I found myself wanting to really like this book but I never quite got there. The characters overall were flatter than I had hoped they would be; I'm counting on the rest of the series to change this, though, and will certainly read at least the next volume before making a final decision. A promising beginning!

I initially was excited to receive this eARC, but it took me multiple attempts to finish the book. I eventually had to borrow it from the library because my eARC expired. It was an enjoyable premise but I didn’t grow attached enough to the characters to become as engaged in the book as I initially expected. Maybe my expectations were too high or it wasn’t the right book for that time.

I am honestly disappointed in this one. I loved the Divergent series back when I was in high school. Maybe my lack of interest is based on the fact that it is not meant for my age group. Nevertheless, I found the book quite boring on the first quarter. Then it got good and then slow, and then good all over again. It was perhaps a bit long for the plot that was created. I felt like I was watching an animated film where the bad guy turns out to be good and was just misunderstood, blah.
I did enjoy the world building and the connection between characters. This is why I am giving it 3 stars.

Chosen ones were found when the world became threatened and together they saved humanity. Ten years later they found out the fight wasn't over.

The story of the chosen ones starts ten years after the dark one demise. The story goes back and forth from the war with the dark one and the present. This is where things get a little odd. The way past events were brought up before you see the flash back made the story harder to follow and enjoy without being pulled from the story.

The first half has a lot of these flashbacks and past events rehashed. However, the second half picks up a bit better and the story becomes a lot more interesting. It almost feels like two stories in one the way the events split. The first half feels more fantasy and the second half more sci-fi. Its definitely a different novel than expected.

I wouldn't say I love it but I don't hate it. I'm kind of neutral about this one.

I received a copy through netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I was so excited to have my wish granted and received a copy of this book. I loved Divergent, and I think I went into this thinking it was going to be Divergent for adults.
It wasn't.
I have to be honest, I read the book twice and I enjoyed it much better the 2nd time around. I think because I went in the second time knowing it wasn't going to be divergent that I was really able to enjoy the story that much more!

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

Chosen Ones was an exciting, fun, genre-bending read with a great premise. Not perfect but worth reading for sure!

For you if: You like stories about heroes who save the world.

FULL REVIEW:

Chosen Ones was released several months ago. I heard a little bit of buzz about it, but not as much as I’d expected given that Veronica Roth wrote Divergent. Still, I had a copy (thank you HMH via Netgalley) and I was in the mood for an adventure — and I was curious! — so I picked it up. It’s not perfect, but I definitely enjoyed it and I’m really glad I read it!

This book is an adult fantasy/sci-fi genre-masher about a group of young adults who previously saved the world from a force of evil known as the Dark One. The story starts ten years later, when the rest of the world has moved on but our fivesome is still grappling with the effects of being “chosen ones” — including, for our protagonist, severe PTSD. I don’t want to spoil the story’s inciting incident or exactly how fantasy meets sci-fi, because I thought it was quite well done, but suffice to say that their work is far from over.

I thought the magic system in this book was really interesting, if perhaps a bit complex. I also thought it started a little slowly, but it definitely picked up as it went along. It was one of those stories where it gives you just enough to piece together a fair amount of the mystery as you read while still leaving room for twists and surprises, especially at the end. And I was totally rooting for the main character, even though she’s a total grump.

Also, I think this is supposed to be slated as a duology, but I did think this book felt nicely self-contained and could have been a standalone too.

This is a good, solid read if you’re looking for something fun!



TRIGGER WARNINGS
Suicide; Kidnapping; PTSD (severe); Racist microaggressions

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

After having somehow enjoyed the "Divergent" trilogy back in the days, I thought maybe I would have a good time with "Chosen Ones." I was wrong. I did not connect with any of the characters from here, plus the book drags. I was bored most of the time and honestly skimmed many chapters because I would've ended up in a reading slump if I hadn't done so. The premise was good but I don't think it was done in the best way. Anyway, I don't think I'll check out the next book.

I really enjoyed the premise of this novel, but the pacing made it hard to read at times. The first half of the book did not have a lot of action because it starts out 10 years after the defeat of the Dark One. I was hoping for more flashbacks of the battle to learn more about the enemy and the Chosen 5. The ones we did get I think could have explained things even more and because of that I felt like I was missing information, like reading a sequel before the first in a series. I liked that there was only one POV and not one for each of the Chosen Ones. It was interesting that the POV we did get was the Chosen One who didn’t feel worthy of the role. It led to a lot of character development for her but not for the others.

I enjoyed the case files and articles throughout the book but some I didn’t think added anymore information, so they weren’t need. Once the action started picking up, I was more invested in the story. I’m interested to see where the sequel goes because of how it ended, and I need more explanation on a couple things. It was just an okay read for me, but I will pick up the next book.

I really loved the Divergent series, and was so excited to read another book by the author! I enjoyed it; first books of series are always tricky, because so much set up and worldbuilding has to happen. I'm looking forward to seeing where the next books go now that the foundation is set.

The book was an okay read but it wasn’t what I expected. The slow pacing and not much happening through most of it didn’t really keep me engaged.

If you've ever wondered what happens after the heroes win the final battle and the villain is defeated and wished that this part of this story were given more than a few pages worth of epilogue, this book will deliver that and more. It's been ten years since said defeat, and, as you would expect, the 'chosen ones' have had trouble adjusting to their fame and the aftermath of their heroic deeds. Exploring the struggles of the five former teenage heroes, as well as the complicated relationships between them, was the most interesting aspect of the book in my opinion. Aside from that, I also overall enjoyed, if not loved, the plot, pacing, and some of the twists in the story, especially as it got a bit unexpectedly sci-fi. I'm definitely interested in continuing the series!

This was one that started off intriguing, and then ramped up to a fever pitch in the second half. This is actually the first Roth book that I’ve read (though I’ve seen the Divergent films), and I found her writing style to be enjoyable and smart.

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth
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We all know the story: chosen one defeats the dark one and saves the day. And they all live happily ever after!
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Lol, this is not that story! 😂 This story takes place ten years after the dark one has been defeated. Oh, and there wasn’t one chosen one, there were 5.
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Ok, so honest take: I was not feeling the first half of this book. I loved the premise, I loved the idea of “what happens after the last battle” and how it affects the chosen ones long term. But I wasn’t excited about the characters, or the world and I really thought Sloane was a jerk.
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Then things got crazy and I was more interested. And then about 75% of the way through, a major plot twist blew my little mind. 🤯 Which was incredible. I loved it.
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I really enjoyed coming up with theories in my head throughout this book. And despite all of my theories beating entirely around the bush, I still didn’t see the plot twist coming.
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If I was rating just the last 25% of this book it would be 4.5 stars, but I can’t just ignore the fact that I was not really into the first half of the book so that drops it to 3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I truly think the last part of the book justifies recommending it though! Well done, and I’m looking forward to more crazyness in the next book!

2/5 stars

DNF 25%.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this adult sci-fi which had a very interesting and action packed sounding premise. The story centers on five teens that defeated a magical dark entity and are dealing with the aftermath years later. I'm loving those bits of sci-fi and paranormal happenings/flashbacks, but they are sadly almost non-existent. The story starts off very slow and mostly about PTSD, anxiety and a few other mental health issues and dark themes. I was hoping for more of a sci-fi story than a sad drama and character study. It's just not working out for me during this time. Also, I truly don't have feelings for any of the characters one way or another, so unfortunately this book will probably never be picked up again.

*Thank you so much to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt publishing and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the premise of this novel. I think "what happens after the chosen one saves the world" is something readers have often speculated about, argued over, and been generally super intrigued by, so I appreciate Roth tackling the subject. This one moved a lot slower than I would have liked, and the characters felt a bit underdeveloped, but there are tons of readers who will enjoy this.

this concept is so on point for today's superhero obsession. There are so many stories out there it is hard to stand out, but Chosen Ones does. This will keep you on your toes.

I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. Thank you!

Chosen Ones is the first book in the series The Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth. I loved the Divergent series and I was so happy that I have received this ARC. I really liked Chosen Ones and I loved the world-building by Veronica Roth.

“Just because something is difficult doesn’t mean it’s worth doing.”

Chosen Ones is about five teenagers Sloane, Mall, Esther, Inez, and Albie who were chosen ones to save the world and for it, they had to kill the Dark One. The Dark One caused destruction and death with the help of magic.

I’m tired of being celebrated for the worst thing that ever happened to me.

Now after ten years, they were famous and they were everywhere recognized and everyone wants a photo with them but they want a normal life without the reminder of what they did. After ten years they are together again to celebrate their victory.

But, after their celebration three of them, Sloane, Matt, and Esther are transported into a parallel universe, and in this universe, they are still Chosen Ones and they again had to save the universe and to fight again for their lives. They found out that in this world still exists the Dark One and they had to kill him again for good if they want to go back to their home.

You and me and Esther and Ines … we’re bound for life.

I really liked the characters Sloane, Mox, Matt, Esther, Ines, and Albie. I liked how the past is explained through classified documentation and how the teenagers are the chosen ones. I love the bond between the five teenagers and how they worked together in the past to kill the Dark One and how they are friends after ten years. Chosen One is the perfect combination of thriller, magic, and sci-fi. I really liked the Chosen Ones and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

I always find it fascinating when stories pick up after the action is over. That’s what first drew me to the idea of Chosen Ones. It’s as if the action that happened before the book starts was the YA series and now we get to read about them as adults. Unfortunately, that premise soon fizzled out as the story continued into the second act. It’s not the books fault that I was expecting it to go in a different direction, and even though some of the elements were really interesting and cool, I still didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. And the ending is just bonkers.

The Chosen Ones had quite a mixed bag of reviews on the run up to its release; so much so that it sat unread on my shelf for quite some time, despite being a beautiful advanced review copy, because of the reluctance I had to pick a side. Unfortunately, this book was so incredibly boring - to the point that absolutely nothing at all happens until approximately 38% of the way through the book - that I am forced to pick the side of those that dislike it.

Veronica Roth's "Divergent" series was compelling and addictive, despite spinning quite a simple concept out for much longer than was really necessary (and having an atrocious ending, but that's another review entirely!). This was entirely owing to the sheer amount of heart that the characters injected into that series and the easy, captivating approach to writing that Roth so expertly weaves. But The Chosen Ones has none of that. Underneath the boring plot it is still possible to see shards of the compelling narrative, but there's no good having pretty writing when the story is repeatedly feeling like a lot of dead ends and none-starters. Top that off with unlikeable characters (because they have zero personality to speak of) and all hope is well and truly lost.

I want to tell you that this story turns superheroes on its head; that Veronica Roth wowed me with her ability to make kids saving the world a unique and fun idea again. But it just wasn't - even the sniff of alternate dimensions did nothing for me.

I feel as though this book had a very slow start to it and it was hard for me to get into. I think this is because the book felt more like a contemporary and less like a fantasy which is what I was hoping for. Partway through there was a shift and the plot went into a completely different direction than I was expecting. This is where I felt the plot picked up and I started to enjoy it a bit more. It introduced new characters and we got to see more of the magic.


I’m not sure if this was intentional but I felt like most of the characters were unlikeable. Due to this, I really struggled to connect with them. This may have partially been because of the narrative choice. Most of the story is told in the present time but a lot of the important scenes happened in flashbacks, while they were still fighting the Dark One. It’s in these scenes that you slowly see why the characters act a certain way. I did find it was interesting seeing how the Chosen Ones dealt differently with their lives/emotions after surviving such a unique/traumatizing childhood experience.



The part I enjoyed the most was probably the ending. Everything came together and I thought it was wrapped up nicely. I’m interested in seeing how the author is going to continue on with the series. With the elements added in this novel, we could be following anybody in any place in any time.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.