September 14th 2022: Chosen One | Top 5 Wednesday

It is time for another Top 5 Wednesday book blog post! 

Top 5 Wednesday was started in November 2013 and is a very much active group on Goodreads, so head over to Goodreads to join the group and keep up with all the topics for the month. I thought it was such a fun idea to have weekly books related prompts that I could answer and share with all of you.

You can read some of my previous Top 5 Wednesday posts here

September 14th: Chosen One

Probably one of the most recognized tropes in fiction is the chosen one trope. While it might not be as popular in fiction, especially YA, as it was a few years ago, there are still books being written with this love-or-hate trope. In honor of these “chosen ones,” what are some books you have read or seen that have this trope?

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1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Goodreads Synopsis:

Could you survive on your own in the wild, with every one out to make sure you don’t live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

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I am never going to miss an opportunity to mention this boo– this series is one of my all-time favourite books. Katniss Everdeen becomes the symbol of revolution and hope, and all because she volunteered to spare her sister in the first place

2. Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Goodreads Synopsis:

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

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Nothing fits the ‘Chosen One’ trope more than this YA book. Our protagonist receives a special invitation to attend the most exclusive event in all the land. Of course, this event holds its secrets– some good and some bad.

You can read my review here: The One About A Magical, Mysterious, And Enticing Game: Caraval by Stephanie Garber | Book Review

3. Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

Goodreads Synopsis:

Princess Snow is missing.

Her home planet is filled with violence and corruption at the hands of King Matthias and his wife as they attempt to punish her captors. The king will stop at nothing to get his beloved daughter back—but that’s assuming she wants to return at all.

Essie has grown used to being cold. Temperatures on the planet Thanda are always sub-zero, and she fills her days with coding and repairs for the seven loyal drones that run the local mines.

When a mysterious young man named Dane crash-lands near her home, Essie agrees to help the pilot repair his ship. But soon she realizes that Dane’s arrival was far from accidental, and she’s pulled into the heart of a war she’s risked everything to avoid. With the galaxy’s future—and her own—in jeopardy, Essie must choose who to trust in a fiery fight for survival.

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I remember reading ‘Stiching Snow’ years ago, and really enjoying it. I might re-read this book as seeing this book again has brought back memories of reading this book during class and hiding this book under my school desk. I do remember it having has a great heroine, a realistic romance, and the classic elements of the well-known story…with a twist.

4. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Goodreads Synopsis:

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless Lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. 

She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

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Like the original Cinderella there is a handsome prince and yes there is even a ball. Cinder doesn’t care about the ball all she wants is her freedom.But what the classic fairy-tale doesn’t have is a plague, androids and cyborgs, a race of beings who are from the moon called “Lunars” whose Queen is more dangerous then anything on Earth and also there are the twists, that well I kind of guessed at. 

Read my book review here: Cinder by Marissa Meyer | Book Review

5. Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross 

 

Perfect for readers of The Hazel Wood and The Night Circus, this lush and layered story about magic and the captivating power of dreams is delivered with acclaimed author Rebecca Ross’s signature exquisite style.

A curse plagues the realm of Azenor—during each new moon, magic flows from the nearby mountain and brings nightmares to life. Only magicians, who serve as territory wardens, stand betwee n people and their worst dreams.

Clementine Madigan is ready to take over as the warden of her small town, but when two magicians challenge her, she is unwittingly drawn into a century-old conflict. She seeks revenge, but as she secretly gets closer to Phelan, one of the handsome young magicians, secrets begin to rise. Clementine must unite with her rival to fight the realm’s curse, which seems to be haunting her every turn.

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I would argue that Clementine might’ve taken it a bit to far by disguising herself as an entirely new person in order to get revenge, I also understand that it was during a moment of desperation and helplessness. Clementine did it thinking of her family and must’ve felt like the people of Azenor would be left vulnerable to the nightmares that lurked in their town. Speaking of the disguise, that scene really reminded me of ‘The Little Mermaid’ where Ariel goes to had to give up her voice in exchange for human legs. Clementine had to give up her talent in exchange for the disguise. Clementine was Ariel and Mazarine was Ursula (kind of…). It was also intresting how the villain in this book isn’t who I thought it was– in fact, we actually go through a number of seemingly “evil” characters before it is revealed who the true villain is. I do enjoy a rollercoaster.

Full book review here: The One About Dreamless Sleepers: Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross | Book Review

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What are some of your Chosen One books? 

Let me know in the comments below!

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