Unchosen audiobook

3.5 stars Just published my October Book Vlog and whew! It was a lot of reading but so worth it! The Written Review Three siblings - Harlow the eldest (amazing guitarist), Vanessa the youngest (Olympic-bound gymnast) and….Charlotte the middle sibling (who is…average).(okay, technically she's been crushing on Dean for ages but he's recently started going out with Harlow so there goes that hobby for Charlotte).During Vanessa's latest gym meet, a strange person interrupts it. They seem erratic, wild and there's something about their eyes.It's only when the girls lose their parents that they fully realize what has happened. The Crimson.The Crimson is a slow-acting zombie-ish disease spread by eye-contact. The three sisters have lost nearly everyone they've ever known but they still have each other. Harlow is now a great military leader, Vanessa is now the Chosen One and Charlotte is still Charlotte. It sucks but Charlotte gets it. But then one day, their "safe" settlement is raided by some smarter-than-average zombies who are seeking the Chosen One. When Dean's life is threatened, Charlotte knows she couldn't just stand by. So she volunteers herself as "the Chosen One" to buy her younger sister time and save her friends and family. Kidnapped and alone, Charlotte must rely on herself - for the first time in her life - and continue this act for as long as possible. I thought this one worked rather well. I did notice that folks are saying that this book tries to do too much (zombies, seafaring adventures, plague, varying degrees of infection, and "chosen one") but I thought it was a unique take on the old tropes. I did enjoy the character Charlotte and how struggle for her identity amongst her perfect siblings. I also loved the concept of the "un-chosen" - someone who very clearly isn't MEANT to save the world but pulls herself up from her bootstraps and does it anyway (can we please have more books like that??)I do think the ending felt a bit too quick and the logic was a smidge eye-rollingly-convenient for me. Overall, this one worked pretty dang well!With thanks to Netgalley, the author and Katherine Tegen Books for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest reviewYouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads

This is very much the type of book you devour in one sitting. I couldn't put it down, and I found the usage of "zombies" unlike anything I have ever read previously. The ending confused me a bit regarding the dropping of certain plot points, but perhaps this will be turned into a series, and more answers will be given then? Either way, this book is gorgeous, inside and out, and has a wonderfully cinematic feel to it. I wouldn't be surprised to see this one turned into a Netflix show!*Many thanks to the publisher and MBC books for providing my review copy.

Unchosen is an action packed post-apocalyptic novel with zombies. Charlotte grew up in her sisters’ shadows. Her little sister is The Chosen One. Her older sister is dating her best friend that she has feelings for. Charlotte decides to claim she is the Chosen One to protect her sister. Charlotte is taken in hopes of saving everyone. Soon her lies start to unravel and she has to figure out how to save her loved ones.Unchosen is full of action. The heroine is a young woman like in all of my favorite post-apocalyptic novels. The curse and flesh eating humans was an interesting addition. I loved the characters in the novel. Charlotte is determined and strong. She doesn’t give up and will do anything to protect her family. There is an unexpected love interest that adds to the story. He is a great match for Charlotte and their interactions are great. There are many twists and action throughout the Unchosen. It was interesting to read Unchosen during a pandemic especially during the winter storm. I recommend Unchosen for fans of post-apocalyptic novels with strong female leads especially those that like zombies.Thank you Megan Beatie Communications, Katherine Tegen Books, and Epic Reads for Unchosen.Full Review: https://justreadingjess.wordpress.com...

I FINISHED THE REAL ONE, Y’ALL. AND I AM MORE SO OF A MESS THAN USUAL. RTC——- previous review*clears throat* Not me SUDDENLY REALIZING THAT AFTER PAGE 45 IN MY VERSION OF THE EBOOK THE WHOLE BOOK COMPLETELY CHANGED AND I WAS CONFUSED BUT STILL HAD HOPE was idiotically stupid, SO WHAT DID I DO?? I FINISHED THE BOOK.IT WAS THE WRONG BOOKI FINISHED THE WRONG BOOK.SAME COVER, SAME AUTHOR.WRONG FORMAT.AND I ASKED MYSELF THROUGHOUT IT, "WHO IS THIS GUY?" "WHERE ARE THE PIRATES", "WHY ARE THERE GLADIATORS"BUT I STILL FINISHED IT.AND THEN SEARCHED SOME REVIEWS UP.THEN PROCEED TO COMMIT CEREBRAL COMBUSTION.NOW I'M DEAD.please bury me next to the countless pages I have torn because of my inability to maintain a book story for more than five paragraphsP.S: Also, I really would love to read the book I was reading the whole time because gladiators sound mighty interesting when you're not fighting through the ~confuzzlement~ for FOUR HUNDRED PAGES.P.S.S: I just found the actual version of this book.The book I wanted to read.Just now.

4.5 StarsCW: (view spoiler)[Loss of loved ones, death (hide spoiler)]Well that was my first piratical zombie fantasy, and it was a real treat!In a world where a virus/magical curse has the potential to turn people into flesh eating monsters, Charlotte lurks in the shadows of her two incredible sisters. Harlow is a commander, Vanessa is the 'Chosen One', and Charlotte is the middle sister. I loved the concept of the how virus is transmitted because it brings with it mistrust and a 'kill or be killed' mind set, which leads to the break down society. You catch the virus through eye contact, however, passing it on to others will cure you and give you immunity! This opens up a slave trading market where people are trafficked and used to pass the virus onto by those who can afford to purchase them. The newly cursed people are then disposed of. There is action aplenty, and a growing level of intelligence and coordination among the cursed (Vessels). I really enjoyed the experience of being in a well developed world with characters that I could relate to and was completely invested in. I thoroughly recommend this original YA novel.

This book was everything! It had wonderful fantasy aspects that blended beautifully with the post-apocalyptic bits, swoony romance (with handsome sea captains), and just enough violence to give me a good scare at times.UNCHOSEN had a strong start! It began with an exciting and nerve-wracking scene and then introduced the characters at a good pace. Things seemed to move at a good speed throughout the whole book really. The plot was so intriguing! I never felt like things were dragging or dull. I was also very happy with how well things were balanced. Things were swoony and romantic when needed and then action-y and violent. I loved it!Also, I felt the need to point out that I might have squealed when things started to move to the water. There were so many battles taking place on ships and on the water and I was getting pirate vibes and I was so here for it! If you've ever wondered how a book can combine zombie-like people with pirates, check this book out because it does so flawlessly.Moving on to my favorite topic...the romance!! Let me just talk a second about our resident sea captain. Seth was everything this book needed. He added heart, some angst, and the ever needed shirtless scenes. But apart from his physical features (which were gorgeous), he was a great character and counterpart to our main character, Charlotte. I loved their verbal spares and the moments when they could just be themselves, even amidst a fallen world. Their relationship was so well-balanced and had just enough angst to make it perfect.Speaking of this book being perfect, it had plot twist after plot twist. I love a good plot twist, something to make me gasp, and this book had a few. Just as I would think I could relax a twist would get thrown at me and I would be sucked back into the heart-pounding action. They were thrilling and infuriatingly wonderful.Lastly, the feminist aspect of this book was spot-on. Like the rest of the book, the topic/theme was well balanced. I felt the strong females in the book and I heard the message it was conveying and loved it. These things all stood out without being shoved my face or being overbearing in any way.Overall, this book was perfect. It combined so many different elements and genres beautifully and did so in one book. I'm so glad this was a standalone. I wish there were more fantasy/sci-fi standalones like this. No matter what genre you most enjoy, you have to check this book out!!!Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.Blog • Instagram • Twitter

Great stand-alone!!! Prefect for fans of dystopian and fantasy novels!!! Bookish box did this for their January and the theme was love triangles. I definitely didn’t get the love triangle vibes.

Thank you Megan Beatie Communications and Katherine Tegen Books for an advance copy and a finished copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own. UNCHOSEN By: Katharyn Blair REVIEW ☆☆☆☆☆Always, I have loved dystopian stories, and I like pirates most of the time. On the flip side, I'm not a fan of zombie apocalypse stories at all because they have been done to death. UNCHOSEN is a combination featuring all of these things, and I had reservations initially. Fortunately, my doubts were unfounded.First, though, let's not overlook the amazing cover art because it's awesome. To read this story a suspension of disbelief is required, so just go with it. Imagine this premise in reality. A curse virus type of thing (called The Crimson), spread through eye contact, turns people into flesh eating monsters. But, these are not your garden variety zombies. If they were, I wouldn't have read this book because I hate those. No, this is different. Three sisters are involved. Harlow, the oldest, most beautiful and a leader of survivors. Vanessa, the youngest, has been deemed the chosen one who will save humanity. And, Charlotte, the lackluster middle child and heroine of our story, who feels completely bland and unworthy of anything. But, seriously, who can live up to having a sister as the chosen one? Not me! (I have no sisters). One day, raiders come for Vanessa, but Charlotte convinces them that she is the chosen one so they will take her instead. And they do. Cue villians to absolutely despise, one hot pirate captain, unknown motives, fear, serious tension and swashbuckling action. But, no spoilers here!I like the universal appeal of this story. Charlotte feels kind of invisible, useless and devoid of any purpose in life-other than messing up things. Haven't a lot of us felt like this at some point? I certainly have! In saving Vanessa, Charlotte also begins to save herself, although she doesn't realize this at the time. She goes on a journey, both physically and emotionally and literally and metaphorically, that is life altering and affirming. A discovery of self, family and humanity that cements Charlotte as the person she was always meant to be. Additionally, the story is big on female bonds, and I think we need more of this in books today-female empowerment and place in the world-because it matters. Finally, I was completely taken with UNCHOSEN and impressed with Katharyn Blair's ability to take seemingly odd pairings and bizarre sounding elements and weave them into a beautiful tapestry. I was delightfully surprised by the whole thing! Although I am very happy to have read an excellent standalone story (I am not a fan of series), I actually wish this book would continue. Talk about irony! Anyway, just read it!

i received the arc of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review I’m not a huge fan of post apocalyptic novels. It’s been a while since I read one actually. So I wasn’t entirely sure how my experience with this one would be but honestly, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it.Not gonna lie, it took me about 30% to really get into the story but I really liked the plot. There were parts of the story that seemed a little too convenient and I kinda wish the setting was a little bit different to give it a more post apocalyptic feel, considering the fact that it starts 2-3 years after the zombies take over. Can I just say that I’m so glad that this isn’t too cliched? I was so convinced that she’d end up with Dean or be the Chosen One that I was surprised with the fact that none of those things happen. I love how the main character is trying to figure out her place in this world with everything going on. The flawed aspect of her personality and self discovery was something I really liked. Anyway, if you’re going to pick up a dystopian novel then I definitely recommend this one.blog | instagram | twitter | pinterest

”You will be the muse that launches ships, she’d said to Vanessa. You will lead armies, and men will fall at you feet, she’d said to Harlow, who’d rolled her eyes but loved the sound of that. And you, your faith will save the world.”Wow! I truly don’t know if I can do justice to show you all how much I love this book! I read the synopsis and was thinking “Great another lame Zombie book.” But OMG, how wrong was I? I was truly hooked from page one, my interest never waining to the very end. I spent several sleepless nights putting it down just to pick it right back up because I just could not NOT read this. ⁣⁣ Everyones life changed the day the Crimson started, brought on by a hundreds year old legend that Anne de Graaf had cursed the world on her way to her watery grave. Her cursed ruby had been found and broken. ⁣ Charlotte is trying to survive this new world. The one where the flesh eating maniacs with the red eyes can either kill you or turn you into one of them just by looking into their red diseased eyes.Now she is trying to fit in between her kick ass Commander sister Harlow and her sister Vanessa who is The Chosen One that’s been prophesied to save the world and end The Crimson. If that wasn’t bad enough Charlotte also has to deal with seeing Harlow snuggled up to the unrequited love of her life, Dean. Dean whom she has loved as long as she can remember.⁣After their compound the Palisade is infiltrated looking for The Chosen One, Charlotte takes her sisters place claiming she is the one they want. But after seeing Dean get captured she breaks free, forges new bonds to save him and has to choose her own destiny to survive. ⁣⁣This book was totally amazing! The world building, the premise, the characters! I even loved the villains (aka the not so lame zombies 😁) . They were all so well written. I loved it all!⁣I especially enjoyed it when Charlotte met up with Seth, Rielle, Lucia and Thomas. That’s when the adventure was at its best and Charlotte really started to evolve. But the whole book was just beautifully written. ⁣If you love YA Fantasy this is the book for you! Even if you don’t love Fantasy there is enough angst for romance lovers as well. Let’s just say I suggest this to anyone and everyone!⁣Katharyn Blair has a new fan and I will be stalking her Goodreads page for all her past and future books from here on out! 😂Thank You Harper Kids for putting this incredible book in my life.

“Kindness, in this world, is the only thing that shows that we’re worth the survival we’re fighting for. You should accept it as the precious and rare thing that it is. We can’t save humanity if we lose ours.”One of my favorite subgenres in the YA category is dystopia; add in badass female characters, found family and a curse? Safe to say, I’m sold. When I saw the premise of Unchosen by Katharyn Blair it literally sang out to my soul and this didn’t change once I finished it. I read this in one day. One. Day. And here’s why:First, the worldbuilding is phenomenal! It’s extraordinary and in depth; quite unlike anything I’ve read before. The main premise centers around a curse in the form of a viral infection called the Crimson. The Crimson is spread through eye contact and turns its victims into flesh eating creatures but most are highly functioning; they are thinking, they are smart and now they’re getting organized. Then there’s the characters; so well-developed that it was easy to become emotionally invested in them. The main character and narrator, Charlotte, doesn’t think she’s anything special and tends to fade in the shadow of her sisters. Older sister Harlow is gorgeous and confident, a singer before the world went to shit and is now the tough commander of their settlement and her younger sister Vanessa, once a top-ranking gymnast, is now the Chosen One according to legend and will be the one to end the curse. Then there’s Dean, the boy that Charlotte loves but the one that Harlow is dating. And then there's the plot! So well-plotted and again, such a unique take on the dystopian theme. The sisters are caught in a dystopian society where the world as they knew it no longer exists, they’ve lost loved ones and every day is a struggle to survive. There are worse dangers out there than those with red eyes, the uninfected have become just as dangerous. This is just a small part of this compelling story. There’s no lack of jaw-clenching action, adventure on the high seas, political intrigue, curses and legends. There’s a revolution taking place that has roots in a legend that Charlotte and her sisters are right in the middle of, bringing drama and tension to the story. There are morally grey characters that I loved to hate and those I hated to love! There’s the addition of another favorite trope: found family with the addition of new characters later in the book and they became just as endeared to me as the rest. Unchosen has every element I look for not only in a YA dystopian but in any book that I’d recommend to my friends. This is a solid 5 star read for me and although it seems as if it’s a standalone, a girl can’t help but hope …. My thanks to Megan Beatie Communications, Katherine Tegen Books and the author for providing me with a copy in exchange for my review.

I did not expect to love this as much as I did! It started off a little slowly but picked up and was a race to the finish. I read most of it in one sitting. It was hard to put down!!I loved, loved, loved the theme of this book in choosing - especially choosing yourself.Charlotte felt their was nothing special about herself. She has always been in the shadow of her sisters. Her best friend, Dean, who she is secretly in love with, is even dating one of her sisters. Even this zombie apocalypse has not changed her being in the shadows. Harlow is a commander of survivors and Vanessa is the Chose One, who legend says, can cure the curse.Charlotte becomes a prisoner in place of Vanessa to save her life. Its hard keeping up the lie as things start to unravel and Charlotte will have to choose her destiny if she wants to save the lives of those she loves.The characters are wonderful, the story and action keeps you captivated and oh my goodness, the ending!!!!

4.25 Stars

This book was out of this world, when I found out that this was classed as a sci-fi fantasy book I thought I would not like it but I gave it a chance anyway. I AM SO GLAD THAT I DID.The story follows Charlotte who for all of her life has been known as the average sister. During a virus that spreads over the world and is transmitted through eye contact, Charlotte takes her sister's place as the chosen one.For starters I must say that this book has some of the best characters. I loved each character even the ones I hated I had to love.Furthermore, I loved how the story used the 'Chosen One' trope as it completely flips it on its head and basically rendered the agreed-upon chosen one is useless and someone who is "unchosen" decided their own destiny to become the chosen one.I've always been a fan of a dystopian and that is what I would personally class this book as, it added a new twist to the 'zombie' archetype too.Overall, I know that this book was not perfect, I think it really would have benefited from being an adult as opposed to young adult as it really could have gotten dark in a way that the ya novel did not allow it. I also felt that I would have liked more of an Ending as the story wrapped up fairly quickly.However despite what I would call the story's "imperfections" I did not care, because I loved every second of my journey in this book and I am so grateful to this author and to harpercollins for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for this honest review

“You will not choose my end, for this heart is mine” 🥰Okay so I put off reading this because I hate zombies. I never have watched a movie / series with zombies because well let’s just say I can’t stomach it.This story was different, completely not what I expected.I enjoyed it and it was a quick read. The love story was what I loved most and to be honest it reminds me a bit of how I met my boyfriend, without the post apocalyptic world of course 😂⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With a cover like this one how can you not want to read this book, and thanks to the amazing people at HarperCollins I was gifted with an arc to discover what is beneath this beautiful cover for myself.Straight from the first sentence the flow of the book is just there. Making it easy to read page after page after page; allowing you to start to connect and bond with the characters and fully immerse yourself into the story. A post-apocalyptic world where vampire/zombie like monsters are made real through a virus realised by a curse. What other book can you seriously say has a plotline like this which combined the fantasy of magic with a post-apocalyptic world in this way! It is a uniquely original take on something that you would think had been overdone; yet this book proves that completely wrong. Mix this with the slow moving yet highly entrancing writing style of Katharyn Blair....and you honestly cannot ask for a better book.The story itself is not highly fast pace or fully action packed like most books with this theme, but instead lets you get to know the characters in depth, edging the story on bit by bit in a way that makes it seem like 50 pages feels like 10. Before you know it, you have spent until 1am in this book and had to stop yourself reading further even though you wish you could, as you unfortunately have work in the morning. Needless to say, I picked up the book as soon as my shift ended the next day. As a debut novel it only leaves me to say.... Katharyn whatever you write next, I need to read!For fans of: The Hunger Games, Legendborn, The Fifth Wave and Red Hood.Thank you to amazing people at HarperCollins and Katherine Tegen Books for gifting me this amazing book. I truly believe it will be one of the most anticipated books of 2021, and will recommending it as so. (4.5/5 stars)

Wow! This book is fantastic. I am absolutely positive that this book will be a movie or a Netflix series. I’d put money on it right now. There’s such a wonderful powerful female vibe throughout this book. Women are badass, they are smart, they are leaders both good and evil they are making decisions about life and death and love. The character development of the main character, Charlotte, was really enjoyable. I liked the sisterhood aspect and that family would sacrifice anything to save one another. This is a very fast moving book. There’s action on land, there’s action on the high seas, there’s intrigue and betrayals. There’s knives and swords. There’s also some slow burn romance. I liked the science fiction part of this story as well. Maybe it’s a little bit “Bird Box” in that the plague passes through the eyes, but that’s more or less where the comparison ends because this sickness basically turns you into a superhuman, rage machine cannibal. The origin is very mysterious but that didn’t bother me so much. There were some plot holes there, but I still liked the story. If I had any quibbles it would be why isn’t the tent scene longer? You can keep it PG but don’t sweep it under the tent...so to speak. Also, not trying to be spoilery, but why put everything on the line to find/steal something that ends up in a duffle bag and forgotten? Maybe at some point we’ll get a series and this gets a better explanation. Overall, I thought this book was amazing, highly recommend!