The Chosen One Con

by Trudie Skies

Magic is a rich man's game.

Archons control magic in the great city of Aefenhold. Brand-name spells, addictive potions, and celebrity TV keep the poor entertained while they toil in the factories manufacturing magic. That should have been the fate of Max and his childhood friend Lyle, until a violent workers’ strike tears their lives apart, condemning Lyle to the aetherstone mines and leaving Max orphaned with no choice but to sell his labour to a brothel.

Life under the Archon's rule has given Max a taste for magical narcotics, and left Lyle with aether dust in his lungs and a deep resentment for magic. So when Aefenhold's rulers announce a televised contest to find the chosen one—a prophesized distraction to unite the city against its detractors—both Max and Lyle see an opportunity to con their way into the contest.

Where Max seeks to steal magic for his freedom, Lyle views magic as a tool of oppression to be destroyed. Their old friendship will be tested as they're forced to become adversaries against famous rival mages in a series of magical trials. Whoever becomes the chosen one will change the shape of magic forever.

But magic is a rich man's game, and should Max or Lyle be discovered as frauds, their deaths will be televised next.

The Chosen One Con is the first book in the Lost in the Aether duology—a gaslamp fantasy of industrial magic in a world of designer enchantments and celebrity-branded potions. This is an adult book containing strong language and mature themes that some readers may find disturbing. For a full list of content warnings, visit Trudie Skies's website.

Genres: Fantasy

786 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2026

About the author

Trudie Skies is a non-binary author based in North East England, though they have been living inside fantasy worlds ever since they discovered books and refuse to return to reality. Within Trudie’s daydreams you’ll find SPFBO and BBNYA finalist The Thirteenth Hour, a gaslamp fantasy described as obnoxiously British and best read with a cup of tea.

When not conjuring new worlds, Trudie spends their free time exploring the realms of indie books and video games, staring at clouds, and chasing after their fluffy companions.

Visit Trudie’s worlds at www.trudieskies.com

Reviews

[Trudie Skies]

The Chosen One Con is out today, which is a whole new world separate from my Cruel Gods series. This is also a gaslamp fantasy, but in some ways, its much darker. There's less whimsy, less 'fantasy' as it's a story of human cruelty, ignorance, and oppression. There is magic, but it's wrapped in the coils of capitalism, with designer enchantments and potions. Like capitalism, magic is everywhere and everything.

Our main characters of Max and Lyle deal with a lot. Max is a sex worker, and Lyle is dying from magical poison. That is to say, please bear in mind the content warnings which can be found on my website.

But if you enjoyed my Cruel Gods series, I hope you'll feel at home here in Aefenhold! And if you enjoy The Chosen One Con, there's more awaiting you! Thank you to all my readers, new and old, for giving my books a chance.

[Lanie Brown]

especially if they have underlying medical conditions. Please for the love of every god ever consult a medical professional before taking any action, no matter how moral you believe that action to be, when it comes to those with addictions. If you have a loved one in your life who is an addict I behoove you to seek counseling yourself as we can be a huge hinderance to helping our loved ones quit and not even know it, but moreover we matter too. As the same character who throws the drugs away later on says all she can do is be supportive and that support means taking care of yourself and educating yourself. And yes, sometimes taking care of yourself means walking away.

In a city powered by magic and ruled by a small group of all powerful mages, the Archons, unrest is settling in. The poor are forced to work in hazardous conditions to mine the aetherstones and produce the potions that allows magic to even exist. Paid next to nothing wages their lifespans are short to say the least and beset from health problems arising from injury and illness that they simply cannot afford to treat. After the death of Archon Ignatius, an Archon who is known to have murdered dissidents in cold blood, is a declared a murder committed by the anti-magic extremist group the Wrens, the remaining Archons declare a contest to decide what mage in Aefenhold will replace him. Supposedly a prophecy from God himself the contest is meant to find the Chosen One who will save Aefenhold.

As a sex worker with a bluebell addiction Max Farrow sees this as his chance to get out from under the chokehold that his pimp has over him. Quite literally a chokehold as Max like all sex workers wears a collar that Val can set off whenever he wants ending his life. Max could care less about being an Archon he simply wants to steal what he can and find a mage who can break the spell on his collar. Lyle Miller on the other hand is a Wren operative and as far as he is concerned, the Chosen One contest is his best bet to not just end the Archons rule but stop the production of magic period. Working in the Red Rock mines for three years he knows for a fact that magic is poison and no matter what the Archon's say it will eventually kill anyone who uses it. As childhood friends that may have turned into something more had a tragedy not separated them Max and Lyle haven't seen each other in years, now they have both entered the contest to become the Chosen One. One to save the city and the other to simply get what he believes is his due and while the sparks fly between them almost immediately both men are not sure they can trust each other any longer. Especially when the other contestants start dying. What they both don't know is there is someone far more dangerous in the background and they have been running the greatest con of all.

Holy crap there is so very much to unpack and omg the amount of times I said, "WTF JUST HAPPENED!?' towards the end was absolutely just insane. Like when everything goes sideways here it goes sideways so absolutely brilliantly!

This book is all about the characters, so I have to tackle them first as always. I genuinely thought I'd dislike Max at some point in the book I really, truly did. He's a drug addict and a liar and one of those people that don't seem to really care about what's going on around him as long as he gets what he wants. Not once did I dislike him. Maybe that's because his motivations seemed pretty straight forward to me but also because I felt like the only person Max was truly ever lying to was himself. He spent a lot of time convincing himself that everything he did was for his sister and that Val, didn't actually abuse him, and it wasn't that bad that one of the other contestants was obsessed with him and had literally tried to poison him...I could go on. But again it was so clearly him trying to convince himself of this not him trying to convince rest of the world that I felt sorry for him more than anything. I think probably the only genuine thing he had said to himself was that he enjoyed sex work, he just hated doing it for Val. I mean he had a pretty traumatic freaking life so ya know I get it. But yeah no matter how many supposedly bad things he does I never stopped rooting for him.

Now, Lyle and I we had some serious issues. While I very much agreed with much of what Lyle said about pretty much everything, he also just came across as a sanctimonious asshat for most of the book. There were several times when I kinda wanted to punch him in the face, as did everyone else in the book I am sure. Now he does redeem himself towards the end but he was insufferable for much of it. Again, I cannot begin to express how much he was right about absolutely everything.

The side characters in this were all absolutely amazing. There genuinely wasn't one I did not like, even the bad guys. Especially the bad guys, they are all just slimeballs that quite frankly resemble quite a few real-life politicians and tech bros. Hope and Archie/Charlie were my favs though. This book ultimately just goes to show we should probably listen to the kids a little more often. That will not make sense until the very end of this book.

I think the pink elephant in the room with this review is going to be Max's addiction, which yes, I will get to that but first I want to talk about MV. Because quite frankly it kinda creeped me the eff out. Now, my family got rid of anything that could be considered traditional TV a long time ago, after working for Comcast and getting our services for free for quite sometime the thought of actually paying for them again was simply out of the question. I also slowly quit watching most American media at this time too. TV, movies, etc. I just don't watch it and haven't for about a decade now. Because of this I couldn't tell you the name of most celebrities, I have no idea what the "popular" shows are, and quite frankly I don't really care. On that level Lyle and I had much in common, watching people having conversations about the newest actor or whatever the hottest show, especially reality tv for me is just uncomfortable. Lyle really nails that feelings for me as a character but really the entire book does. Even though the story was only told from three people's perspectives you got the feeling that MV was a well-honed propaganda machine that was used to control the populace, a populace that was just as addicted to MV as Max was bluebell. Later on in the book you find out that this is absolutely 100% the case but you don't really need anyone to tell you that at all. I think for me what I found to be worse is the addiction seemed to revolve around reality tv shows. I've never had a use for them, and I think this book demonstrates why far more than I would ever be able to explain. But moreover, how the MV stars are treated by really everyone was highly disturbing. They weren't people. For the Archons they were just a tool in a toolbox and for the populace they were something simultaneously less and more than that. Like they were a crutch that allowed them to happily ignore how shitty their lives were, but you had the feeling that they would happily cast aside their current crutch for the newest model. The fact that it was just known that MV stars usually just end up being addicts makes this all even more insidious. Especially when these people start dying and there is zero question throughout the entire book who controls the narrative when it comes to MV stars. Max may have been physically addicted to bluebell but I saw a populace here that were addicted to the lies that the little blue box fed them every day and I find that far worse than any physical addiction.

Now, I said I'd get into Max's addiction and quite frankly, I just didn't see it as a big deal. Oh yes I know someone is going to be like "omg how can you say that addiction destroys lives and blah, blah, blah" but seriously by the time you get to the end of the book you realize that there may not have actually been a choice for Max or any of the people addicted to Bluebell so yeah, it just wasn't a big deal. What was a big a deal was how pervasive addictive substances was in this society period. It is discussed often that everything from food to potions are made to purposely be addictive. By adding "blue sugar" to everything an entire population becomes reliant on magic. To be fair it's incredibly straight forward when it comes to discussions about addiction in our own societies. From an opiate crisis that was maliciously and purposefully started by greedy pharmaceutical companies to food manufacturing companies that lobby to keep people on food stamps in order for them to afford their quite frankly over processed trash (looking at you Kraft Foods) the whole blue sugar thing is a mirror image of our own society. You can also go back and take a look at the historical record on this level as well, using "sugar" as the delivery system isn't even new, it's more like carrying on with a time-honored tradition. Again, Max may be going to some sketchy shop in a back alley to get his fix, but most of the population simply opened their box of Cheerios every morning to get theirs and they didn't even know it.

We've also got to talk about "magic" in general here, because I don't care what anyone says including Hope about how it can be refined into something good, it absolutely is not good and nor do I see how it could ever be. I feel like it's a bit of the conversation we have surrounding GenAi, no matter how you try to apply it it's never going to be good and it only serves to make already rich tech bros richer. And I've barely even touched on just how gross this magic truly is. As far as I can tell it destroys everything it touches and the number of times I said "Put that thing back where it came from or so help me" while reading this were too many to count. And you can say that because aetherstone is mined. Like if this duology ended in any way I would want it to end with all of the mines just getting blown up and everyone realizing that sometimes you should just leave well enough alone.

Now the next part isn't actually a giant spoiler, however, I do feel like it will contain enough information that readers will be able to figure out who the Big Bad is before they should.

Giant Spoiler Alert
Finally, we have to talk about the big bad. I mean, we absolutely positively have to even though I feel like we simply do not have enough information to truly understand what their goals are. But I simply cannot complete this review without discussing them as they are quite possibly the most interesting character in this book and there are a lot of interesting characters in this book. In the end we discover that the Big Bad has a been controlling several of the Archons the whole time, manipulating them into creating this very uneven world with a huge wealth gap and essentially legalized slavery in the form of the sex trade and an industrial prison complex (the mines). Yet, the Big Bads goal is to spread magic to every portion of society. Creating a society where only a small portion of the population can afford magic than seems counterintuitive at best and just downright freaking insane at worst. Yet, when I truly think about it what the Big Bad has created is a society that relies solely on them. At the end of the story all of these conversations regarding addiction turn from an addiction to magic or MVs or bluebell or whatever a character's poison is into a very real conversation about a society addicted to the Big Bad. Again, the people of Aefenhold don't even know it but the Big Bad is the drugs in the simplest of terms. Even while I type this though, I still can't help but feel that while this is quite frankly evil genius at it's finest (especially when you discover who and what the big bad is) it feels destined to fail. It's too arrogant, it's too inhuman of a plan, and it disregards the simple rebellious nature of humans to an extent that is almost laughable. Again, this is all very much speculation as we barely get to hear from the Big Bad at the end of the book, but the Big Bad is shaping up to be my favorite type of Big Bads and I am looking forward to how much of my speculation is correct and how much of it is way off base.

At this point I don't think I need to even say that I recommend this book. It was exactly what I was hoping it would be and then some. And look if you played Metaphor Re:Fantazio and love it you are going to want to read this. It explores much of what that game does but from a slightly different perspective.

As always thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the eArc!

[Mat]

The title of this novel comes from a show, The Chosen One, where contestants compete in magical trials to choose the next city’s sovereign. But it’s not about the trials. It’s about people trying to survive in a hyper-capitalist magical world.

It does an unvarnished portrayal of drug addiction, sex work, and the hypocrisy of the elite. Trust Skies that when things are looking up, they’re going back down.

Read my full review: Tiny Elf Arcanist's review of The Chosen One Con by Trudie Skies

[Tessa]

Beta read this! I have bias to Trudie's books so I give it five stars and highly recommend it. But like I said, I'm biased.

But.

If you like The Cruel Gods, you'll love this one too.

[OldBird]

There are a few things you know you're going to get when your read a book by Trudie Skies:

A detailed, functioning world full of its own strange quirks and dark undertones

Masterful foreshadowing that lets you think you've guessed the plot twist… But did you really think that was the whole thing? Hahahaha!

All the queerness you could possibly imagine

This tale of gaslamp madness is no exception. It starts slow, giving us a solid grounding in the world of the Arcanum where magic is everything. It's in food and drink, it powers your homes, it entertains you on the airwaves (or aetherwaves, rather). Oh, and it's pretty much the preserve of the rich. A poor Oldtowner might be able to swig a Vim & Vigor potion, but only after slaving away in the factories processing the aetherstone that powers everything.

In this world, we follow two unfortunate souls. Max is a sex worker who needs the money to provide for his sister and keep up the lifestyle he enjoys. He rather likes magic, particularly the entertainment shows broadcast to his "MV" and the magic-infused drugs. Lyle is his former friend, one who sacrificed himself so that Max could escape the punishment of being thrown in the mines. He's seen what magic proliferation did to his more simple way of life before being sucked into the city, and after it took everything from him, he'd be happier if magic didn't exist at all. They both come together in "The Chosen One Show", a once in a lifetime televised competition where mages vie to join the ruling council after a… Vacancy, shall we say, leaves the city one leader short. The how, the why; I'll leave that up to you to discover.

At first, this slow start and Max's abrasive way of expressing nonchalance felt a little grating to me. I didn't warm to him exactly, and I warmed to Lyle even less when he did everything with an "accent". But here's the thing: you gotta let Trudie Skies cook. It was the same in the exceptional Cruel Gods series. They can write a character that's telling you all the rude jokes and using all the profanity who starts off unlikable until you understand them. Trust me, these characters are never shallow shock-fodder. Side characters too feel more than just a thing playing their part.

Max's particular arc of being in denial about his life is probably the hardest part to read. Under the blithe assertions and romantic angsting, he's damaged by his past. It touches on a lit of big issues which may be triggering to some.

To be fair, this book hides a lot of big issues, from drug abuse and the taboo of prostitution, to how society turns a blind eye as long as there's something good on TV and the food keeps being filled with tasty, tasty additives that sure aren't there for the health benefits. There's a certain kind of satire nestled in the many layers.

The plot is also where this book shines. Maybe you're like me and have read a load of fantasy books. You know where to pick up on clues and what the usual outcome of these portended twists. You might even feel a tad smug having picked up on it so early… But you'd be wrong. Trudie Skies is a master of setting you up to expect one thing only to throw the rulebook out the window and go on a character-led narrative rampage. Part of you wanted the normal, satisfying, accepted story. But if you value originality in your tales, you can't ask for more than this beautiful chaos.

All in all it's a well-crafted book, self-contained in a first in series way (there's tension, but no killer mid-scene cliffhanger). The stakes are raised and the game is on. It's a chonker of a tome, but if you're looking for something original, challenging, and thought-provoking as well as entertaining, this adult gaslamp fantasy series starter certainly delivers.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sue]

I really enjoyed the no kings theme, overall plot, pacing, and world building, but I was quite disturbed by a couple of the graphic and eroticized descriptions of Max being sexually abused and frustrated by the muddled depiction of sex trafficking vs consensual sex work. I was also baffled by Lyle's dialect. I imagine it's supposed to be Irish? He says "wer" instead of "were" and "fer" instead of "for" 100% of the time. It was really intrusive because every other word was spelled normally. If you're gonna try to phonetically depict Irish at least have them drop their Gs and throw some "sure and"s in. Took me right out of the story and made me kind of dread Lyle's chapters, tbh. Max was so self-deluded and self-destructive that I had a hard time liking him. I think this could have been a five star book with tighter editing and a more thorough sensitivity reading. Also, please just put the content warnings on a page in the actual book. Don't make me click a link to access them.

[Nina van der Kooij]

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

I'd seen a lot about this book on BSKY, so when I saw it on Netgalley I figured I'd request, not knowing what exactly to expect except that it was queer and some sort of chosen one subversion (obviously).

The Chosen One subversion is not so much the focus of the story, but more a dressing up of what is happening. The main premise is that one of the archons (one of the high ranked mages who rule this country) dies, skilled mages are invited to join a competition to become the next archon, and the archon hosting this markets this as seeking a chosen one from a prophecy.

Our main characters, Max and Lyle, are both lower class people with no access to becoming the type of mage who could enter this competition. They con their way in anyway, and have to fake it til they make it with the trials.

The setting of this book is described as gaslamp, and I agree that it is a Victorian era inspired setting, with a particular emphasis on the industrial revolution. Magic is very industrialized and relies on certain ores, and depends on exploited laborers. However, there's also MagiVision which is essentially tv powered by magic. This is a very big part of the story, as the main plot focuses on them participating in a tv show, and many major characters are/were movie stars.

The industrialized magic approach with exploited laborers reminded me of Metal from Heaven, though the ultimate plot is quite different.

Max and Lyle both grew up in this labor class. When they are young, these laborers go on strike, causing both to lose family (Max still has his sister). While Max escapes unscathed himself, Lyle is arrested and sentenced to become a miner, separating the pair.

Years later, when the plot happens, Lyle has left the mines to become the apprentice/help of an old retired mage, whereas Max has become a sex worker to support his younger sister, who is studying to be a mage. Both are not in a good place exactly, with Max under a lot of control of the brothel owner while Lyle has a not so great relationship with the mage he works for.

When the Chosen One show is announced, both have a different reason for entering. Max hopes the renown this wins him might earn him more money and help free him from the control of this brothel owner. Lyle works for a group of anti-magic revolutionaries and hopes to take down the government from within once he wins.

I loved how nuanced the world building of this book was. Max loves magic, and thinks it is the ticket to a better life for himself and his sister. He sees only the benefits, downplays the harms, and tends to prioritize himself and his own family, wanting to escape his lower class status rather than ending this class division altogether. Max does not believe society can change for the better, and so he just tries to cope with it, turning to magivision shows as well as magical drugs, that actually allow him to do magic without needing to study to be a mage.
Lyle on the other hand hates magic. He sees only the harm magic production does to working class people like him, the exploitation necessary for mining and processing magic, but sometimes he misses that magic can also have benefits (in particular healthcare benefits).
I really like ending up with this situation where it's not all that straight forward, and you'd really need to balance the costs of producing magic and the costs of not having it at all.

The plot is complex, and this book is much longer than I initially expected, but it did keep me engaged throughout and there are certainly plenty of twists.

The characters are interesting and well developed. Max was trying at times with his narrow focus, naivety, and denial of his own addiction, but I think the addiction was written very well and given the weight it deserves. But he is also charming, and knows exactly how to perform for an audience, which he uses to his advantage on the Chosen One show. He can see the way this whole show is not about the trials or who is the best with magic, but is a performance.

Lyle's interiority was written in an accent which I am personally not a fan of, but his character was interesting. He is brash and speaks his mind, but does not possess all that much tact, which makes it difficult when you're on a televised show. He is not at all popular as a candidate, to no one's surprise, but I found him very compelling as a character. He's very angry, and desperate to make a difference, and do more than just spy on his old mage mentor.

There's a romance subplot between these two mains, which is a second chance romance. The pair were together when they were teenagers, but lost each other after the strike, both of them believing the other was dead. They recognize each other on the show, but both believe initially the other is a genuine candidate and has betrayed their origins, so they don't really have reason to trust each other. I liked seeing the feelings build from this.

Another major character who had the occasional POV was Hope, Max's sister who is much more competent than either of those boys. She is a mage in training, and poses as Max's maid to help him bullshit his way through the trials. She also shows a more positive side of magic, as she wants to become a healer. As a transgender woman, she also uses potions for her transition, showing another benefit of magic.

The villain of this book was really intriguing too. Thalia is the host of the Chosen One show, and she is a former actress who ultimately become an archon, and her being an actress is pretty significant to the story, as so much is about performance and tv ratings. I really liked the nuance of her character. She really sucks, but I can get behind some of her struggles as a woman in a male dominated society, and this book shows very well how she supports only some woman, and tends to neglect the lower classes. She believes magic is necessary to achieve gender equality, as women are as good at magic as men, and I found this an interesting perspective on magic too. Is it really necessary for equality, and is it worth the cost?

This book is first in a duology and I'm curious to read the sequel. Would recommend for people who enjoy a focus on class struggles and the performance and tv angle, with a side of queer romance.

[Helyna Clove]

Note: I received a free ARC of this book and it did not influence my opinion.

This was my first book from the author, although I have been seeing their Cruel Gods series around which always seemed interesting. The Chosen One Con, similarly to those I think, leads us into a steampunk-y, almost magical capitalist society, where those with money hold magic, and thus political power, in their hands. Aefenhold is governed by these five Archons who ruthlessly exploit the poorer classes with the application of aether (the basis of magic in this world) in law enforcement and as a coveted, almost addictive substance that holds up huge economical pressures. And all the while the MagiVision spouts mindless entertainment and celebrity drama to assuage the masses...

This is the world where young Max and Lyle live and fall in love: Max as a poor son of a miner and a missing mother, and Lyle a refugee from a neighbouring small town that had been destroyed, his parents killed by the greed of the Archons. Through a tragedy, their life stories flow separately for a while: Max starts working in a brothel, chained to its sinister owner and Lyle works in the aether mines, developing a cruel disease until an old Archon makes him his apprentice...and then the Archon responsible for the tragedy that broke their lives unexpectedly dies. The Archons organize a competition to fill his place, and through magical shenanigans, both Max and Lyle become candidates in a deadly race, pitched against celebrities with their own tragedies and agenda. But why are the Archons allow this farce when clearly they already have their favored outcome? Why are the contestants keep dropping dead around Max and Lyle? What are the anti-magic organization, the Wrens planning? And what has Max's dear childhood MagiVision personality, Benny Bluebell, of late a hallucination every time Max takes magical drugs, got to do with all this?

This book is huge, and full of incredible, detailed world-building and unique characters. Aefenhold is a living, breathing city, its societal structure convoluted and real, its problems urgent and quite relevant. The lore of magic that slowly makes itself known is intriguing, and I loved getting small glimpses until the picture finally comes together by the end. Both Max and Lyle are down-on-their-luck characters who have had to work and suffer for each step forward in their lives although in very different ways, and that made them really sympathetic. The way they swindled themselves into The Chosen One Show was so good, and they're both in way over their heads, so I couldn't help but root for them. Max is often reckless and acts arrogantly, but at the same time he's charming and kind, and as his true face comes out, of course very vulnerable and lonely behind it all. Lyle is in some ways, his opposite, often grumpy and cares little for niceties, hardened by all that he'd gone through but deeply caring for those who he loves. It was cool to see them get close to each other again, after all that had happened. I also liked the display of "showbiz" and all that comes with it in the book: celebrities, parties, drugs, corruption, masks on many levels, interviews, filming, fake emotions etc. It was such an interesting vibe to have, and how the use of magic and aether potions contributed to this whole world. The contrast of these two working class main characters placed in this shining, fake world was also very strong, a theme that suffused the entire book.

The secondary characters also did a lot to keep the story close to my heart: I loved Hope, Max's trans-woman sister who saved the day with her bravery and knowledge of magic many times but is also the reason Max feels like he has to remain chained and subservient: he wants to make her a good life, and sees no other way than selling his body, selling his soul. On Lyle's side is Archie, a non-binary kid (and really, they're very young, protect themmmm), loyal but magically dangerous, plus everyone keeps underestimating them since they can't hear and talk. I really loved their relationship with Lyle. The plot gets twisty, almost a murder mystery from time to time, and lots of clashing interests happen with the involvement of the Wrens and then Max and Lyle reconciling, trying to protect each other but also doubting each other and wanting to reach the goal of their own agendas. They are pitched against each other over and over again, and both of them need to understand their own stories and make some hard decisions before the finale.

The pace of the book isn't too fast, and I did feel like it starts from too far away from the main plot in the beginning, but at the same time we did need to know Max and Lyle's early story. Of course, as the Chosen One Show finally starts, things get more and more exciting. Occasionally I had the feeling there was a bit too much repetition and explanation around Max and Lyle's thought processes, inner struggles, and change of feelings which contributed to a slowing pace towards the end. But the finale was quite bombastic and a lot of foreshadowing arrived in full circle which I enjoyed immensely. There will be a sequel, thus the ending is not really the ending: it leaves our characters in a precarious position but one from which they can maybe now try to make some important decisions after suffering so much under the yokes of their oppressors. At the same time, their opponent seems quite all-powerful and vicious. I'll be curious to see where the story goes!

[Arcadia Barrile]

Thank you to Victory Editing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I wasn’t quite certain what to expect going into this book, but what I found was an intensely anti-capitalist gaslamp fantasy about two men who have suddenly found themselves at the center of a burgeoning revolutionary plot and a magical reality TV show focused on finding the city’s new “chosen one” who will replace a recently murdered ruler. The story alternates between the perspectives of Max, a sex worker who wants to gain his freedom through the competition, and Lyle, a man from a village outside of the city that was destroyed by the Archon the contest is replacing. There are also a few chapters from the POV of Hope, Max’s teenage sister, who is training to become a medical mage.

Nearly every single character in this book is deeply flawed, but also deeply lovable. I was so frustrated by a lot of the choices Max and Lyle made, but I also understood where they were coming from. The system has absolutely destroyed them, and they’re trying to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other while also attempting to survive The Chosen One Show and potentially seize the power it offers them.

The worldbuilding was extremely detailed and immersive in The Chosen One Con, and I had a great time diving into this world and getting to know the city of Aefenhold. The city is full of technology run using magic, which is something I haven’t seen a lot of before and was super interesting to learn about. It was also semi-queer normative, but not entirely free from transphobia/homophobia. I also loved the addition of the newsletter available on the author’s website to get a better look at some of the pop culture of the world.

I don’t even know where to begin with discussing the plot. SO MUCH HAPPENS IN THIS BOOK. Like, really a lot. It’s an epically long novel, even for fantasy, at nearly 800 pages, and when I saw that number I was concerned that it was going to be either under-edited or something that should have been split into multiple books, but having read the whole thing I really think that it makes sense for it to be as long as it was. Nothing dragged or felt like it could have been cut, it’s just a lot of story. I absolutely loved every second of it, though, and even after 800 pages I found myself wishing there was more!

I really enjoyed the big twist at the end, and I absolutely did not see it coming. I’m very excited to see where the events and revelations at the end of the book lead going into the second half of the duology, and I think that the author did a fantastic job setting that up.

The Chosen One Con deals with a lot of very heavy themes, so definitely make sure you check out the trigger warnings before picking it up. If you’re a fan of Ayn Rand, you’ll probably hate this book. If you love fantasy that’s a little different and hate capitalism, though, this is definitely the book for you! I would especially recommend this one for readers who enjoy spending a long time getting to know a great group of characters and immersing themselves in a new world. I’ll definitely be forcing all of my friends to read it!

[ThatReader]

Well, how about that? I mean, this was one of THE BEST reads of the year, so far, I kid you not. The amount of times I broke out in laughter for probably the most innapropriate things is out of this world. But is this book a comedy? Not at all. This is a story of courage, of finding one's self, of changing the odds and proving the underdog can actually be much more than what they seem, if given half a chance. It's a tale of street smarts where the heart plays a bigger part, and to say I loved these characters is a misconstruction of the truth, because I totally ADORED them. Max, especially, and I will die on that hill, because Max was to me one of the most realistic and accurate renditions of addiction I've ever read - at least where it comes to my own experience. Max is flawed and does 'shitty' things, but so does Lyle, and so does Hope - loooooved her so much, too. And so do all the other characters, as this book tackles the subject of manipulation and gaslighting in such a delicious manner, so imaginative.
It wasn't my first Trudie Skies books - and def won't be my last - and I will reiterate what I said before: they know how to worldbuild, all right. Their worlds are always so detailed and at the same time so organic, there are no info dumps and no need for them, as a reader you dive right in and become familiar to it through the narrative, the stories, the characters in the most natural way. I loved this about the author, their world building always sweeps me off my feet. And this time, the characters did too: Max and Lyle and Hope, but also Bella and Thalia and Celestia - how I squealed as I was reminded of Eastenders and Paris Hilton all in the same book, omg! - Flynt and Benny and Nightingale, even Incendio, that twat! They were all so beautifully fleshed and so vivid it made this book an absolute pleasure to read. And make no mistakes, even if the tone seems light and adventurous and entertaining, I found that this book brought up deeper issues and addressed them in such a tremendlously well done manner. It's a book that had me pausing and thinking at several times, and one that I find so, so actual to the times we are living in.
One of the easiest 5 stars I ever gave.
Thank you to the author for the ARC copy - my opinions are my own and this is a truly honest review.

[Y.N.]

Thank you to Netgalley and Trudie Skies for the eARC

"The chosen one con" is the first book in a gaslamp fantasy duology, using magic as a power for revolution, in many ways. We follow Max and Lyle as their life is upended and reshaped by the powers in place and the impact of manufacturing magic. While Lyle works in the mines, seeking a way to destroy magic, Max has become a sex worker, seeking a way out of his bonds through magic. The first one is sick because of magic, the second is an addict.
Both of them will participate in the television contest searching for the chosen one, something that will put their already complicated friendships to the test. See, both of them were big friends seven years ago, but a strike with big repercussions pushed them apart

I was really curious to read this book, my first from the author. The writing is good, managing to keep a good pace and an ease of reading that was appreciable, considering the length of the book. There is quite a deal of worldbuilding, politically, magically and for the plot to work out as it has to. Everything is shared organically, avoiding heavy indo dumps by using the characters' pov to convey the informations when they are needed.
The characters are well rounded, enough to make them interesting I would say I sometimes had trouble differntiating which one was the POV character at first, and that they don't change as much as I would like to really get deep into their story, but they are compelling and work well for the story. And both have flaws, which the author isn't scared to showcase, which was deeply appreciable.

Quite a few shifts and turns plot wise, romance subplot and godly powers make a good mix here. Be aware that there are quite a few graphic bits, nothing too big but it is there, so if you are squeamish about such things, take care.

Curious to see what the next book will bring!

[Morgan Biscup]

Trudie's characters always have a depth to them, and this book is no exception. Our heroes here are passionate about their causes, with plenty of flaws but also a deep love for and sense of responsibility toward their loved ones. Lyle is a working class miner with a memory of red fire (it burns blue in the city because magic) and life surrounded by nature before the magic pollution stole his childhood home. Max has never known life without magic and has always dreamed of becoming a mage but has instead stepped up as his sister's guardian to earn her the monetary means to pursue her own medical mage dreams. Both find themselves backed against a wall where passing themself off as a Chosen One contender seems the best way out.

There are so many great characters here, and I love that each of our main characters has someone dear to them, Max with his sister and Lyle with Archie, the deaf child he takes under his wing. And of course they have their shared history, which adds both joy and tension to their lives. Fans of The Cruel Gods will also find similar character themes here, including unhealthy coping mechanisms, surprise revelations, powerful antagonists who seem to hold all the cards, and love and friendship that holds true in the worst of situations.

Also, for those who hate cliffhangers as much as I do, somehow Trudie does manage to wrap up the ever-rising climax in the few pages left at the end, with a satisfying resolution that still leaves me waiting for the next book without me wanting to throw this current book across the room. Honestly, I was worried, things got really bad before they started to get better, but Trudie is great. Highly recommended.

[L. L. Wright]

Well that was one heck of a read.

I think this might be by first gas lamp fantasy (or at least my first in a long time, and therefore my first adult gas lamp fantasy) and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The world felt so fully thought out, through all the ways magic would influence society, from technology, to medicine, to entertainment, to class structure.

I found all the pov characters compelling and lovable in their own ways (even if I might have wanted to give them a good shake every now and then). At first, I was a little worried I'd find the dialect in the narration for Lyle's pov distracted, but I quickly got used to it and it felt natural, adding character and helping me always know who the pov character was.

I also loved how effortless the representation felt with gender, sexuality, disability etc. It was all just there, like it is in the real world. But even though it was done casually without a song and dance, it still serves to highlight elements of the world (e.g. the privileges of wealth).

I also wanted to say that I appreciated the nuanced depiction of sex work throughout.

My only teeny-tiny complaint was that I perhaps found the backstory in the prologue a little overwhelming at the time (given the prologue itself was also backstory), but I think if I went back and read it again now, knowing the characters and world, I'd appreciate it more.

Oh, and my other complaint is obviously that I have to wait for the next part! 

I received an advance copy of this book, and am opting to leave my own honest review.

[Seriesbooklover]

I received an eARC for a free and unbiased opinion.
I have to confess, I wanted to read the book because of the title- the Chosen One is such a huge trope in fantasy, so a story about a con involving the chosen was hard to resist. While the story wasn’t quite what I thought it would it be, it still blew away my expectations in a good way. As with all good fantasy and sci-fi, the Chosen One Con reflects our current society-just replace magic for money and Aefenhold could just be another country in our world.
I loved the world building ,from the magical mines mined by poor miners for the benefit of the powerful ( something that resonates as someone who lives in the North-East) to a reality show fuelled by magic where the winner is crowned ‘The Chosen One’. The world of Aefenhold is rich and multilayered and full of colour ( I adored the description of the Bluebell spells and its effects!) with interesting secondary characters.
Lyle and Max ,two childhood sweethearts separated by violence only to meet up in the future on a reality show while pretending to be something they are not. Max’s chapters were well written, and I found it interesting how he defiantly rewrites his addiction and his trauma ( this is a hard read and I would recommend that readers pay attention to author’s website listing content warnings).
The last few chapters reveal a twist that took me by surprise, and I can’t wait to see how this duology concludes.
Content warning
Please see author’s website

[S. Bavey]

The Chosen One Con is the first novel in a new duology by Trudie Skies, and is a story full of themes. In this world driven by magic, where the rich have everything and the poor toil themselves into the ground, there is manipulation via love potions, worker oppression, sex slavery, and exploitation. Among all of this gritty hardship, a love story blooms between two total opposites, flamboyant Max, who longs to become a rich mage and lives for the shows he watches religiously on the MagiVision, and down-to-earth socialist Lyle, who wants nothing to do with magic or the ruling classes. Opposites attract, and the two teenagers form a strong emotional bond, until a riot ends with Max’s father being killed and Lyle sent to the aether mines.
The story continues seven years later with Max believing Lyle to be dead and working as a prostitute named Magnolia to support his transgender sister, who needs food, rent, and hormonal medicine to support her transition.
A televised contest is announced to find the next Archon, “The Chosen One” who will act on the city’s ruling council, replacing the recently deceased Ignatius, a nasty piece of work, whose death is blamed on the Wrens, a group of anti-magic extremists. Lyle, now out of the mines and apprenticed to the mysterious ex-Archon, Warlock, decides to enter the competition to bring down the system from within.
Meanwhile, Max sees winning the contest as a way to escape his boss/slaver, Valerian Thorn, and finally live a free life.
As with Trudie’s other books, the worldbuilding is amazingly detailed and really brings the city to life in all its complexity. The city is powered by magic, and magic pervades everything, even food and drink, and makes addicts of people. The MagiVision shows are also a form of addiction, dumbing down the general populace and helping them to forget their woes. I loved the idea of a brothel named The Greenhouse with all of its workers named after flowers and run by Valerian Thorn, a real thorn amongst the roses.
All of the characters are well-thought-out and believable — even the secondary characters have many layers and detailed backstories, which add depth and richness to the world they inhabit. None of Trudie’s characters are ever fillers; they always have multiple layers and interesting quirks. Max and Lyle were both really great characters, so different from each other. I found myself visualizing Tom Read Wilson as Max, and Sam Heughan’s character Jamie Fraser from Highlander in the role of Lyle.
Everyone in The Chosen One Con is driven by desire. The poor long for money and a way out of their tormented lives; the rich desire perfection and take addictive potions for everything from appearance changes to knowledge of spells.
“The Chosen One” MagiVision show offers betterment for the winning contestant: a place on the ruling council of the city, but no one is aware of just how corrupt the Archon council is and who exactly is behind all of the manipulation. There are many surprising revelations throughout the story, but this one takes the cake!
The Chosen One Con was a really enjoyable novel that I found completely compelling. The layers of society reminded me of The Hunger Games, and it deserves to be made into a movie.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Carrie]

The Chosen One Con is the first book in Trudie Skies' Lost In Aether duology. This is not related to her Cruel Gods trilogy, but if you are a fan of that I think you'll really enjoy this as well. It is a dark book with glimpses of hope.

This is a world where magic provides miracles -- healing and technology are both powered by spells. But it also has an environmental and human cost. It is dangerous to mine and process, and it also destroys nature.

The two main characters are Max and Lyle. They were a couple as teenagers, but they got separated years ago. Max is now a sex worker with a magic drug addiction. Lyle, after years of hard labor, works for a retired mage. One of the big magic users that rule the city, an Archon, dies, and there is to be a reality show to pick the next Archon. With forged credentials and not knowing the other one is even still alive, Max and Lyle enter.

What could have been a fast paced action novel is instead a novel of layers. Max and Lyle are in over their heads to start with, and as the plot gets deeper and more convoluted, they struggle to protect their secrets, their lives, and their loved ones.

I received an ARC from NetGalley.

[Bryan See]

This is more of a high action, on the edge of your seat fantasy with a love story base.

This was my first Trudie Skies book and I am ready for more. In her acknowledgements she mentioned that ‘The Chosen One’ was meant to be a “palette cleanser” but turned into more. I am so glad she wrote this as not just a long form novel, but part of a series. I am ready for the next.

Max and Lyle are so incredibly believable as people. Yes, this is a fantasy, there is magic. But both of these men want safety, love, and acceptance. Skies created extremely detailed characters in a complex world. When I finished late last night, one of my first thoughts was that this could be a James Cameron movie. Skies imagery lit me up that much.

I wasn’t surprised to find myself frustrated by another cliffhanger. I actually though the author would leave the story earlier. I think her timing and choice was spot on.

All opinions are my own.

[Alicia]

I've been looking forward to this book for a while, and I was grateful to be approved for a review copy. It was a fun read, though the gore level was on the high side for my (very squeamish) taste. I think what kept it from being a five-star book for me is the fact that I didn't feel either of the MCs grew/changed all that much over the course of the story. The reader learned about them, and many things happened to them—and they did mature somewhat; I'm not saying there was none of that, but I'd have liked a bit more. That may be inherent in this being a planned duology, but it kept this volume from being entirely satisfying for this reader.

Quibbles aside, I'll be interested to see where the author takes this in volume two.

My thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

[Santiago Martinez Vara]

I really enjoyed the world building and magic system, though things get a bit out of hand by the end. My complains stem from how much I enjoyed most of the book, even Lyle who in my mind talks like Wolverine.

Without spoiling much, most of the book was about class struggles and the end had a bait-and-switch for religious themes instead, closing many threads abruptly and some unsatisfactorily.

Would still recommend and looking forwards to reading next book.

[Douglas Sawyer]

What a great read. A new twist on magic, great characters, good story line and well paced action. Gave a good commentary on political corruption, abuse of power, separation of classes, controlling the population, and the desire for freedom. LGBTQ+ people portrayed as the real people they are. The further I got into the book, the harder it was to put down.

[Lizardley]

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was the book that gave me hope for indie fantasy again after some real stinkers. While the setting is slightly corny at times, Skies takes it seriously enough that I'm willing to go with it. It suffers a little bit from "queer norm world that somehow still has misogyny", but the story was interesting enough that I was willing to go with it. And go with it I did!

Max and Lyle are both incredibly interesting characters. I knew Max was going to be my favorite, and I was right, but Lyle was also excellent. Skies does not commit the cardinal sin of "childhood love interests who have been separated change not at all and easily slide back into their old dynamic". Their struggles to work out what their relationship could be, on top of all the politicking and lying that participating in the contest, was deeply compelling. Each of them were also interesting enough as independent characters that I didn't mind having to wait 100 pages for them to meet! I also want to give a special shout-out to Hope, our third secret surprise protagonist. She does suffer a little bit from female side character in a romance/romantasy novel, but she is genuinely cool and interesting in her own right.

The contest is well done. I don't read that many books with risky trials as a centerpiece anymore, because I was a teenager in the 2010s, but this was a genuinely interesting take on that idea. Skies also does a good job of addressing things that seem like plot holes at first glance, e.g., the identities of the contestants. The book ends satisfactorily and not on an utterly wretched cliffhanger! You can absolutely read this as a standalone, but there are enough hooks for the next book that I am intrigued. I can't wait to read the sequel!