A story about the PTSD of saving the world, and what happens when you must save it all over again.

Sloane, Ines, Matt, Albie and Esther fought The Dark One to save Earth, each using their own strengths. However, now they are questioning if he really did die, and if he didn't what happens next? How do they move on?

The main narrative of Chosen ones is Slaone's and is told mainly from her perspective/ experiences. Sloane's character isn't for us to like or understand, meaning I actually quite liked her. The other characters however, felt more like plot devices and not particularly interesting ones. Charming Matt didn't feel very appealing to me, or (the over used adjective) tired Esther.

The magical world of the syphons was intriguing and Sloane's own magical object led to me wanting to know more about how they worked, but I got lost at the whistles and pitches.

The build up was a hundred pages too long and my frustration with the text not being whole -red text chopped up and all over the place with information missing at the beginning - wasn't a good start.

As a Divergent reader, I had quite high expectations for this book, but for me it fell flat.

This was nothing like what I was expecting.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Divergent series (also by Roth), so I thought that the writing would be similar in this, but alas I was wrong.
We follow five people who were all chosen to fight and kill the "Dark One". Its 10 years on and we get to witness the realities of life as a superhero after vanquishing evil and saving the world.

The first thing I will say is that this most definitely is a YA, not the adult book that is being promoted. I thought that the characters all behaved in a manner similar to that you'd expect in a YA. It almost felt as if Roth had just written her usual YA book but just upped the age of the characters to make it "adult".
Whilst the premise was interesting, it all felt far too messy and disjointed. For 300 pages out of this 400-page book, it felt like the characters were doing absolutely nothing of interest. In fact, the start was so painfully slow that it made me not want to pick up the book. I did enjoy the last 100 pages, and the story did start to shine through, but you shouldn't have to slog through pages and pages of nothing to only be given a glimpse!
In terms of characters, I thought that they were just okay. Sloane (our sole POV) is constantly being described as being difficult to be around, or totally unlikeable. I fail to understand why Roth would then choose her to be the narrator - do you want me to actively hate the main character?!

Overall, it was a bit of a mess. The plot felt very clunky and nothing particularly flowed well, which can also be said for the character writing as none were really likeable. If you decide to pick this up then treat it as a YA - don't repeat my mistake of expecting an adult fantasy!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book. I really enjoyed this book, I don’t normally get on well with Veronica’s books, but I think because this is adult I enjoyed it a lot more. This book is great and the so is the plot and the writing. I would definitely recommend it. I gave this book 4 stars.

I struggled with this book. I loved the authors previous books but I struggled with the first half of this one. The lack of world building and the constant news articles threw me. I stuck with it though and did enjoy it.

Chosen Ones had a lot to live up to in comparison to Veronica Roth's previous set of books. The story starts after the Dark One has been killed by a group of people known as the Chosen Ones using magic that has been newly introduced into the world. We pick up with the Sloane, Matt, Ines, Albie and Esther living with their new found fame and PTSD of the events they lived through. It took me a while to get into as the main battle has happened and the readers are playing catch up. I also found the letters and news stories distracting and interrupted what I found a slow pace to start with, The second half of the book is much better and I really enjoyed the unexpected changes and twists. Overall I enjoyed this book and look forward to part 2.

I absolutely adored this novel. I am a fan of this authors YA novels so was interested to see how her first adult novel would look and I wasn't disappointed. 

The world building is solid and clever, the magical world being very much like our own. Character wise I was immediately engaged by the motley crew of Chosen Ones who once saved the world and now live in the spotlight and the aftermath of such a thing...But has evil really been banished and just how do you define evil...

The Dark One himself is an intriguing enough character and the story has an almost psychological thriller twist to it in how it progresses...All the way beautifully written and intelligently crafted. 

Definitely a great read for me.. I recommend it heartily and look forward to more.

Having read most of this author's work I expected to enjoy this story a good deal and it turned out even better than I had anticipated.
It's a darker tale about how you deal with childhood neglect, PTSD, loss and depression while being very much in the public eye. It's not easy for any of us even more so when attention is on you pretty much constantly.
I can't help but feel like this book has similar vibes to Marvel superheroes which is a very good thing in my book.
I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good action packed story with the less than perfect main characters.
Cannot wait to read the next one

Chosen Ones was an enjoyable page-turner and I found difficult to put it down. However, it was a bit confusing, with many details only not developed enough and too rushed, especially towards the end.

I loved Veronica Roth's YA books amd was so excited to hear she'd be releasing an adult book. Chosen Ones didn't disappoint! This was a hugely enjoyable page-turner! Great characters & plenty of edge of your seat moments!

I fell in love with YA reading divergent so was very excited to read an adult fantasy by the same author and I was not disappointed!
It’s a slow read in the sense that you really get a feel for the characters and the world building. There’s not a huge amount of action but I found myself fully immersed in the story and I engaged with the characters throughout.I hope there’s more from this world as I would love to see where this goes!

First let me say I was a fan of Divergent, and to a lesser extent, its sequels. However, I found The Chosen Ones a bit confusing. It is aimed at an adult audience but I feel it was more like 'slightly older young adult'. This in itself wasn't a bad thing as I'll happily read a good young adult book, however this was a bit confusing and, especially at the beginning, felt like it had borrowed a few of the last Harry Potter's ideas.
I did read the whole thing but I'm sorry to say - 'it was okay' is the best I can say.

This took me a while to get into as the history behind what happened is slowly revealed throughout the beginning of the book. I got more and more drawn into it as it went on though and really enjoyed it overall. Definitely worth a read.

Book Review: Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth
Genre: Sci-fi/ Fantasy (adult?)
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Published: 7th April, 2020

If you've noticed the 'published' date above then you can see how LATE I am with writing this review. I was given the e-arc, and dowloaded it, on the 20th February, then actually finished reading the book on the 16th of April. This information may not seem important, but for me it's a good guide as to whether I am invested in a story or not. As the time span from getting the book, reading it, and then reviewing it is so spread out, I can say that this book just didn't resonate with me the way I hoped it would.

Veronica Roth is considered a big author in the YA world, however, having never read the 'Divergent' series I don't really have anything to compare (what is being published as) her adult book to. For me there is nothing in the book to signify a reason why is has been labelled as adult. A lot of the themes, issues and tropes appear in YA books from Sarah J. Maas, Cassandra Clare and Leigh Bardugo. I do think an adult and young adult audience can enjoy this book.

When I first read a quick synopsis of the book I was definitely intrigued; what happens AFTER the chosen ones have defeated the villain? Well it turns out the same thing...again. My expectations were to see the 'heroes' following a more mundane existence, and envisaged an old, jaded, ex-superhero feeling bitter about life. (I have no idea why.) However, essentially the story is the chosen ones doing exactly what chosen ones are suppose to do - not that this is a bad thing.

It was still an enjoyable story.

The structure of the narrative; the way it was told, was probably one of the highlights. It mixed a third person narrator (Sloane - the protagonist's perspective) with newspaper articles, diaries, history books and government agency files. Ultimately, this is how we learn about the previous battle with the 'Dark One'. I enjoyed reading these sections more than the main narrative as it slowly unravelled key details, and you felt like a detective sifting through files to piece together the information.

In terms of the characters, for me, they lacked personality. There were FIVE chosen ones in total and most of them felt superfluous. One of them literally gets left behind and is not in most of the book. The leader of the group, Matt, comes across as very dull and generic. His only purpose seems to be that of the protagonists boyfriend who doesn't understand her. Speaking of, the protagonist, Sloane is struggling with PTSD due to the previous encounter with the 'Dark One.' Yet, I felt nothing for her; no affinity with her whatsoever. She was just bland.

Lastly, the ending. It was messy. Everything just happened all at once and became very unclear; with no real description to help you visualise the events. The characters never really dealt with the aftermath, although, that may be covered in the second book.

All in all I feel like this book had a lot of potential, yet failed to hit the mark for me.
I don't think I will be reading the second.

Thank you to Net Galley and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review this e-arc.

Unpredictable, dark, complex creation of a world where magic is a recent occurrence. Sloane was part of a five-some that used magic to save Earth from evil, known as the Dark One. 10 years later and they are struggling to come to terms with both the fame and the Post traumatic stress of the experience. Sloane is suddenly convinced that the Dark One lives after all when she becomes pulled into an alternative universe, as a saviour for THEIR Dark One. This new world has fully embraced magic and Sloane is less then willing to help them in their quest.

The book has lots of twists and unpredictable reveals, but mostly I have to admire the detail around creating the parallel world. Roth is a master of creating real, believable heroes that are flawed and multi faceted. Parts of the story didn't feel like they flowed as easily as the Divergent series (which I loved ) but I still found myself engaged and absorbed in the creativity,

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

Chosen Ones is the adult debut of Veronica Roth, bestselling author of the trilogy of Divergent and this book is absolutely magnificent!

Sloane, Matt, Ines, Esther and Albie are the Chosen Ones, the prophesied heroes able to defeat the Dark One and they did it, even though it costed them a lot. Now, ten years later, all of them are still battling with PTSD, fighting to move on as the whole world was able to do. Sloane is the main character and, among her friends, she's the one who has the hardest time adjusting to their new lives, burdened by nightmares, memories and secrets she wants to hide from her friends and found family, but secrets she can't escape herself. When one of them dies, her whole life is again turned upside down, because during the funeral all of them begin to discover that the Dark One's goal isn't the one they thought it was.

Chosen ones is a wonderful, intense and hearbreaking adult novel. Sloane, the main character, is grouchy, angry, she has an attitude and huge problems dealing with the everyday life, the attention of the press, what the others and the world expect from her. Her character isn't always likeable, but she's strong, stubborn and relatable, in her anger, fear and bad memories. It shows what would happen to the Chosen ones once their "job" is done. While Matt, Ines and Esther managed to move on, to create a new life, to deal with their pasts, Sloane shares with Albie her difficulties, her bad memories and bad moments.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Sloane's, Matt's and Esther's lives are abruptly changed when they are kidnapped and brought in a parallel universe, where they are forced to deal with another Dark One to get back home to their loved ones. I loved reading about Genetrix and parallel worlds and, above all, seeing how both worlds resembled and differentiated one other. The whole concept of magic, intent and workings was so interesting to read and how magic was deeply woven in the everyday life of Genetrix. Told by Sloane's POV, the reader follows her and her friends forced to deal with another enemy, forced to trust their kidnappers, but Sloane is stubborn and doesn't easily trust. Her determination to find the truth and real answer is skillfully written, as her dark thoughts, her PTDS, her attitude and problems, creating a character real and human.

END OF SPOILERS

I really loved Sloane, Albie, Matthew, Ines and Esther, their bond so precious and strong, finding in one other a found family. Above all I loved the relationship Sloane has with Albie, sharing traumas and helping and relying on one other, secrets deeply buried in Sloane's, guilt, rage and pain.
Woven with the story, there are interviews, extracts, thoughts about the Chosen Ones, the Dark One and the magic, Top secret documents.
One of the things I loved the most about Chosen Ones, besides the characterization, is the constant rollercoaster of emotions and plot twists. Through Sloane's, the reader discovers pieces and bits, trying to figure out who to trust, what's the truth, what's the goal, what will happen next. It was exciting, scary and exilarating.
And I can't wait to read what will happen next.

This book was all over the place and didn’t know what it wanted to be or what it wanted to become.

It started off with the very interesting tale of what happens after the heroes defeat the big bad guy, a trope I personally enjoy reading about. We are left to piece together the events of 10 years ago through government documents (amazing!) and the memories of those that were there.

At about the 30% mark the book took a turn and I was just not feeling it. It felt like we went through all of that trauma in the beginning of the book for no apparent reason.

By the 70% mark, another new storyline and trope is introduced which fell a bit flat for me because it was introduced so late in the book. I felt it was enjoyable to read at times but it was utterly predictable by that point.

All in all, this book was all over the place and although I enjoyed parts of this book, the majority was either boring and unnecessary or fun but predictable. Sloane saves the book for me and I loved reading from her perspective the most.

read the full review at mousethatreads.com

'Nobody ever prepared me for what came after. They just assumed I would never find out.'

This is the story of what happens after the evil is defeated and the Chosen One goes back to a normal life. A life they perhaps didn't ever think they would have, a normality they can't accept. Its been ten years since Matt, Albie, Esther, Ines and Sloane were picked out from a prophecy as the 'Chosen Ones' and vanquished the destroyer known as the 'Dark One'. None of them has returned to a happy life, but its Sloane who seems to be suffering the most. Ten years of PTSD, ten years of putting her life on hold and ten years of wondering if the Dark One is really dead. So when she hears a whisper on the wind from a lost loved one, she accepts the call and enters into a new destiny.

This pleasantly surprised me. Veronica Roth has never really been a author high up on my list to 'must reads' but the premise for this really pulled me in. To explore a world and its characters after the inevitable battle is won is fascinating, and Roth manages to create an incredibly interesting protagonist in Sloane. She's a reluctant hero, one who hadn't necessarily chosen the path she walks, and she's deeply unhappy. She has everything you think she could want - a loving boyfriend who cares for her deeply, a close knit group of friends, fame... but she doesn't want any of it. Or doesn't think she deserves any of it. She's secretive, selfish, manipulative and deeply unlikeable at the start of the story and as a result her judgements and decisions are questionable. Her character comes across as very morally grey, constantly playing that fine line between morality and what turns a hero into a villain. However I do think some people reading this will struggle to form an emotional connection with Sloane, especially given that this is written on the third person narrative, which makes it feel as though we never really see all of Sloane's personality.

I found the other characters a little underwhelming compared to Sloane, and I think that's because we see very little of them in comparison. The writing relies heavily on Sloane being our main lead, with the other 'Chosen' feeling a lot like a supporting cast in Sloane's journey. Esther feels a little like a characateure, a one dimensional lover of fashion and social media- although I want to feel that she's more like a chameleon who can effortlessly fit in anywhere. Matt I feel ie the most underused and underdeveloped. He's the stereotypical hero, too good for Sloane. Too nice. Too bland. Mox is a more interesting character, although again I felt I didn't learn enough about him to really connect to his plight.

I also really enjoyed the overall concept of this. The first part of the books centres on the tenth anniversary of the demise of the 'Dark One' and how our heroes are coping. The book then shifts in narrative to encompass a parallel world plot device that I personally loved, taking us into a different dimension which is similar but not the same as our own world. At some point in time there's been a diverging of the worlds, which has led to the presence of magic. Interspersed throughout the main story we have snippets of articles and journal entries hat explain what has happened in the run up to the Dark One being defeated, as well as some history about our new world and its inhabitants. I do think that at times the world building was a little lacking, as I never really fully understood the magical system and the way it worked, however this didn't interfere with my overall enjoyment of the plot. I got the main jist of it, and was compelled to know what happened.

The pacing is also generally good, although I did feel that it petered out towards the end and limped into a rather underwhelming final battle. I felt like we didn't get enough answers to the many, many questions that arise from this new and damaged world and a number of threads are left dangling. I also would have liked to have seen more of Sybil. Her character feels very much like a plot device to drive some of the characters together and provide a bit of an 'info dump'. I feel she definitely could have been utilised better.

For someone who regularly reads 'chosen one' tropes in books, this was an interesting and different take on the idea. For the most part it manages to pull off an ambition, world bending story with intricate characters and complex relationships. Compelling stuff and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes.

I decided to read Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth because like most people, I'd heard of/enjoyed the Divergent series. Although this is marketed as an adult fantasy, it has moments where it reads more like a YA sci-fi.
Most of the time, I must admit, this book is hella slow. The action scenes are great, but they are few and far between. The world building is fantastic however, especially in part 2 of the book. I think my one slight gripe is that this almost reads like two seperate books in one (part 2 comes so out of the blue that it took me a couple of chapters to get my head around it).
However, overall it was a great read and I loved the lead character who really made the book for me.

I loved the concept for this book and really looked forward to getting stuck into it. I was intrigued to read Roth’s first ‘adult’ novel but the characters did not seem to speak like adults. If I hadn’t known better I would have presumed this was a YA book. I really liked Sloane as a character and the ‘chosen one’ trope was done well but the pacing seemed a little bit slow. Overall it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next instalment and have even higher hopes as Roth settles into the voices of this new set of characters more.

This is a difficult book to talk about.
The storyline is good - readers of fantasy will probably rejoice at it - and except for a slightly slow start and the main action kept for the last quarter or third or the book, the plot keeps you interested and reading.
However, it is difficult to take this book just for itself and shake the feeling of deja-vu, looking for similarities.
The initial situation: Chosen Ones to save the planet from an evil; They are not Tris and Four, but you want them to be and you start out feeling like it's a sequel to Divergent. Ten years on from Allegiant, instead of a completely different (literal) universe.
Once you accept the new characters, magic comes into play. Are we in a parallel to Harry Potter? A Chosen One, a "Dark Lord", magic in play...
It is only at the end that you start getting enough into the story to ignore all the little paths that take you to other books you know.