Chosen For Greatness

by August Aird

One chance encounter in the woods near his college — now Ace Winter’s life will never be the same.

Walking home from a party, a demon attacks him. Instead of dying from shock at the sight of a beast that shouldn’t exist, Ace discovers that he is the last in a line of divinely chosen demon hunters.

But now the demons know too, and he’ll have to fight for his survival while learning on the fly. And even worse — an ancient horror sets plans in motion that could end the world.

Luckily, an enchanting witch is there to help him learn to control his new magic and powers. They’ll have to work together to save everyone they love.

Chosen For Greatness is an urban fantasy adventure for discerning adults.

Genres: Harem, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Magic, Romance

478 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 4, 2025

Reviews

[Mike Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story and college life is hard enough without finding that demons want to kill you. Doesn't help your best friend has a crush and is killing your chance with girls.

[James Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a lot of fun

What can I say? It's fairly standard harem lit. That being said, it was a lot of fun. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up.

Highly recommended.

[Akshay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chosen For Greatness by August Aird is a progression-fantasy novel that leans heavily into the promise implied by its title—destiny, exceptionalism, and the burdens of being marked as special. What ultimately defines the book, however, is not its ambition but how cautiously it executes familiar genre ideas.

Core Premise and Intent

The story revolves around a protagonist explicitly framed as someone selected by fate, circumstance, or system-driven inevitability. Unlike subtler progression fantasies that allow “greatness” to emerge through struggle, Chosen For Greatness foregrounds this concept early, leaving little ambiguity about where the narrative is headed.

The novel is less interested in whether the protagonist will become powerful, and more in how quickly the world will acknowledge it.

This clarity of intent is both a strength and a limitation. Readers who enjoy direct, affirmation-driven progression will find the setup comforting. Those seeking narrative tension rooted in uncertainty may find the trajectory too predictable.

Protagonist and Character Arc

The protagonist is competent, reactive, and steadily improving—but rarely challenged on a philosophical or emotional level. Obstacles exist, yet they often function as validation checkpoints rather than genuine threats. Growth is measured numerically and externally, while internal conflict remains comparatively muted.

Conflict = present
Risk = controlled
Failure = temporary

This creates a sense of momentum without volatility. The character advances, but seldom surprises, which weakens the long-term dramatic payoff.

Worldbuilding and System Design

The world is serviceable and logically structured, clearly designed to support progression mechanics rather than exist independently of them. Systems are readable and consistent, but rarely inventive. Aird favors clarity over experimentation, resulting in a setting that feels competent yet interchangeable with many genre contemporaries.

There is little friction between system rules and narrative convenience—sometimes to the book’s detriment. When the system consistently aligns with the protagonist’s needs, tension erodes.

Comparison to Its Contemporaries

Compared to more introspective or subversive progression fantasies, Chosen For Greatness sits firmly in the comfort zone of the genre. It lacks the thematic ambition of titles that interrogate power, identity, or systemic cruelty, instead embracing a cleaner, more reassuring fantasy of ascent.

Where contemporaries often explore:

• Moral compromise

• Long-term consequences

• The psychological cost of power

Aird’s novel prioritizes forward motion and reader satisfaction over introspection. This makes it approachable, but also limits its staying power.

Pacing and Structure

The pacing is smooth and deliberate. There are no major structural missteps, but also few moments of narrative risk. Each arc resolves neatly, reinforcing a sense of inevitability rather than discovery.

Final Assessment

Chosen For Greatness is a polished but conservative entry in the progression-fantasy space. It delivers exactly what it promises—steady growth, clear validation, and a protagonist destined to rise—but rarely challenges the reader or the genre.

Its greatest strength is accessibility; its greatest weakness is predictability. For readers who want reliable progression without existential weight or narrative disruption, this book succeeds. For those seeking depth, ambiguity, or thematic friction, it may feel too safe.

Rating: ⭐⭐⚝⚝⚝ (2/5)

A competent, reassuring progression fantasy that understands its audience well—but stops short of greatness itself.

[GrumpyOldMan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this story to be just OK, which is a big drop-off from the author's previous works in their "War Games" series.

We meet the MC on the night of their 21st birthday, while at a party with his best friend, a woman named Via. Things get weird after midnight, with him suddenly getting stronger, and seeing odd things while not getting drunk despite drinking a lot. From there, a walk in the woods has him stumbling upon a cute redhead being attacked by a demon. After, he learns he is the chosen of a goddess of fertility, and will be expected to form a harem.

The harem is two women by the end of the book, with the best friend being the presumed next, as well as a demon woman possibly lurking. And while I liked the first two to join, the relationship is fairly bare bones. The two women are best friends, so they come to the conclusion to share him, since he is expected to have a harem of lots of women.

I am not a big fan of the MC being told they will have a harem, and then they and the women just merrily going along with it. It always feels ham-fisted by the author to bypass the likely issues of forming one. Combine that aspect with the MC finding out at the very end of the book that he's inheriting billions of dollars from his grandfather, and this feels like he's been spoon fed so he can bypass lots of day-to-day stuff and just focus on training and getting women.

I may read another in this series, but I wasn't impressed with this.

[Nick B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Chosen One who must stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. A quippy blonde cheerleader who uses her physical prowess to go on patrols and slay demons. Her best friend, a cute but shy redheaded nerd who is a witch. An English librarian type who runs an occult bookstore as their mentor. A standoffish, attractive "good demon" as mysterious helper. A demonic plot to perform a ritual to open a portal to hell on the night of a big school dance… Yeah, this is Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan fiction with the serial numbers filed off.*

Specifically, "what if Xander was the Chosen One and also had a harem" AU erotic fan fic. It's a decent formula, but pretty bland in execution. The jokes in particular are extremely weak.

* The one part that doesn't quite fit is the MC's childhood friend, a gamer girl who is oblivious to the supernatural events for most of the book. With the way she acts bitchy towards the Buffy ("Rory") and Willow ("Juniper") characters, she might be loosely based on Cordelia.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good for what it is, but the MC was painfully stupid in combat. I understand being new to it and all, but for the powers he'ssupposed to have he does piss-poorly a lot of the time. Not always, but often enough for it to seem inconsistant. Seems to have room for a sequel, so we'll see where this goes.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great! Fun little romp about a poor college kid and the only thing he inherited from his grandpa: an overbearing responsibility to fight demons. There's hot girls, zingy one-liners, sex, a bunch of demon fights, Giles Bea the Sarcastic Librarian, and King Baby, the best fictional golden retriever ever.

[Tracy S McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent beginning!!!

An exceptionally well written adult fantasy adventure!!! I am really impressed with the world building and the amount of humor mixed throughout the story!!! I look forward to see what comes next for the MC and what the author writes next!!!

[Marcus Wofford · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Original "Men's Novel"

I enjoyed this one. Original elements run throughout, and while it reads like a conbination of Supernatural and Robert Anton Wilson with Conan, it is very enjoyable.

[tester · Rating 3 out of 5]

The setting for this was better for me than the authors other work, but I still am not a fan of the authors writing style or MC's. This one was just okay, the other three series that I've read from this author, I don't think I made it past the first book. I will probably read the next one.

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a little slow going in the first third but it really picks up. All of the characters were enjoyable and it has a solid balance of action and character beats.

[Dantegideon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t click with the characters at all, so it seemed very bland.

[Cody Hatch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine. Unremarkable. Good enough I read it and enjoyed it; not good enough I bothered to grab book 2.