The Chosen One

by Carol Lynch Williams

Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters. That is, without questioning it much - if you don't count her visits to the Ironton County Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her secret meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her.

But when the Prophet decrees that Kyra must marry her sixty-year-old uncle - who already has six wives - she must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Religion, Teen, Cults

213 pages, Hardcover

First published May 8, 2009

About the author

Carol Lynch Williams is the author of more than 30 books for middle grade and young adult readers. Her novels include The Chosen One, Never that Far, Messenger and Never Said. Her most recent book is the novelization of the movie Once I Was a Beehive. Carol has an MFA from Vermont College in Writing for Children and Young Adults and teaches creative writing at BYU. She runs Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers, a week-long writing conference for the not-faint-of-heart writer (www.wifyr.com). As well she is a mentor for those who want to write for kids and teens. Her best creative effort, however, are her five daughters.

Reviews

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyra's story is... haunting . This little book had so much to offer.

Kyra loves her family. She loves her father, 3 mothers, and 19 siblings. Our protagonist is use to her way of life, but she has some secrets. Good juicy ones if you ask me. There is a bookmobile that comes by every Wednesday, and against what the sect leaders say she goes read those "horrible immoral" books. As a reader this made me smile. Books can really change your life. The next secret is probably even worse. She is in love with a boy named Joshua. A big no no. It's surprising that a boy like this could actually come out of this kind of community. He is really brave. Her world as she knows isn't perfect, but things get unbearable when she gets "chosen" to marry her extremely old uncle. Will she be able to go through with it?

Williams does a superb, excellent, perfect job of describing the environment Kyra's in. The reader is there and witnesses how sheltered these people truly are. I appreciated that not all the men in the compound are depicted as evil. Take her father. Even though he has 3 wives you see he truly loves his family and believes in what he is doing. This book is incredibly suspenseful. I literally felt like I was suffocating thinking about how these people were controlled. Even though Kyra is only 13 years old she has to deal with horrific problems. She feels frustrated, angry, guilt ridden, and most of all fear. Through all the things her soul has to go through she pulls an amazing amount of courage. I wouldn't have had that much guts. It made me have a new level of gratitude for the freedom I have.

Props to the author because this must of been something hard to write. Actually hard would be an understatement. So does Kyra decide to escape? Does she succeed? Or are these men as powerful as everybody believes? Read to find out.

[Emily May · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down. I got it on a random whim when I was browsing Amazon and it was one of the best books I have read in a long time. But it's sad and shocking... you really feel afraid for Kyra and you're just desperately begging her to get away, to escape with Patrick in his library on wheels.

Basically, Kyra is a 13 year old in a place where the leader (called the Prophet) chooses who you marry. It is a very different novel and explores religion and culture and especially the way in which women have very little control in polygamous traditions. Near the beginning of the book we find out that the Prophet has decided that Kyra will become the 7th wife of her 60 year old uncle. But Kyra is not so ready to accept things the way they are, she has already found love in the form of Joshua and cannot stand to think of bearing her uncle's children. Kyra must make a desperate and risky choice which could result in losing everything, even her own life.

This is a frightening, thought-provoking novel that constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat. Rarely have I ever connected with a narrator so much as I did with Kyra, her story will leave you moved and shocked at what you have just read. A masterpiece.

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Think of it," I said to Laura when I turned twelve. "I'm almost Mother Sarah's age when she was married."

Carol Lynch Williams- "The Chosen One"

Old Review edited.

4.5 stars for an amazing and very dark book.

As you may realize if you read the description this book is about Polygamy. Our main character is a child who is lively, vivacious and loves to read. She has her whole life before her..until "The Prophet" chooses to marry her off to her cruel elderly uncle. She does not want to marry him but he is the Prophet. And this is the way things have always been.


This book was utterly heartbreaking. I have not read too many books on the subject of polygamy and you learn a lot through this book. Some of it may seem almost incomprehensible to the reader and I will warn that some of the subject matter, actually almost all of it, it’s quite dark. Start reading this when you’re not down or gloomy .

What makes it particularly stark and horrifying is because, although this particular story is fiction, these things have and do happen. It was a bleak read but it was written so beautifully.

I found this to be a powerful story about one girl’s fight to break free of her family and the only life she has ever known.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carol Lynch Williams touches on a topic about which I have read a great deal over the past few months; a young woman trapped in a religious organisation. Writing this novella seemingly geared for the young adult population, Williams turns the focus onto a polygamous community and the plural wives mentality that turns innocent teenage girls into matrimonial dolls for the elders. Kyra Leigh Carlson is thirteen and has lived her entire life in a strict religious community, enveloped by the polygamist mentality. When the Prophet arrives one day to decree that she will marry one of the Apostles, her Uncle Hyrum, Kyra is beside herself with worry. Merely a girl, she has many of the typical feelings that a young person possesses: longing to grow-up, hoping to have innocent crushes, and discovering herself. Her eyes are by no means focussed on Hyrum, but turn, instead to a boy her own age, Joshua. The admiration seems mutual, though Kyra knows that she only has four weeks to get out of this mess before she becomes a child bride. Kyra's only concrete contact with the outside world is through a mobile library, driven by a well-meaning young man, Patrick. Books that have been banned by the Prophet show her a world about which Kyra can only dream and freedom she knows she will never taste. The Chosen One by many, Kyra's heart and mind must work in tandem to decide which she will follow. Physical abuse and banishment are only two of the many possible ways to keep those who stray from repeating their sin. Faced with a decision, Kyra knows that there is only one way out, but that choice could cost her everything she knows. A powerful story, Williams paints a realistic (from what I have read) version of the struggles inside polygamist sects ruled by fundamentalist Christianity.

A requested buddy read, I was not sure how I would stomach a young adult approach to the subject. I tend to find YA more interested in romanticizing the message and failing to penetrate to the core. However, Williams does a stellar job not to pull any punches (pardon the pun) by exemplifying just how far some of these groups will go to weed out errant thought. Further to this, there is the ongoing issue of pre-destined marriage that pervades the sect, both in the news and from those who have fled its confines. One cannot dismiss these as totally off the wall or without some merit and Williams does not shy away from revealing it as the foundation of her argument throughout. The characters within the story are top-notch and provide the reader with a realistic and varied sense of approaches to the theme. The narrative is crisp and yet what one might expect from a teenager at the helm, directing the story into corners that they might find important. Williams encapsulates the angst and struggle of a teenage girl faced with losing all she has ever hoped to find in life, as well as the fight for freedom, if only to define herself outside of what some prophet might decree.
Kudos, Madam Williams for getting to the root of this matter and presenting something for a younger audience. It was brilliantly portrayed and I am sure you will garner many fans for this and anything else you publish.

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

”I am not me anymore.
I go to sleep knowing that.
I am not me. Any. More.”

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams is a thought provoking read that hit my heart hard. Hot, angry tears mixed right in with my cries of “no, no, NO!” A disturbing story filled with pain and ugliness, but strength and hope as well. Faith holds the power to inspire and devastate.

Readers are introduced to 13 year old Kyra, her family, and way of life in an isolated Polygamist community. A life filled with the weight and warmth of family, bonds, and love. But for girls, a suffocating world with no control or right to choose. Williams brings Kyra’s life alive on the page with clear, stark, short sentences and words. Sometimes I found myself shaking my head in awe at Williams---How did she just gut punch me with three little words? A powerful style of writing that allowed the emotion—the fear, shock, love, and hope—to take center stage. Emotions still lingering in my heart.

Our story unfolds and escalates with flashbacks and pieces of Kyra’s life on the compound. We start to see more and more of the picture as bits of lost loves, pain, and violence come to light. The risks and decisions Kyra has to make shook me to the core. Tore my heart to bits. What if your decisions or actions—like falling in love, reading a book, or saying No-- caused pain to your loved ones? Do you stay? Go? Do what you are told? How do you turn away from the only life you know?

Kyra’s story is not to be missed. Strength and sacrifice like I’ve never seen before in a YA heroine.

A quick read, but one that will stay with you. Highly recommended.

I do have to share one of my favorite parts of the book before I go though. Some of my favorite moments were in the Mobile Library:

“In a far corner is a rack that has newspapers hanging from it, like quilts made of words.”

Quilts made of words! Loved that line.

I loved the feel of that Library on Wheels. The dust, smell, coolness, and piles of books. A world of hope was found in the Ironton County Mobile Library on Wheels! As we all know—a book can hold the world. Not only details and facts, but hope, strength, and love. I stopped by my Library on my way home from work after closing this book. Just to walk through the rows and stacks of words, wonder, and books. My home away from home and sanctuary. Williams captured what the Library means to me perfectly on the page. Captured that flutter and thrill in your stomach when you find just the right book. *sigh*

Looking forward to reading more from Carol Lynch Williams.

[Reynje · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s something of an understatement to say that this book was captivating – it’s almost too gentle or whimsical a word to describe the way I was completely gripped from the first page. And that’s not just a bit of zealous-reviewer hyperbole on my part. Whether I was actively reading The Chosen One or passing time until I could pick it up again (also known as “working”) it occupied my mind. Possessed my thoughts. Demanded my attention.

I don’t approach books that deal with complex subjects (in this case, polygamy and abuse amongst others) without some trepidation. As a reader, I want to see issues handled with respect and compassion, as opposed to them simply being used to cheaply manipulate or entertain without consideration given to the subtext that might be conveyed. And The Chosen One certainly contains confronting, emotionally-gruelling content.

The story is related by thirteen year old Kyra, raised in a fundamentalist Christian compound that has become progressively insular and cloistered under the vision of Prophet Childs. With surreptitious visits to a mobile library as her only connection to life outside the compound, Kyra is compelled to make a choice about her life when she is informed she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle and become his seventh wife. Rather than merely a simple fight or flight decision, Kyra’s situation is complicated by her loyalties, concerns for her younger sisters’ futures and very real fears that retribution will be visited upon her family.

If Miles From Ordinary alerted me to the quiet power of Carol Lynch William’s sparse prose, The Chose One further confirmed that her writing is exceptional. Stripped of overly descriptive embellishments and unwieldy passages, Lynch Williams writes with economy and grace, a style that is almost verse-like at times. This clean, succinct approach works well, keeping the story close to Kyra and preventing a sensationalist tone from overshadowing the themes of the book. Kyra’s voice is sheltered yet somehow also mature, and Lynch Williams captures not just the naivety, but the responsibility and fear that Kyra experiences as the effective oldest daughter of the family.

There is a genuinely unsettling atmosphere to the book, particularly as the compound begins to feel almost a sort of panopticon, and Kyra’s sense of being watched seeps through the text. It’s difficult to read about the implied and explicit coercion and threat that dominates life in Kyra’s world, the violence and abuse that underpin and enforce the strict moral codes.

However, rather than painting Krya’s life in shades of black and white, loving familial bonds are also depicted. Her father, with three wives and twenty children, is not portrayed as a one-note villain, but rather a devoted yet ultimately powerless, manipulated man. The empathy (however impotent) Kyra receives from one of her Mothers is unexpected and touching. The sibling relationships are warm and supportive. While it may be argued that the nuance in Lynch Williams’ portrayal of polygamy is too subtle, I found her particular take both appropriate and effective for its purpose in Kyra’s story.

If I have a particular hesitation with this story, it’s that on occasion the plot was progressed at the cost of a certain amount of believability. I found it difficult to believe that Kyra could acquire so much knowledge about the outside world from her brief mobile library visits and fleeting comments made her Mothers. Having been born into and grown up within the confines of her compound, which vehemently decries the outside world, Kyra’s acceptance of certain facts seemed to happen with too much ease.

Aside from that minor quibble, The Chosen One was a powerful, moving book. As it draws inexorably towards the ending, which is fittingly heart-wrenching, I found myself completely invested in the characters and Kyra’s choice.

The Chosen One is a story that doesn’t make sweeping pronouncements, give all the answers, or tie off neatly. It leaves lingering questions, room for speculation and a note of ambiguity regarding the characters.

That said, it’s also a brave and hopeful book that beautifully examines choice, loss, courage and love.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Chosen One is a heartbreaking, definitely disturbing account of one girl's isolated life in a polygamist community. Kyra is thirteen-years-old but has already witnessed terrible acts of violence: babies being tortured, gunshots going off in the dead of night, and women being murdered for no comprehensible reason. At her age she is slowly understanding what this all means - no one is safe, and she must always accept what the Prophet tells her to do. However, Kyra's resolve to follow the Prophet dissolves when he orders her to marry her sixty-year-old uncle who already has six wives. Now, she must do whatever it takes to escape in order to stay alive and whole.

Even though Kyra's story is fiction, the concise but emotional writing made it seem like the events were happening in real life. The juxtaposition of Kyra's polygamist community and the outside world was deftly handled; at first I thought Kyra lived in a completely different fantasy world, but instead she was living on the same ground as other people - except she didn't have anything to support herself. Readers will plunge into the The Chosen One and be submerged into Kyra's mind: hoping and praying for her survival right alongside her.

I also noticed some other reviewers complaining that the book didn't give enough details to what was actually going on inside the homes of the polygamist society. Keep in mind that this is young adult fiction - while the story does offer some grisly and brutal atrocities, it is supposed to remain hopeful and uplifting. The brevity of the book is one of its' strong points. It allows readers to imagine for themselves the rest of Kyra's story, and also what went on behind the closed doors of her neighbor's homes.

Highly recommended.

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[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated by the world of polygamy, not the Muslim type, but the type that stems from innately American religion - Mormonism. "The Chosen One" is the first YA book I came across that was dedicated to this subject.

The book narrates a story of Kyra, a 13-year old girl born and raised in a polygamist compound. Her family is huge, she has 3 mothers and over a dozen of siblings. Kyra's life is quite acceptable in spite of the tough fundamentalist rules that prohibit reading, dancing, or contact with the evil outside world. That is, it is acceptable until she is Chosen to become the 7th wife of her 60-year old uncle. Kyra despises the idea, mostly because she is in love with a boy of her own age. When all attempts to break the engagement fail, the only route left for her is escape.

I have read many books about this subject before, mostly autobiographical accounts. Therefore I can't say this book offers anything new to me. It relies heavily on the shock value of violence against children, but skims over many other dreary aspects of polygamy - the unhappiness of sister wives, who are forced to share a husband but never quite find peace with it or stop competing for his attention; the lack of father's presence in children's lives - how much can you expect from a man who has dozens of offsprings; the poverty and hard work; the burden of carrying and raising numerous children. I missed this in the book.

Nevertheless, this is definitely a memorable book, especially for those who don't know much about polygamy. I found it extremely engaging and I think it will catch attention of many readers.

[Nomes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one gets 5 stars from b/c:

once I started I couldn't put it down. Like, the plot just built masterfully, raising the stakes and keeping me invested and it didn't really give me a moment to breathe (in a good way)

I cried. Actually cried. Rare for me in a book. Okay, maybe I got on the verge of going all-out and bawling...

The prose was LOVELY. Really kind of sparingly written, but in such a way that the emotions and the ache was more intense. It's just GORGEOUSLY written and it really didn't surprise me to learn afterwards that the author has also written a book in verse. She's talented, hey.

So... I did let it sit all lonely-like on my shelf for a while because I thought I would have to psych myself up for it and be in this intense mood to read it. But, really, for the premise ~ it does have some beautiful, light-hearted moments. Mixed up with the sorrow and fear and claustrophobia is some sweet moments of love and tenderness and joy and it's life-affirming.

There's even a sweet sweet oh-so-teenager-y romance in there which had me grinning and cheering on the side-lines, swooning a little too :) (okay, it also had me aching. But that's the power of this book)

Also: I wasn't only affected by Kyra's story ~ but I became achingly involved with so many other characters. I particularly felt for the mum's (wives) and the pregnant women. (one of the side-plots with a pregnant mum was the trigger for my little crying fit...) I felt the mother/daughter bonds and so wanted to read inside the pages and hug everyone ~ and then find a way to smuggle everyone out to safety!)

The ending was perfect: real and sad and haunting and hopeful and lingering.

I'm recommending this to everyone :D

[Tink Magoo is bad at reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feels a bit wrong to say that I enjoyed this but hey ho, I did.

But it does feel unfinished and definitely needs some kind of epilogue.

[Areeba · Rating 2 out of 5]

funny how i was trying to finish this book on the way to the train station for the impromptu train ride my fam decided to take today, and wasn't able to, so i took it inside the train and finished it there, whereupon i gave it to me mum for safekeeping and she put it next to my dad's programming book, and when we ended up not taking the train after all, since it seemed highly unlikely it'd ever even run (PAKISTANI RAILWAYS URGHHHH) we got off a while later and my mom forgot to pick up both of the books.



sorry, but i just needed to take that out. *deep breath*

not that this book was even that brilliant, but it was hella expensive and i could've gotten an awesome book in exchange for it. /rant

now for the actual review: pretty prose is such a tricky thing sometimes. it can either enhance the story or it can dominate the story itself and end up making the book seem like an elongated poem instead of a full-fledged novel. the chosen one unfortunately suffered from the latter.

not too get too personal or anything, but as i might have whined about, oh, i dunno, thirteen billion times on my blog, i live in a very strict, hypocritical society. which means that most likely if it's ever decided i am to marry an old bastard, if i myself get a little too old (which in this retarded community means anything over TWENTY-FUCKING-FIVE) and no one will marry me, i will have to do it.

so you can imagine the daily amount of angst i have to suffer when proposals come along, and the aunties who bring them sit there judging me, while i have to look down, all docile, and not say a fucking word until i'm spoken to, and even when i am, i am to answer succinctly and with utmost politeness.

oh, how i wish you could hear the venomous tone with which i write this.

now, onto le book itself: kyra lives in this cult-like society that has similar rules, except much more rigid. it's a polygamous, way-too-backward-for-words and horribly isolated community where women are, predictably, treated as mere baby making-machines. (testament to this: kyra says once in this book, that 'i'll never go to heaven if i don't have babies' or something in that vein) one day the prophet of this little fucked up world of theirs decides kyra shall have ta marry her 60-y.o. uncle, who already has six wives and numerous amount of kiddies.

here's what i'd be like if i were kyra:

first of course, shocked outta my bloody mind:


then the righteous anger comes along:


acceptance, and all the GRIEF it brings me:
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eventually decide, oh yeah mofos, just you wait, I WILL KILL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU ONE DAY. JUST YOU WAIT!!!!!


le problemo with books is that you cannot substitute feelings with GIFs, as unfortunate as that is. so writing these emotions and doing it successfully are quite definitely a challenge. most people thought it was one ms. williams won, but i really don't agree. kyra basically prettily describes those emotions, sometimes showing them too, through 'screams building in her throat, edging to get out, etc' or 'fists clenched so hard they create bloody crescent-shaped imprints on her palms'. sorry for the immense example suckage, but this is just what it felt like to me.

and the repetitiveness of le plot! ahhh. it's like one minute kyra goes: MUST RUN AWAY FROM PSYCHO CULT and the next she's like: but oh! how i love family so. how can i ever bear to part with them? how, i ask you?! rinse, repeat, about fifteen times throughout the book.

look, i get that the message in the book is inspiring. but the world just didn't feel real enough to me, and all i can really blame for this is the writing, which for me created this ethereal-esque, unbelievable atmosphere. and because of that even the emotions the characters felt fell extremely flat.

however, i still wish i hadn't lost my copy. can't imagine it'll take me to get over losing it, though, TBH.

and this doesn't really have anything to do with this review, but i didn't use to write negative reviews before because i was a wimp and feared that writing them might hurt authors' feelings and if i ever got published they'd be like INSTA REJECTION HATERRR. yeah. now, however, my feelings over this matter have altered drastically as i've realized that (a) writing well thought-out and totally inoffensive negative reviews does NOT mean you're insulting the author, who, in the first place, should be tough enough to handle them, this publishing world being so brutal and all, and that (b) it deffo helps writing them, since they then go on to help me out with my own writing.

[itsdanixx · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very quick but very good read. Well worth the short amount of time it takes to read.

Emotional and heartbreaking, whilst simultaneously fascinating and captivating. I felt so invested in Kyra and her life, family and struggles.

Kyra is a 13 year old girl, and A Chosen One. She lives with her family - her father, her three mothers, and her 20 siblings - in a compound with the other Chosen Ones and the Prophet, obeying the Prophet's rules that have been passed down to him from God. But Kyra doesn't obey his rules - she visits the Ironton County Mobile Library On Wheels and sneaks books home which she reads in secret. She sneaks out of her trailer at night to meet a boy, Joshua. And she imagines killing the Prophet.
But she loves her family and, now she has her books and Joshua, she is fine with her life. Until the day the Prophet comes to visit, saying he has had a vision from God. In four Sundays time, Kyra is to marry her 60-something year old Uncle and become his seventh wife.

[Rossy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hard to read.
Kyra is thirteen and lives in a polygamist community with her father, her mother, his father's two other wives, and her 20 brothers and sisters.
One day, the Prophet of their community says he has had a vision and that Kyra must marry her own uncle, who is 60 years old and she will be his 7th wife.
Kyra is obviously desperate, she is only 13, and come on, ew!
I was drawn from the first pages, Kyra tells us her story and you can't help but feel so much towards this girl! She loves to read, even though it's forbidden in the compound, so she anxiously awaits every week to take off some book off the mobile library that passes near her house! She also has been meeting secretly with Joshua, which is forbidden too, but exciting, because she is actually feeling something towards him and it's not forced. She loves her mother, who is so young herself and is terrified of losing another baby, and she adores her sisters and fears leaving them, but she must make a choice. A choice that puts at risk everything, from her family to her own life.
I couldn't stop reading to find out if she got away and safe. The ending left me brokenhearted, but I guess any ending would have, there was no way this was going to have a happy ending, but a truly emotional and real one.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first came across The Chosen One in my local library in 2014. I was looking for my next audiobook and found it. The description on the audio case left me not expecting much:

Kyra is a member of the Chosen Ones, a polygamist group isolated from the rest of its community. Suffocating from the restrictions placed upon her, Kyra’s only form of rebellion is checking out library books and immersing herself within them up in her favorite tree.

The Chosen One exceeded my low expectations! It is so much more than that description. It made my list of top reads for 2014. Now that I have this site, I wanted to listen to it again and properly review it here. The Chosen One is a novel that will evoke a very wide range of emotions in the reader, as I experienced. Despite being a young adult novel, it is a disturbing one that deals with many issues which could be troubling to some readers. I will mention this a little later.

The Chosen One centers on Kyra who is also our narrator. She lives in a polygamist community and is almost 14 years old. She has three mothers with twenty brothers and sisters and two more siblings on the way. From the beginning you can tell Kyra has torn feelings about her community, despite loving her large family. In the beginning she believes she is going to Hell for her ‘sins’: wishing the Prophet dead, liking a boy, and reading books other than the scriptures. Then one day the Prophet announces to her family that he received a ‘vision from God’ that Kyra is to become the seventh wife to her uncle who is over 60 years old, and the marriage is to take place in a month. From this point on she becomes determined to leave and you can feel her growth over the course of the novel.

*WARNINGS/SPOILERS*

The Chosen One will not be for everyone. The Chosen One feels very realistic. Carol Lynch Williams did her research well. There are some issues in this novel that may disturb some readers: Incest, assault, sexual assault, subservience, and girls being force into marriage with much older men.

There is a scene that involves a severe beating of one girl because she ‘disobeyed’, as well as a scene with a premature birth. The most disturbing scene for me was one where some parents are forced to ‘punish’ a baby that is under one year old for crying in front of the Prophet. (A screaming child is considered a disobedient child). All I will say about the ‘punishment’ is that it involves water.

*END SPOILERS*

The Chosen One is very well written; you get pulled into the novel as Kyra narrates and you really want her to get away from the community. You feel everything that that Kyra feels through the course of the novel. She is truly conflicted with getting away, yet she knows if she does get away that she will never see her family again. Williams puts us into the head of a young teen girl perfectly.

Williams was interviewed in the audiobook that I listened to. It took her two years to write The Chosen One and it was very difficult for her to write because of the subject matter. In addition to research she spoke with polygamists and former polygamists. One former polygamist she spoke with apparently asked William’s daughter, “How did she know?” after he read the book. That’s how realistic this novel is.

The Chosen One is highly recommended.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

WOW!

That's the first word that came to mind as I turned the final page of THE CHOSEN ONE. I sat contemplating what I had just finished and had to process everything that Kyra had been through.

Meet Kyra Carlson. She is the second daughter to one of her father's three wives. She has been brought up in the Chosen One compound. Life wasn't always so strict. But when Prophet Childs takes over the lead, he takes tighter control. A fence is placed around the grounds. Women can no longer leave as easily. Reading is forbidden. Women and children must be obedient.

One night, Prophet Childs and three of his Apostles come knocking on Krya's trailer. The whole family is there for the visit. In stunned silence, Kyra hears the words that she has been Chosen. She is to become the seventh wife of her Uncle Hyrum.

Kyra is only thirteen. Her older sister, Emily, isn't right in the head, so no one is surprised that Emily hasn't been chosen. But it is shocking to be so young and to then have to wed her own uncle. It's just wrong. Even Kyra's father is flabbergasted at the pronouncement. The wedding is to be in four weeks.

Kyra is a rebel at the compound. She sneaks off to meet the weekly bookmobile on the main road. She keeps her library book hidden in the branches of a tree. She also secretly meets up with Joshua. He vows that if given the chance, he will choose Kyra for his wife.

Once Kyra hears the news that she is to wed, she does all she can to convince her family not to make it happen. But everyone is scared of the society they live in and know that going against Prophet Childs' wishes will make life worse for her entire family.

Kyra knows that marrying Uncle Hyrum is wrong. She doesn't accept the rules of the Chosen Ones. But she is torn. She knows she should run away before the wedding. But that will bring troubles to her family. How can she possibly leave her family? How can she possibly leave Joshua? Where would she go?

THE CHOSEN ONE may not be for everyone. The story is powerful and will leave you feeling angry and disgusted. But it will also leave you amazed at the power of the human spirit and what can be overcome. The story is definitely controversial, and those with strong religious views will more than likely be deeply disturbed by the life that Kyra has been brought up in. But if you can get beyond the religious context, the story will leave you breathless as you cheer and pray for Kyra to do what must be done.

Though Kyra is a thirteen-year-old girl, the subject matter of THE CHOSEN ONE may not be appropriate for younger readers. Though there is no actual sex within the story, the subject matter is quite obvious and referenced throughout the entire book.

[Literary Ames · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waterboarding babies. Shit. I’m not a parent but in that moment I doubt a person could feel anything but a strong urge to protect and defend. Highly disturbing. I was reminded of Milgram’s experiment on obedience to authority figures and the Stanford prison experiment, both very famous psychological studies about the pressures of conforming to a specific role, whether dominant or submissive and highlights the extraordinary strength it takes to break away from it. If the mother of that baby refused to obey by not drowning her baby in ice-filled water, the consequences could’ve been dire.

In the minds of those living in the compound there's this life and nothing else. They refuse to believe that life outside could be any better than the life they’re living now, even when that means torturing and killing your own children or handing them over to paedophiles and rapists. Frustrating, but then they've been indoctrinated from birth, raised not to question the order of things and are told to believe everything is "God's Will".

Very few are strong enough to refuse to continue with the farce that rewards a handful of old lecherous men and condemns everyone else, especially the young and defenceless. If you rebel, you'll be lucky to receive a quick death, if you’re really lucky you get married off to a nice man with only a couple of wives, and if the universe is smiling down on you and the planets are in alignment you might escape with your life and live to breathe another day only to look over your shoulder for the rest of your days.

I’ve noticed that in some of the negative reviews of this book people expected or wanted a realistic depiction of polygamy and that’s not what this is about. The Chosen One reflects the sensational, the newscaster’s dream: the paedophile cultists e.g. Warren Jeffs, sociopathic religious extremists who warp the media’s perception of this way of life so people wrongly come to automatically associate the word “paedophile” with “polygamy”.

Polygamy is not inextricably linked with religion and paedophilia, it is simply, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, "the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time." That is all.

If you want a more modern and realistic view of polygamy then this isn’t for you, watch HBO's “Big Love” instead.

Despite this, the book does bring up some important positive and negative points concerning polygamy, for example, more caregivers to bring up the children, sharing a husband can lead to tension and jealousy, etc.

Also, the choice of not using any form of contraception lead to Kyra's 3 mothers having had 19 children, meaning that each child has less one-to-one time with a caregiver and everyone having little-to-no alone time, with the older children forced to act as parents themselves. (On a personal note, I find having so many children incredibly selfish and irresponsible in this day and age where infant mortality is now quite low.) Add to this the overcrowding as each mother has one small, decrepit trailer to house their growing number of offspring. Unless of course their husband happens to be an elevated elder or an Apostle or the Prophet, in which case they'll have a luxurious mansion.

I did, however, wonder how everyone’s fed, clothed and sheltered. Where did the money come from? Who was footing the bill for the land devoid of condoms, and therefore an ever increasing population? They do keep costs down by leading rustic and prudish lifestyles with few mod-cons by making their own clothes, growing their own food, etc. but that only goes so far, at some point you've got to spend some money. For example, the trip to town to buy fabric and afterwards having lunch in a restaurant.

This book covers a number of distasteful topics which some readers may want to avoid:

Forced marriage, Paedophilia and Rape, of unwilling wives. (Forced marriage is illegal in the UK whether the marriage is to take place here or abroad, the law protects the victim no matter their age.)

Blackmail, of those who disobey or their relatives. Husbands can be forced to leave the compound and have their wives and children given to other men who are encouraged to treat them like shit.

Beatings, as a means of control and punishment.

Murder, of runaways, those that attempt to rescue anyone on the compound, those who disobey, and of disabled babies -very Spartan of them.

Incest, not a routine part of the compound. It seems it's more to satisfy Kyra's 60 year old uncle's lust for her 13-year-old body.

One of my favourite parts of this book was Joshua's admission to wanting Kyra and only Kyra for his wife. How romantic is that? Aww.

My rating is 3.5 stars because although we were given a look into what life might be like for those oppressed and used in the cults that make the headlines the writing wasn't as emotive as I would expect it to be apart for the baby torture. This book had the potential to bring me to tears but it didn't quite do it even with the desperate way it ended.

[drowningmermaid · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am deeply offended by this book, and frankly a little horrified by how well-received it is. The author claims to have done a lot of research, but all I see is someone who has watched Big Love and plumbed the depths of her own prejudice.

Murdering defective infants? Really? In the FLDS culture, "special" kids are considered too special to have come down from heaven completely, and are treasured. (It is true that other forms of handicap are looked down upon: blindness, paralysis, etc.)

Perhaps Williams wanted to warn people away from polygamy, in case they were considering it. Or commend the people who leave, many of whom completely deserve commendation. But she minimizes the horrendous transition that polygamist members have to face to 'homesickness' and 'wardrobe changes.' This is absurd. For people who lose faith in a religion, any religion, nervous breakdowns are common, as are suicide and other forms of escape.

Williams also portrays a world in which there are resources and volunteers standing at the ready to help those who leave. This is not the case. Many, many boys who leave or are driven out live out their short lives homeless, alcohol and drug addicted, and convinced that they are doomed to hell when they die. Why? Because people are quick to shake the finger at polygamist compounds, quick to read salacious news reports about 'those people', and VERY slow to actually help.

Why this gets my blood up:

I've known a polygamist boy, who was a true believer, at least when I first met him. When people found out who and what he was, they singled him out to torment him, belittle him. He put a bullet in his head that same year.

Books like this one feed that prejudice.

Why are we supposed to like the main characters: Kyra and Joshua? Because they Never Truly Believed. They are 'like us,' they are who WE would have been, had WE been raised in an FLDS community. WE would never have loved a church like that, even if it was the church that raised us, the place where we found God.

I'm not really sure how I feel about her fictional "Chosen Ones" being an offshoot of mainstream Christianity, rather than Mormonism. It's like the author is trying to say "Look, even you normal believers could have weird backwoods spiritual cousins" and I-- sort of-- appreciate that.

But part of me senses in it the tired old LDS attempts to distance themselves from their polygamist past. (Even in the author interview at the end she only refers to the people she researched as "polygamists," not as what they call themselves: The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.) The average LDS member that I have encountered is colossally ignorant about polygamy, and I have talked to more than one who insisted that Mormons never practiced it and only anti-Mormon propaganda says otherwise.

Now, there HAVE been a wide variety of Christian and pseudo-Christian denominations that practice a wide variety of sexual abnormality, including groups where everyone was married to everyone else. But Mormonism is the only religion to ever REQUIRE polygamy, and Williams' "Chosen Ones" are obviously fictional derivations of the FLDS. (Examples: a tall, thin prophet, son of the last prophet, the necessity of three wives, the references to blood atonement, the family name "Allred.")

This will offend many but here it is: people belonging to the FLDS are not stupid, or crazy, or any less in-love with their church than the mainstream Mormons, or mainstream Christians. Families have spiritual visions of who they are to marry (and marry, and marry), they, too, witness miracles and feel the presence of God when they pray and sing. And they practice a form of Mormonism that is far, far closer to what Brigham Young taught than anything you will find from the nice boys who show up in pairs at your door, especially since Mormonism has changed so much in recent decades.

Minor notes: why is it that every time Kyra's library is mentioned, it is referred to by its full name: "The Ironton County Mobile Library on Wheels"? The fact that she never even thinks of it as "the library" reeks of "replace all."

How did Kyra even know what a library was? The boy I knew was nearly twenty, and he had never seen a library before; how could he have?

Also, Williams' polygamist cult is stupid. The FLDS has taken the precaution to never explain sex at all to its followers, and boys are informed they can get a girl pregnant by looking at them.

[Ghoul Von Horror · Rating 2 out of 5]

TW: grooming, teenage brides, rape, incest, arranged marriages, abuse

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters. That is, without questioning it much - if you don't count her visits to the Ironton County Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her secret meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her. But when the Prophet decrees that Kyra must marry her sixty-year-old uncle - who already has six wives - she must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever.
Release Date: 05/08/2009
Genre: Cultish fiction
Pages: 216
Rating: ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
• The cult aspect
• Kyra being woke enough to know this wasn't right
• Her relationship with Joshua

What I Didn't Like:
• Goes too fast

Overall Thoughts: I have a hard time reading fiction about cults when I could just read a non-fiction book about a real cult. I am obsessed with cults so I do like to see what the fictional world of cults is like.

Right at the introduction we get to meet Kyra's family and her dad's wives/children. How are there so many kids but none of them are the same age except for the twins. I'm the youngest of 7 and I have 3 neices/nephews that are the same age. I just think it was odd how everyone just had kids in this weird years. That means that only one wife could have a kid every 3 years. It's not like they use birth control so how did they not get pregnant.

One minute nothing is happening and we are reading about washing hair and dinners and then next there's Joshua and Kyra being beat, a book mobile car chase with the cult members, and an ominous ending with her now being put into foster care. Like what kind of ending was that? So she never gets to see her family again even though they have her story and men that were chasing her down with guns. They couldn't get a search warrant and see all the underage kids that are married?

Final Thoughts: This book is a PERFECT example of why I read non-fiction books - this book just wasn't good.

IG | Blog

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

People will be tempted to compare this book to Shelley Hrdlitschka's Sister Wife, which came out just months before The Chosen One. The books share certain similarities: both are about a girl in her early teens who lives in an insular polygamist community and yearns for life on the "outside." In both cases, the girl is in love with a boy her own age, but is commanded to marry an older man.

Williams's book, however, is much darker than Hrdlitschka's. I think the focus is also different. Hrdlitschka tried very hard to present all sides of the polygamy issue and maintain a neutral point of view. In Williams's story, however, the male leaders of the community are indisputably evil, and one dark event follows another. An infant is deliberately ducked in water and nearly drowned simply because the previous day the adults were unable to stop her crying. Disabled babies are killed at birth. A teenage girl forced to marry a much older man is accused of adultery and murdered. And so on.

Many people might accuse Williams of prejudice against polygamists, but the polygamy seemed almost incidental to the story. Take the polygamy out and you wouldn't lose much. You've still got girls into marriage with men many times their age, the murder of infants, etc. I think the story wasn't about polygamists, it was about an isolated and thoroughly cowed group of people in the grip of some truly terrible leaders. This book could have been about Jonestown. Or North Korea.

The Chosen One is a quick read. Not only is it relatively short at a little over 200 pages, but the atmosphere of suspense -- as the protagonist's wedding date approaches -- kept me rapidly turning pages. I actually found it more realistic than Sister Wife, particularly at the end. The ending is ambiguous and it's clear that the girl and her family's troubles are far from over, but it was about as hopeful as you could reasonably expect.

I liked the story a lot, but it's not for everyone. The sheer darkness of it, and the violence, make it lean towards the older end of the YA spectrum, though the protagonist is only thirteen.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel was nothing short of spectacular. This is a very intense topic and I was glad to see it represented in a young adult novel. I was enraged, disgusted, and saddened by this novel.

Told from Kyra’s point of view, this novel unfolds a story of desperation, love, fear, and freedom. Kyra’s internal struggle was masterfully depicted. I never once questioned her desire to stay. Why would you not? To leave your family and everything you have come to know. I only hope that I would posses that type of courage, that she must have had to posses in order to leave.

Williams seamlessly balanced Kyra’s world. At one end of the spectrum Kyra’s family is full of love, from her father and her many mothers, sharing many of the same qualities, you’d expect from any family, polygamous or not. And yet the other end contains the darker side, the killing of defective babies, beating, and tortuous discipline. It’s almost impossible not to become emotionally invested in this story.

There was one aspect that bothered me, and it had to do with the cell phone. And perhaps it was just me, but for as completely forbidden everything from the outside world was, I find it very hard to believe that Kyra could operate a cell phone with such ease. But despite that small complaint, I don’t feel that it took away from the story.

Overall, all the hype had it right:
“Compelling”
“powerful”
“a masterpiece”
“an important book”

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heart-breaking work of great beauty. Williams delves into the conflicted heart of a young girl, raised in a strict polygamous sect, who is trying to break free. She is bound to marry her 60-year-old uncle in a matter of weeks, something that she would rather die than do. But if she defies the church, what will the consequences be for her family? And if she leaves it all behind, will she ever see anyone she loves again?

Gripping from the first page, beautifully written, piercing.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Google polygamy. That's what this book is about. More specifically, it's from a 14 yeR old girl's perspective. Reading this was uncomfortable yet captivating. Things that were written actually have happened....and unfortunately, still happen.

Spoilers ahead:
That ice cube scene with the baby just about finished me off. I just can't stand reading such cruelty. The fact that the father was just going to stay put and let his daughter be married as a 7th wife to a man...no not just a man, her freaking uncle who was 50+ years older just really ticked me off. The whole little community saving the younger girls for these old power tripping perverts made me fume. The nerve of these grown men, beating a little girl!!! No! Just no!

I fume at What happened to this girl, kyra. But, I do not fume at her Specificly. She has no power. For her to escape was truly a miracle. These people are psychotic. And, they run around quoting the bible? No, no sirs! The bible clearly states multiple times we were made to be one man and one women in marriage....monogamous! I don't want to get into a religious battle, but I don't get where the polygamists get their basis?
Oy. I really don't want to start a fight hehere.... Lord have mercy! :D
Sad.

I did not do a good job of selling this book to future readers, but it really us good. Its littered with unfortunate events, but hopeful ones as well.
This was also a less than 24 hour read
read... So if you're looking for short and powerful...there you go.
4 stars.

[Aria Love · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well upon reading the summary, I was intrigued.
I like learning about polygamist communities because they're so unique... and frightening.
However, this book started off promising, but by the end I was puzzled and very annoyed.
Here we have the main character Kyra, a kind and interesting main character who falls in love with someone she shouldn't love. We meet her family and siblings who are all charming.

Then we meet the enemy, the Prophet who insists that Kyra marries her cruel uncle who already has a bunch of other wives.

As always, I try not spoil much, but I will say this:
The majority of the novel was truthful. From the young, naïve love to the struggle of keeping your faith and family together. But it fell flat at the end.
At the end (spoilers, do not read!!!) when she was trying to escape with Patrick and he was killed, I felt like that part was glossed over when it could've had a big impact. She received no punishment for it either, not that I wanted her to be punished, but considering every that happened previously...
Second, when she finally did escape, it was not as thrilling as I hoped. She was brought to some house, spoke to some lady, and it was over. No resolution. What happened to her family? The boy she loved? Patrick's family? There was nothing!
In the end, the novel wasn't horrible, but disappointing.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Except for the cheesy title of this beautiful novel, I cannot think of anything that is wrong with this book. The writing flows very naturally and the story is really gripping. Kyra’s reactions to the developments in this story and the things she said felt very realistic to me, while it was super exciting still. I read it within only a few days without being bored or feeling detached. And I just love how she keeps on articulating every syllable of ‘Ironton County Mobile Library on Wheels’. It emphasises the importance of what it is to her, that much more.

It made me think about sects in a different way. I knew it could be bad, but this story just makes it that more palpable. You can just feel the difficulty of the decision Kyra has to make. I have always been fascinated with sects and subcultures of religion, but never have I read anything about it that came this close to my heart as this novel did.

Also, it made it understandable to me how people can tolerate and enable these kinds of horrible practices. Sad as it is. Even though they have doubts about is. And even though they are not happy about it. Faith can be a good thing. Faith can be a lifesaver. But faith can also destroy everything you have. This book gives you something to think about.

I would recommend this book to almost anyone.

[Colleen Houck]

This is a very powerful story that will stay with me a long time. I was on the edge of my seat through the climactic ending. I loved that the heroine found her escape in books and I felt particularly empathetic towards her family. A compelling read!

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

”’We’re safe here,’ Father had said. ‘We’re away from everyone. Alone. Safe. Out here. Just us. Just The Chosen Ones.'”

What would you do if you couldn’t choose? Choose who you want to marry, or how many spouses your husband marries? How many children you want? What you can read, watch, and do? We seem to take it all for granted, and in this harrowing read, Carol Lynch Williams takes us into the world of Kyra Leigh Carlson, who has the ability to choose none of the above.

Thirteen-year-old Kyra Leigh lives with her twenty brothers and sisters, three mothers, and father in isolation in the Utah desert under the watchful eye of the Prophet. They are part of the Chosen Ones (a very polite way of saying a sect of the FLDS). She’s expected to be a dutiful daughter and someday a dutiful wife. But she’s never felt comfortable in the strict confines of her overbearing way of existence. The temptation to disobey and want more is too much to take.

”’Looking outside the fence, going outside the fence alone is dangerous,’ Mother said. ‘It’s like standing too close to the edge of a cliff. You peer over the side, you might fall. You might lose what you have.’

But I looked anyway.”

Stifled by her lack of freedom to choose, she begins small acts of rebellion, such as her checking out forbidden books from the mobile library and her relationship with a boy whom she has chosen for herself.

”My sins.
A plan. Books. And a boy.
There’s a boy.”

But when Prophet Childs has a vision that she is to marry her 60-year-old uncle, Kyra must find a way to escape, or be doomed to live a life of servitude to a man she does not love and in a life she never wanted.

I’ve always had a strange fascination with cults. I can’t really explain it though. But with all the stories that have been in the media about different (albeit horrible) incidents involving cults, it only stirs the pot to a particularly fascinating subject matter. The author takes us inside what it might be like to live in a place and in a religion like that. How the people get so brainwashed that they’ll believe just about anything. How so little freedom they have compared to us that it might as well be that they live in a third world country. No rights to their bodies, no right to their ideas, no right to say or do what they please. No right to even utter the word ‘no’. And I have absolutely no idea if some of the plot points in the book actually take place inside the FLDS commune, but if they do, it’s doubly horrifying.

The authors writes in such a way that you feel like you’re actually there. There were some parts of the book where I could feel myself breaking out into a sweat, and my heart start to race because the writing was so raw and visceral. And Kyra was such a likable and believable character that you can’t help but root for her. Even when she’s literally coming up with an assassination plot to kill the prophet, cause I mean lets face it; you kind of want her to actually go along with it because he’s such a horrible person.

”’If I was going to kill the Prophet,’ I say, not even keeping my voice low, ‘I’d do it in Africa.’

I’m sure I’m the only Chosen One who has wished the Prophet dead and his body picked away by termites.”

I could have done without all the bemoaning about her sweetheart Joshua, but then I reminded myself that 1)She’s barely fourteen, most of them think like that; and 2)Let her do it. It’s really the only thing she has control over. Stop being a curmudgeonly grandma.

I also was a bit confused at the interspersing of verse sections in this novel. I’ve never been a fan of novels in verse, and it honestly felt out of place in this book. They were interspersed randomly throughout and with little thought or motive. It’s as if the author tried to do it to spice things up, but just made it confusing in the process.

The Chosen One is a harrowing, haunting read with a main character that will stay with you long after the final page has turned, and will have you counting your blessings that you have the simple, blessed freedom to choose.

”’Kyra,’ he said, ‘you must be obedient. You must do as the you’re told. Stay home. Stay close.’

‘What’s out there?’

Father was silent.

Then he said, ‘The world.’”

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick and fast read for an adult. This book is marketed as YA and it absolutely is written to a lower YA reading level. I was not aware of that when I purchased it. I still read the book. It still had an interesting story just not greatly detailed or thought provoking for someone of my age and experience. However, I do think a young person without much "outside" worldly type of experience could learn about a topic foreign to them.

My one criticism is that this book almost feels like a huge sweeping condemnation of all religion. It did not go fully into that category but straddled the line in some instances.

[Julianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for THC Reviews
"4.5 stars" The Chosen One is a stand-alone YA contemporary novel about Kyra, a thirteen-year-old girl who’s spent her whole life in the insular compound of a polygamist cult known as The Chosen Ones. For the most part, she’s been content with her life and hasn’t questioned it much. However, the group’s elderly Prophet somewhat recently died and after that his son stepped into the role. The new Prophet Childs is far more strict than the old Prophet. He forced all the cult members to burn every book they owned with the exception of the Bible, and members’ visits to the nearest town are now pretty rare. He also has a God Squad, brutish bullies who enforce his commands with violence. There are even whispers of them committing murder. Kyra is old enough to remember better days, so she doesn’t like the Prophet much. The story opens with her family preparing for an honored visit from the Prophet, during which he declares that he’s received a vision that Kyra is to become the seventh wife of Brother Hyrum, her own blood uncle who is fifty years her senior. From the moment the declaration is made, Kyra is resistant. She’s been secretly meeting with a boy named Joshua for a while. She’s fallen in love with him and was hoping that he would be the one she would marry. However, both her father’s and Joshua’s pleas to the Prophet on her behalf fall on deaf ears, eventually leading to harsh “discipline” for Joshua and Kyra and threats against her family. Throughout all of this, Kyra often likes to take walks through the desert surrounding their compound, and on one of her wanderings, she comes upon the Ironton County Mobile Library on Wheels. This bookmobile and all the wonderful stories in it become an escape from her troubled life, while showing her a window into a world she didn’t know existed. With her wedding date looming closer every day and with no other escape in sight, Kyra begins to consider leaving her beloved family behind and trying to escape, but The Chosen Ones won’t let her go easily.

Kyra is the first-person narrator and a strong, smart girl. It’s clear from the opening line where she tells her baby sister she wants to kill the Prophet that she has a major beef with the guy. As all the atrocities he’s committed allegedly in the name of God are revealed, I certainly couldn’t blame her for her animosity. She tries to be a good, obedient girl, but between her own bright mind and the things she’s learned from the reading materials in the bookmobile, she knows there’s something inherently wrong with being told to marry her own uncle. She also knows other things, too, such as the fact that there’s medical treatment that could help her mother who’s having a difficult pregnancy that’s left her sick all the time. Yet the Prophet has declared that modern medicine is of the devil and any woman who dies in childbirth is sinful. Kyra, like any girl her age, has started to notice boys and is sweet on one in particular, Joshua. He likes her, too, and they engage in a number of late-night rendezvouses in dark, quiet places around the compound where they share innocent kisses and make promises to each other that the Prophet makes impossible for them to keep. When the Prophet declares that Kyra is to marry her uncle, I admired her for fighting back even though she’s bombarded from all sides by people trying to “put her in her place” and eventually by being literally beaten down. Even though inside she’s incredibly frightened and sometimes uncertain about the course of action she’s taken, she simply doesn’t give up on forging her own destiny.

Since The Chosen One is classified as a YA novel, I’ll discuss potentially objectionable content in this paragraph. There are a handful of times that hell is used as a profanity, but no other language issues. There’s no drug or alcohol use. Although the term adultery is briefly discussed and Kyra thinks of how she can’t even stand the idea of her uncle touching her, there’s also no actual sexual content. So the most concerning things would be violence and an overarching sense of fear. There’s a feeling of suspense surrounding whether Kyra will ever be able to escape her fate, which eventually leads to some nail-biting moments that I can’t say too much about without giving away spoilers. Then there’s the violence, which overall isn’t rendered too graphically. It’s more the fear that leads to a psychological response. However, there is a scene where an infant is “disciplined” for crying in the presence of the Prophet, nearly leading to her death. There’s talk about murders that have taken place in the past, both of infants and girls, and the implication of a supporting character being killed in the story. There are other abuses, including Kyra herself being beaten, although after the first blow, it fades to black with the story taking up again afterward with the mention of all her injuries. There’s also the twisted nature of the things the cult believes and how the Prophet keeps everyone under his thumb, which can be rather disturbing. So while the thirteen-year-old age of the protagonist might draw the interest of middle-grade kids, I’m not entirely sure if they would be old enough to handle the subject matter given that this isn’t some fantasy world but one that really exists for some people. It would probably vary depending on the maturity of the child and whether they have parental or educator guidance available to help process it. That’s why I would only recommend the book for older teens who I believe would have the maturity level to handle the more realistic nature of the story.

Overall, The Chosen One was a great read. It’s by turns powerful, thought-provoking, heartbreaking, and anger-inducing. IMHO, the ability to elicit all of these emotions from the reader is the mark of good writing. Kyra is a strong, admirable heroine who eventually figures out that she must be her own hero no matter the cost. The Prophet and his God Squad made me want to jump into the story to give them a taste of their own medicine. Then there are Kyra’s family members, who drew a certain sympathy from me. Her father seems like a good man who genuinely loves his family, while her mothers are generally good people as well, particularly Kyra’s biological mother. Her siblings just try to please their parents, but I admired her sisters who share the same mother for standing up for her. On the one hand, I sometimes wanted to be angry with her parents for not doing more to protect her, but at the same time, it was obvious that deep down, they had some doubts of their own which they’d stuffed away. They’re simply a product of their upbringing, never knowing another life besides the cult compound, and they’ve had fear—fear of the Prophet, losing everything, and/or going to hell—instilled in them from a young age. So they’re stuck as well and perhaps unable to dredge up the courage Kyra has. The story is at times, tense and suspenseful, making me wonder if Kyra was going to find a way out. It was on track to receive five stars from me right up until the ending, which while hopeful, was a little too open-ended for my taste. I like everything wrapped up in a neat bow, but this one left me with many questions, which I’ll have to answer on my own in a way that will satisfy me. I begrudgingly admit that real life isn’t usually neat, so in that way, the book was sticking to it’s more realistic tone. Otherwise, it was an excellent read, my first by Carol Lynch Williams, but most certainly not my last.

[Kealyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my heart, this book is so beautifully written. But it gutted my soul from start to finish. It gripped me from the first to the last letter - I read it in one go. This book will be a book that will stay with me forever.

The book is about 13-year old Kyra, who lives in a sect called The Chosen Ones. Her father is married to three wives. She has 19 siblings. And several other siblings that were born to soon, and are buried inside the compound.
They are ruled by the prophet and his apostles.

The book is written so hauntingly. Kyra is consumed with guilt. She wants to kill the prophet. Will God punish her? She loves a boy named Joshua. Will her family suffer, will she get punished? She sneaks out of the compound to library on wheels and reads forbidden books. Satan is in those books according to the prophet. But Patrick, the man who drives it, is beyond kind to her. And recommends all kind of books to her. But will God hate her, strike her down for reading those books?

And then one day the prophet and her uncle visits her. He got a vision. And she has to marry her 60 year old uncle.
Her entire being revolts and she wants to escape.
I love how her father and Joshua try to save her. And how that fails. How she is stuck. But never, ever gives up fighting.

SPOILER ALERT:
It broke my heart how her mother loses baby Abigail. How the community of Chosen Ones kill the unpure children. How medical assistance isn’t allowed. How she tries to save herself, her family at times. How they strike her down physically. And that ending. My heart pounded, grieved, yelled, got torn into pieces. My heart, Patrick is one of the most courageous character I ever read about.
This book is utter perfection.

I still have tears in my eyes. Carol nails the narration of Kyra. I felt every single emotion she felt. The pacing of the story is incredible. And it just made me sick to my stomach reading certain parts.
Especially because this still happens. People still get trapped. Get forced to do things against their will. All because certain people have a huge God complex and want to be worshipped by followers. It is sickening to know how children, woman, man, boys, girls get abused in the name of God. How suffering is allowed in the name of religion.

Damn my heart. I am truly broken. Wonderful read and a true, true masterpiece. Ten fucking million stars from me.

[Cassi Haggard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Chosen One is one of those stories that is heart-wrenching and feels like it could be a true story. It's not. However, Kyra's voice is so authentic and she carries this novel. She's youthful yet wise, but not in a way that feels like an adult interjecting themselves into a child protagonist For Kyra, growing up in polygamist compound she's had to grow up fast. At thirteen, she's spent most of her life raising her younger siblings and being given adult responsibilities.

Even though her father is a good man and tries to protect Kyra, she's seen enough to understand the world around her. She's seen the young women married to old men, seen the women who fight-back ostracized. Yet Kyra is still hopeful. That's part of what makes Kyra both tragic and realistic. Like any child, she dreams of her own potential happiness. She wants to have a choice in life, to marry her crush Joshua, not to be a child-bride to an older man. She really believes that she might have a chance.

That is until the prophet has a "vision" of Kyra's and sees her marry her own uncle, an elder in the compound who already has six wives.

This story shines because it doesn't pretend there is an easy answer for Kyra. She's thirteen and faced with an unwanted marriage, or potentially running away and leaving the family she loves. On the outside it's easy to say Kyra should run. But Kyra struggles are more realistic. She loves her father, her mother and her gaggle of siblings. Just a child herself she can't imagine life outside the home she's always known.

This book navigates that inner conflict and the choices Kyra must make beautifully, without oversimplifying the problem. The Chosen tackles a difficult issue with rare respect and intelligence.

This audiobook is narrated by the wonderful Jenna Lamia, who captures the story perfectly. For a thoughtful and genuine book this is highly recommended.