The Choice

Daughters of the Moon #9

by Lynne Ewing

In a reckless attempt to change the future, Catty drops Jimena into her troubled past-and into dangerous territory for the ex-gang members. As Jimena runs for her life, she is caught by the police and put in jail. There she is further threatened by a new type of Follower with a shape-changing power she is unable to resist. Her only choice is to break out of jail and hide out with a most unlikely ally-her old gang rival, Payasa. Together they have to save the other Daughters of the Moon before Jimena's most terrifying premonition comes true.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mythology, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, Fiction

275 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2003

About the author

Lynne Ewing is an American author and a screen writer.

She always had to move around a lot when she was growing up because her father was in the Marine Corps. She has two sisters. Lynne graduated from high school in Lima, Peru after attending seven other schools. While she was in Peru, she learned to speak Spanish. She attended the University of California at Santa Barbara. When she was 30 years old, she began writing for newspapers, documentaries, magazines, and did screen writing. She also counsels troubled teens. Her first books were Drive-By and Party Girl. Drive-By took six years to write, and Party Girl has been made into a movie called Living the Life. She has written the completed Daughters of the Moon and Sons of the Dark series. She lives in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.. Ms. Ewing has two children, Jonathan, a molecular biologist, and Amber, an international lawyer. She has also traveled to Japan, China, Russia, Europe, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. She has begun a new series called Sisters of Isis.

Reviews

[Annika · Rating 3 out of 5]

She did make a choice.

[HorrorBook HellHound · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been having a tough time re-reading this series, but this book in particular stands out as having a more interesting storyline and we finally sees what happens with the Daughters once they "age out" of their powers, so to speak. The plot and progression of events in this book were paced really well and I'm glad Jimena will be sticking around for a while.

[Kat Day · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Choice actually throws you right into the plot. Lynne Ewing actually does something different and doesn't automatically tell you what's going on - so you learn as you go. It's the type of book that I love. And although Jimena has never been one of my favorite Daughters, I find I like her a lot more in this one than I have the others.

I love how the author is using more mythology, but I'm still not a fan of how the final bad guy is battled. The fight is always rushed and then there's some random thing that makes the character realize she/he has no choice but to fight to save the others, and then the evil character is vanquished or mysteriously disappears. Then the girls are like, "Yay, let's go party..." instead of wondering what their next step will be if they encounter the same enemy again.

I am eager to see what will happen to the five daughters now that Jimena has made her choice. I think that was an interesting way to end the book and I want to see how it plays out in the next four books.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one drops you right in the middle of the action, unlike several others. Jimena is the first to make her choice, and this ends on a pretty happy note.
Wonder what happens when there is only one Daughter left?

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book's narrator was Jimena. The book starts with Jimena being dropped, by Catty, in the middle of enemy territory so that she can change the future. The future she's coming from all the Daughters except for herself and Catty have been taken captive by the Atrox. Jimena ends up being framed for drug dealing and gets taken to jail. She manages to break out with a bit of help from a friend and gets back to her friends in Los Angeles to try and save the future. She has a premonition of what she believes to be her death but after all is said and done with the whole Atrox business we find out that Jimena has one last important decision to make. This decision will change her entire future and existence. I've always really liked reading about Jimena because her point of view is completely unique from the rest of the girls. I also just simply liked this book because you really don't know what is going to happen or who the bad guy is until the very end. I can't believe that Tianna betrayed the girls. I don't know how the Atrox or Gerard got to her? She always seemed so solid like nothing can pull the wool over her eyes. I guess it is kind of like the story of Achilles, where is is so strong but he still has a small weakness. Same thing for Tianna as well. I liked that the other showed that Medusa wasn't always evil and that she was pretty powerful in her own right. I also couldn't figure out why Derek would help Tianna do something like steel the scroll and call the Atrox. I mean it is just common sense that if the Daughters together couldn't defeat the Atrox head on then Tianna sure as heck couldn't on her own. The whole idea was just dumb on Tianna and Derek's part. I liked that Jimena and Payasa became friends again despite their history and their whole gang rivalry thing. I know it probably doesn't happen that way in real life but it is a nice thought. I was really surprised when Collin told Jimena that he didn't want to be together anymore. I could not figure out what his deal was because the only other person I've seen her be that open and loving with is Veto and maybe Serena. So it was a little hard to believe his reason that he thought it was what she wanted. Guys are just so dumb, even fictional ones on occasion. I can't decide to be happy or sad about Jimena's decision to stay on Earth as a human. I mean I'm glad she's still going to be in the story but what is she going to do now and what will the other girls do when she wants to know what is going on? On the other hand she gets to stay with Collin which is a really good thing and her and Payasa get to remain friends as well. I guess I will find out in the next books what her character will be like now.

[Jessica Nekuda · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the other books have been interesting, what got me about this book is all the lies and crap that happens. I mean the others have another year to defeat evil and Jimena just forgets everything because she is 17. what a load of crap. How are the daughters going to defeat the Atrox without a fifth? *rolls eyes* honestly i think this series is dragging on WAY too much. And what is with Collin givng her a promise ring!?

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This... would be five stars... if LYNNE EWING HADN'T DONE WHAT SHE DID TO JIMENA! I mean, COME ON! Now I'm mad.. :\

[Kristal J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Choice" by Lynne Ewing offers a mix of satisfying and perplexing elements. The rekindled friendship between Payasa and Jimena emerges as a highlight, providing a heartwarming layer to the narrative.

However, the disappointment surfaces in the lack of depth surrounding Medusa's necklace and its connection to Jimena's dark side. The absence of a compelling backstory leaves a narrative gap that could have enriched the overall plot.

Confusion arises from the unexplained absence of Jimena's moon amulet from the initial time travel, a puzzling detail that disrupts the continuity of the storyline.

The revelation that Tianna was deceived and the subsequent upheaval in Jimena's relationship with Colin adds a layer of disappointment. While relationship challenges are a natural part of storytelling, the abrupt breakup and swift resolution might feel rushed, leaving readers longing for more exploration of the emotional nuances.

In summary, "The Choice" offers enjoyable moments, particularly in the revived friendship between characters. Yet, it falls short in certain narrative aspects, leaving untapped potential in the exploration of artifacts and relationships. The book sits at a middle ground, providing entertainment but leaving readers with a sense of missed opportunities and unanswered questions.

Rating: 3.2/5 🌟

Songs:

- “Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake: With its pop and R&B fusion, this song complements the themes of self-discovery and reflection, echoing the characters’ journeys in the book.

-“Stay with Me” by Sam Smith: The soulful and heartfelt nature of this song resonates with the emotional nuances of relationships, making it a fitting addition to the soundtrack of “The Choice.”

- “Latch” by Disclosure ft. Sam Smith: This electronic-infused R&B/pop song adds a modern touch, capturing the contemporary essence of relationships explored in “The Choice.”

[Katie Rios · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. I got it, but at the same time I didn't. I hated to see Jimena make her choice, but I like the choice she made and I'm glad that we kind of knows what happens once at least one of the 2 choices are made. I feel like I'm just flying through these books now just to see what happens at the end. I'm enjoying them, but not as much as I would have thought with the last few books. I wondering if I should just skip Maggie's book all together, but I feel like maybe there might be something important there from when I read it before. Who knows?

I'm just kind of waiting for the 13th book now. I read up to book 10 my first time around, but I don't think I got to the rest. So I guess I'll finally get to finish this series.

[Christi B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is the equivalent of a mythological music video. It has beautiful imagery and some substance (but definitely not too much), but, even though it's just fluff, the nostalgia is so real and my 30s-year-old self loves it just as much as the 12 year old me that wanted desperately to be a badass goddess of the moon. It's absolutely terrible and I freaking love it so much.

One note on The Choice: it created a cliffhanger (in the last couple of pages) that was unexpected and left pretty much zero room for emotional handling. Although I'm almost positive that it's necessary for the storyline that will devlop, it was incredibly frustrating because there was no groundwork laid for it nor was it an expected continuation of Jimena's story...it just came absolutely out of nowhere.

[Sarah Dunmire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Jimena as a character but the plot was disappointing. Also, prison was very unrealistic in here. Neat incorporation of nymphs as adversaries, though. I like that the author brings in goddesses and mythical beings from their dark sides as well as their good sides. And Jimena made her choice, abruptly I should say, to stay!

[Jourdyn Glaman · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was annoying how many 'new' things they were trying to cram into this book...its as if the author knew that the series was failing and just had to throw everything but the kitchen sink and poorly tie it all up in a sloppy bow...Also Jimena is my least favorite sister. So theres that.

[Rune · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catty made a split-second choice to leave Jimena in her danger ridden past of being an ex-gang member in LA. Jimena now in danger must work with an old turff rival, in seedy down town LA. she has to make a choice that will either break up thee daughters of the moon or save them.

[Heather Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this whole series in elementary school (around 25 years ago 🤣). I loved everything about this series and it's the series that got me into reading fantasy.

One of the best escapes I had in my childhood.

[Chy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bittersweet ending

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a decent enough story. I liked both the main character and all the action.

I’m dedicated to finishing this series this year.

[Jazz Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jimena!!!!

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The choice took a while.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5*

Honestly I’m just so frustrated with how this ended

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhhhhhh Jimenaaaaa 😫

[Belle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just wasn’t feeling the plot for this one… and then the last five pages of the book happened and now I’m hella emotional, what the hell! 😭

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted to like this one more (Jimena is my favorite) but the writing felt clunky. I liked Payasa, but pretty much the entire Bad Guy Part was poorly fleshed out.

[Jade Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a nostalgic read from my younger days. I was absolutely obsessed with this series and would love to re-read it one day.

[Jessica Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is a very fast read. It has easy vocabulary and it does not have a ton of world building because it happens in our world. The stories are very similar it becomes very predictable to know what is happening in each book in the series.

[Amanda Schell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This entire series swept me off my feet from beginning to end!

[Koorihime-sama · Rating 3 out of 5]

CHECKED OUT THE BOOK FROM MY PUBLIC LIBRARY.

APART OF THE GOODREADS 2011 READING CHALLENGE.

2ND REVIEW. 1ST REVIEW IS HERE.

Review/Rating:

3 out of 5

When Catty recklessly drops Jimena into the past in order to change the future, she accidentally drops her into enemy gang-infested territory. As Jimena tries to fix the future, she also has to deal with sirens, the police, her old enemy, Payasa, and something she never thought could happen.

I decided to do a better review of the Daughters of the Moon series by Lynne Ewing since my first ones weren’t done very well. This book is really a fast read, but since I really didn’t like this one, it took longer than the other two books.

Like most of the other books, it tries to start out with a mythology story, or what seems like a mythology story. This time it was about Medusa and how her blood created something. No more about that right now though since you learn more about it in the book.

Anyways, in this book, we continue to learn more about the Daughters of the Moon, Atrox, and what’s more, we get to learn more about Jimena’s past. The plot isn’t really that interesting, it only gets really interesting during the last few chapters of the book. Though, it did have a sort of good twist at the end of the book. The only parts I really liked where the ones with Collin and Chris, otherwise, I found almost all the book boring.

Anyways, the tone and dialogue still reminds me a lot of my teenage years and my high school, so the author did a really good job at writing the book in teenage words and their world. The descriptions are still very well done, and both of these things made the book go a little bit faster than most other young adult books. So, I really like this book from these points. Another thing I liked about this book is the mythology that is incorporated in it. Also, the character growth and their personalities are believable (for a supernatural book).As the books/series goes on, you get more information about the Daughters of the Moon and the Atrox, which is good because it won’t overload you with information with just one book.

This series is very good, but this book is not one of the best ones since it was too bleh for me.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I think Jimena is the only character in this series who isn't a complete moron, and it's a shame that she'll no longer be a part of it.

I think it's total bullshit that these girls basically get two years to master their abilities and to save everyone from the Atrox only to have to have it all taken away whether they choose to continue life without their abilities or memories of what they once were or by transcending into some unknown force - basically dying. It doesn't make sense at all to me, but whatever.

Also, I think sometimes that the author makes these weird, convenient problems so that her story idea will work itself out even if it's completely stupid at the time. She does this for every single book, it seems. For instance, instead of Jimena telling her friends wtf was going to happen, she conveniently decides that she'll wait. Why? There was absolutely no reason to wait. Instead, she made it so that none of the girls could be prepared for what was coming, and she made it so that there was only one mind working toward a solution instead of five. How is that even remotely a good idea?

Chances are, if she'd just told them all in the first place, the traitor would have fessed up, and they could have come to a solution. It could only logically have been one of two people, and the signs of who it actually was were so obvious. No one else was acting sketchy, after all.

Other than that bout of stupidity, I think Jimena is overall a clever, intelligent young woman. Vanessa is still the most shallow and idiotic of the group, and I hope no more book revolve around her because she makes it hard for me to continue the series. I could have lived with more books revolving around Jimena, but that seems unlikely.

I have to admit that I don't really like Tiana, either. Even in this book, she's too perfect. She doesn't seem to have any real flaws. She's good at everything she does, and occasionally, yeah, she gets tricked, but really... She's not a real person. If the author just admitted that Tiana is a robot sent from the future, it would make a lot more sense. hahahah

Anyway, I'm closer to the end of this series. Yay!

[Jocelyn]

The BooK I read is called The Choice By Lynne Ewing. This novel is fiction and is a series of the Daughters Of The Moon collection! It's A novel about Teen Girls who have different powers, During the time they have to find A way to Change the future so they can help The other Daughters of the moon.
Jimena who is a daughter of the moon is a teenager who was accidently sent back to her past where she gets in alot of trouble, she runs into old gang enemies that do her no good! They get into a fight and Jimena gets sent to jail, she escapes out of jail to try to go back in time where she originally belongs but in order for this she had to use her enemy Payasa to help her get through this.
I think this Book was intersting because you really have to be in the book to imagine everything thats going on! There was also suspence in this book, You wouldnt know what would happend next. One of my favorite scenes was when Jiemena And Payasas Gang were ready to shoot Jimena but she ran for her life until she ran into a officer that knew what was going on and arrested her! I liked this part because Itz reality and this happends alot in the world. I never read a book that was more descriptive then "The Choice". I could imagine every sentence that i read in this book. I can connect this book to the world because it's all about Fights, Being arrested and Enemies and i think that violence is taking up the world! For example when Payasa and her gang was jumping Jimena.
I Would recommend this book to young adults who have imagination, Who like to imagine! Also mature readers because Young kids would think violence is something that's ok to do when it's not!
I enjoyed reading this book because the author made it so that you can imagine every scene and the characters! I also liked the suspence.

[Britney (BookDrunkSloth) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this over a week ago I think... I don't know why it took me so long to get to writing this review.

This book focuses on Jimena. I really liked it in that it was pretty action packed, and the playing with time was pretty fun. For the first time, the ending of the book threw me for a loop and has me highly anticipating the next book to see what happens.

And now for the venting portion...
These girls are so easily distracted, especially by boys. It's really annoying. They are in the middle of life and death situations ready to battle or trying to decide what to do, then a boy shows up and they all scatter and flirt and forget about the important stuff.

Conversations always seem extremely short and they always leave shortly after arriving anywhere. I've also noticed that they avoid responsibility and never plan things out. They show up to do battle with the evil person and they wear skimpy little outfits with high heel shoes. Then they complain later when they are running and have to run barefoot.

It's definitely a preteen series. I can't imagine very many high school students relating or enjoying these books all that much.

I still enjoy the Greek Mythology to their powers, and the books are definitely improving. Short little fun read.