danibee3's review against another edition
4.0
Chosen is book two of the Slayer series. After the events of book one the Castle is turned into a safe house for slayers and demons who have no where else to go. Ninas sister Artemis has left, things with her mom are off. Ninas powers which have been restored don’t seem the same, they are making her feel darker and not herself. As if that all wasn’t enough there is a new threat that seems to be connected to Seans demon drug ring and a friend of hers.
This was one of my most anticipated 2020 releases. I adore this series and was so excited to see where book two would take us, as there is limitless possibilities for this series. Chosen did not disappoint. There was great fight scenes, different fun demons species and characters and a few great twists. Nina struggles a lot in her head in this book, with who she is, what is right and wrong and issues with family and friends. At times it was exhausting and a little depressing but there was so much character growth because of it. I cant wait to see how this series continues and hope there are many more books to come.
I will definitely continue to recommend this series to anyone who will listen.
A huge thank you to NetGalley, Kiersten White and Simon and Schuster for allowing me to read Chosen in exchange for a review.
This was one of my most anticipated 2020 releases. I adore this series and was so excited to see where book two would take us, as there is limitless possibilities for this series. Chosen did not disappoint. There was great fight scenes, different fun demons species and characters and a few great twists. Nina struggles a lot in her head in this book, with who she is, what is right and wrong and issues with family and friends. At times it was exhausting and a little depressing but there was so much character growth because of it. I cant wait to see how this series continues and hope there are many more books to come.
I will definitely continue to recommend this series to anyone who will listen.
A huge thank you to NetGalley, Kiersten White and Simon and Schuster for allowing me to read Chosen in exchange for a review.
waveycowpar's review against another edition
4.0
If it says Buffyverse on it I’ll love it. So no surprise I do.
The thing is it’s more then Buffy. Obviously I love Faith, Buffy, Oz, Harmony, Clem and Chao-Ahn’s appearances. But Nina and Artemis’ story is so good too.
White’s handle on Irish stuff is better than the first one. There is only one innit from Irish lips this time. There’s some things that are annoying:
She talks about them needing A Levels to go to college. It’s the Leaving Cert here.
The Guards are always called “the local police” even by Irish people.
The fact they are not far from Dublin and she says “some airport” is just poor use of Google maps. Dublin airport is the main, biggest airport in this country.
I liked the increased use of grand.
I hope she writes more. I really want to know what happens to Sanctuary when the new seed of magic comes, the new laws of magic too.
And what happens to Nina and her extra darkness when Buffy drains the Slayer power to empower herself in season 11.
And then what happens after that and the restructuring of the Slayers after the Reckoning.
But if she does write more she needs to get an Irish editor who can help iron out and catch those small issues that are not such a big deal for people not from Ireland but that ruin it for people from here; especially when the things she mistakes assumes Ireland and the UK are the same. We’ve had enough of that without my favourite intellectual property doing the same thing.
The thing is it’s more then Buffy. Obviously I love Faith, Buffy, Oz, Harmony, Clem and Chao-Ahn’s appearances. But Nina and Artemis’ story is so good too.
White’s handle on Irish stuff is better than the first one. There is only one innit from Irish lips this time. There’s some things that are annoying:
She talks about them needing A Levels to go to college. It’s the Leaving Cert here.
The Guards are always called “the local police” even by Irish people.
The fact they are not far from Dublin and she says “some airport” is just poor use of Google maps. Dublin airport is the main, biggest airport in this country.
I liked the increased use of grand.
I hope she writes more. I really want to know what happens to Sanctuary when the new seed of magic comes, the new laws of magic too.
And what happens to Nina and her extra darkness when Buffy drains the Slayer power to empower herself in season 11.
And then what happens after that and the restructuring of the Slayers after the Reckoning.
But if she does write more she needs to get an Irish editor who can help iron out and catch those small issues that are not such a big deal for people not from Ireland but that ruin it for people from here; especially when the things she mistakes assumes Ireland and the UK are the same. We’ve had enough of that without my favourite intellectual property doing the same thing.
zinelib's review against another edition
2.0
I gave up on Chosen at over 100 pages in. It assumes one remembers everything that happened and every character from [b:Slayer|34723130|Slayer (Slayer, #1)|Kiersten White|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528468297l/34723130._SY75_.jpg|55903822] while somehow simultaneously reiterating central themes repetitively and delivering a lengthy exposition. If by page 100 you don't know what's going on and don't care, IMO it's time to let a book go.
emilykatereads's review against another edition
3.0
This sequel was one I was really looking forward too. I absolutely loved the magic of Slayer, and am a big fan of Buffy, but the magic from the first book wasn't quite there for me with this one.
I didn't dislike this one, I just didn't love it.
We follow the characters we got to know in the first book, after some betrayals and new dynamics. We start this book off in the sanctuary for demons that Nina has created, and then drama ensues when people Nina used to trust aren't so trustworthy anymore.
With the occassional Buffy and Faith appearances of course, and let's not forget Oz.
Like the previous book, this one contains the family dramas, moral dilemmas, and end-of-the-world fiascos, but unlike the first book, my heart wasn't in it. Where the banter and characters made me love the first book, here the banter seemed to be making up for a not as intriguing story. And while I enjoyed the banter, it wasn't enough to keep me anxiously flipping pages. Up until the last dozen pages of the book, I didn't feel that urgency of the events.
I can't quite pinpoint how my feelings changed from a 5-star first book to a 3-star sequel, but that's just me. I can see people still enjoying this, but for me it didn't quite emotionally reel me in.
Thanks again to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with an arc for an honest review!
I didn't dislike this one, I just didn't love it.
We follow the characters we got to know in the first book, after some betrayals and new dynamics. We start this book off in the sanctuary for demons that Nina has created, and then drama ensues when people Nina used to trust aren't so trustworthy anymore.
With the occassional Buffy and Faith appearances of course, and let's not forget Oz.
Like the previous book, this one contains the family dramas, moral dilemmas, and end-of-the-world fiascos, but unlike the first book, my heart wasn't in it. Where the banter and characters made me love the first book, here the banter seemed to be making up for a not as intriguing story. And while I enjoyed the banter, it wasn't enough to keep me anxiously flipping pages. Up until the last dozen pages of the book, I didn't feel that urgency of the events.
I can't quite pinpoint how my feelings changed from a 5-star first book to a 3-star sequel, but that's just me. I can see people still enjoying this, but for me it didn't quite emotionally reel me in.
Thanks again to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with an arc for an honest review!
minibookchats's review against another edition
4.0
I’m sad there won’t be anymore books in the series
booksandpops4000's review against another edition
4.0
*I got this book for review for my honest thoughts*
I really thought his book was so fun. I really wish I had re-read book one before the reading book 2. But I really loved being back in the Slayer world. I really loved the new characters overall. I also loved the main plot and mystery at the heart of this novel. I also loved the various camoes we got from buffy verse characters including one of my all time favorite characters. I really loved how Kirsten tackled this world and this character and would def check out future books if we ever get them!!
I really thought his book was so fun. I really wish I had re-read book one before the reading book 2. But I really loved being back in the Slayer world. I really loved the new characters overall. I also loved the main plot and mystery at the heart of this novel. I also loved the various camoes we got from buffy verse characters including one of my all time favorite characters. I really loved how Kirsten tackled this world and this character and would def check out future books if we ever get them!!
greatlibraryofalexandra's review against another edition
2.0
Hmmm. For some reason I feel bad giving this a 2/5 rating despite the fact that...it just isn't very good. It was so lackluster it had be questioning if I was much too generous with the first in this series.
White isn't a bad writer, but the conclusion of this dyad of books just leaves me feeling pretty certain she should stick to her own original fiction. "Chosen" was by far wittier, funnier, and more rife with wry, feel-good throwbacks to Classic! Buffy (Oz! Who doesn't like seeing Oz?) but ultimately, its plot was an absolute mess, its characterization failed by miles, and I was flat-out relieved that it was much shorter than "Slayer."
Every single chapter that was written in 3rd person about Artemis was just a horrendous messy to get through. Artemis is a flat character with no "oomph" behind her motivations or decisions; rather than being complex, she comes off as childish, boring, grating, and just plain lacking in any sort of conviction - her whole shtick is that she wants power to protect hr sister, who doesn't need to be protected, but really she's also sad because now she's useless - it's trite and awful, and pairing her up with Honora, who was so poorly characterized that she continually comes off as nothing more than a mean girl protoype with sapphic spice, results in nothing more than a cringe-worthy attempt at capturing the power of the Willow (+Dark Willow)/Tara dynamic. It's more of an insult than anything else.
So, too, is the final "apocalypse" of this story. It's little more than a droning amalgam of the season finales of Season 5, 6, and 2 of Buffy. There could have been so much more creativity involved in this, but it just wasn't there. Cheeky references or witty one-line throw backs to the original source material are nice, but ripping off the core of entire story lines (the way Xander saved Willow, a sister sacrifice, etc.) goes a step too far in paying homage.
Overall, this second book actually brings down the value of the first book, which was quirkier and more mellow in just being what it was -- lovable fanfiction.
White isn't a bad writer, but the conclusion of this dyad of books just leaves me feeling pretty certain she should stick to her own original fiction. "Chosen" was by far wittier, funnier, and more rife with wry, feel-good throwbacks to Classic! Buffy (Oz! Who doesn't like seeing Oz?) but ultimately, its plot was an absolute mess, its characterization failed by miles, and I was flat-out relieved that it was much shorter than "Slayer."
Every single chapter that was written in 3rd person about Artemis was just a horrendous messy to get through. Artemis is a flat character with no "oomph" behind her motivations or decisions; rather than being complex, she comes off as childish, boring, grating, and just plain lacking in any sort of conviction - her whole shtick is that she wants power to protect hr sister, who doesn't need to be protected, but really she's also sad because now she's useless - it's trite and awful, and pairing her up with Honora, who was so poorly characterized that she continually comes off as nothing more than a mean girl protoype with sapphic spice, results in nothing more than a cringe-worthy attempt at capturing the power of the Willow (+Dark Willow)/Tara dynamic. It's more of an insult than anything else.
So, too, is the final "apocalypse" of this story. It's little more than a droning amalgam of the season finales of Season 5, 6, and 2 of Buffy. There could have been so much more creativity involved in this, but it just wasn't there. Cheeky references or witty one-line throw backs to the original source material are nice, but ripping off the core of entire story lines (the way Xander saved Willow, a sister sacrifice, etc.) goes a step too far in paying homage.
Overall, this second book actually brings down the value of the first book, which was quirkier and more mellow in just being what it was -- lovable fanfiction.
kba76's review against another edition
4.0
Back to the world of the Slayer, and since Nina got her powers returned nothing has felt quite right. She’s reluctant to tell anyone about it and also has to keep quiet about her sister Artemis’s actions.
For reasons that we do, eventually, learn we are kept rather in the dark here. There are all manner of odd events taking place, and Nina is feeling the strain. She fears the final prophecy, knows she has to keep people safe but doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes made by others.
There’s some tongue-in-cheek humorous moments, enough fear of the hell-mouth to satisfy the toughest reader and demons aplenty. We learn a little more about certain characters, and just when we think it’s going one way we have the proverbial rug pulled from under our feet.
It’s good to be back...
For reasons that we do, eventually, learn we are kept rather in the dark here. There are all manner of odd events taking place, and Nina is feeling the strain. She fears the final prophecy, knows she has to keep people safe but doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes made by others.
There’s some tongue-in-cheek humorous moments, enough fear of the hell-mouth to satisfy the toughest reader and demons aplenty. We learn a little more about certain characters, and just when we think it’s going one way we have the proverbial rug pulled from under our feet.
It’s good to be back...
librarypatronus's review against another edition
4.0
I loved Slayer for all the nostalgic Buffy feels, and I was really excited for this one. I didn’t think it was as good, and it had a lot of trope-y feeling moments. I was, however, stoked to see some familiar faces show up. It was fun enough though, and has really cemented Kiersten White as an auto read author for me.
anjreading's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. I am so sad about this book. I loved Slayer, the first in this duology set in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (officially authorized). It was spot on with its dark, quirky humor and had a really interesting storyline. In Chosen, things felt more forced and I really struggled to stay involved in the story until the last 20% or so. Nina continues to learn to use her slayer powers, though most of the time she seems to be fighting angry, violent impulses, and Artemis has run off with her girlfriend Honora and is making some really, really poor life choices. Both Nina and Artemis annoyed me to no end in this novel. As usual, there’s an apocalypse to avert, the side characters were still delightful though under-utilized, and we were thrown the bone of cameos from Oz and Faith. I can’t put a finger on exactly why this didn’t work for me, but it definitely felt like a let-down.