I was hooked from the first page, and the rest of the book did not disappoint! A wonderful twist on the "chosen one" trope of fantasy.

Edit - the day after!

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the chance to read this ARC, in exchange for which I am giving an honest review.

On immediately finishing The Chosen Ones it was pretty much a 3 ⭐️ read for me, but having slept on it, I’m upping that to a 3.5 ⭐️

Why?

It starts well, introducing us to Sloane and the other fingers that make the hand of the team known as the Chosen Ones - Matt, Ines, Esther and Albie. We get to know them, how they work, how saving the world a decade earlier impacted them, their lives, their psyches.

I must admit, I was annoyed about certain characters just disappearing...all that effort and they’re gone!

There are other characters introduced at a later point, including The Dark One, the mysterious, felled arch enemy, your stereotypical villain, definitely designed to not engender empathy, but we also meet Mox/Moks, Nero & an undead army!!!

Character descriptions are developed and well wrought, you can them in your head. I am looking forward to seeing what character art comes from this.

Sloane, whilst not a likeable character, does draw you in with a strength and will that keep you engaged, even if at times you really don’t like her. Albie in the other hands, definitely feels easy to like and love. The book delves into the PTSD experienced by Sloane & Albie...Origami has never felt so personal!

Despite the sophistication of the character development and examination of PTSD, as a reader I feel manipulated. Yes, I know a great story takes you on a journey, opens doors to new worlds, but something jarred here. I felt more like I was being forced along a particular route. As a reader I felt propelled in one direction and I didn’t feel great about that.

Despite the feeling of being micro-managed along the journey, the book is definitely not dull. Sudden & traumatic events trigger a significant change in the narrative, a whole new parallel world full of magic juxtaposed against huge similarities with the ‘real’ world is introduced.

The crafting, build and definition of the magic is very detailed, logical and precise. It’s difficult to find any flaws in this and it does really make you think. The inclusion of formal document & book excerpts throughout the book bring more depth to the story

The world building is interesting, the dynamicS, juxtaposition of shared & distinct landmarks, music and literature across the parallel worlds are well designed and mapped. There is a clearly demarcated point of separation, that is understandable, but like the story it almost feels too well designed, almost over engineered or even over-used?

The pace of the narrative definitely picks up as it progresses, transitioning from a slow, Introductory, solemn almost mourning pace to a reckless, hedonistic speed. Again, designed to keep us engaged with the story, but again that jarring feeling!

I’m struggling to describe how I feel about this book. I did enjoy the sum of the parts, but it was like a symphony orchestra playing a Beethoven’s Ninth, and every now and then someone would just hit the triangle and that discordant note would strike, destroying the experience.

As a first adult novel, it brings a good story, engaging & interesting that I wanted to finish, but I’m really sad to say it didn’t quite hit the mark.

I was really excited to receive Chosen Ones on Netgalley. I was a fan of Divergent so I was definitely looking forward to reading more of Veronica Roth's work.

Whilst the book is marketed as her first adult novel, it is very much rooted in YA themes. It feels like a YA book at its core and in its language. The story follows Sloane, a world weary, antisocial former superhero who saved the world along with 4 other "Chosen Ones", from an attack by The Dark One, using a powerful magical artifact. The novel is set ten years after these events and the reader is caught up with the story via newspaper articles and transcripts from government hearings. Sloane is desperately trying to avoid her celebrity status unlike her fellow Chosen Ones, Esther who runs a popular Insta! blog and Matt her boyfriend and leader of the group who devotes his time to charity work. The remaining two heroes Albie and Ines fall somewhere in the middle, they have made peace with their status but want to live their own lives. When echoes of magic begin returning to their lives they once again get drawn into the conflict to save the world.

The book is set in Chicago and I think knowledge of the layout of the city would have been beneficial, as I found myself getting lost by how intimately Sloane knew her way around. In some respects, Sloane felt like a female version of Four's early characterization in Divergent. Esther was an interesting character with more dimensions that the usual insta famous vapid celebrity and Matt felt a little generic. The story is very much Sloane's story, and I think I was hoping for a bit more of a team up book. Some of the characters were sidelined a bit but the hints provided into their stories left me wanting more from them. Albie was dealing with incredible mental health issues following the first battle, depression and severe PTSD. He is a warm and loving character but really only relates to the team in terms of Sloane's plot. Ines, the butch lesbian Latine character, I was drawn to immediately she had an interesting dynamic with the rest of the gang and I would have loved to have seen more from her but the plot absolutely leaves her hanging. The story is left open, so I really hope Roth decides to revisit them!

Having been a fan of the Divergent series (well, the first two books at least) and having enjoyed her collection of short stories I decided that I would give Chosen Ones a chance as I’m a sucker for a Chosen One trope!

This was different to most books that I have read, focusing on the post-chosen one story rather then the build up to the main battle. It was an interesting take including PTSD and true representation of grief.

One thing I really did enjoy about this book is the format it was told in. In addition to the normal story you get interviews, records, articles and emails to help build this imaginative world that Roth has created.

However I think I expected too much from this book. I found it incredibly hard to connect with Sloane and emotionally connect with her. The other Chosen ones were undeveloped and, for me, generally felt like they were written younger than they were actually meant to be. I kept having to remind myself that this was not YA.

I also felt that the ending was incredibly rushed, I seriously could have blinked and missed the whole thing. I was left feeling like there was unanswered questions with an ending that seem so wrapped up that I don’t know how Roth is going to continue with the story.

Overall it was a interesting story with a good premise. I think I’ll continue on with the series just for the sake of seeing what happens next and if my questions will get answered.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What happens to the Chosen Ones after the battle is won? Roth tackles this question skillfully and weaves an immersive tale throughout this book. The twists are well executed and the world is well built

I loved this! What happens to the ones who save the world afterwards? It's been ten years since Sloane, Matt, Esther, Ines and Albie defeated the Dark One, and they've all adjusted in their own ways. Despite her relationship with Matt, Sloane hates much about her life - it's not just the PTSD they all have, but she has secrets about the past she can't share with the others but she can't forget either. And then one of them dies, and they find themselves fighting a whole new battle. They don't want to be Chosen all over again, but it's not clear exactly what's happening and Sloane is determined to fight the right enemy.

Sloane's not the most likeable character, deliberately so, but you're still on her side throughout the book. The other Chosen Ones are less well-drawn, Matt especially seems just a bit generically pleasant and I'd have liked to see more of Ines. The flip half way through was brilliant, and it was also good to see some thoughts on what it meant to be Chosen - how they reached that path and how they worked together, as well as how patterns established in a traumatic time were still working themselves out ten years later.

Great concept, worth reading!

A fantastic read. I enjoyed the divergent series and was looking forward to an adult series. Well written and engaging characters fully recommend and would love a sequel

3 Stars

I expected a few things going into this. One, I expected some kind of examination, if not subversion, of the Chosen One trope. Two, given there is a group of Chosen Ones, I expected some serious squad goals. Three, given how fun I found the first Divergent book, the only other Veronica Roth book I had previously read, I expected Chosen Ones to be a wild ride.

For better and worse, I didn't really get what I expected.

Let's start with the positives. The last 30% of the book, despite not being the story I wanted going into Chosen Ones, was seriously fun and interesting in some of its creative choices (I mean, I have a newfound respect for zombies, which is saying something). I finally felt the connections between various characters, and actually had a strong emotional response to certain events.. Sloane's moral greyness really comes to a fore, too, especially regarding how it all ends, in a way I would not have expected.

The world-building is strong throughout (almost too strong, but more on that later), and the main character Sloane is one of those cold, unlikeable characters who is all the more fascinating for not being secretly squishy on the inside. I really liked Mox too, though I feel this is partly down to the fact I was starved of character relationships I could actually feel until Sloane started interacting with him.

It's not as if there isn't an attempt at complex character dynamics before this point. Sloane and Matt's relationship on paper is pretty interesting, but unfortunately falls flat in terms of execution. Then there's Sloane relationship with their old mentor, which unfortunately is kind of dropped after about the halfway mark of the story. I actually did feel something between Sloane and Esther, and Sloane and Albie, but it wasn't really enough given the amount of screen time the characters get, and poor Ines (who unfortunately felt a bit like a token lesbian character) might as well have not existed.

I feel like Veronica Roth wasn't half as interested in the other Chosen Ones and their relationship with Sloane as she was with Mox and his relationship with her, which for me personally is the biggest sin of the first two thirds of the story. There is a far bigger focus on the world-building than the characters, I found, (with the exception of Sloane), and though much of it is interesting, for me personally there was also just too much. I could have done without half the newspaper articles and journal extracts, especially since many of them were quite dry. I think they'll appeal to the kind of reader who likes a more scientific style of world-building (in fact, despite being a fantasy story technically, this felt more like sci-fi throughout), but for me the exposition felt clunky, not least because I feel much of it could have been tied more to the development of the characters, had it been shown more naturally through the characters' experience, rather than being simply told to them/us, the readers. The last third of the book actually manages this really well - you get a sense of the intricate differences between the two settings of the novel, particularly in terms of culture which I found fascinating - but until that point the characters are mostly kept in one location and being fed information, which isn't quite so compelling a narrative choice.

The examination and potential subversion of the Chosen One trope is what I think suffered most in this story. There is some discussion of how being a Chosen One has impacted the lives of the characters, from the way different Chosen Ones are received by the public to their mental health to the ways in which they are limited by their status as Chosen Ones, but it never went quite as far as I wanted it to, particularly in regards to the experiences of characters that aren't Sloane. There's also the matter of subversion - beyond there being more than one potential Chosen One, there isn't any substantial subversion of the trope. I spent the whole book waiting for there to be some kind of Chosen One twist, but if anything it became more cliched as it went along.

I also feel like Matt's role as a Chosen One was handled particularly strangely, given the emphasis on his leadership and status as the ultimate Chosen One in the beginning (and the way in which his race affects how people view him), and the reduction of that importance by the end. I do think the discussions surrounding his character at the beginning were decent - especially when Sloane is called out for essentially being a white saviour when trying to fight his battles for him - but it just felt dropped in the second half of the story. While I reckon this is part of the bigger problem of the other Chosen Ones being neglected by the author, it had a particularly negative impact on the important themes and messages surrounding Matt's character.

Honestly up until around the 70% mark, this would have been a 2.5* read, if not a 2*. The last third of the story was a huge improvement for me, even if it was still flawed, particularly in the area of trope subversion. Because of this I'm definitely willing to give the sequel a shot, to see if the areas I found weakest are improved now all the heavy world-building is out of the way. It did end on an interesting note, at the very least.

This took me a while to get into because it felt like Id started with the second book in the series. We jump into the world after our new heroes/heroines have fought their big fight. I felt like I missed something. But I really liked Sloane - the combination of her attitude desciption and being called the Chosen one had me picturing her like Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

In this story Sloane, Matt and their fellow chosen ones have fought the dark one and now just want to get on with life, then they find themselves right back in another save the world scenario, but evil has a different name and face. Thy dont want the fight but with no choice Matt decides to play ball while Sloane is a little more cautious and questioning. She cant control her magic like the others and she doesnt understand why its always her.

By part two I was completely absorbed with the story and the characters and I cant wait to see what happens next

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

The Chosen Ones is Veronica Roth’s first novel that targets an adult audience, as it digs deep into themes that her Divergent series of novels casually explored. It is a Chicago-based urban portal fantasy novel, with a neat twist on the ‘chosen ones versus the Dark One’ trope. The story begins ten years after a group of five teenagers defeated the murdering and destructive Dark One. For better or for worse (it’s the latter) they are now world-famous celebrities with non-existent private lives, which makes it even more difficult for these ex-heroes to cope with the devastating traumas they endured. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed by The Dark One before these Chosen Ones were able to defeat him, not to mention the personal horrors each teenager had to endure along the way. Some long-term effects of physical and mental abuse are examined through the narrative of Sloan, one of the Chosen Ones who serves as the reader’s single point-of-view throughout the story.

Roth steadily unwraps the history behind why she and her friends became The Chosen Ones, and how they obtained magical abilities that were used to defeat their enemy. All the while, the Dark One summons Drains, which are magic-fueled natural disasters that appear without warning and kill off tens of thousands of bystanders at once. Sloan and her team attempt to stem these violent events at ground zero, and memories of the terrors they endured are relived through nightmares and visions. The narrative of Sloan’s past is intercut with the ten-year anniversary of the Dark One’s defeat in present day, and her disgust at celebrity, fake selfie smiles, and utter loneliness has reached a breaking point. But then, a major event occurs that might force her to reconcile her past and face an even more horrifying challenge ahead.

-- “You can’t force someone to want something,” he said. “And knowing what you want—not just vaguely but really specifically what you want—is a big part of magic. You don’t pick the act and then force the desire. You know the desire—the exact shade of it—and then choose the act accordingly.” --

The book features an excellent balance of character exploration, world-building, and a twisty plot that maintains a high level of engagement throughout the story. There are some major plot reveals that pave the way for many new exciting themes to explore, but spoilers prevent further discussion. One standout feature is Roth’s development of the world's soft magic system. Magic is influenced by desire and intent, and its level of access is deeply tied into the mental acuity of its caster. There’s an extensive and well-developed set of ideas that support this magic system, and Roth ensures that its impact in society is reflected in its culture, architecture, history, and means of communication. Roth deftly ties these ideas into the greater themes of responsibility and post-traumatic recovery. When factoring in Sloan’s sharp determination and hard-edged personality with a fast-moving series of world-changing events, it all results in an engrossing story that offers plenty of rich areas to traverse.

There were a few aspects to the story that fell a bit short. While the world-building in the first third of the book is fascinating, the plot took a while to establish its direction. Some of the bigger reveals were projected far in advance, and some of the symbolism were more overt than subtle. Although it poses a fantastic set up for the next book in the series, the conclusion felt somewhat rushed after such a long buildup. But none of these complaints detracted from the enjoyment of the novel, and the thrill of what’s to come next.

The Chosen Ones is a fresh and mature twist on some familiar hero tropes, taking aim at difficult themes without sacrificing its tendency toward mystery and adventure. It is an easy recommendation for fans of Roth, offering an impressive introduction into an ambitious and exciting new universe.

8.0 / 10

Ten years ago five young people were identified as the Chosen Ones and were sent on a mission to destroy a evil force they called The Dark One.
Their mission was successful and the world was saved from extermination.
Matt, Esther and Ines have been able to get on with a normal life but Sloane and Albie are finding it hard to forget the horror and destruction and suffer from the effects of this. Unfortunately on the day they celebrate the tenth anniversary of their victory Sloane has a premonition that bad things are about to happen again.
I enjoyed this book and the journey that it took me on. Lots of adventures, Magic, Zombies, and parallel dimensions.
I will certainly be reading the second instalment of this trilogy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5/5

Thanks Netgalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about 5 people who were considered to be "chosen ones" according to a prophecy and destined to destroy "The Dark One" and they did it: they defeated this big villain who was destroying the world and killing people. However, ten years later, one of them dies and they discover that their world is not as safe as they thought.

First of all, I was a big fan of the Divergent trilogy, but I hadn't read anything by the author - except from a short story - since then. Her other series didn't appeal to me very much, but this one had so many interesting concepts, so when I read the synopsis, I thought: this is for me.

The concept of having the chosen one living after saving the world or failing at it is not exactly the most original, but it was not at all overused, so I was curious to see what Roth would do with it, and it was... interesting. I liked to see this more realistic side to being a hero, all the traumas that come with saving the world.

I also really enjoyed how she mixed some concepts of science and magic and how they sometimes can be the same thing. She also put a very nice sci-fi plot, but I don't want to talk much about it, because it might be considered a spoiler, but if you read the genre a lot, you can probably guess what it is.

It was also nice to see some e-mails, reports, recorded interviews mixed with the traditional narrative. It expanded the worldbuilding and it made it a bit more complex.

However, the characters are a big problem. The protagonist, Sloane, who suffers from PTSD (even after all these years, never having treated it) was insufferable. Of course it's easy to empathize with her, since saving the world is a pretty big deal, and I felt bad for everything she had been through, but it was not enough for me to really like her as a character. Her attitude was really annoying most of the time. She has a nice evolution throughout the book, but again: not enough to really like her.

The other "chosen ones" are under developed. Matt is Sloane's boyfriend and the golden boy of the group, and even though the author tries to go deeper in his personality, it feels really flat. Esther is sort of a comic relief and... that's it. That's what I know about her. Mox - a character that shows up later in the novel - is kind of cool though.

So yeah, this one was good, but I feel the concepts were better than the execution. Hopefully, the next one will be better and the characters will be more developed.

Unfortunately the formatting of the file is not compatible with my kindle and I could not read the text in a sequencial.

I will read this book when i get my hands on a papwr copy, as I've been looking forward to read it and am familiar with other books by Roth.

My rating for now is 3 ⭐, but I'll update this feedback and rating once I read a readable copy.