Chosen Ones

By: Veronica Roth

Narrated by: Dakota Fanning

Length: 15 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's Summary

The mega-selling author of the Divergent franchise delivers her masterful first novel for adults 

Fifteen years ago, five ordinary teenagers were singled out by a prophecy to take down an impossibly powerful entity wreaking havoc across North America. He was known as the Dark One, and his weapon of choice - catastrophic events known as Drains - leveled cities and claimed thousands of lives. Chosen Ones, as the teens were known, gave everything they had to defeat him. 

 After the Dark One fell, the world went back to normal...for everyone but them. After all, what do you do when you’re the most famous people on Earth, your only education was in magical destruction, and your purpose in life is now fulfilled?  

Of the five, Sloane has had the hardest time adjusting. Everyone else blames the PTSD - and her huge attitude problem - but really, she’s hiding secrets from them...secrets that keep her tied to the past and alienate her from the only four people in the world who understand her.  

On the 10th anniversary of the Dark One’s defeat, something unthinkable happens: one of the Chosen Ones dies. When the others gather for the funeral, they discover the Dark One’s ultimate goal was much bigger than they, the government, or even prophecy could have foretold - bigger than the world itself. And this time, fighting back might take more than Sloane has to give. 

Chosen Ones is performed by Dakota Fanning and features the voices of Veronica Roth, Victor Bevine, Gabriel Vaughan, Isabel Keating, Robin Miles, Kevin T. Collins, Vikas Adam, L.J. Gasner, Richard Ferrone, Carly Robins, Flynn Earl Jones, Emily Bauer, Kyla Garcia, David Shih, Edoardo Ballerini, Natasha Soudek, and Amy McFadden.    

©2020 Veronica Roth (P)2020 Audible, Inc.

Same dull and depressed tone throughout

I’ve listened to hundreds of audiobooks, and this is the first time I’ve felt compelled to write a review. I really, really wanted to like this book, but I’m more than a third in (5 hours), and pretty much nothing has happened. What’s worse, the Dakota Fanning maintains the same dreary, depressed tone throughout all of her narration—regardless of the events or actions in the story.

I feel like a dark grey cloud has been following me around overhead the entire time I’ve been listening to this story, and I need to stop listening for my own mental health. I wish I could bear to keep listening so that I could tell what happens next, but I just can’t...

I was dissapointed by the end first minute

I am returning the book as the language in the first minute of the audio book having the F* word thrown at me is an indication of the language of the rest of the book makes it unreadable for me.

Not Much Going On Here....

I love the Divergent Trilogy...absolutely love it. I happened to be reading other things when 'Carve the mark' came out, but I was planning on reading them, depending on how 'Chosen Ones' turned out. Unfortunately, this is a convoluted mess of exposition from random viewpoints and, as far as the story is concerned, it doesn't even fit the most basic of arcs that a book generally needs (Set Up-Inciting Incident-Rising Action-CLIMAX-Falling Action-Resolution). I would say that 'Chosen Ones' has a very high spike of Rising Action and then a free-fall into some form of resolution. In my opinion, however, there was no real incing incident; others may come to me and say that the death of one of the chosen ones was the inciting incident, but was it?

I am so sad that I have to be this harsh, because Divergent happens to be in the top three of my favorite YA series. I think it was 10x better than The Hunger Games and I adore that story as well. I doubt Ms. Roth will ever read this review, but, if she does, I want her to know that I'm still rooting for her success and I KNOW that she will write another series or even a standalone that is WAY better than this one.

The book will receive a D+ from me and, just to add one more thing, I'm not sure if I will be reading the followup to Chosen Ones. The story was left where it could take an interesting turn, but I also think it could been done. Basically, I'm saying that the book could end where it is and have an open-ending sort of thing. I know Ms. Roth plans a sequel, so we will see if I have the smallest desire to pick it up.

I adore Dakota Fanning and I know people have been saying that she was stilted in her narration; but, I liked her and I thought she did a solid B work in this audioobook.

Horrible, don’t bother.

I don’t know if I can adequately express how deeply disappointed I am in this book. I keep listening to see if something is going to happen, hoping it’s going to finally get interesting but I am 18 chapters in it and still wondering why I’m wasting my time.

Wasted Audible Credit

Twisted storyline (not mind bending) with random events that barely connect and offensive language throughout.

Dakota Fanning is a great reader, but...

This is YA fiction. I'm not a fan. This was marketed as a former YA author's move toward adult fiction, but that's very misleading. All of the characters are the exact same tropes you find in the teen dramas you don't want to admit you watch. I don't mind that sort of silliness on screen, but I want better from my books. The inner thoughts of every 'fierce warrior princess' in these pages is laughably bad. DNF.

Not My Favorite

Honestly, this book took me a long time to get into. I didn’t think I was going to like it much at all until close to halfway through, then it got quite a bit better. I give it 3.5 stars. Definitely not my favorite of Veronica Roth’s books. Also, unfortunately, one of the few books that I’ve actually wished I would have read instead of listening to.

Quit in the first 2 minutes.

Why you ask, because if you have to drop the F bomb that much in the first chapter, then I’m gonna see myself out of reading this book. Thanks, but no thanks!

thumbs up

at first listen I wasn't sure since it opened up with F bombs. I thought if she was making an adult story by just adding swears. I kept listening though because I really loved the divergent series. it ended up being a really good story and I was really glad I stayed with it. I think there's a chance possibly for a sequel?...

Satisfying Read for Veronica Roth Fans

I am pretty familiar with Veronica Roth's writing, from Divergent and Carve the Mark. She has a writing style that, for some reason causes me to regularly have to go back and reread, or re-listen, to what has just occurred. I don't know why this happens. I believe it has to do with some of her transitions, or simply her narrative style. The most recent book before this one, that had this affect on me, was Erin Morgenstern's 'The Starless Sea'. For some reason I get lost, and have a moment of, "What the heck is going on here?"

Now, bear in mind, it is April 2020 and I have completed nearly 27 audiobooks, thus far, for the year - so, I can dig into a book pretty well. But, Roth's writing seems to get me in those moments of needing to rewind, time and again.

That being said.

I really, really enjoy Roth's concepts. She has a great imagination and world-building skill set. You can tell that she is able to live in these worlds that she creates, and knows how they work. Sloan is a wonderful heroine, very similar to Cyra, from Carve the Mark. A tortured soul stereotype. The magic system is interesting, as well as alternate histories of parallel realities.

The pace of the book really picks up at Chapter 16 (Part 2). If you can make it past the first 4 and 1/2 hours of the audiobook, then you will be rewarded by a quicker paced storyline.

Favorite quote: “Matt and Sloan had been living in a moment of held breath, the exhale had always been coming.” - Chapter 41

3 out of 5 overall for me. I wanted to go higher because of the great concept, but because of my need to keep "rewinding", I had to rate lower.

Sometimes you wonder how a book concept/storyline would have fared in another authors hands. This one had me doing that.

I just couldn’t get into it

Too much F*** too soon in (opening) couldn’t get on with the narrator, just not for me.

Awful

One of the worse books I ever read the characters are so weakly written I wanted them all too die at the end also nothing good happens

Thoroughly enjoyed!

I definitely reccomend this for any fans of the divergent or hunger games type series. It starts of a little complicated but stick with it and the narrative pattern emerges. Loved Dakota Fannings performance, wish there was a sequel, or prequel even!

A thrilling story...

10 years ago the dark one terrorised the world. A group of chosen ones fought him. Sloane is one of the chosen and has always felt as if she didn't belong. She's jaded from fighting with the dark one and seeing all of the death and destruction.
When one of her chosen one friends dies they all attend the funeral. During this they are transported to a parallel world where they are needed to destroy the ressurectionist. But is he really the dark one?In this alternate world magic is freely used and Sloane has to decide if she wants to fight again for a world she doesn't know. I really enjoyed this book although at times it was a little confusing as it flicked from the present to the past. But there was lots of information narrated as if they were case files. I really liked the full cast it gave the book more depth.

Stunning

What a book! A brilliant idiom Turing the classic chosen one tropes on their heads and making them dark and complex. Dakota’s reading of Sloan was perfect. And the whole cast made the audiobook come to life so vividly. Definitely would recommend this adult contemporary fantasy.