Media Type: Ebook
Title: The Chosen
Author: Sheenah Freitas
Publisher: Lulu.com
Pages: Paperback; 232
Release Date: Nov 28, 2010
Source: Author
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Intended Reading Group:
Young Adult
Content Screening:
Mild Fantasy Violence
HDB Rating:
3 Keys to My Heart
Kaia’s entire life has erupted in flames after an assassin appears and burns her village down. She’s rescued by a god from another planet who requests her help because she’s the descendant of their last savior. Together with Reeze — the only other survivor from her village and her appointed guardian — they set off on a quest to find the treasures of the gods in hopes of preventing a dire prophesy. Kaia and Reeze quickly meet the Tueors, a group of people many thought extinct, who are searching specifically for Kaia. Their intention: to protect the truth. As Kaia discovers more about the truth and her family’s past, she also learns of the Tueors’ bloody secret. Will Kaia be the savior the gods have been waiting for? Or will she let the prophesy come true?
Before I begin I need to mention that I read an Uncorrected ARC of this book, so it was definitely a bit rough around the edges. I’m not including anything based on that in my review. This is a review of purely the story line and characters! I understand that a copy like this will definitely have errors. It’s par for the course :).
That being said, The Chosen was definitely an interesting read. Kaia has lost her entire village to a huge fire, and now all she has left is Reeze. He’s her protector. The only thing is Kaia has no idea what he is supposed to protect her from. Add in another no nonsense companion, some mythical creatures, and new God/Goddess lore, and you have a much different kind of book from anything that I’ve read lately. Sheenah Freitas has taken elements of Fantasy that are staples in this genre, and tweaked them enough to make them new and fresh.
In terms of story, I’ll admit that the plot is a little slow moving. It was unfortunate to me too, since the overall premise of The Chosen was so interesting. There is a lot of attention paid to the daily lives of the characters and their travelling. That makes for a rather monotonous tone in the general story. Certainly, there are parts that move quickly. Especially when Freitas puts a nice quick fight scene in, or the reader is discovering something new about Kaia and her destiny. However as a reader I felt like there was a lot of description that really didn’t need to be there. I enjoyed learning about the world they were on. Zinc was fascinating. Still I wished for some more action to help keep things moving.
What I can say is that this slow moving plot does help build up the characters beautifully. I found myself immersed in Kaia’s story, and wondering what new things she would uncover next. I’ll fully admit that at first she drove me completely crazy, since she was always hiding behind someone else. Just read on. Kaia does come into her own. Reeze was also a little tough to love, but I suppose that any guardian must be hard and stoic at first. It’s true that by the time I reached the end of the book I was invested enough in the characters that I am looking forward to the next installment! I’m hoping that with a little more polishing, this will be a series that continues to capture my mind and heart.
FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.
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