Audiobook Review – Chosen (Warrior Chronicles, Book 1) by K.F. Breene, Narrated by Caitlin Davies (3.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 10 hours and 51 minutes (314 pages)
Publisher: Podium Publishing
Release Date: February 2, 2016
ASIN: B01AMIU4JQ
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Warrior Chronicles
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

“It is said that when war threatens the world, one individual will be selected by prophecy to lead the Shadow Warriors out of the Land of Mist and reclaim the freedom that has been stolen.

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.
War is coming. The only question is this: Which side do you choose?”

This is the first book in the Warrior Chronicles by Breene. There are six books in this series and all have been released. This was an okay book. Despite some rough writing I ended up engaged and interested in the story by the end. This is one of those books that I know is fairly poorly written but, being that I am a sucker for interesting characters, I was drawn in anyway.

I listened to this on audiobook and Davies did a good job. She sounded very much like I imagine Shanti would and did a good job with male voices as well. I would recommend listening to on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

There are a few things about this book that make it seem a bit amateurish. The writing here is a bit rough and some of the things that occur in the story don’t quite make sense. Some of the things that don’t make sense and are contradictory in the beginning are eventually explained. However, the way it’s put together is sloppy.

Additionally some of the way actions are described are a bit just….off. For some reason Breene has an obsession with telling you how a guy’s balls react in a given situation; the description “so and so made his balls tighten in anticipation/anger/lust” was used quite a bit. This was a unique experience for me because I didn’t realize a guys balls could be so expressive in so many different types of situations (war, general conversations, etc). A number of descriptors were similar (using strange body parts to try to convey a characters’ emotions) and it felt a bit…off and awkward.

Despite the above as the story continued I ended up being very engaged with the characters and this world. I really want to know what’s going to happen to Shanti and Sanders and the rest of our characters. I also loved the world and all the political issues here.

Overall I was surprised by the end how much I wanted to read the next book in this series. If you can get past the slightly rough and awkward writing style this is a pretty enjoyable book. I plan on reading the next one and hope that the writing quality smooths out a bit. I am hoping this is a case of “first book syndrome” and in the next book Breene will have a better writing stride and flow.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Audiobook Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge