sonofhum3's review
3.0
If there were half stars, I'd give this book a 3.5/5.
Other than being a Veronica Roth stan who will preorder basically anything she puts out without question, the premise of this book really intrigued me. Having read lots of YA dystopian fiction, dealing with the fall-out of having been the "chosen one" who saved the world as a teenager piqued my interest, and it was done well in this book. The protagonist, Sloane, deals with lots of PTSD and a deep sense of being lost. Everything in her life revolves around a thing she did as a teenager and there's not a lot she can do to change that.
What I have to say is this story was s l o w. I think part of the issue is that Roth, in essence, had to build three separate worlds in one book. She had convey the things that happened to the Chosen Ones as teenagers (essentially an entire book on its own), then establish their Earth as 20-somethings, and finally she had to flesh out the world of Genetrix. That's a lot to tackle, and each of the 3 sections kind of feels like a separate book. While her usage of articles, book excerpts, and top-secret documents to do a bit of exposition was helpful and interesting, it couldn't do all the work and it made for a slow, plodding 200 pages that felt a bit like wading through mud at points.
Part three is where the book really starts to pick up, and I'll agree with other reviewers in that it feels very much like any YA novel. That being said, I'm a sucker for YA so I totally ate it up. If it weren't for the last third. The end also answered a lot of questions, and tied up all the strings that I felt were left hanging earlier. There were plot twists that I saw coming, but didn't correctly predict which was great. The world is complex and in-depth; just maybe a little too in-depth to tackle in a single book.
****SPOILERS BELOW****
Sloane and Albie were by far my two favorite Chosen Ones, so it didn't surprise me much when Albie died. My favorite characters tend to die because they're Too Pure, and it's those characters that always get sacrificed. RIP me, and also all of my favorite characters for the past 10 years. Sloane is abrasive, aggressive, and a bit unpleasant, but in a way that makes you feel for her. She's pretty typical of all of Roth's protagonists in that way. Not much of a deviation there.
Ines feels like a bit of a waste of time and energy, since she's absent for most of the book. It also sucks that the one LGBTQ+ character gets left out, because inclusivity is something Roth is usually pretty good at. Matt and Esther are both a bit vapid, but in a way that almost makes sense for the book. All the chosen ones are tied together by a shared experience that only they can relate to, but that doesn't mean they'd be super BFFs otherwise.
Mox is the character I was most interested by from the beginning. The second you meet him he has that air of You're-Gonna-Fall-In-Love-With-Me but I'm not upset about it. The reveal of him as the Resurrectionist made me think "I should have seen that coming" but I didn't. I then immediately texted my best friend and said "UH OH THE BAD GUY IS REALLY SEXY." That was before he wasn't the bad guy. Another plot twist (maybe not a twist. Let's call it a turn) that I was a-okay with. I love a Hot Praying Mantis with baggage, sue me.
****END OF SPOILERS***
All in all, I'm happy I didn't abandon this book at the beginning. I can see myself reading it again in the future and being much less bogged-down by the details since I'll know the lore already. Not the best I've seen out of Veronica, but it's okay girl, I'm still gonna buy all your books.
Other than being a Veronica Roth stan who will preorder basically anything she puts out without question, the premise of this book really intrigued me. Having read lots of YA dystopian fiction, dealing with the fall-out of having been the "chosen one" who saved the world as a teenager piqued my interest, and it was done well in this book. The protagonist, Sloane, deals with lots of PTSD and a deep sense of being lost. Everything in her life revolves around a thing she did as a teenager and there's not a lot she can do to change that.
What I have to say is this story was s l o w. I think part of the issue is that Roth, in essence, had to build three separate worlds in one book. She had convey the things that happened to the Chosen Ones as teenagers (essentially an entire book on its own), then establish their Earth as 20-somethings, and finally she had to flesh out the world of Genetrix. That's a lot to tackle, and each of the 3 sections kind of feels like a separate book. While her usage of articles, book excerpts, and top-secret documents to do a bit of exposition was helpful and interesting, it couldn't do all the work and it made for a slow, plodding 200 pages that felt a bit like wading through mud at points.
Part three is where the book really starts to pick up, and I'll agree with other reviewers in that it feels very much like any YA novel. That being said, I'm a sucker for YA so I totally ate it up. If it weren't for the last third. The end also answered a lot of questions, and tied up all the strings that I felt were left hanging earlier. There were plot twists that I saw coming, but didn't correctly predict which was great. The world is complex and in-depth; just maybe a little too in-depth to tackle in a single book.
****SPOILERS BELOW****
Sloane and Albie were by far my two favorite Chosen Ones, so it didn't surprise me much when Albie died. My favorite characters tend to die because they're Too Pure, and it's those characters that always get sacrificed. RIP me, and also all of my favorite characters for the past 10 years. Sloane is abrasive, aggressive, and a bit unpleasant, but in a way that makes you feel for her. She's pretty typical of all of Roth's protagonists in that way. Not much of a deviation there.
Ines feels like a bit of a waste of time and energy, since she's absent for most of the book. It also sucks that the one LGBTQ+ character gets left out, because inclusivity is something Roth is usually pretty good at. Matt and Esther are both a bit vapid, but in a way that almost makes sense for the book. All the chosen ones are tied together by a shared experience that only they can relate to, but that doesn't mean they'd be super BFFs otherwise.
Mox is the character I was most interested by from the beginning. The second you meet him he has that air of You're-Gonna-Fall-In-Love-With-Me but I'm not upset about it. The reveal of him as the Resurrectionist made me think "I should have seen that coming" but I didn't. I then immediately texted my best friend and said "UH OH THE BAD GUY IS REALLY SEXY." That was before he wasn't the bad guy. Another plot twist (maybe not a twist. Let's call it a turn) that I was a-okay with. I love a Hot Praying Mantis with baggage, sue me.
****END OF SPOILERS***
All in all, I'm happy I didn't abandon this book at the beginning. I can see myself reading it again in the future and being much less bogged-down by the details since I'll know the lore already. Not the best I've seen out of Veronica, but it's okay girl, I'm still gonna buy all your books.
exlibriscass's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is a wild ride in the best way possible. What made me pick it up to begin with was the premise of it being basically about the typical teenage “chosen one” world saving character years after she’s saved the world and the aftermath. These characters often go through a lot of trauma and I was interested to see how it would play out after the danger has passed and time had settled and Veronica Roth ABSOLUTELY delivered. Sloane deals with PTSD, guilt, anger, and feeling disconnected from not just her own story but from her fellow chosen ones who seem further on their own recovery path. That alone made this book great, it was so interesting to see and to be honest I would have been happy with just 400 pages of that dynamic but then Roth kicks it up a notch in I think one of the most interesting ways I’ve read in a long time.
I’m going to try and keep this vague because I don’t want to get super spoiler-y but at about the 100-ish page mark the most out of left field event happens that completely changes the story and definitely mixes the fantasy and sci-fi. I definitely felt like I was whispering “what??” over and over to myself for a few chapters with increasing awe. Our over it hero is faced with having to be the chosen one again but this time things have gotten more complicated. Not just with one of the most interesting magic systems I’ve seen but also with the growing feeling that something isn’t adding up and maybe the bad guy isn’t bad.
Chosen Ones is probably the most unique book I’ve read so far this year and it is so good! I highly recommend it. I was completely captivated and could barely put it down after a while. The only thing that kept it from being a 5 star for me was the final confrontation felt a little rushed.
bookowl's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked the way that this was put together and told, although parts of it seemed overly stereotypical at times, and the jarring discord between Part One and Part Two almost turned me off of it. It was written well, with flawed characters, and I think it definitely warrants a reread to go through again with the full knowledge I have now.
fish_reads's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars, and I definitely want to continue reading the series. I enjoyed reading it. I loved the characters, honestly, and it was really interesting to see a book about heroes post-victory, riddled with trauma. I thought the plot was interesting, but the end started to get a little confusing and a little too convenient, plus there were events that happened that I felt should’ve had more consequences. There were a few things that felt a little too contrived, but overall, I didn’t mind because Roth has this way of allowing the reader to really sink into a character and their emotions and their situation that I just love.
emma_310303's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lila459's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Loved it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
ameliajoanna97's review
3.0
The concept is so interesting and I was really excited to read this book, but honestly I just found it a bit ‘meh’. I couldn’t even tell you what I didn’t like about it, it’s just not something I can ever see myself reaching for again or thinking about often
beccainabook's review
5.0
Well, this book was nothing like I thought it was going to be and it was AMAZING! Move over boring superhero books, Chosen Ones is an interesting twist on the aftermath of saving the world and a big dose of mental reality.
I mean think about it, if you were told as a teen that you were destined to save the world and had no other choice, how would you react? This author took this reality and added such a great spin on it. All the characters in this book are extremely flawed! You have Sloane who is basically in a bad mood 24/7 and as cuddly as a cactus, Matt, the pretentious leader, Ines the quiet realist, Esther who is obsessive about social media, and Albie, a struggling drug addict. However, flawed these people may be, how would you be with all that pressure on your shoulders at such a young age? I’m a mess now and I wasn’t asked to save the world.
Not only did they already save the world, they were asked to save it AGAIN!!! I would’ve said hell no and walked away, but not these guys. They accepted their fate grudgingly, but accepted it with a grace I never could. I really liked that aspect of the book because it was just very real to me and a take on the chosen trope that I haven’t seen anymore. All the characters were NOT perfect in any way shape or form. I enjoyed it because I have always hated the idea that the chosen one gets all the blame for everything and expected to be perfect. This book doesn’t have that at all and it’s beautiful.
So the main character, Sloane, is not a heroine in any means of the word. She is struggling to find who she is and what she wants out of life after they defeated the Dark One. Ten years later, she is still struggling because mental health is like that. You can’t just get over something lickedy split no matter if everyone else has. I also believe that Sloane fights getting, “better,” because she is honestly a garbage human most of the time and uses her trauma as an excuse to be that way. I understand, but she still acted like a garbage human.
The only thing I didn’t necessarily understand was the magic system of the world. Was it magic or was it science? I wish the author had explained it a little better. I also wish I could have understood how the chosen ones were actually chosen. Yes, the book explained it a little with classified notes, but it wasn’t enough for me. The magical objects were very interesting and very cool, but again I wanted more!
Overall, this was a really cool and unique fantasy with a little science fiction sprinkled it. I was obsessed and wished there was more!
I mean think about it, if you were told as a teen that you were destined to save the world and had no other choice, how would you react? This author took this reality and added such a great spin on it. All the characters in this book are extremely flawed! You have Sloane who is basically in a bad mood 24/7 and as cuddly as a cactus, Matt, the pretentious leader, Ines the quiet realist, Esther who is obsessive about social media, and Albie, a struggling drug addict. However, flawed these people may be, how would you be with all that pressure on your shoulders at such a young age? I’m a mess now and I wasn’t asked to save the world.
Not only did they already save the world, they were asked to save it AGAIN!!! I would’ve said hell no and walked away, but not these guys. They accepted their fate grudgingly, but accepted it with a grace I never could. I really liked that aspect of the book because it was just very real to me and a take on the chosen trope that I haven’t seen anymore. All the characters were NOT perfect in any way shape or form. I enjoyed it because I have always hated the idea that the chosen one gets all the blame for everything and expected to be perfect. This book doesn’t have that at all and it’s beautiful.
So the main character, Sloane, is not a heroine in any means of the word. She is struggling to find who she is and what she wants out of life after they defeated the Dark One. Ten years later, she is still struggling because mental health is like that. You can’t just get over something lickedy split no matter if everyone else has. I also believe that Sloane fights getting, “better,” because she is honestly a garbage human most of the time and uses her trauma as an excuse to be that way. I understand, but she still acted like a garbage human.
The only thing I didn’t necessarily understand was the magic system of the world. Was it magic or was it science? I wish the author had explained it a little better. I also wish I could have understood how the chosen ones were actually chosen. Yes, the book explained it a little with classified notes, but it wasn’t enough for me. The magical objects were very interesting and very cool, but again I wanted more!
Overall, this was a really cool and unique fantasy with a little science fiction sprinkled it. I was obsessed and wished there was more!
sorbeth's review
3.0
It was an interesting view on the impact that having stopped a terrible villain could have. I think that the degree of trauma that Sloane had was not really directly addressed, other than that Matt referenced that she hadn’t been willing to do therapy. The latter portion of the book I felt was weakest with the shift to a romantic connection with Mox.
It was an interesting read, and I see there is a sequel but I’m not sure that I would read that. Really I think that Sloane just needs to deal with her actual real troubles, as do the other characters to one degree or another.
It was an interesting read, and I see there is a sequel but I’m not sure that I would read that. Really I think that Sloane just needs to deal with her actual real troubles, as do the other characters to one degree or another.