Anna Kopp
Blue Moon Publishers
Available October 4, 2016
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About Rise of the Chosen
In Sam’s world there are two rules. Rule #1: Nobody dies. Protect the living at all costs. Rule #2: Everybody dies. At least once.
The Waking was a global event in which a force called the Lifeblood invaded all humans who died. The few strong enough to control it came back as powerful immortals. The rest let the bloodlust take over and awoke with one goal – to kill.
Newly appointed Watch Guard Samantha Shields has a legacy to uphold. Her father died a hero defending their city and now she wants to follow in his footsteps. Except for the dying part, of course. Unfortunately, fate has other plans as she discovers deep dark secrets that make her choose between her loyalties and the lives of everyone in her city. Both rules are in play as Sam is forced to make hard decisions that could cost her everything – including the person she cares about most.
I liked that this book took a different spin on zombies by having a sort of zombie lottery, in which some dead rise as powerful heroes. David, one of the Chosen, was my favorite character. I liked that he was that classic good guy having to make some hard choices with a lot of obstacles to overcome. He didn’t do everything perfectly, but protecting those in his charge meant a lot to him.
The narration sort of bounces around from one point-of-view to another, and I found that to be a little disruptive for me as I was reading. I’d be in one character’s viewpoint and then a thought from another character would drop in and I’d have to stop and reread to make sure I didn’t miss something. I wasn’t crazy about Lena and Sam’s relationship. I just didn’t really get why they were together. I felt like there was more chemistry between Sam and David than between Lena and Sam.
In one part, Sam and her soldier partner go on a rescue mission, but they only rescue one civilian and don’t seem concerned with any of the others at risk. I found it odd that they didn’t at least try to save the others or seem to feel any remorse about leaving them behind.
Readers who like fast-paced military or zombie stories would probably like this book. I’d recommend it to fans of Ryan Gish’s Enthralled.
One character, a shaman, has an islander accent. Most of the major characters appear to be white.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used frequently.
Romance/Sexual Content
Lena and Sam have a sexual relationship. They kiss and make out, and a couple of scenes hint at them having sex and sleeping/waking together.
Spiritual Content
A shaman has a powerful gift for connecting with a person’s spirit. A force called the Lifeblood causes the dead to rise as Woken (zombie-like creatures) or Chosen (powerful warriors).
Violent Content
Graphic descriptions of battle between Woken and humans and/or Chosen.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.