Series: The Warrior Chronicles
Release Date: July 1st, 2014
Shanti has grown up under the constant threat of war. Since she helped her people defeat a raiding party by using a special power, she’s been a hunted woman. Carrying rare abilities and an uncanny fighting aptitude, Shanti is the only hope of salvation for her people. The problem is, she doesn’t believe in her own divinity, and when she flounders, she nearly fails in the duty hanging so heavy on her shoulders.
It seems like any other day when Sanders and his band of misfit boys find a foreign woman clinging to life in the wastelands. Oblivious to the weapon they now have in their possession, they are content to harbor the mysterious woman until she is well enough to continue her journey. But when the war spreads its arms and lands on her borrowed doorstep, Shanti has no choice but to reveal her secrets, plunging her saviors into danger.
If they band with her, they will face certain death. But to trade her to Xandre, the warlord desperate to add her to his war machine, would be to give up their entire way of life.
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
• Murder of the Heroine’s village and family (including her husband)
• Grief
• Violence
• Allusions to torture and rape
• Does have descriptive sex scene with OW
– The Heroine walks in on the Hero and OW, so the reader doesn’t “see” all of it.
• Does have OM drama
– The Hero makes it so the Heroine can’t pursue the OM though (double standards)
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 4.25/5 stars
Who loves kickass heroines? I know I do! What makes Chosen even more interesting– and amusing–is the fact that the heroine, Shanti, enters a society where women are ladies: they look pretty (wear makeup and these things called corsets, and impractical dresses), and they don’t fight. Comparatively, Shanti comes from a society where men and women are equal, and their place in society lies in their power (i.e. magical abilities).
Although Breene does utilize the cliché of a ‘saviour’ for the lands against a horrible, evil regime, she puts her own unique twist on it. Shanti is the saviour of her people, as she possesses a vast and unimaginable power that can literally incinerate people’s brains. The prologue details the extent of Shanti’s power, and the fact that she learned both its magnitude and abilities at a very young age. These powers fated Shanti to be the saviour and leader of her people. As such, she trained extensively in languages, war strategy, politics and martial arts. All of these abilities of hers completely flabbergast the new society she has entered.
It is annoying and clichéd that the leader of this town Shanti has entered also possesses the same abilities as her. Even though he’s completely untrained and doesn’t really understand his abilities, it felt so unfair, which I know is quite juvenile, only wanting the protagonist to be “special.” The hero, Cayan, was a misogynistic asshole, who was just so annoying. He’s the Captain of the society, so he felt that he could dictate Shanti’s actions.
The best part of Chosen, for me, was Shanti training the boys who saved her from dehydration in the desert. They were the runt of the town’s forces, but with Shanti’s direction and training, she was able to understand them and help them apply and focus their abilities, turning them from the worst to the best. The group exercises and their interactions with Sanders (their Commanding Officer) were hilarious. Speaking of, Shanti and Sanders had a funny relationship, since Shanti does not act like any woman Sanders knows, or just really how he believes women should behave. Interestingly enough, I don’t get as much of a superior attitude from Sanders, like I do from Cayan since Sanders is really just terrified of Shanti.
The other best part of Chosen is the humour. Since Shanti is now living in a new town, with a new culture and language, she’s attempting to learn the slang, which you can imagine is quite amusing. Her sarcasm and wit are also so freaking funny, her interactions with the doctor are just hilarious.
What I found interesting was that I didn’t feel like I needed for there to be a romance. Also, for people who are concerned with OW and such, there is an OW (Shanti walks in on the OW and Cayan during sex), but personally, I didn’t feel anything about it because this book is about Shanti and she’s not really focused on romance. That being said, she does have a certain someone in mind who, get this, is not the hero! I really liked that because it added a layer of authenticity to the plot. In real life, you don’t instantly know the people you’ll meet are ‘the one.’ And, especially for Shanti, who has lived through the horrors of being the last of her people–and losing her husband–she is terrified of loving someone and having them ripped from her, like all the people she lost before. Although, what annoyed me so much was that Cayan made sure Shanti and the guy she liked would never get together; hypocritical that he can be with someone else but Shanti can’t.
Chosen ends realistically. I’m not going to go into specifics. However, for someone who has lost so much and still has the rest of the world’s wellbeing resting on her shoulders, she feels so isolated and alone. As a result, Shanti can’t take the risk of opening herself up again. Especially since her mission–which is only just beginning–is practically a death wish.
