Very detailed world building. Once you are able to really wrap your head around what's going on in this book, it's almost like you've been transported there. I've always loved Veronica Roth, and this was just another reason to love her work even more.

Veronica Roth's Chosen Ones is a gripping blend of action and the exploration of who we are as individuals and survivors. A departure from her YA titles, Chosen Ones very quickly settles into the aftermath of surviving trauma and the renewed trauma of celebrity status and expectation. Deeply personal and at times dark, Roth explores her characters' perceptions of themselves and their struggle to reconcile with their past and futures as they engage in a battle meant to save their very existence. Roth asks the question, "When have I given enough?"

Highly enjoyed this one and will definitely add to collection and will be anxiously awaiting the sequel.

What happens to heroes after they save the world? How do they live normal lives after the evil is defeated, the battle is over, and there is no one left to fight? This premise intrigued me right off the bat. It’s such an interesting concept that I don’t think I’ve ever seen explored before (except maybe on Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy.) I loved the Divergent series and I was super excited to see what Roth would do for an adult audience. While this book had a slow start for me, when it hooked me I was HOOKED! There was a fairly long training section that was less than thrilling but everything turned around with the introduction of one specific character. I’m not going to spoil anything for you but know that if you are struggling at the beginning of this book keep reading because it gets really, really good!

I’m generally not a fan of romance in my sci-fi/fantasy books. I want plot and action not characters making googly-eyes at each other. I was a little worried because the relationship in play at the beginning was of this variety and it was kind of dull and dispassionate. I did not like them together at all. I suppose it is a minor spoiler to say that this relationship is not endgame as it is quite clear that she doesn't really love him or want to be with him. The completely different relationship that develops in the second half though, holy moly I completely loved it. I NEVER love romances but this one was super-hot and exactly what I didn’t even know I wanted. It ended up being my favourite aspect of this entire book. I can't believe I just wrote that!

The resolution was strange and unexpected. I have no idea where the story can go from here but there is a sequel and I’m intrigued. Truly, I just want more of the couple and more sexy times and I’ll take it any way I can get it. I’m fully here for the next book to the point that I’m already stalking Veronica Roth’s Goodreads page and social media accounts. I'm also fan-casting the potential movie in my head (Marie Avgeropoulos and Adam Driver if you are curious.) Please movie/TV gods make this happen and then just take all my money!

Thank you to John Joseph Adams/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

Oof I have tried several times to read this book and I just can’t get into it. It’s very slow and my interest in it just keeps waning. I’m so sad because I really wanted to love this book. I will probably give it a few more chances before the next one comes out because I really hate not finishing a book.

4 stars

I really liked this book. Loved the character of sloane! It had a lot of architectural stuff in it which I could have done without but apparently that is veronica’s thing so whatever. I feel like it could have been a one and done and hopefully it doesn’t go downhill like the divergent series did. Will definitely see where the next one goes.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one. Chosen Ones is wonderfully depicted. Sloane is a great heroine and the slow build up in the book is a nice change of pace from Roth's typical novels. I appreciated that she used language appropriate of the situations. Personal I'm team F-bombs when they're warranted and lets just say there were definitely situations where it was warranted.
A great read in a new series and I look forward to the sequel.

It took me a while to get into this story. I was fairly happy with the story though I am sure it will appeal to a younger audience, say, young adult. It had good twists and turns, and a solid plot. Overall an average read.

In the beginning I really thought I was going to give this book a positive review but I struggled to finish it.

I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had been written in first person.

2.5 stars

What I liked:
- the premise of what happens to heroes after they've saved the day: how do they cope with trauma, their fame, their inability to stay out of the limelight, the (frequently ridiculous) expectations the public continues to have for them, etc.
- Sloane's characterisation. I started out slightly 'meh' on her...but somehow by the end of the book, I came to appreciate the main character. She's difficult, complex, depressed and overwhelmed, has a whole lot of issues weighing her down and keeping her from making the "right" decisions frequently — and that just made her startlingly human to me
- the in-world documents. Many chapters would end with maybe a magazine article, an interview, a memorandum, or an academic journal, each highlighting or explaining some aspect of the world. Some of these were good and well-done, adding a lot of context and flavour to the story.

What I didn't:
- the pacing. That's the biggest issue of this book. I felt it was really slow for the most part — I don't think things started picking up until maybe 65% of the way in, and even after that point, even during the action sequences and WTF-inducing (in a good way) plot twists, there was this sluggish pace to the story that kept me from enjoying it. I'm definitely not opposed to slow stories (big fan of plotless slice-of-life stories here!) or books that take their time to build up the opening, and then only launch into chaotic action in the latter half, but Chosen Ones doesn't quite strike the right pacing at any moment.
- overload of unnecessary descriptions. This is related to the above point, actually — the pacing would have been improved for me if lots of descriptions were shrunken or chopped out. There's a lot of needless (in my opinion) description of various buildings and landmarks around Chicago, of the mundane things people are wearing, of the little filler actions people are doing at any time. Some of these are great, and they add to the atmosphere in a meaningful way, but others would just bog down the pace and make me skim ahead.
- the in-world documents (I know, I know, I've listed it as a plus up there. Stay with me here). Although some of these were great, there were others that seemed unnecessary. Either they felt irrelevant to the plot, or they would just be needless trivia spelled out with too much minute detail.

My overall feeling about this book is that I didn't quite enjoy it as much as I could've due to the above issues, but it's still not without its merits. I think with much tighter editing, Chosen Ones would have been an interesting, thought-provoking read on how heroes handle the aftermath of saving the day, and the trauma they've undergone. As a side note, I will say that this is the second book from Roth I've read, the first being Divergent, and I do think her prose has improved since her early days. Always nice seeing someone continue to work on their skills even after becoming immensely successful.

Thank you to John Joseph Adams/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the ARC. Please note this review is based on an unfinished version of the book, and the final printed edition may differ.

I wanted to like this one more than I did. It was overall just very meh for me. I liked some of the characters, but had trouble connecting with them, and parts of the book I had to push myself through. Not the best thing I've ever read, but not the worst either.

2.5-3 stars

As a friend recently pointed out, I swore I would never read another Veronica Roth book after Allegiant. Everyone deserves a second chance, right?

I was intrigued by the plot of this book...what happens to the heroes when the threat is neutralized? When the big baddie is defeated, where do we go from here? For the Chosen Ones, 10 years later some have moved on but many are still fighting their demons in the form of PTSD. Sloane is our heroine and she's kind of sullen and moody and unsettled. I never connected with her, the whole book. In fact, I didn't connect with ANY of the characters. The story was slow, the writing was too descriptive with not enough dialogue for my tastes and the storyline took a turn that was just frankly hard to follow for me. This book was marketed as an "adult" book and other than a few "f" bombs it still read like YA to me, even though the characters were 30-ish. I'm not intrigued enough to read the sequel and am not sure that a sequel is necessary as I think the book ended with a conclusion. This was a miss for me.

While I loved Divergent, I found this book about young adults who defeated a great threat 10 years ago and are attempting to deal with the aftermath of being both famous and traumatized a little slow.

I was intrigued by the original, fresh premise, only to see the story devolve into a predictable fight. The writing is still engaging for the most part though.

Plenty of magic and action for all also.

I loved the Divergent series and was so excited to see a new Veronica Roth book! This book was so so good, I'm still sad that I flew through it. Everything you would want in a dystopian novel. I felt such a connection to the characters! Hope to read more by this author in the future.

Ten years ago, five teenagers known as the Chosen Ones, used magic to defeat the super villain known as the Dark One. Part one, set in Chicago, revolves around the 10th anniversary celebration of the defeat of the Dark One. When one of the five Chosen dies, they all gather again for his funeral. It's then that they discover that the Dark One may not have perished as they thought and was still wreaking havoc unbeknownst to them.

Chosen Ones is missing something, but I just cannot put my finger on what it is. The characters were fine, the plot was ok, the villain was not so terrifying. I enjoyed the first part of the book showing what happens to super heroes after they no longer need to be heroes. Then part two hit and I did not love it. It was slow and I found myself not really caring what happened to the characters. The end of the book wraps it all up pretty well, with no NEED for another book. The entire time I was reading, it reminded me so much of Steelheart by Sanderson, only Chosen Ones didn't pull off what Steelheart did.

I might skim that one to see if anything interesting happens, but I'm not holding my breath. While this is advertised as an adult fiction read, it didn't feel any different than all the other dystopian ya fiction out there, Roth's included. I wouldn't recommend. Skip this one and read Steelheart instead.

Thanks, NetGalley for the arc.

**I was provided an electronic ARC of this novel post-publication from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Veronica Roth makes her adult debut with Chosen Ones, a modern fantasy that upends a lot of common tropes and puts a solid spin on them. Readers follow a group of individuals who, as children, were identified in accordance to a prophecy as potential Chosen Ones capable of defeating the Dark One. It has been years since their defeat of the Dark One, it turns out that spending childhood training to defeat the world's greatest known threat produces adults with quite a bit of trauma. When it turns out there are parallel universes and the Dark One may not be as dead as he was intended, these same individuals are called on again to save the world.

I really liked the way that Roth explored these tropes in a way that was accessible and fun for those who might be branching from young adult to adult novels, but also enjoyable for those accustomed to adult fantasy. The pacing in this book was really interesting to me. Typically, when I am enjoying a book, I speed through it. At no point was I bored or did I lose interest, but I wasn't particularly motivated to hastily finish the book. This isn't a complaint, but an out-of-the-ordinary experience I felt was notable for this book.

Each character seemed to have a solid foundation and unique personalities. I was surprised to see that this work is the start of a series, as everything wrapped up well as a standalone novel also.

I am eager to see more of Roth's work in the adult arena in the future.

'Chosen Ones' by Veronica Roth, author of Divergent, is about what happens after the villain is defeated. What happens to the heroes? What are the consequences and affects that they have to deal with? That sort of thing.

Overall, I enjoyed it as it's something different: it subverts the 'chosen one' trope and puts a new spin on it. I would definitely recommend!

I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to review this book. The premise does not match to what the story tells. Yes, there is Chosen Ones and yes we follow Sloane but that is just about it. This book is soo confusing and the magic system that Sloane and the other Chosen Ones use does not make sense and hard to figure out what is going on. The only thing good about this book is Mox, who does not get introduced until part 2 in the story.

Chosen Ones – Veronica Roth

This is a new fantasy / science fiction story from the best-selling author of the “Divergent” series.

In this the female protagonist we are introduced to Sloane. At such a young age she has endured more than most would have thought possible. Fated to be one of the Chosen Ones. Growing up with magical abilities and a mother who couldn’t have cared less for her. Now in custody of the government fighting the man they know as the Dark One.

Yet she is not completely alone. There are four other Chosen Ones, Esther, Max, Ines and Albie. All young and all having displayed some magical prowess – all foretold to bring about the end of the Dark One.

Just as they had finished their Dark One, just when they should have been able to rest, finally begin lives that are their own. And it starts all over again, they are suddenly whisked away to another universe.

Forced to fight a parallel Dark One known as the Resurrectionist. But for these Chosen Ones, everything is not as it seems and there are secrets lurking around the corner.

Having read the Divergent series I was unsure of what to expect from Veronica Roth here. The beginning lost me a little bit, I understand the author was probably trying to set up the back story so the reader could understand and really engage with the story and the characters, and it certainly paid off.

I really connected with Sloane, yes, she was your typical young woman, lost and fighting for herself, some understanding and proving her strength. It can be a tad cliché but it’s one I enjoy when it is written well. After a traumatic event it can take quite a bit to find yourself again, to find your way and what helps is having people around you who really understand; which is exactly what I found so relatable about Sloane’s story.

Matt’s character was very irritating to me, few things he did really rubbed me up the wrong way but I suppose that just proves this was written very well. The Resurrectionist was another favourite character of mine but I won’t say too much so I don’t give it away.

Though the beginning was a bit dry and had a rough start it was an enjoyable and engaging read. A thrilling fantasy story with a very curious science fiction twist

3.5/5 stars

So I'll just start off by saying that I have read Veronica Roth's other books. Divergent is one I can barely remember, but I know I was pretty meh about it. Carve the Mark i despised and couldn't get into at all. Chosen Ones is by far my favorite, but I still have issues.

I really liked the story, and at the moment of reading it was pretty cool! I was drawn in, even though it was a slow burn for a hefty chunk of the length. Downside? I couldn't remember many of the details once I finished. I remembered the gist of everything, but those fine details? Gone. It became forgettable. I believe this also goes in hand with the characters, as I wasn't much of a fan. It took me a long time to like Sloane, and even now I wish she was developed a bit more. She annoyed me often, and the side characters needed more room to shine.

I'm not saying this is bad at all. I actually liked it! I just found it to be forgettable and the characters weren't my favorite.