Exploring the complex dynamics of self and sisters, classism, and survival, Katharyn Blair crafts a compelling story with Unchosen. Filled with adventure, romance, and a fierce yet realistic female protagonist, Blair gives us a story to delight in during these uncertain times.
When The Crimson, a cursed virus spread by eye contact, came, it changed everything for Charlotte and her sisters. Now orphaned, Charlotte lives in a Southern California compound with her sisters, Harlow, the strategic military leader, and Vanessa, the talented Chosen One, along with other survivors of the first wave of The Crimson. When the compound is attacked, Charlotte pretends to be the Chosen One to save her sister from being taken. But soon Charlotte is in over her head. She might not be the Chosen One, but she just might be the one to save us all.
Let’s start with Blair’s writing style, which is one of my favourites. Blair has a knack for creating gritty, realistic worlds that fully immerse you the moment you start reading. Her descriptions of memories and feelings play with your senses and bring you deeper into the characters. But it never strays into “purple prose” (not that there’s anything wrong with “purple prose”, it’s just not for everyone) and the story never gets weighed down. Some may say that the writing feels effortless, but I think Blair is meticulous with her words and puts a lot of thought and care into how she crafts her stories.
Charlotte, our unchosen main character, will resonate with many. She is not the perfect poster child of anything and that’s why readers will love her. She makes mistakes, she struggles, and yet she still fights for those she loves. What stands out so strongly throughout the course of Unchosen is Charlotte’s growth in herself and how she earns it through her own hard work. The dynamics between the three sisters, Charlotte, Harlow, and Vanessa is powerful and another example of Blair’s penchant for crafting fictional characters that feel immensely realistic. There isn’t one character, big or small, that you don’t form an attachment to or feel an understanding for.
The worldbuilding is an intriguing thing in Unchosen, because it’s our world…after a highly contagious virus hits. And while some may want to avoid stories that have virus storylines in the current pandemic we find ourselves in (which is TOTALLY fine, always take care of your mental health first), I would argue that Unchosen doesn’t feel like a pandemic story and I never felt uncomfortable reading it in these current times. Blair’s world building mixes pirate curses and sea-faring with post-apocalyptic vibes and turns it into something unique and intriguing. While the back building of the downfall of the world before the events of the book sometimes felt a bit out of pace with everything else, Blair makes up for it with good pacing during the current events of the story, especially in the ending.
Sometimes a novel comes around at just the right time. Charlotte’s struggle throughout Unchosen to find herself in the chaotic world she lives in feels like the story we need right now. If you are looking for a book to give you hope, adventure, sisterhood, and romance, look no further than Unchosen.
Unchosen is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of January 26th 2021.
Will you be picking up Unchosen? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Katharyn Blair crafts a fiercely feminist fantasy with a horrifying curse, swoon-worthy sea captains, and the power of one girl to choose her own fate in this contemporary standalone adventure that’s perfect for fans of The Fifth Wave and Seafire, and for anyone who has ever felt unchosen.
For Charlotte Holloway, the world ended twice.
The first was when her childhood crush, Dean, fell in love—with her older sister.
The second was when the Crimson, a curse spread through eye contact, turned the majority of humanity into flesh-eating monsters.
Neither end of the world changed Charlotte. She’s still in the shadows of her siblings. Her popular older sister, Harlow, now commands forces of survivors. And her talented younger sister, Vanessa, is the Chosen One—who, legend has it, can end the curse.
When their settlement is raided by those seeking the Chosen One, Charlotte makes a reckless decision to save Vanessa: she takes her place as prisoner.
The word spreads across the seven seas—the Chosen One has been found.
But when Dean’s life is threatened and a resistance looms on the horizon, the lie keeping Charlotte alive begins to unravel. She’ll have to break free, forge new bonds, and choose her own destiny if she has any hope of saving her sisters, her love, and maybe even the world.
Because sometimes the end is just a new beginning.
