A review by thathannah
Undeniably Chosen by Shelly Crane
2.0
Title: Undeniably Chosen
Author: Shelly Crane
Series: Yes
Cliffhanger: Not Really
Release Date: March 31, 2015
Rating: Not sure maybe 2
HEA:
Undeniably Chosen is about Maggie and Caleb's daughter Ava Jacobson. She meets her significant Seth Watson. He is from the Watson clan who is the enemy of the Jacobsons. It takes a while for Ava to fully trust Seth and they face challenges with their respective challenges as well as the normal drama from the Virtuoso Council.
At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to read about Ava instead of Caleb and Maggie. Caleb and Maggie are the characters I read first and I really liked reading about them. Then I came around and was really excited to be back in this world and thought it was a fun treat to have another book. However, as I was reading I was kind of disappointed. It just fell a little short for me.
Just like Caleb and Maggie, Seth and Ava were great together. It was rocky at first but they really worked through all the obstacles in their way. It was also really great to see the relationship build since it didn't start with them being completely in love and together from the beginning. It really meant more when they were finally together because they had to work for it. It was also nice that Caleb, Maggie, and the rest of the Jacobsons were in the book. I love a guy taking the girl's last name when getting married. And I am totally guessing that Trouble and Ember will end up together.
A lot of time it is easier to talk about the things you don't like. So although it may seem like there is more wrong with this book it's just easier to talk about. And there is a lot that needs to be worked on.
So to start with the dislikes this book was really long. It was not just long in page numbers but the plot kind of dragged. That is because it took forever for anything to get resolved. It went through the same pattern over and over again. First Seth and Ava would try to hang out to get to know each other then would talk about the same things and then she would doubt him and her family would doubt Seth. And that happened a lot.
It also took a long time for the plot to really move forward. At the beginning there is an attack from the Watson clan and then not really anything from them until the end. Seth, Ava, and her family would talk about how the Watson family was planning something and they had to be ready but nothing happened and they didn't really do much to look into it.
I also thought there would be more of Caleb and Maggie. Even though the book is about Seth and Ava, she is Caleb and Maggie's daughter. I was really surprised by how little they were in the book especially since in their books their families were more involved. Seth and Ava had to deal with a lot and they didn't talk to her family and work together to resolve issues that needed all of them. And when they were in the book the Jacobson family was not always great to Seth because he is from a rival clan.
And though I understand being cautious they didn't always handle it well just like Ava didn't handle it well. She constantly got mad at her family for their actions when they were just trying to protect her. I expected more from the family and for that situation not to drag on for practically the entire book. The issue of Seth being in a rival clan could have been solved a lot sooner.
I also don't know why there wasn't more information given to Seth. If I were him and my family told me how horrible the Jacobson family was I would ask questions when I did meet them. Questions about his mom, their family, the traditions of the Virtuoso, and so much more. And Ava got mad at her family for not welcoming someone from a rival clans into their family with no questions when Seth and she did not try very hard to get to know them and really ease their fears. Their valid fears for a family member who is now involved with someone from a family that is obsessed with hurting them.
The endless back and forth of love when Seth and Ava started to really be together got annoying. That was also a problem for me with Caleb and Maggie's books after a while. Seth and Ava's relationship was great and getting to read about them getting to know each other was fun. However, it just never stopped. They told each other that they loved each other, how much, why, etc. over and over. It was so often that it took up a lot of space in the book that could have furthered other plot lines and bonding between Seth and Ava's family sooner. Or actually doing something about the Watson clan. Or furthering the plot of the Council and their plans. Basically all the story lines that should have had more time devoted to them during the book that weren't.
Seth and Ava were constantly looking into each other's eyes and holding each other. Ava twisted Seth's shirt a lot. And what was with Seth's thumb that Ava kept talking about. Every little touch was described in detail. And I think the readers understand the calming touch so it does not need to be explained practically every time they touch. And they don't need to be doing all their love talk when serious, albeit confusing and plot wasting, stuff is going on. Like all the stuff with the previous visionary, Ashlyn, that I still don't fully understand what the purpose was for that.
There is going to be at least one more book after this one. As someone who likes to wait for an entire series to be finished before reading I was not too happy to realize about 90% in that there is no way they can finish everything that was set up in this book. Especially when it took so long just to get through what little it seemed like there was in the book. At least there wasn't a big cliffhanger so I can survive until whenever the next book comes out. Which probably won't be for at least a year with how much waiting I've had to do for this book.
I don't think that the book was edited really well because there were a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes. It is not uncommon for a few things to slip through the cracks so I give a little slack for grammar when reading. This book had so many mistakes that it got very annoying. And many were the kind of mistakes that could be easily fixed with a simple read through. I hope that those mistakes get fixed for future readers and that the next book is checked more carefully.
Editing was also a problem just for the general plot. Many things were glossed over like their ascension and gifts. Does Ava have the power to shoot fire, ice, or both? Is Seth's really to shoot fire or just not be hurt by fire? Why have a Watson attack and then basically forget about them except for the end when it helps with the plot? Why is the council all of a sudden evil at the end? I thought that they fixed that for the most part in the other books and that it was on the path to being better.
Why are there so many Virtuoso that are so evil and look the other way when a girl is basically tortured. Why is killing an acceptable thing (self defense but still). I get that they aren't human but they are not supernatural enough to not still follow basic human laws. Why does the family seemed to be different in this book? Their fundamental personalities should be a little more similar.
Why was the previous visionary's story so important? How did it help the plot at all? Why was Seth an echoling? Why didn't Caleb, Maggie, or Ava explain the history between the Watson and Jacobson clans? Why was Seth's mom kidnapped in the first place? Why did they keep Seth? I thought that there was a reason that they kept him specifically. Was there not a reason?
If this book was cut in half but covered pretty much the same stuff it would have been better off. That would essentially force Crane to cut all the BS, time wasting, plot confusing stuff from the book. And if there was only one more book then she could have made it just one so the reader didn't get surprised at the end with having to wait for another book.
Regardless of the issues it had a strong concept that would have been amazing with more thought and editing. If you haven't read it yet and can wait I would recommend waiting until all the books are out so they can be read all at the same time. I think that I would have enjoyed this one a little better if I had the next one (which I kind of hope is the last so the series is not one that is dragged so long that I loose interest) ready to read right away. It is still worth a read but just needs a general plot and grammar polish to even be close to my expectations for the book.
Author: Shelly Crane
Series: Yes
Cliffhanger: Not Really
Release Date: March 31, 2015
Rating: Not sure maybe 2
HEA:
Spoiler
YesUndeniably Chosen is about Maggie and Caleb's daughter Ava Jacobson. She meets her significant Seth Watson. He is from the Watson clan who is the enemy of the Jacobsons. It takes a while for Ava to fully trust Seth and they face challenges with their respective challenges as well as the normal drama from the Virtuoso Council.
At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to read about Ava instead of Caleb and Maggie. Caleb and Maggie are the characters I read first and I really liked reading about them. Then I came around and was really excited to be back in this world and thought it was a fun treat to have another book. However, as I was reading I was kind of disappointed. It just fell a little short for me.
Just like Caleb and Maggie, Seth and Ava were great together. It was rocky at first but they really worked through all the obstacles in their way. It was also really great to see the relationship build since it didn't start with them being completely in love and together from the beginning. It really meant more when they were finally together because they had to work for it. It was also nice that Caleb, Maggie, and the rest of the Jacobsons were in the book. I love a guy taking the girl's last name when getting married. And I am totally guessing that Trouble and Ember will end up together.
A lot of time it is easier to talk about the things you don't like. So although it may seem like there is more wrong with this book it's just easier to talk about. And there is a lot that needs to be worked on.
So to start with the dislikes this book was really long. It was not just long in page numbers but the plot kind of dragged. That is because it took forever for anything to get resolved. It went through the same pattern over and over again. First Seth and Ava would try to hang out to get to know each other then would talk about the same things and then she would doubt him and her family would doubt Seth. And that happened a lot.
It also took a long time for the plot to really move forward. At the beginning there is an attack from the Watson clan and then not really anything from them until the end. Seth, Ava, and her family would talk about how the Watson family was planning something and they had to be ready but nothing happened and they didn't really do much to look into it.
I also thought there would be more of Caleb and Maggie. Even though the book is about Seth and Ava, she is Caleb and Maggie's daughter. I was really surprised by how little they were in the book especially since in their books their families were more involved. Seth and Ava had to deal with a lot and they didn't talk to her family and work together to resolve issues that needed all of them. And when they were in the book the Jacobson family was not always great to Seth because he is from a rival clan.
And though I understand being cautious they didn't always handle it well just like Ava didn't handle it well. She constantly got mad at her family for their actions when they were just trying to protect her. I expected more from the family and for that situation not to drag on for practically the entire book. The issue of Seth being in a rival clan could have been solved a lot sooner.
I also don't know why there wasn't more information given to Seth. If I were him and my family told me how horrible the Jacobson family was I would ask questions when I did meet them. Questions about his mom, their family, the traditions of the Virtuoso, and so much more. And Ava got mad at her family for not welcoming someone from a rival clans into their family with no questions when Seth and she did not try very hard to get to know them and really ease their fears. Their valid fears for a family member who is now involved with someone from a family that is obsessed with hurting them.
The endless back and forth of love when Seth and Ava started to really be together got annoying. That was also a problem for me with Caleb and Maggie's books after a while. Seth and Ava's relationship was great and getting to read about them getting to know each other was fun. However, it just never stopped. They told each other that they loved each other, how much, why, etc. over and over. It was so often that it took up a lot of space in the book that could have furthered other plot lines and bonding between Seth and Ava's family sooner. Or actually doing something about the Watson clan. Or furthering the plot of the Council and their plans. Basically all the story lines that should have had more time devoted to them during the book that weren't.
Seth and Ava were constantly looking into each other's eyes and holding each other. Ava twisted Seth's shirt a lot. And what was with Seth's thumb that Ava kept talking about. Every little touch was described in detail. And I think the readers understand the calming touch so it does not need to be explained practically every time they touch. And they don't need to be doing all their love talk when serious, albeit confusing and plot wasting, stuff is going on. Like all the stuff with the previous visionary, Ashlyn, that I still don't fully understand what the purpose was for that.
There is going to be at least one more book after this one. As someone who likes to wait for an entire series to be finished before reading I was not too happy to realize about 90% in that there is no way they can finish everything that was set up in this book. Especially when it took so long just to get through what little it seemed like there was in the book. At least there wasn't a big cliffhanger so I can survive until whenever the next book comes out. Which probably won't be for at least a year with how much waiting I've had to do for this book.
I don't think that the book was edited really well because there were a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes. It is not uncommon for a few things to slip through the cracks so I give a little slack for grammar when reading. This book had so many mistakes that it got very annoying. And many were the kind of mistakes that could be easily fixed with a simple read through. I hope that those mistakes get fixed for future readers and that the next book is checked more carefully.
Editing was also a problem just for the general plot. Many things were glossed over like their ascension and gifts. Does Ava have the power to shoot fire, ice, or both? Is Seth's really to shoot fire or just not be hurt by fire? Why have a Watson attack and then basically forget about them except for the end when it helps with the plot? Why is the council all of a sudden evil at the end? I thought that they fixed that for the most part in the other books and that it was on the path to being better.
Why are there so many Virtuoso that are so evil and look the other way when a girl is basically tortured. Why is killing an acceptable thing (self defense but still). I get that they aren't human but they are not supernatural enough to not still follow basic human laws. Why does the family seemed to be different in this book? Their fundamental personalities should be a little more similar.
Why was the previous visionary's story so important? How did it help the plot at all? Why was Seth an echoling? Why didn't Caleb, Maggie, or Ava explain the history between the Watson and Jacobson clans? Why was Seth's mom kidnapped in the first place? Why did they keep Seth? I thought that there was a reason that they kept him specifically. Was there not a reason?
If this book was cut in half but covered pretty much the same stuff it would have been better off. That would essentially force Crane to cut all the BS, time wasting, plot confusing stuff from the book. And if there was only one more book then she could have made it just one so the reader didn't get surprised at the end with having to wait for another book.
Regardless of the issues it had a strong concept that would have been amazing with more thought and editing. If you haven't read it yet and can wait I would recommend waiting until all the books are out so they can be read all at the same time. I think that I would have enjoyed this one a little better if I had the next one (which I kind of hope is the last so the series is not one that is dragged so long that I loose interest) ready to read right away. It is still worth a read but just needs a general plot and grammar polish to even be close to my expectations for the book.