Book Review – Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

Title – Chosen Ones

Author – Veronica Roth

My Rating – 4/5

Genre – Fantasy, Science Fiction

GOODREADS BLURB

A decade ago near Chicago, five teenagers defeated the otherworldly enemy known as the Dark One, whose reign of terror brought widespread destruction and death. The seemingly un-extraordinary teens—Sloane, Matt, Ines, Albie, and Esther—had been brought together by a clandestine government agency because one of them was fated to be the “Chosen One,” prophesized to save the world. With the goal achieved, humankind celebrated the victors and began to mourn their lost loved ones.

Ten years later, though the champions remain celebrities, the world has moved forward and a whole, younger generation doesn’t seem to recall the days of endless fear. But Sloane remembers. It’s impossible for her to forget when the paparazzi haunt her every step just as the Dark One still haunts her dreams. Unlike everyone else, she hasn’t moved on; she’s adrift—no direction, no goals, no purpose. On the eve of the Ten Year Celebration of Peace, a new trauma hits the Chosen: the death of one of their own. And when they gather for the funeral at the enshrined site of their triumph, they discover to their horror that the Dark One’s reign never really ended.

MY REVIEW

The first time a publisher has granted my wish on NetGalley! I received an e-ARC of Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve had a rocky history with the author’s books in the past. While I was pretty disappointed by Carve the Mark, 15 year old me thought Divergent was the EPITOME of dystopian fiction. , I understand that if I were to read it now 7 years later, I might not like it as much but the fact remains that the Divergent series played a big part in making me the reader I am today. Hence, I went into this one super excited.

Chosen Ones has quite an intriguing plot and as always, Veronica Roth’s writing was captivating and beautiful. As opposed to Tris from Divergent, I really liked the protagonist Sloane and found myself invested in her story. The characters were all well written and distinct enough that I wanted to know more about them all.

A common complaint in the reviews I’ve read state that the book was too slow for them but I did not find it so at all. In fact I sped through the entire book in under a day and enjoyed every second. There were a few plot twists that I found annoying when introduced, but they eventually came together for a pretty terrific book.

The book works pretty great as a standalone. However upon a little surfing, I’ve learned that is intended to be a part of the series. While I do think this is unnecessary, I still will be checking out the sequels – purely out of curiosity.

Chosen Ones may not be excellent, but for fans of Veronica Roth looking for a throwback, do give it a shot. Overall I give it 4 (rounded up from 3.5) out of 5 stars.

And that’s all for today! Hope you have a great day! Until next time –