Monday, May 30, 2011

The Chosen - Andrea Buginsky - Blog Tour Review

Halli is a shy, young dwarf who has no idea of her true calling. When the evil Prince Gastle sets out to detroy the world of Phantasma, Queen Laurali of the Elves comes to tell Halli she’s a Holy Paladin with the power to heal, and will join The Chosen, a group of brave warriors being sent to defeat the evil beast and save Phantasma. Will Halli be accepted by her group, and be able to keep them alive through their adventures? Will the evil Prince Gastle be defeated, freeing Phantasma from his destruction? Only time will tell.
Synopsis taken from Amazon

Title: The Chosen
Author: Andrea Buginsky
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Solstice Publishing
Publication Date: December 14, 2010
Format: E-book
Source: Received from author courtesy of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for The Chosen. Many thanks goes to Andrea Buginsky and Teen Book Scene for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.
Tour: Teen Book Scene blog tour for The Chosen. You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner, located below. 
Look for it: Amazon
My rating: 3/5


Halli is a shy, quiet, unassuming dwarf. When she meets Queen Laurali of the elves outside her home one morning, she is surprised, and shocked by the news that Queen Laurali brings with her. Halli is a Holy Paladin and has the rare power of healing. She is asked to aid her country as Prince Gastle is set on destroying the world of Phantasma. Along the way she will join a group called The Chosen, who will set out to wage war against the evil Prince Gastle. 
The Chosen is a cute read, and is aimed at a young audience. I think many middle grade readers will enjoy the action and fast pace used in The Chosen as it is an action-focused read. With Halli coming to terms with her new, unknown abilities, and the group of warriors she is sent to protect, she will soon endear herself to the reader's heart. For Halli's age set at eighteen, I found her voice very young.
I think those that play video games will enjoy this story more so because it reads like a companion novel to a video game with references to actions taken while playing said games. Actions like drinking potions to level up health, among other things. 
All in all, this is a cute read. I would have loved to have seen it fleshed out with more descriptions, more back-story, and more interaction with the other characters. It has great bones, but I just wanted a little bit more. This is a fast read, and I'm sure many young readers will be fascinated by Halli's journey with her new team of warriors, The Chosen. 

The scavenger hunt for an E-copy of The Chosen is still ongoing. The giveaway will end tomorrow, but you can find all of the details on the scavenger hunt located here.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you for your review, Corrine :)

Andrea

Gary Peterson said...

I imagine the author had a lot of fun creating this story. I hope she sells tons of books.
Gary Peterson, author of The Old Miller Place.

Corrine said...

Oh, I believe it Gary! :) I hope she does as well. :D