Sunday, November 29, 2020

Book Review: Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

Book Review: Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth
Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

Published: April 7, 2020

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Pages: 432

Synopsis: 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.

Thoughts: There are quite a few negative reviews for this book over on Goodreads, and honestly I'm not sure what's up with those. Are people still mad about the Divergent series ending in a way that wasn't exactly how they wanted it? Sort of reminds me of how people now are reacting to the Supernatural TV series ending, in extremely polarizing ways. But I digress. We're here to talk about what I thought about Chosen Ones.

Point of Fact: It's very hard to create a female lead character who is both flawed and still likable. I've read many books where I've just not liked the lead female because she became too unlikable. It's sad because all lead characters, no matter their gender, should be flawed with bad habits, but unfortunately there's something ingrained in how women are viewed with a much harsher magnifying glass. All of that being said, I think Roth does a great job here with our lead heroine Sloane. Is she perfect? Heck no. And that's why I root for her. Because of all of her flaws, I want her to succeed. And that's how it should be, right? 

There's something that happens in this book about a third or so of the way through that I was not expecting at all, and quickly turned the whole story on its head, for the good. I was enjoying the beginning and seeing how a person might deal with having been a "chosen one" after the fact, but it became much more exciting and intriguing once this particular event happened. I won't say what it was because honestly it would spoil the surprise, so don't go looking it up if you're interested in reading the book.

The only thing that I can really knock the book for is there is a bit of the insta-love that happens. To be fair, almost any movie or story with romance as a main theme, the characters fall in love pretty much instantly and are just together in no time at all, or at least in the silly movies I've been watching recently anyway, so it's not like this isn't a known trope or something. But I do wish it wasn't quite so love-y so quickly. 

What's interesting is that this really feels like a fairly complete story, so I'm not sure where the sequel is going to go exactly. But I will certainly be checking it out. 

Rating: 4/5

Buy on Amazon 

What I'm Reading Next: Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

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