Charlie Dyer, professor-at-large of Bible, host of The Land and the Book radio program Writing with accuracy and immediacy, Jerry Jenkins immerses us in the greatest story ever told in a fresh and powerful way.
Jenkins is a master of taking profound scenes and themes from the Bible and weaving them into captivating journeys, whether they are centered on the time of Jesus or the end times. From the first chapter, I was enamored. This book offers the reader more than mere diversion. It offers the possibility of true transformation.
And what better encouragement for those of us today who hunger for his life-changing presence. I heartily recommend both the video and the book for any who long to experience his transforming love more deeply. As someone who always thinks the book was better than the movie, I was delighted to discover a book and film series that are equally enthralling and even life-changing.
What would you like to know about this product? Please enter your name, your email and your question regarding the product in the fields below, and we'll answer you in the next hours. By: Jerry B. Stock No: WW More in Chosen Series. Wishlist Wishlist. Advanced Search Links. Add To Cart. It was fated in the stars and it had to happen. Seeing everything that still needs to happen in the next book is something that has me really intrigued and excited.
I can only assume that Roth will create another masterpiece that will amaze me and that it will be even better than this one - if patterns hold up. Better or worse. Fierce and strong-willed, Sloane, is positively the most interesting person to be telling us this story.
Shaped by the cruelty of the world from a young age she has not been able to completely out-run the cruelty and darkness inside her soul. I love her completely unapologetic nature and blunt personality. The revelation that cruelty and kindness can co-exist was the most satisfying driving force she could have offered us. Cocky and confident, kind and passionate, loyal, and ruthless; he will do what needs to be done to fulfill his fate.
The most powerful magic user to date. Formed by the losses and betrayals of his youth he is one of the most interesting characters. He always tries to do the right thing.
Driven and trying to see the best in everyone, he can be a bit condescending and idealistic, blinding himself to reality and what is right in front of him. Ultimately, he is loyal and loves his family and will work for everything he wants in life.
Has an impeccable sense of fashion and a capacity to adapt that serves her well. She may be rough but she will always have your back.
He deserved better than he got. One moment of braveness can change the course of history forever. His death after a life of struggles was the saddest thing that happened. He is a true inspiration. I feel a bit bad for her since she missed most of the book, but I really liked what little I saw.
Driven by his ambition and ego he traded a world for eternity; and eternity for death. Manipulative and ready to do what she must to protect her world. She sells her soul to the devil — not literally — in order to keep everyone alive. I cannot believe that she ever wanted anything other than to survive and save her world… even if she went about it in all the wrong ways cornered by terrible circumstances.
No one. Sybil has a lot of spunk and sass and a very unapologetic nature that is most delightful to witness. Layered and caring.
He cared about his wards at the same time that he was ready to make them do what was needed. Can love and duty mingle and co-exist? A great friend, one that is to be cherished, and a good soldier. She knew when to follow orders, when to advise, and when to set straight. Her love and friendship of Mox were truly beautiful and heartbreaking.
Some things are worth giving your life for, and your afterlife as well. I don't have words enough right now to even express myself other than unintelligible sounds of pain and awe and anxiety. My brain is mush. I love it so much. One thing I'm completely sure about is that this one is already in my favorites shelf. I've literally waited months on end to be able to pick it up - thank you delivery system in the middle of a pandemic - and add to that the months of anxious waiting before it was published To say I'm excited is not saying enough.
I'm pumped, thrilled, ecstatic, and beyond words to be able to finally get into a book that promises to be dark and mess with my mind and confuse me in all the best ways. And if it also has a really nice soin to the chosen one trope, well, that is just the bait I need.
View 2 comments. Just gonna leave this gif here. View all 6 comments. Jun 10, Helena Paris rated it liked it Shelves: magic , adult , arcs.
I received this complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Then, my enthusiasm for it just lost steam. I think it may be because I've been swamped lately, but I felt no inclination to pick this up, unlike the other books on my currently reading pile, so I think that's evidence enough that I wasn't too keen on the book.
I really enjoyed the premise, from this mix of sci-fi and fantasy think X-men I received this complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed the premise, from this mix of sci-fi and fantasy think X-men meets magic to the unlikable heroine that I genuinely ended up liking, I truly thought that this would be a new favourite.
However, it appears that it was not meant to be. I'd also like to remark that it seems to be written as an NA book , not adult, because these characters do not act like year olds First of all, the book is split up into three distinct parts, which could easily be turned into three separate books.
Part one was reallllly slow, part two was reallllly confusing, and things finally picked up in part three, but by that point, my interest in the book had waned, unfortunately. For the record, it's not a poor book. But the minute I set it down, I forgot it existed and didn't give it a second thought. I also most likely shan't be picking up the sequel. View all 7 comments. I'm going to start by saying I like the Chosen One trope.
And I also really like the post-Chosen-One-now-what-the-fuck-happens trope. I find the former is done a lot better than the latter though we haven't had that many but this might've been the best post-Chosen story I've read so far. I think. There is a lot of really interesting, and quality, content in Roth's tale. The plot definitely keeps you guessing, too, as while the tone doesn't really change, the context and angle does. And al I'm going to start by saying I like the Chosen One trope.
And also, like, the setting? Things went to a strange place around the halfway mark maybe earlier, can't remember and at first I really wasn't a fan.. I definitely think this is going to be book that either works or doesn't work for readers. The characters aren't easy to love or like and the plot shifts gears — sideways, upside down, backwards — but there are definitely shining moments in both the telling of the story as well as the processing of the grief and trauma and uncertainty of surviving something so beyond comprehension.
The only difference is the average body doesn't hit that wall after defeating a dark magical being. But there are glimpses of hope, of being known, of being understood, despite it all. I will say that, for an adult story, I don't feel the characters read their supposed age thirty. Early twenties I would've believed, definitely.
But, honestly, had you redacted the on-page stating of how old they were supposed to be and handed me this book? I would've guessed YA. So, there you have it. Roth's first adult novel is interesting, creative, and not hard to put down, but not easy, either. But despite it all, not as close to great as I hoped it might be. I have no idea what to expect from book two, particularly as I felt this wrapped really well, but I will pick it up for sure.
They just assumed I would never find out. A life they perhaps didn't ever think they would have, a normality they can't accept. Its been ten years since Matt, Albie, Esther, Ines and Sloane were picked out from a prophecy as the 'Chosen Ones' and vanquished the destroyer known as the 'Dark One'.
None of them has returned to a happy life, but its Sloane who seems to be suffering the most. So when she hears a whisper on the wind from a lost loved one, she accepts the call and enters into a new destiny.
This pleasantly surprised me. Veronica Roth has never really been a author high up on my list of 'must reads' but the premise for this really pulled me in.
To explore a world and its characters after the inevitable battle is won is fascinating, and Roth manages to create an incredibly interesting protagonist in Sloane. She's a reluctant hero, one who hadn't necessarily chosen the path she walks, and she's deeply unhappy. She has everything you think she could want - a loving boyfriend who cares for her deeply, a close knit group of friends, fame Or doesn't think she deserves any of it.
She's secretive, selfish, manipulative and deeply unlikeable at the start of the story and as a result her judgements and decisions are questionable. Her character comes across as very morally grey, constantly playing that fine line between morality and what turns a hero into a villain. However I do think some people reading this will struggle to form an emotional connection with Sloane, especially given that this is written on the third person narrative, which makes it feel as though we never really see all of Sloane's personality.
I found the other characters a little underwhelming compared to Sloane, and I think that's because we see very little of them in comparison. The writing relies heavily on Sloane being our main lead, with the other 'Chosen' feeling a lot like a supporting cast in Sloane's journey. Esther feels a little like a characateure, a one dimensional lover of fashion and social media- although I want to feel that she's more like a chameleon who can effortlessly fit in anywhere.
Matt I feel ie the most underused and underdeveloped. He's the stereotypical hero, too good for Sloane. Too nice. Too bland. Mox is a more interesting character, although again I felt I didn't learn enough about him to really connect to his plight. I also really enjoyed the overall concept of this. The first part of the books centres on the tenth anniversary of the demise of the 'Dark One' and how our heroes are coping.
The book then shifts in narrative to encompass a parallel world plot device that I personally loved, taking us into a different dimension which is similar but not the same as our own world. At some point in time there's been a diverging of the worlds, which has led to the presence of magic. Interspersed throughout the main story we have snippets of articles and journal entries hat explain what has happened in the run up to the Dark One being defeated, as well as some history about our new world and its inhabitants.
I do think that at times the world building was a little lacking, as I never really fully understood the magical system and the way it worked, however this didn't interfere with my overall enjoyment of the plot. I got the main jist of it, and was compelled to know what happened.
The pacing is also generally good, although I did feel that it petered out towards the end and limped into a rather underwhelming final battle. I felt like we didn't get enough answers to the many, many questions that arise from this new and damaged world and a number of threads are left dangling.
I also would have liked to have seen more of Sybil. Her character feels very much like a plot device to drive some of the characters together and provide a bit of an 'info dump'.
I feel she definitely could have been utilised better. For someone who regularly reads 'chosen one' tropes in books, this was an interesting and different take on the idea. For the most part it manages to pull off an ambition, world bending story with intricate characters and complex relationships.
Compelling stuff and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes. After Carve the Mark Roth been one of my favourite authors; I know many people didn't like it, but I really enjoyed it. I liked Divergent too. I hope this book doesn't let me down. I really don't like cover Although this is marketed as an adult fantasy, it has moments where it reads more like a YA sci-fi. Most of the time, I must admit, this book is hella slow.
The action scenes are great, but they are few and far between. The world building is fantastic however, especially in part 2 of the book.
I think my one slight gripe is that this almost reads like two seperate books in one part 2 comes so out of the blue that it took me a couple of chapters to get my head around it. However, overall it was a great read and I loved the lead character who really made the book for me.
View all 4 comments. Ten years ago five young people were identified as the Chosen Ones and were sent on a mission to destroy a evil force they called The Dark One. Their mission was successful and the world was saved from extermination. Matt, Esther and Ines have been able to get on with a normal life but Sloane and Albie are finding it hard to forget the horror and destruction and suffer from the effects of this.
Unfortunately on the day they celebrate the tenth anniversary of their victory Sloane has a premonition Ten years ago five young people were identified as the Chosen Ones and were sent on a mission to destroy a evil force they called The Dark One. Unfortunately on the day they celebrate the tenth anniversary of their victory Sloane has a premonition that bad things are about to happen again.
I enjoyed this book and the journey that it took me on. Lots of adventures, Magic, Zombies, and parallel dimensions. I will certainly be reading the second instalment of this trilogy. When the world is on the precipice of destruction, a rag-tag group of special teenagers come together to defeat the Dark One and save the world. When they triumph and the dust settles, where exactly do the successive years of peace leave these now adult saviors?
Now famous adults, five Chosen Ones must cope with the scarring experiences of their past. Matthew Weekes is using his fame as When the world is on the precipice of destruction, a rag-tag group of special teenagers come together to defeat the Dark One and save the world.
Matthew Weekes is using his fame as a jumping board for social activism on hot-button issues. Esther is now an instagram influencer. Albie and Ines and Sloane, the main character, are still grappling with the violence and fear left by their battles with the Dark One, leaving them depressed or traumatized.
All five have needed anxiety meds or therapy sessions to handle the PTSD-inducing situation of defeating an all-powerful, evil villain as teens. The writing is nowhere near offensive, but the internal monologue of Sloane felt childish. I never really believed she was a something-year-old woman, and that perception only worsened as the book progressed. Though we initially get little in the way of world-building, I actually did not mind the blurry rendering of the past, revealed only in small flashbacks or newspaper excerpts and classified documents from the government.
In lieu of large scope, I wanted to dig deep into the mindscape of a grown-up Chosen One. Instead, the novel jarringly shifted to a new plot development which made for a tonally asymmetric read.
While the pacing of the novel sped up along the way, it was at the expense of interesting character exploration and logical semantics for magical reality. Really, a missed opportunity here. The characters could have been memorable, but they ultimately stayed one-dimensional, sacrificed for a direction change in the plot that I did not welcome. Many thanks to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
A bit difficult to follow along I can get easily confused , but an overall solid adult-supernatural read. If you are a fan of fantasy, this book is definitely up your alley. The story begins ten years after a group of five teenagers defeated the murdering and destructive Dark One.
For better or for worse i "Nobody ever prepared me for what came after. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed by The Dark One before these Chosen Ones were able to defeat him, not to mention the personal horrors each teenager had to endure along the way.
Roth steadily unwraps the history behind why she and her friends became The Chosen Ones, and how they obtained magical abilities that were used to defeat their enemy. All the while, the Dark One summons Drains, which are magic-fueled natural disasters that appear without warning and kill off tens of thousands of bystanders at once. Sloan and her team attempt to stem these violent events at ground zero, and memories of the terrors they endured are relived through nightmares and visions. But then, a major event occurs that might force her to reconcile her past and face an even more horrifying challenge ahead.
You know the desire—the exact shade of it—and then choose the act accordingly. There are some major plot reveals that pave the way for many new exciting themes to explore, but spoilers prevent further discussion. Magic is influenced by desire and intent, and its level of access is deeply tied into the mental acuity of its caster. Roth deftly ties these ideas into the greater themes of responsibility and post-traumatic recovery. There were a few aspects to the story that fell a bit short.
While the world-building in the first third of the book is fascinating, the plot took a while to establish its direction. Some of the bigger reveals were projected far in advance, and some of the symbolism were more overt than subtle. Although it poses a fantastic set up for the next book in the series, the conclusion felt somewhat rushed after such a long buildup. The Chosen Ones is a fresh and mature twist on some familiar hero tropes, taking aim at difficult themes without sacrificing its tendency toward mystery and adventure.
It is an easy recommendation for fans of Roth, offering an impressive introduction into an ambitious and exciting new universe. On sale April 7, May 30, Bethany rated it it was amazing Shelves: favesstars. It's smart, gritty, and subversive with a prickly female main character and thoughtful, fascinating world-building. If you like twisty anti-hero stories and don't think women need to be nice, then please check this out.
Fans of Jessica Jones might fall in love with this. Set in Chicago, Sloane and four other teens believed to be the prophesied "chosen one" defeated the evil Dark One. Now 10 years later, Sloane has insomnia, struggles with relationships, and deals with symptoms of PTSD from what happened with the Dark One. Many of her fellow chosen ones also are struggling to cope with the visibility of public life in the wake of such trauma.
But the book asks the question- what if you had to face evil again? Would you do anything differently when you are no longer a naive young person? Sloane is a character people will probably love or hate. She's not a "likeable" female character, but I loved her. People around her want her to be something she's not and part of her journey is embracing that darkness is a part of her.
We see her deal with nightmares, panic attacks, and a whole lot of guilt and anger, but she is also strong. I can't say much more about this book without spoilers, but this takes unexpected turns that I thought were very well-executed. The world, magic, and ultimate revelations are smart and well-thought out. This felt both gritty and magical in a way that really struck a chord with me. It's something I will be thinking about for awhile.
I received a copy of this for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. It was absolutely unexpected, but far from unenjoyable. In fact, once I wrapped my head around it, I really liked this. Set on Earth and focusing on Sloane, it rips away the veneer of "happily ever after" and presents a disillusioned heroine stricken with PTSD after having saved the world as part of a group of 'Chosen Ones' years prior. Now, I thought this book would essentially be about a group of heroes faced with the realisation that they didn't defeat the Dark One and once again they have to save the world, except this time they are no longer young and idealistic but weary and disillusioned.
Very straight-forward. But no. Either it wasn't mentioned anywhere in the marketing materials or I'm just blind, but it was incredibly left-field. In this new world, which is similar to our own but with magic, the original Chosen One was killed and so a group of people reached across dimensions to bring across another hero or heroes meant to defeat their own Dark One.
Very Marvel-esque. And in this new world, which is inextricably tied back to Earth and is similar and yet different, failure to defeat the Dark One in this world could mean the destruction of Earth. But then it gets even more complicated and the villain in this new world might not actually be.
It's like the book was saying you think you know what's going on? Well, you DON'T. I was very fond of the heroine, Sloane. She's rough and struggles with her own trauma and isn't what people would think of as a "hero".
Now, I like these heroines or perhaps antiheroines best. I will also flat-out confess that one aspect of the book that elevated it for me was her relationship with Mox, who, after reading about his broad shoulders and big hands and sticky-out ears and notable nose and long-ish, dark hair and nervousness in social spaces, I immediately thought. There's an aspect of a villain love interest too, until readers come to the realisation that maybe the 'villain' isn't the actual villain after all.
I don't fully understand his motives, I don't get how he got to his current predicament. In fact, I could never quite pin him down and I'm not even sure if he was really a "big bad villain" after all and maybe that's the beauty of it? There's a lot at the end that leaves questions up in the air, and I know this is only the first book in a duology? Which brings me onto how this book probably could have been a standalone if everything was developed a bit further, as the skeleton of this book - beginning, middle and end - is one that could support a standalone narrative.
And as a result, I'm really interested to see what occurs in the second book. It looks like Roth has written another book - and hopefully series- that's pegged my interest after finding Carve the Mark disappointing and loving Divergent during my teens but never reading Allegiant , so I'll be keeping up with this one.
I guess any book that features an antiheroine whilst talking about the trolley problem as well as Koschei the Deathless will interest me. TL;DR: This is the "after darkness is defeated" book it's been presented as, but it's also not. Nevertheless, once I wrapped my head around the narrative shift in gears, I really did enjoy the plot and the characters inhabiting it.
Apr 20, Whitney rated it liked it. Overall: An engaging and magical book about parallel worlds, power, and finding and embracing who you truly are. Though I would not call this an adult fantasy novel, it is still engaging with a strong cast of characters though slightly over the top 3. Each hero has a different personality with strengths and weaknesses but this novel focuses on Sloane. On the ten year anniversary of destroying the dark one, one of the heroes dies.
This event is the fulcrum that catapults the heroes to a new parallel world where. In this new world, the heroes have similar challenges but also some major differences they have to face. Together they embark on a new adventure of a lifetime. The Good: Very engaging and most of the book is difficult to put down.
Fast paced with lots of adventure and things going on. I really enjoyed the format which alternated from telling the present day plot to different documents featuring Sloane from the past. You are only given bits and pieces of the history which keeps you thinking and guessing. I loved Sloane as a character though it took my nearly half the book to come to that conclusion.
She is shark and complicated, with many different sides to her. I disliked her for the first half before coming around and really enjoying her as the heroine. The other characters are OK though none measured up with the same complexity and depth as Sloane.
The Bad: For a book this interesting I was able to put it down and walk away multiple times. To me, that means it was missing something. I think I may have lost interest when the living dead army developed. Though I changed opinion on that as well by the end, this book just had a bit too much thrown into the mix. Some aspects were quite predictable as well. I had read reviews calling this Roth's first adult novel and I definitely would not call it that.
This may have been why I was a bit disappointed, I expected a bit more from it. We may begin by stating what it is not. A desire is not a whim. It is not an idle wish concocted on a sunny afternoon. A desire is a profundity of want, a deep and abiding craving that cannot be denied. Jul 24, NAT. Seriously, don't. Absolute waste of time. Popular opinion coming up. Except if you liked this book. Turns out I was right predicting I'd be mad at Veronica for wasting my times with this book.
Everything before that is pointless mea 1. Everything before that is pointless meandering around. I can't believe people actually enjoyed this book. My approach to the book creatively was the same. But thematically, YA stories are about coming of age and adult stories are not.
That feels like a fundamentally adult question. How can I set aside my pain and learn how to be responsible and a contributor to the world?
I grew up on chosen one stories. I was making a list the other day and realized just how many I was exposed to when I was young—mostly young men chosen one stories like Dune and Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.
So I love these stories and I had also written one in Divergent. But more generally, it got me curious about what would happen after the end of the story — not just plotwise, but psychologically. How do you cope with the emotional aftermath of having achieved this goal? And not just taking down a dark lord and being the triumphant hero of the day, but also, killing someone and being famous for it.
So it was important to me that [my lead] be a woman. So writing about Sloane was incredibly liberating. Prophecies play a large role in the events of Chosen Ones.
What is it about the concepts of destiny and fate that interest you? I love a fulfilled prophecy. A central theme of Chosen Ones is the idea that experiencing trauma at a young age can have both an emotional and psychological impact on you later in life.
We have a whole generation of young people who have grown up a lot faster than I ever had to because of the internet. We should be aware of that. You were in fact very smart and wise as a teenager in certain ways, but you were also capable of being deeply, deeply silly.
Those two things can coexist and they do. One of my most significant book signing experiences was meeting a girl who came up and talked to me about One Direction. I felt so bad. But then she passed me this note and when I read it later, it was full of all these deep insights about Divergent and what it had meant to her and what it had made her think about.
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