I somehow failed to notice that this was the author of Divergent, or I likely would not have asked for an ARC. I ended up putting the book off for a while but finally got around to it and found it decidedly average. The twist around half way/40% and when the plot really took off seemed overdone. I liked the idea of dealing with the mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder of being a chosen one, but it wasn’t handled with any depth. The characters were shallow and while representing diverse backgrounds, they all kind of read the same and one of the chosen ones was left at home for no reason, so I am not even sure why she existed in the book. All in all, I just found the writing taking shortcuts to tell us what happened instead of building the characters and emotions needed to fulfill such an idea. Also, healing could have been done without needing a guy to cause it to happen. Anyway, I would not have likely chosen this book as I had already DNF’d Divergent so your milage may vary.

DNF @ 73 %
This book was not one of the choosen ones for me. Get it? I just did not enjoy it... the premise was interesting and had me intruiged, but the characters where meh at mest. I found Esther and Ines a bit interesting, and felt for Albie and Matt. But Sloane took up most of the book, or so it felt like. It just did not hit the mark for me.

I am a big fan of Veronica Roth and was excited to get the opportunity to read her newest book. Unfortunately the Chosen Ones was not a book I enjoyed and did not finish.

This was a "Did Not Finish" for me. As much as I've loved Roth's previous books, I just couldn't sit down and read this one. I didn't enjoy the story, even if she's an amazing writer. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Not my favorite of Roth's books. Perhaps I picked it up at the wrong time. I have purchased a copy for the library.

I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. I found it really difficult to pull myself into the story, which made it hard to follow along because I didn’t find myself caring for the characters or what would happen next. I will not be publicly posting a review on my blog or Goodreads, as I had a difficult time finishing this novel and don’t think it would be fair to the author or publisher to share.

I was really excited to read this book, but it personally didn't intrigue me in quite the same way as the Divergent series did - though I tried not to compare too much. The characters were okay, but didn't quite connect with me. I would definitely read Roth's next book, as I've enjoyed her stories before, but this was an average read for me.

This was pretty disappointing. Even after seeing the low star reviews, I was still holding out hope that I'd enjoy Chosen Ones. And while the concept is interesting, the book was just boring. I didn't care about the characters or basically anything that was happening.

The only reason why I finished is because the audiobook was amazing. It has a full cast with Dakota Fanning narrating our main character. They all did a great job.

Won't be continuing this series.

Chosen Ones – Veronica Roth

5/5 stars: I really loved this book. It's smart, gritty, and subversive with a prickly female main character and incredibly fascinating world-building. If you’re a fan of twisty anti-hero stories and don't think women need to be nice, then this is the book for you.

When you’re not a fan of an author’s most famous work, it keeps your expectations low. I didn’t like Divergent but was intrigued by this synopsis so decided to give it a shot. It paid off – here’s my review on Chosen Ones and why I enjoyed it so much.

Any book that starts after the ‘chosen ones’ have won and are trying to get on with their lives grabs my attention. I loved the premise. Flawed broken heroes forced into a fight they never wanted in the first place – refreshingly different and a twist on the chosen one genre.

Our heroes have had their coming-of-age-origin-fight-unbeatable-evil story already. They’re reaching their 30s and figuring out what’s next. Their reactions – PTSD, nightmares, reckless behaviour – gave them character traits we don’t usually see in this genre. They’re not perfect, they’re not optimistic; they just want to go home.

Sloane is our main protagonist. Done with this life and all its thrown at her, she wants to find her inner peace. The first through the portal to a parallel world, Sloane is full of cynicism, misplaced aggression and emotions she neither wants nor knows how to handle.

I love Sloane. She’s not a hero; she’s a normal person who destiny screwed over. I love her fiery determination and her raw power that she’s never managed to control or even understand. Sloane is no golden chosen one, but you’d want her on your side when things go south.

The other ‘chosen ones’ are more hero material, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t scarred. These are flawed characters, and the way they call each other out on those flaws is fun. I didn’t think of Sloane’s reactions as childish until another character brings it up. They’re right, but it’s handled in a way you see the character’s grow and react to criticism rather than the woe-is-me approach.

The plot took a little while to build momentum and for the tension to rise. There was a lot of set-up given that the characters had already had their big battle. Inserts from other narrators – official documents, diary entries etc – gave you insight into the characters and provided their backstory. It was interesting, but did break the pacing at times.

The magic was fun and I liked how it was handled. Given the characters’ inexperience with it, explanations didn’t feel expositional.

When the pacing picked up and both antagonists and new protagonists (not always that clear cut) were introduced, I couldn’t put it down. The only thing that let it down was I was at a bit of a loss of exactly what happened at the end. There was closure, I’m just not certain how they got there.

I thoroughly enjoyed Chosen Ones. It takes the classic coming-of-age-chosen-one story and does something different. The characters were loveable, the plot had some great twists and the blend of magic, portals and reality kept you guessing at exactly what was possible. An engaging and entertaining read – a definite recommendation.

I tried really hard to enjoy this as I did like the Divergent series and found the subjects discussed by the Chosen Ones so interesting but I couldn't get myself to be immersed in this story the way I wished.

Another book I'm about a million years late in reviewing, and unfortunately... it just didn't hit the mark for me. It had a great premise and really set me up for something I thought could be lovely to read (especially around mental health). However, there were a lot of misses here for me. For example, this is listed as an Adult novel and it definitely came across like I was still reading YA (which makes sense for Roth overall). Next up is the pacing, and wow does it have some pacing issues. It was such a slow start and exhausting to have details given piecemeal. I'm surprised I made it through to the end, but definitely won't come back and reread.

4.5 stars.

Cool concept of following "chosen ones" after they have fulfilled their destinies. This was a good read with just the right amount of darkness to it. I continue to enjoy Roth's writing style, though this installment feels more grown up than the writing in her Divergent series.

This is an adult series, but does still have a bit of a YA feel to it. I think it's actually a nice bridge between the two divisions and classified it in my reading spreadsheet as New Adult for this reason.

Sloane was a great protagonist choice. The background of her trauma and the exploration of her life since her active days as a Chosen One is really well done. I appreciated the look into mental illness in a way that was blunt and raw, present and addressed, while not taking over the entire story. It certainly influenced the plot, but it wasn't overdone.

The pacing was pretty slow in the beginning and was a bit of a struggle for me. This was likely due to the amount of world building that needed to be completed to fully set up the story. The characters were introduced pretty thoroughly and backstories were put into place. I can definitely understand how it can be a slog for some readers, but I think patience with this pays off. Once the footings were in place, the pace started to creep up and I really found myself invested for the last half of the book. I think that now that things are pretty well set up, the sequels to this should be full of great plot movement.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

I enjoyed this book much more than the author's previous works. Pacing and characterization was much improved. I would gladly recommend this to buyers in scifi.

It took me a while to get into this book. I didn't get excited about it until about a third of the way through. Great characters, dynamic plot. I am an admirer of the Divergent Series, and have read all Ms. Roth's books. I am looking forward to see where else this story goes.

I received a free e-ARC from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Chosen Ones was sadly a bit of a let down for me. While it had a fascinating premise - what's it like for the chosen ones AFTER they have saved the world - I wasn't as invested as I would have liked to be.

What I liked:
- The exploration of the impact such a pivotal moment would have on young people. It explores trauma and PTSD in the aftermath of a life changing event.
- The inclusion of documents throughout the book, such as newspaper clippings, to help explain backstory and provide context for the events happening in the current book. I thought it was clever using this device rather than flashback scenes.

What I didn't like as much:
- The story is meant to be about a group of characters, but we hardly even see some on page for much of the book. I thought this was a missed opportunity.
- I wasn't really invested in any of the characters
- This is marketed as an adult novel, but it feels more like a YA sci-fi/fantasy, so I had different expectations for what this story was going to be. I think it may have missed the right market.
- The pacing was interminably slow, and I found myself losing interest and putting the book down a lot.

This wasn't a bad read, by any means, but it wasn't really my cup of tea. I don't mind slower paced stories, but this one was too slow, even for my tastes.

This was a really slow burn, and unfortunately not in a good way.
I felt this book had such promise, and I thought it was really important that Roth showed the different effects mental health issues such as PTSD can have on different people, but ultimately I just could not get into this book because of the pacing, and it ruined everything else about the book for me.
It's very difficult to get to know a world and its characters when everything feels like it's being drip fed to you, and unfortunately that's how this felt. Disappointing considering how loved Roth's other works are, but this one just wasn't for me.

Firstly, thank you to the publishers for granting my wish and giving me an opportunity to read this book.

This was a highly anticipated read. However, I am so gutted I did not love this book. I attempted to read this book for over a year (hence the late review), however, despite multiple tries, this book was not for me.

𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐇:
• I liked the concept of this story as I haven't read many books that explore the aftermath of a big event.
• Interesting array of characters
• I will freely admit I'm a fan of the Chosen One trope

𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐄:
• This was a slow read. I appreciate slower-paced stories but this was exhausting for me. As a result, unfortunately, this book was not for me.

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫: fans of slow-paced stories, those who want to practice or develop the patience of the saints

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Roth´s Divergent series and had high expectations for this book. But sadly, it was not for me. The beginning was too slow and I ended up putting the book away.

This was fun. Can't wait for part 2. All the best to Roth with this one.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.