Children of the Gods (Chosen, #1)

by Monica Millard

[littleread1]

This was very good out of the gate. I was immediately drawn into the world of Reka. Centuries ago, an alien race landed near a small village, and in exchange for peace and prosperity, a couple of people were chosen each year to host a "god". What a terrifying way to live, never knowing if it was your final year.

Of course Reka is chosen. I would think anything else would make for quite a boring story. The terror she feels is very real, and the whole process makes me a little ill. In a good way, I think? Something seems to go wrong with the transfer, and Reka is never fully taken over by the alien she is hosting. She has to "fake it to make it".

While I had a hard time putting this book down, I had some questions that I felt were never fully answered, and some topics that I feel could have been better explored. First, were the aliens the worms or did they merely transfer the aliens conciseness? There were also several mentions of something happening on their home planet that made it impossible for this group to go home, but that was also never explained further. It was also implied that they didn't always need to take hosts, or that not everyone needed to take a host ... I was a little confused on that. Basically what it all comes down to is I liked the story so much that I wanted (needed) more background information to turn like into love.

Of course Reka falls prey to Stockholm Syndrome, which I can totally get given her circumstances, and eventually falls in love. That developing relationship was my favorite part. This line may be a little cheesy, but I loved it anyway. Who doesn't love some cheese every now and then? Unless you are lactose intolerant maybe. :-p

"He drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. His breath curled around me in a seductive way that had me leaning back to find the source."

There were some challenges that needed to be overcome, but the main story was about Reka not being discovered. And food. EVERYTHING revolved around meals. They were always going to breakfast/lunch/dinner, talking about going to said meals, or trying to avoid meals. Though, with the set up of the ship, it is pretty much the only place everyone gets together.

And the end, while not totally out of the realm of possibilities, was definitely not what I saw coming. I won't say any more on that, out of fear that I may give something away.

Overall, this story is pretty great. There are some lulls, but I was always wanting to know what happened next.

*I would like to thank the author for providing a free e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion.