Great book by a great author! The main characters felt very real. I loved the mix of realistic fiction and fantasy, and the news articles between the chapters.

When a Voldemort-like "Dark One" wreaks havoc and destruction on the earth, 5 prophesied "Chosen Ones" are found to defeat him. Intriguingly, this story takes place AFTER those events, when the 5 are recognized by essentially every human alive, and some of them damaged in ways even they aren't fully aware of. Living with the memory of torture and horror combined with the bizarre level of public scrutiny as well as their superhuman powers does not make for a healthy mix, but fascinating storytelling. And then the bottom falls out of their world when one of them dies, and their reality suddenly alternates into one where the Dark One is still having a grand old time and ready for a rematch. And the now four are damaged and broken and most definitely not. Psychologically rich and intense, with a fast moving plot and gritty characters. Highly recommended.

The premise of this novel was interesting, but I felt that it dragged quite a bit, finally got going toward the end, and then ended very abruptly. This book was not for me me, but I know some teen and young adult readers that will love it.

I read the "Insurgent" trilogy like everyone else, seemingly, back when it was published around a decade ago. I didn't fall in love with it, which worked in my favor in this instance as I wasn't too broken up by the ending of the last book (most fans of the series were quite displeased). I also had heard that Roth published another duology, but that same indifference to the first trilogy didn't lead me to getting around to it. But when I saw this book start to pop up, I was very intrigued. There are a million and one stories documenting the adventures of a "chosen one" in their grand battle against an ultimate evil. There aren't many that tackle what comes after, other than perhaps brief epilogues or small cameo appearances in another "chosen one's" book/series. This book turned out to be everything I was hoping for and more. 

It's been ten years since Sloan and her friends, the other Chosen Ones, defeated the Dark One, an evil being they had battled throughout their teen years. And in this last decade Sloane has...hid. Not interested in the celebrity status she's garnered, barely invested in the relationships she's formed, Sloane's life is simply going from moment to moment, not caring about much at all. When tragedy shakes her out of this numbness, however, Sloane finds herself caught in circumstances that she won't survive unless she returns to her life as a soldier and confronts the horrors in her past. 

This book was particularly interesting coming off my fairly recent re-read of the "Animorphs" series. That series follows a group of 6 teens, chosen ones, essentially, as they battle a big bad for years on end. The books deal a lot with the realities of a childhood given up to warfare and the life and choices of being a soldier. But after 50+ books, there's only a small, final book that is dedicated to life after these events. It does a good job for what it is, only a hundred and fifty or so pages dedicated to wrapping up the lives of six characters over the years that follow the end of the war. It's clear that the story is only scratching the surface of what life would be like for these kids. And this is only one example. We have so many chosen one stories, but so few deal with the aftereffects.

I wasn't quite sure what we would get from Roth here. I wasn't a huge fan of her original trilogy, and I also read that she had some ideas for this book based off "The Hurt Locker," a movie that, while I can see the importance of the topic, I didn't particularly enjoy. But, man, did I enjoy the heck out of this book. Not only did it tackle many of the tough topics around life after war, the isolation and distancing that many veterans experience, and how "moving on" can look very different to different people, including whether it is possible at all, but it had some amazing characters at its heart and some genuine surprises in the increasingly twisting world-building. 

I loved Sloane so much in all of her broken, dark, and even sometimes cruel ways. The characters in this book definitely challenge the reader in that they often barely resemble the golden Chosen Ones we all imagine. Even a few of Sloane's comrades who more closely mimic the typical hero pastiche often betray signs that they are simply using different coping mechanisms to deal with similarly twisted inner lives. But this is Sloane's story, and it is Sloane's darkness and path forward that we explore as we slowly learn more about her time during the war and how she's been managing (or not) in the ten years since. She has some very unlikeable moments, but for me at least, these simply grounded the story all the more in a what reality would look like for young people whose life was essentially consumed by a prophesy and a seemingly never-ending battle against a more powerful evil force. There are no easy answers or easy fixes here, and even by the end of the book, it's clear that any "completeness" for Sloane comes at understanding and accepting her entire person. 

The world-building was almost the biggest surprise. I didn't really know what to expect and the book description gives only the barest hints. But wow, I didn't expect where this book went at all. There's a huge twist that comes in the first third and when we got to that I thought "Ok, that was a surprise, but now I'm on the right page." Nope! The twists and turns kept coming one after another from there on out. Even after finishing the book I was having to think back over it and try to piece things together. 

I don't remember a lot about Roth's particular writing style from the "Insurgent" series other than it felt like a fairly standard YA style ala "Hunger Games." But I have to think Roth has grown by leaps and bounds to create this. The writing is confident and sure, even as it tackles topics that can be hard to deal with and discusses moments and choices that, if not handled well, could turn readers off from some of our main characters and themes. The same world-building and all of its complexities also speaks to an increased dexterity in juggling many balls at once. There are layers within layers, but the story and character arcs are never consumed by the increasingly complicated world, history, and magic system. 

This was a great book. I think Roth's work has grown by leaps and bounds here, and she deftly tackles a topic that is rarely explored in fantasy works. It looks like on Goodreads it is listed as the first in a series, but to those who were burned by the "Insurgent" trilogy and have long memories and lasting wariness, I think this book reads perfectly as a standalone. If I hadn't looked, I wouldn't have known otherwise. This is also published as an adult fantasy novel, but I think it would appeal to YA readers as well. I'm pretty confident this will end up on next year's Top 10 list for me; it's that good.

Rating 9: Dark and twisty in all the right ways. 

(Link will go live April 8, 2020)

Sloane is a former hero. She and the other chosen ones saved the world 10 years ago by defeating the Dark One. All of them witnessed terrible things, and they've all coped in their own way, some healthier than others. Sloane— well, Sloane is a wreck. The Dark One impacted her perhaps more than anyone else, and those psychological wounds linger, making her feel unsuited to a normal, peaceful world. When the team is magically transported to a parallel dimension to defeat another Dark One, Sloan is simultaneously disoriented but back in her element.

Nice things first.
-I am so done with earnest superhero stories after 10+ years of Marvel movies, so it's nice to see more mainstream variety about the darker nature of being a hero and the aftermath.
-When a solution to a problem presents itself late in the book, it makes sense because careful groundwork was laid.
-A move to adult-oriented fiction can just be an indicator for violence and sex, it but to me it really means higher stakes and shades of grey. There's some of the latter two in here, especially with a reduction in the Mary Sue nature of many YA protagonists. For example, Sloane genuinely hurts the people she cares about.
-Seeing some different versions of Chicago was pretty cool, though native Chicagoans can probably evaluate this better than I can.

Now the downsides.
-There's a challenge of building 2 worlds here—the one Sloane and her teammates are from and the one they're transported to— and neither felt real. Like the Divergent books, the world-building feels slapdash. There are lots of details but little substance. The magic system has rules, but only kinda.
-I really wanted to see Sloane work out her past in her home world. Once she's in the other world, she's still mean to everyone, but she's suddenly right about everything. It felt deeply unsatisfying to not actually address her trauma but just to smash all the things.
-There's a big old McGuffin, but it was integrated into the end of the book better than I anticipated.
I don't understand how Sloane became sympathetic to the love interest of the book. I say this as someone who is a total sucker for almost every romantic subplot (and anything else-- I cry during movie trailers). This relationship needed more to be believable.

I suspect fans of Divergent will like this more mature work, but it suffers from too many of the same flaws for me.

3 1/2 stars
Sloane and four others teens with magic powers slayed "The Dark One" making them superheroes overnight. Ten years has passed and they have all had trouble dealing with celebrity but now a new wrinkle has occurred. They are sucked into a parallel universe where - gasp! their Dark One is still alive and causing trouble. It is up to them, mainly Sloane, to get rid of this force and get back home.
The beginning showed real promise of being a different spin on fantasy and I loved the characters and how they were dealing with all these issues and then came the other universe and I began to lose the story thread. It is the perfect blend of adult language and humor written within a young adult fantasy framework. I loved Roth's DIVERGENT series and think this will be a great bridge into books for the adult market. It read like a mash-up of Marvel /DC comic superheroes meets THE WALKING DEAD meets he who shall not be named from Harry Potter. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I don't think veronica roth is for me, this is her 5th book that I have tried by her. I think I can only read certain fantasys

I really liked Chosen Ones and felt that the author did not disappoint my expectations (after reading and liking the Divergent series). The Chosen Ones follow five no-longer-teens who were destined to save the world a decade ago. Despite being successful, Sloane, Matt, Ines, Albie, and Esther came away traumatized and mentally stuck in the past. Through Sloane's view point, it's obvious that being the Chosen Ones came with a heavy burden. A burden that's made heavier when it comes into question if they truly were successful in defeating evil ten years ago. I felt that Sloane's character was beautifully flawed, honest, and relateable as she struggles with the choices she must make when evil comes back with a vengeance and only the Chosen Ones can save the world (again).

After Carve the Mark, I was a bit nervous to read Roth's new book. I was relieved to discover that this one avoided the major issues in her previous book. That said, this one is a solid entry into urban fantasy. It contains some explorations into what happens to the "hero" of a typical YA novel after the "Dark One" has been defeated. The traumas experienced in the fight against evil leave their mark on each of the characters in different ways. Then, a new evil emerges, and they need to fight the battle all over again, this time knowing the toll the fight will take. Overall, this one starts a bit slow with quite a bit of world-building, and has a few very predictable "twists," but has an intriguing hook and a satisfying ending.

Super interesting and unique story, style, and everything else. I liked the writing, the break up between chapters with news clippings and other plot driving materials. The characters were great. It was kind of like Umbrella Academy - that show on Netflix? - but way better. Way, way better. Really loved the chosen hero/chosen villain dichotomy. Would definitely recommend!

Despite some pretty big characteristics that are generally turnoffs for me - unlikable lead, somewhat grim tone - overall I did enjoy it - the writing is solid, a distinct network of characters is built, I appreciated the interesting world-building, and I thought the plot twists were well done. The idea of what to do after the incident that shaped you or that seemed to be the main focus of your life is an interesting one, and I liked the different angles from which Roth came at it. However, I found the book somewhat overly lengthy, with portions dragging significantly (and not necessarily helped by the outside documents inserted, some of which are necessary to understand the narrative and others which are just sort of atmospheric). Simultaneously, though, I found myself wondering how well-served the book was by giving somewhat vague description of the heroic backstory and wishing for more there - I understand the technique, but the emotional significance of things like the relationship with their mentor is somewhat robbed by the fact that we're meant to imagine the context of that relationship from side comments and minimal backstory. I'd be interested in another book based more on the plot/cliffhanger than the characters, but would hold back from committing to any more than that.

I am a big fan of the Divergent series. I was so excited to see that Veronica Roth had ventured into the Adult world, as many of her original fans have grown and would connect with more mature themes. I haven't finished the book yet but I'm confident in saying that I'll be recommending this to my customers when it releases this year. I need to find out more about the Dark One, the Drains and what happens to the Chosen Ones.

I really wanted to LOVE this book.. I have been anticipating something new and fresh from Roth for a while now, and though this book was enjoyable, it didn't quite live up to my expectations.(I think I just couldn't get the dynamic debut of Divergent out of my mind.) I felt like there was more that could have developed and I hope this is just a taste of what she has in store for readers as she breaks through into adult fantasy.

It’s been tough trying to write a review for this one. The plot and characters are incredibly compelling, but something about the writing felt shallow and didn’t draw me in as much as I wished it had.

Being "Chosen" isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially once the fighting's over. Sloane and her friends, taken from their families at a young age, are no longer the youth prophesied to take down the Dark One. They're now in their twenties and struggling to exist as normal people. On the 10th anniversary of the Dark One's defeat, the Chosen Ones are drawn into a battle that may determine the fate of multiple worlds. Roth flips the chosen one trope on its head and comes out with a winner in her first adult novel.
For fans of "The Boy Detective Fails' by Joe Meno and Lev Grossman's "The Magicians."

Chosen Ones is a fast-paced novel filled with suspense, action, and a thought-provoking plot. Imagine superheroes that save the world and fifteen years later, our story begins. Some have PTSD. There are secrets. And the story goes unexpected places. With plenty of twists and turns, Veronica Roth keeps readers on the edge of their seats. An outstanding first go at adult fiction after bringing the world the thrilling Divergent series. Highly recommended to readers looking for something original in adult fiction or if you enjoyed Veronica Roth's YA series.

Took a minute to get into this one but a twist kept me engaged through the end.It was very Harry Potter=esque but that is not a complaint.

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

I have loved Veronica Roth's novels since the Divergent series (I even liked the ending because it totally fit, haters be damned!) and I really enjoyed her Carve the Mark series as well. I ate up her short stories and when I heard about her go at this adult novel, I was so excited!

This novel takes an interesting point of view, instead of the novel of watching the heroes fight the bad guy and save the day and end happily ever after......we start at the 'happily ever after' part, and it does not really seem to happy. This novel follows the Chosen Five, ten years after they saved the day and see how dramatically their lives have changed. They were thrust into a position of great responsibility all at a young age, merely teens, due to their capabilities and strange happenings occurring on their planet. Things were quiet and better on the planet, however, maybe not for each of them individually as they continue to carry their own demons. Then, strange things begin to happen again and the group of Chosen Ones don't know if the Dark One is back or not and now it's time for group of friends to face their personal demons as they may have to fight their worst enemy again.

I do love this novel and continue to be impressed by Veronica Roth. This was such an amazing and exciting adventure and I do love how it all plays out. Honestly, even how the novel ends, this could safely be a stand alone. However, I would LOVE to read more about their ongoing adventures, especially with the 'HOLY COW' type ending! I was thoroughly impressed with how the author blends her real world, living in Chicago, and writes it so well that one can picture everything around them and then makes the fantasy type world as well! I really liked the different news reports and articles and so forth that was in between some of the chapters as well, those were really cool and added the dash of flavor to keep the story going without having to drone on a great deal and give more history and so forth. This was a wonderful and unique experience and I cannot wait to see what else Veronica Roth has to offer!

Some years back five teens were picked, after they fulfilled a prophecy, to fight the dark one, they fought and won but at what cost. Slone has given much and what the other have called her PTSD may be more. Now on the tenth anniversary of the dark ones death they find out that the dark one is still alive and in another parallel universe trying to come back and kill everyone he see fit. Do the heroes, especially Slone have what it takes to fight him again.

This wonderful book was packed with action, suspense and twists and turns that will leave you holding your breath. This book had me captivated and I know I stayed up way past my bedtime until I finished the book. Ms. Roth has another hit on her hands.


This review will appear on my blog on April 7th

I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed in this book. I had such high hopes for Ms. Roth's foray into adult fiction but I found this story to be subpar compared to her young adult novels. Chapters jump back and forth between the story, news articles, and communications. The plot was all over the place. I found myself skimming through a lot of the book trying to get to the point of the story. I'll purchase this for my library, but I think some fans will be disappointed.