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A review by booklistqueen
Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth
Typical YA Fantasy ... now for adults!
Divergent author Veronica Roth tries her hand at adult fiction. A decade ago, five ordinary teenagers saved the world from an immense evil called the Dark One and turned them into celebrities. Now, the death of one of them reveals that the Dark One isn’t truly gone.
When I picked up this book, I was hoping for a more grown-up satirical look at YA Fantasy. Setting the story ten years after the Chosen Ones saved the world, Roth does an excellent job showing how complicated adult life is for these childhood heroes. Especially for the main protagonist, Sloane, who struggles with PTSD and has let her relationship with Matt, a fellow Chosen One, coast along.
However, when I thought she was being satirical, Roth was really just setting up a typical fantasy story. Sloane, Matt, and Esther end up getting thrown into an alternate universe full of magic where they must fight the Dark One again. From there, the story didn’t feel original and many of the action scenes were hard to follow. Roth attempts to bring in more thoughtful themes – the fine line between hero and villain – but fails to nuance them enough.
In all, I was unimpressed with her latest book, and I would only suggest diehard fantasy fans pick it up.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Divergent author Veronica Roth tries her hand at adult fiction. A decade ago, five ordinary teenagers saved the world from an immense evil called the Dark One and turned them into celebrities. Now, the death of one of them reveals that the Dark One isn’t truly gone.
When I picked up this book, I was hoping for a more grown-up satirical look at YA Fantasy. Setting the story ten years after the Chosen Ones saved the world, Roth does an excellent job showing how complicated adult life is for these childhood heroes. Especially for the main protagonist, Sloane, who struggles with PTSD and has let her relationship with Matt, a fellow Chosen One, coast along.
However, when I thought she was being satirical, Roth was really just setting up a typical fantasy story. Sloane, Matt, and Esther end up getting thrown into an alternate universe full of magic where they must fight the Dark One again. From there, the story didn’t feel original and many of the action scenes were hard to follow. Roth attempts to bring in more thoughtful themes – the fine line between hero and villain – but fails to nuance them enough.
In all, I was unimpressed with her latest book, and I would only suggest diehard fantasy fans pick it up.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.