I'm not sure what it is with this book, but I experienced some contradicting feelings towards it while reading haha.
It's catching enough, interesting enough but at the same time I felt like it was still lacking a bit.

What stood out to me was the premise of it all, the settings and the concept of the story. But at the same time I felt like the plot and its development didn't really come to fruitition well enough.

I did really like that it was more NA/adult written instead of Ya and feel like that really suited the story. The characters were fun to get aquainted with and I loved how well developed their characters were written and how their characters developed over time. 

Overall I'd say this was a fun first book in an intruiging new series and even though it wasn't as Strong as I hoped it'd be beforehand, the premise of it all was really good and I'm definitely curious and excited enough to continue the series when the next book arrives.

Veronica Roth's first novel written for adults - 'The Chosen Ones' explores the common fantasy trope of 'the chosen one' and what happens after they defeat 'the dark lord' and save mankind. It's a very interesting idea and it's well written, although there isn't much separating it from a YA series in my opinion - only one or two references to sex that could've easily not been there. Other than that the plot could easily be YA, the characters were a little one-dimensional, and also given the nature of the story they haven't really developed much since their teenage years. The beginning of the story is very engaging but the middle section was a bit boring so I skimmed over it because I was interested to see where it was going. 

To summarise I'd say that it would be a great YA, but is as an adult fantasy is under-developed.

~ Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this title ~

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: The beginning of a tale dealing with fate, discovering the power in oneself, and the realization that the fight is not over.


CHOSEN ONES gives us the building blocks for what has the potential to be a very dynamic series filled with diversely engaging characters. Roth shines as she introduces her readers to five teenagers who were chosen to defeat The Dark One. As a reader, I loved Sloane and the dynamics of the entire group. This is what made me keep reading as the author meticulously unraveled the story while expanding on the history of what it means to be chosen.


In truth, this book was good, though I hoped it would be better. All the components were there, but I could often tell the author was setting things up for books to come. There was careful attention to building the environment and characters within these pages. Something, I have no doubt, will make the next book in the series all the better. 


At the end of the day, Roth pulled me in slowly to the world of the chosen ones, and I do want to find out what happens next.

Chosen Ones was an intriguing exploration of what happens after the hero defeats the evil.  Is it a happily ever after? Does the hero know how to be normal?  What is next?  I found the premise of this book to be fascinating, and I will say that it did not  disappoint.  There were definitely some twists.  I enjoyed that this book did not end up where I thought it was going to go starting out.  I loved Sloane's character.  Some of the other characters were a little flat, but I was mostly invested in Sloane, so it didn't really bother me.  I can't wait to see what happens next!  There is definitely a lot of room to explore this more!

Sadly, this book is hard to get into. It's rather slow and the plot's forgettable and, quite frankly, boring.

For me this was a 3.5 stars read.. I love The Divergent trilogy and liked Carve The Mark.but I feel this one is my least favourite book of the author. I did not care much about the characters and the plot felt messy sometimes. I was expecting something a bit different to be honest.

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
.
.
We all know the story: chosen one defeats the dark one and saves the day. And they all live happily ever after! 
.
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. 
.
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. 
.
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. 
. 
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. 
.
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.