Description
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 tenth 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.
My Thoughts:
This is a genre I particularly like when it is written for adults, but despite being marketed as the author’s first adult fantasy this still felt like a YA novel due to the short, simple paragraphs, dialogue and fast pacing. It also had the feel of a sequel despite being the first book in a series.
I really enjoyed the premise of a group of adults who achieved hero status in their teens and ten years later are struggling with the consequences of their experiences. Between them they suffer from PTSD, addiction, anxiety and trust issues. The first part of the book deals with this aspect of their lives. Sloane in particular is complex and fascinating. I would have liked to see a lot more of Albie’s character, as he and Sloane were the most affected by previous events due to a shared trauma.
The story slowed down a little for me at the start of the second part, but then picked up the pace again quickly, introducing us to two more characters: the mysterious and charismatic Mox, and Ziva who – like Albie – I would have liked to know more about. Once I hit Part Three I couldn’t put the book down!
The storyline itself was interesting and I loved the twists that went into the character development of the main players. I’m looking forward to seeing how the development continues in the next book,
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