was not interested in their story lines at all. I will continue on with the series because I have hope in Veronica Roth and quite enjoy everything else she has written but this one just didn't do it for me.

Veronica Roth has created a literary masterpiece! A must read! Chosen Ones has all the elements of a great book and was even better than I expected. I think readers would love this book because Roth’s ability to tell such an addictive story makes it impossible to put down! Not only is it captivating, but it isn't so outlandish that the ideas she presents are impossible. It’s a great book to read if you want to escape reality for a little while and get caught up in the pages of a great book, but at the same time, you’ll find yourself thinking ”I wonder if this could really happen?“ and “I wonder if this could really be true.” The pieces of non fiction that she adds are phenomenal too, so that just draws you in even more. This is a book that readers of many genres would enjoy. Veronica Roth has done it again with a book that readers will be sure to love! Whatever your thoughts are about magic, alternate realities and universes, and entities who can save or destroy an entire planet, Veronica Roth’s talent for writing will certainly take you to places beyond your wildest imagination.

Plot:
My review is long, and has a lot of questions to consider. It was easier to pose questions than explain the plot because I didn’t want to include any spoilers in my review. Explaining the plot would’ve given away too much spoiler info.

The books is written into 3 parts. Throughout the book you’ll read excerpts from secret forces, government and other high ranking officials, eye witness accounts, and pieces from books and articles pertaining to the “Chosen Ones” and the “Dark One.” They are documents that you can assume the “Chosen Ones” don’t know about; however, Sloan knows more than she lets on and has been left feeling bitter about what she knows, The excerpts will give you information about who knows what, and which people are genuinely trying to help the “Chosen Ones” and which people have integrated themselves into their lives for the purposes of gaining information to relay to others..

The book starts in Chicago at the 10 year anniversary of the “Chosen Ones” defeating the “Dark One.” A monument has been constructed in recognition of the losses during the fight against the “Dark One,” as well as to honor and show gratitude for everything to the “Chosen Ones” did to defeat the “Dark One.” So many people lost their lives in the fight against the “Dark One,” and the “Chosen Ones” aren’t excluded when it comes to suffering. They all agreed to fight against the “Dark One” because they were told as teenagers that they were among a chosen few in a prophecy to defeat the “Dark One” and that the world needed them as saviors to reclaim Earth from the “Dark One.”.

Sloan, distraught over the death of her brother in his fight against the “Dark One” with a mother who didn’t seem to care, willingly agreed to begin the special training. Although she was ultimately successful, has had the hardest time readjusting to life because she spent the most time with the “Dark One.” What happened during that time, and why hasn’t she talked about it with the others?
Matt, the golden boy, was somewhat of a leader in the group. He and Sloan had been dating since defeating the “Dark One.”. Matt adores the attention he gets from the public, whereas Sloan won’t go anywhere without being heavily disguised in order to avoid being recognized.
Albie, was the one who Sloan could probably relate to the most because they had been held as captives by the “Dark One.”
Esther, haunted by the memories and struggling with her mother’s cancer, is enjoying life as an online media superstar and tries to hide behind her online facade.
Ines is still tormented by her memories, and although she lives in fear of the past, she seems to be moving on..

No one can even forget or get over fears of “Drains“ though, or the shadow of a man they saw. The “Chosen Ones” were specifically hand picked because of their unique and individual abilities to use and control magic. In a world without magic, their rare gifts saved the planet.
Although the “Dark One” was defeated ten years ago, special forces and the government are determined to stay ahead of the game to be sure that nothing like that ever happens again. They ask the “Chosen Ones” to try out a prototype they made to see if they can use their magic to control it. It put too much mental anguish on one of the “Chosen Ones,” and it was more than he/she could handle.

Although the day of revealing the monument is supposed to be a symbol of remembering the loss, as well as happily looking ahead to a brighter future, nothing goes as planned. If you believe in magic, then how do you perceive people on Earth feeling about magic and why?
What if there are alternate universes to ours? If magic is uncommon on Earth, would it be common on an alternate universe of Earth?

What if there is alternate universe where another entity has the similar abilities as the “Dark One?” If we have a certain identity on Earth, would our identity be unrecognizable in an alternate version of Earth? Would we be able to trust the same people? Would those people even be the same or remember who we are at all? Would we encounter new people who we knew nothing about, and have to distinguish whether or not they were trustworthy? If everyone and everything seemed foreign, could the “Chosen Ones” be successful? Would the Bert they knew during their times of training on Earth be the same Bert in another version of Earth called Genetrix? If magic was what helped the “Chosen Ones” defeat the “Dark One,” how would they be able to defeat the the “Resurrectionish” on Genetrix, where magic is more common? Would world history be different? Is the “Dark One” the same entity as the “Resurrectionist” , and would he/she remember who the “Chosen Ones” are? Would the “Chosen Ones” be able to defeat “the Resurrectionios” if they didn’t have the same powers, or if they weren’t all together? What if there is only one who is truly “Chosen?” Why are they there to begin with? Do they ever get to leave, or are they stuck in an alternate universe? Would they want to leave? Sloan knows more than she is letting on because she spent the most time with the “Dark One” as his captive. What is she hiding from everyone, and why?

Altogether the book, and especially the ending, will blow you away! I definitely recommend reading this book! It’s irresistible, and once you start reading, you wont be able to put it down!

Thank you Veronica Roth, the publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me the privilege to read this free review. My review is voluntary, and reflects my honest opinion of the book.

~ ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~

The premise of this book was interesting so it made me curious.
After devouring Divergent and DNF'ing Carve the mark, I had no idea what to expect.
It was more Sci-Fi than Fantasy though, so maybe that is why I've struggled with it.
The action was slow, writing in 3rd person pov.
It had parts that I've addored (the bannter between Sloanne and Essy), it had parts that I've deeply hated, it had boring parts and fun parts.
Probably a Sci-Fi fan would love it more.

2.5/3 stars!

I just want to preface this with the fact that a lot of people feel differently than me and that you should definitely give the book a chance if you feel like it’s for you. That being said, I really really wanted to like this book. Even with the Divergent Trilogy fiasco, I wanted to like a book specifically written for a New Adult audience (especially considering how few there are and how much I’ve enjoyed other YA author’s New Adult debuts) and the always fantastic backdrop of Chicago as the setting. But unfortunately this story moved at an excruciatingly slow pace that made it impossible for me to get past 30% of the book before giving up entirely. Also while I expected a good amount of world building from a new series, the way the plot moved felt choppy and really disorienting, especially with the interspersed reports and news clippings about what happened in the past. It was confusing to figure out where and when these reports were supposed to take place in the story. Also while I always appreciate COCs (Characters of Color, it’s a thing), the characters came across as bland and even with a single POV, they lacked any individuality or unique qualities.

**(On a personal note, another issue that really prevented me from liking this book we’re the elitist references to Chicago. As a fellow Chicagoan a lot of this read as false and very centered on the rich and white areas of the city (seriously not everything has to do with the Cubs and Wriglyville) and really did a disservice in not capturing more diverse and unique aspects of the city (particularly when the author seemed to be making attempt to address race issues and dynamics)). **

Overall while the concept for this book (the aftermath and trauma of “heroship”) was there and the plot seemed interesting, the execution was a bit flawed and left me feeling disappointed to the extent of having to “DNF” it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Veronica Roth, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing for the advanced copy of “Chosen Ones” in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved the Divergent series, so I was very excited to dig into Chosen Ones. While this book is very different, it sucked me right in like the series did. This book was definitely more adult, and, for me, was the perfect quarantine read.

I began by thinking this book would be about what happens to heroes after their heroic acts are over and they have to try to get on with their lives. And I suppose the beginning was a bit about that, but the book completely changed focus part of the way into the story. While I mostly enjoyed this book, a few things bothered me. The storyline felt jumpy and some of the character's actions were never well explained. Even after thinking about it for a while, I am still not sure why Sloane chose to go against her team's plans (just prior to discovering what was really going on). I found the ending to be frustrating as well since so much remains unresolved.

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Veronica Roth returns with her first adult-geared novel, “Chosen Ones”. In pure Roth fashion, she has written this novel as the beginning of a series, with an unknown number of novels to follow in its wake.
Ten years ago, five teenagers were part of an army that helped defeat The Dark One, an evil force that was destroying Chicago, literally ripping apart anything and everything that got in its way. Now Ines, Matt, Esther, Sloane and Albert are trying to live normal lives, although they are still recognized as “The Chosen Ones” and are infamous throughout the world for their contributions a decade ago. When one of the famous five dies, the remaining four are left to wonder if the Dark One is really dead, and if his influence is still being felt among his surviving victims. Soon the four are facing yet another battle against another dark entity, but it becomes apparent that the dark entity is indeed someone unexpected.
The novel focuses on Sloane as the protagonist, who checks all the boxes in Roth’s “female heroine” prototype checklist- she’s damaged, comes from a broken home, pushes away anyone who tries to get close with her, and is both gritty and edgy. She is likable, even though she tries hard not to be. Roth is infamous for her strange names, and this book is no exception (I see a whole slew of babies named “Mox” in the coming months).
Initially, the beginning of the story played out like I was missing something. I felt this novel had a prequel I was missing, or another novel that had been edited out. The plot felt incomplete, as if I was picking up the story right smack in the middle. The novel was interspersed with articles, stories, poems and other snippets form the time before the Dark One, so we do get a bit of an understanding of what happened and who was involved, but I would’ve liked to hear more of those details.
Roth is a creative and interesting storyteller, she weaves intricate plots with futuristic settings and again, in this area “Chosen Ones” doesn’t disappoint. However, her multi-verse plotline was confusing, and as if that isn’t enough, there are literal zombies in this book (an army of zombies as a matter of fact), which just seems to confuse the plot further. This novel played out a lot like Divergent in my head, with the broken down cities and the dark, dreary fighting sequences (but again, that could just be me connecting the Divergent author with this book and drawing comparisons that aren’t there…but I think they’re there).
I enjoyed this book for the most part, and it definitely was written well. I found myself re-reading pages and paragraphs several times, as it has a “blink-and-you-miss-it” plot (and with a confusing plot, I missed a lot). For the most part, the novel ended pretty concretely, so where she takes further novels will be anyone’s guess.

I was very excited about this book, as I loved the Divergent series. Plus, an adult novel from Veronica Roth seemed promising.

Overall, I did find this book to be enjoyable. Veronica Roth played with the chosen one trope in an interesting way.

The writing style was simplistic for an adult novel, which made Chosen Ones a quick read.

The characters were flawed. We saw how many characters dealt with previous trauma. We only followed one of the chosen one characters from the story, which I found to limit the story. Perhaps I've just read to many stories with multiple narrators, but I did miss having other points of view in this story.

There is a unique hard magic system in this world. The magic system is related to sound.

This is an urban fantasy, so the setting is modern day Chicago but with a Dark

There is talk of suicide in this book.

I have never read one of Veronica Roth's previous books, so I went into this one totally blind, with the exception of the summary. I absolutely loved this book and the world it built. The middle of the book is a little slow, but I didn't mind too much, because I liked the world building that took place. I am eagerly looking forward to the sequel!

This book was a fun read, but didn't quite catch my attention. Decent read, but not as good as Hunger Games I thought.

3.5 stars
I was not the biggest fan of the authors Divergent series and never read her Carve the Mark Duology but thought I would give her adult book a try. I must say I quite enjoyed it. Although some bits are slow the action scenes are fantastic and the worldbuilding reminds you of a comic book. I also quite liked Sloane our main character and how she deals with all her struggles and insecurities. And the villain angle was superb I wish we could get more books just focused on villains.
Overall Chosen Ones is a nicely done adult science fiction read reminiscent of The Umbrella Academy and Steelheart. And an excellent villain storyline, if you were not a fan of the authors previous work, I would still give Chosen Ones a try you will be pleasantly surprised.

Five teenagers (The Chosen Ones from a prophesy) survived and defeated the Dark One that had infiltrated their world with magic, as never seen before. Ten years later they are all dealing with the emotional trauma in different ways- most of them not healthy. When three are yanked into an alternate/parallel universe and ordered to destroy their own version of the Dark One, they are forced to look their demons head-on and save the Earth.

I honestly was confused for about the first 1/4 of the book. I kept looking to see if somehow I was reading the second book in a series, because it almost felt like the author was speaking as though I knew what had happened. As the book went on, I understood the writing, but it sure took some getting used to! The middle felt like we were finally getting to understand more of what was happening, but was also a bit slow. But I am sure glad I stuck in, because finally by the end it picked up and was a fun ride! I didn't see the plot twist coming and the action was very enjoyable. The little bits of humor thrown in were enjoyable and I think I will read the next book in the series. Was this amazing? No. But in the end did I enjoy it? Yes.

Thank you NetGalley and John Joseph/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an ARC for my honest opinion.

I did enjoy this book after Part 1, but if this book wasn't by Veronica Roth, I don't think I would have stuck with it through Part 1. This book felt like it was very slow paced in Part 1 and felt like reading a long winded wrap up of a book I hadn't read before. I do think it was important to introduce the characters and their problems, but I just felt like some parts could have been cut down on to get to the action packed and main meat of the story.

As for the rest of the book, it was very enjoyable to read and the character arcs were well done. I think that all the characters showed development in themselves in their relationships as the story went on. I do think that the story is interesting enough to read the sequel to this book and I think that the second book will be a lot better than the first because there shouldn't be as much set up. Overall, a decent read, albeit a little slow in some places.

i was personally disappointed by this one, but i can see why other people liked it. what disappointed me was a few things: the first being that this is supposedly an adult novel, but it felt like i was reading YA but with characters who are like almost 30 instead who act like teenagers. the second is that this book was marketed as "the chosen ones dealing with their trauma after saving the world" but then abandons that viewpoint after this first part.

i also think that the characters and the world weren't developed enough. i feel like sloane was the only one developed, but it was just her accepting to use magic to defeat the dark one again and i was left wanting more. matt and esther were thrown into this with her, but then just left behind. and ines? i guess she doesn't even exist anymore. i was left confused at the end of the book with the lack of world-building, too. i still don't really understand the world or the magic or what happened 10 years ago. it felt almost like being thrown into book 2 in a series because things weren't really explained later. or maybe i just didn't get it, idk.

it definitely wasn't the worst thing i've ever read, and i would still recommend it if you think it's something you would be interested in, but i was disappointed. maybe my expectations were too high.

This is a story about what happens ten years after 5 teenagers (the Chosen Ones) defeat an impossibly powerful entity known as the Dark One. The world went back to normal . . . for everyone but them.
On the tenth anniversary of the Dark One's defeat, something unthinkable happens: one of the Chosen Ones dies. When the others gather for the funeral, they discover the Dark One's ultimate goal was much bigger than they, the government, or even prophecy could have foretold—bigger than the world itself.
I had big expectations going into this one, as I had seen a lot of praise for it. And I was really not disappointed. This to me was kind of a darker version of what comes next after saving the world by the Harry Potter team. I know, I know, these chosen ones don't have anything to do, or in common with the HP team, but still... The HP books have a happy ever after kinda vibe - which works very well - no complaints.
But this novel, is like the darker version. The heroes have PTSD, they have to earn a living and have relationship and fitting in problems. They have ailing parents, drug problems, Instagram followers 😆, Much more realistic.
I really like how the defeat of the Dark one is recounted, from the government documents, read by Sloan while current events enfold.
I do have to say that Sloan was a bit annoying at times, but in the bigger scheme of things, all was explained. The truth is all of the characters are flawed in some way, which makes them more relatable. And the more I think of any issues I had with the story, the more I realize how well is all explained by the end.
It is a very well written novel. The various document excerpts inserted between chapter bring more information to light in a non-obtrusive way, while shedding more light on the story. Any potential plot wholes get explained sooner or later. And I enjoyed a lot the little mundane jokes peppered throughout the story, as it lightens the mood in intense scenes, giving the novel a more modern and less self-important feel, getting closer to the reader.
I have been blown away by the twists in the story. I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with ending. It feels like totally uncharted territories. But hey, I guess that's what makes me want to read the next book in the series.

I was not expecting the twists and turns this book took but I was glad I was around for the ride. This starts after the heroes have defeated the villain and seems like it’s going to be more of a character study of the physical and emotional damage that comes with being a chosen one but then it throws in a curveball and we’re heading somewhere comepleterly different. I really like that. I feel like too many books I read follow the expected path and end up pretty much where I expected them to. I love reading a book that takes me on a journey and makes me think along the way. Where I keep thinking about it after I put the book down. And not in a WTF way. Chosen ones Made me hope there’s a sequel in the works. I’d like to spend more time with these characters.

This was not bad. There were somethings I liked and some things I didn't but overall this was just a middle of the road read for me. I might pick up the sequel when it comes out but I am not sure I will be so excited as to preorder it. I will say that this world Roth built was interesting and I am still deciding how I feel about it, but it was interesting. I love that the main character in this story is morally grey. She has been marked by her society as a savior but isn't convinced of it herself because of some decisions she made that only she knows about. She read very real for me. Almost how I would imagine a normal every day person would react to the situations she was put in.

I HATED the romance at the beginning of the book...but it got better by the end. I'm pretty sure I was supposed to hate in the beginning honestly.

Overall, it was not my new favorite, but it wasn't terrible either. I'm kind of curious to see where the story goes in the next installment but I won't be standing in any lines to get it either.