I Am Not Your Chosen One

Not Your Chosen #1

by Evelyn Benvie

Kell Hồ Sinh Porter is twenty-six years old and desperate to leave his unhappy life and his dead-end town.

One night his wish is granted by a mysterious voice—though not in any way he would've imagined—and he finds himself in the semi-magical land of Allune where everyone thinks he’s the “Chosen One.” Kell politely disagrees, and absconds from his duties. On the search for an adventure that doesn’t come with world-saving responsibility attached, he’s joined by companions. Every adventurer needs them, but his turn out to be Ansel, a sheltered fallen angel, and Fre, a half-orlk who wants to be a hero.

Destiny, bad luck, and the gods conspire against him. The Dawn Goddess wants him to take up his Chosen One mantle, which Kell is sure means becoming cannon fodder in an ancient divine war. The Lich King’s demonic minions carry out sporadic attacks in an attempt to kill him and prove he is not the Chosen One. Temperamental elves, talking stars that aren't all that helpful, image-conscious demons, maddening pieces of prophecy that everyone thinks Kell should already know, and his growing feelings for Ansel all mix in a frustrating stew as Kell tries to juggle his feelings, his duties, and all the things trying to kill him. No one asked him if he wanted to be anyone's Chosen One, and he can't begin to understand why he was chosen.

Kell needs to figure out who to trust and how to forge his own path before it's too late for Allune and for him.

Genres: Fantasy, Queer, Magic, M M Romance, LGBT, Romance, Contemporary

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 14, 2022

About the author

Evelyn Benvie is the wooly jumper in a family of black sheep. Both a cynic and a romantic at heart, she writes diverse poetry and queer-positive spec-fiction with strong characters, quirky romances, and (almost always) happy endings.

​Sometimes she'll try to be funny, to varying results.

​Find her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter and Instagram @EvelynBenvie, or learn more at evelynbenvie.com!

Reviews

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3.75 stars

This story is irreverent and fun, with thoughtful moments that creep up on you when you’re not looking. Kell takes being in a fantasy world with marvelous aplomb, torn between viewing it as a dream and taking it as reality. But what he won’t do is take anyone’s shit. Not some goddess who wants him to die for her prophecy, not the Lich King who sends the most pompous demons after him, and not his own cowardice, either. When Kell finds himself pausing, hesitating … he makes himself keep going forward. Cautiously. He never rushes into danger, never risks more than he’s willing to lose, and spends more time thinking than fighting. And the more he gets to know this world and the people in it, the more he gets to know himself. To know when he’s going to say yes, I will make friends with this strange person. And yes, I will allow myself to trust this angel. And yes, I will (reluctantly) eat fish. Or, in Kell’s words: “It’s my life. I deserve to mess it up my way.” Kell knows the tropes, knows the beats of a fantasy story. He knows what heroes are supposed to be like and realizes … yeah, that’s not me. And it’s fun to see him subvert all of the expectations, those of himself and the reader both.

Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.

[Maijie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Am Not Your Chosen One is the first book by Evelyn Benvie that I have read. This book has been a fun, interesting, whimsical, sweet and snarky take on the chosen one trope/narrative.

The world was wonderfully crafted despite being wrought with familiar fantastical creatures like elves, angels and demon. Magic filled the world and the quest to find a magical sword is the one thing that Kell was bent on doing for himself.

The reader get to join Kell and the rest of the cast on their journey of self-discovery as they try to save the world in their own way. Their story play out like in any fantasy story but there's a certain meta going on with the story as Kell who has known these beats and tropes subverts them in his own way.

Kell is quirky, sarcastic, irreverent towards authority figures, lost and utterly insecure being worn down by his parents. He is also braver than he gave himself credit for and despite all the hardships he has experienced and whatever cruelty the world has thrown at him, has remained kind and good deep inside.

The relationship between Ansel and Kell was developed relatively well and didn't feel rushed. The overall writing was good and the pacing flowed just about right with some parts a bit slower than others but nothing really that takes a lot from the story.

This would be 3.75 stars out of stars for me and I do recommend giving this book a try.

I received an ARC of this book and I have chosen to publish my fair and honest review.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Am Not Your Chosen One is a play on the chosen one fantasy with a nontraditional cast. Kell is 26 and living an unhappy deadend life when he makes a wish and lands in the magical land of Allune. There, everyone thinks he is the “Chosen One” and had a messed up way of showing it. He decides to nope out of that destiny and go on his own hero’s journey and gathers some misfits along the way.

I think the book has a protagonist problem as it fails to give us a reason to root for Kell. He comes off really unlikable with his whininess, wishy washiness, blissful ignorance, and inability to listen or take direction. He has no idea what’s going on and what he needs to do. But he refuses to do anything about it, leading to a completely directionless story that meanders along until the reveal in the final quarter of the book where he (and I) finally “got it”.

The author attempts to subvert the “chosen one” trope but at the same time also upholding the classic fantasy journey. It just does not jive. I know there’s a solid story somewhere in here, but I just think it did not come across right during the storytelling. The rest of the characters were delightfully nontraditional, but felt like shallow depictions and lacked the depth for them to truly shine.

I Am Not Your Chosen One is as aimless and meandering as its protagonist.

[aspeccharactersoftheday]

https://www.tumblr.com/aspeccharacter...

[Deith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great start to a new series! Perfect for fans of T. J. Klune and Rainbow Rowell - hits the spot with more YA plots and situations but more adult/NA characters.

Would not recommend if you're heavy into G.R.R. Martin or other super serious and dark/violent fantasy series UNLESS you are looking for something lighter, as this is definitely a more comedic and lighthearted adventure story.

No on page death or sex, VERY minimal on page violence, some minor blood and swearing, but otherwise very accessible to older teens as well as adults.

Plot ★★★★
Characters ★★★★★
Romance ★★★★
Humor ★★★★★
Fight scenes ★★★

[Juniper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully heterogenous take on the narrative of the “chosen one”-- at times snarky, whimsical, sweet, pointed, snarky again, delightfully meta, and did I mention the snark? Kell is the kind of protagonist I can’t get enough of: he’s sarcastic and very, very good at antagonizing authority figures. He’s also braver than he thinks he is and kinder than many others would be, especially given how many sharp edges have done their best to cut away at his sense of self over the course of his life. A biromantic greysexual biracial inhabitant of nowhere, Michigan, he’s used to feeling like an outsider, and when his desire for escape leads to magical consequences, his journey to the mystical Allune is the stuff of fantasy…but warped in numerous ways, some of which are immediately apparent and some he has to piece together as the narrative unfolds. I think one of the things I loved most about his journey is the spectrum of lenses he uses to process his experience: his only viable frames of reference are movies and video games, which leads to some delightfully meta moments like deciding what “level” an antagonist is or kicking empty crates to see what’s in them (nothing, of course). Kell is amazing, and watching him come into his own in an environment that wants so badly to reduce him to a plot device (“the chosen”) is deeply rewarding.The supporting characters are awesome as well: I desperately want to see more of Fre and Nea, as well as, of course, Ansel. Ansel and Kell’s developing relationship is pure gold: they connect beautifully and they’re so careful with each other’s vulnerable spots: there’s so much earnest awkwardness and real feeling that it’s hard not to want them to find an equilibrium that works for them both. Tl;dr: I found this book absolutely amazing, and I can’t recommend it enough.

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[Nicole van Dongen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first read with a Demisexual MC, and I really enjoyed it! This was a very fun first book in a new fantasy series by Evelyn Benvie. I find a lot of high fantasy stories to be very serious, and was very happy that Kell did not take himself or his Destiny too seriously. He has a quirky habit of renaming anyone or anything that is too hard to pronounce, which I totally relate to when reading fantasy. Elven names are hard!
EB did a fantastic job of building a very detailed world, and provides a map for you on her website as well! I think that the relationships built between Kell, Ansel and Fre are very well done. I think it's great foreshadowing with how Kell is dealing with his opponents as well. I'm looking forward to the rest of this series, and enjoyed Fre's bonus story at the end too!

[Evelyn Benvie]

Content warnings:

moderate homophobia / acephobia
minor racism / sexism / xenophobia​ / ableism
minor use of insults and slurs
accidental misgendering
minor instance of non-consensual kissing
emotional abuse / manipulation (past)
heavy discussion of family issues
minor fantasy racism
implied deaths (past)
moderate fantasy violence / blood
implied loss of fingers (past)
explosions
moderate instance of strangulation
moderate suicidal ideation
​minor mentions of depression & anxiety
mention of alcohol / drinking
minor non-explicit sexual innuendo

[Janet Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Am Not Your Chosen One was a fantastic fantasy story with a quirky, snarky character that we follow along with. I loved Kell and Ansel! The world building was fantastically built. The characters are fantastic. I loved how Kell and Ansel’s relationship just slowly developed, wasn’t rushed. I loved the chapters; each was named, and they fit the story. Kell cracked me up several times with how he changed the names to the Elves when he couldn’t pronounce their names. I cannot wait for the next book in the story!! Overall, fantastic!! Well written with fantastic pacing that just flowed.

[ReadToFilth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly just did not like this book. It felt trope-ish and played out. I didn't even find it amusing in the way it intended. It has a very obvious style, that I normally like but this just missed the mark for me.

That said I'm an adult and not the target audience. I read this type of book to start conversations with my kids and this talk of grey-sexual is really cool. I just don't want to deal with having to possibly re-read this book in the time it takes the kids to get through it so we can discuss.

[Vintage · Rating 5 out of 5]

original

Really enjoyed that start if this series. It’s way of twisting familiar tropes was pretty clever. Really enjoyed this one.

[Ida Umphers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something about Kell wanting to get out of his dead end town in the northern US and find a more exciting life kind of gave me Bob Dylan vibes. Those continued when he got his wish and was whisked away to a completely "other" world where people kept trying to pin all their hopes and expectations on to him and he kept bobbing and weaving trying to explore this world and be his own person, whoever that turned out to be. As always, however, there is evil to fight and Kell, Ansel, Fre and others eventually embrace their heroic sides but fortunately, never their individuality. These are great characters and the world building is fantastic. Wit, a great relationship that develops organically and without being forced between Kell and Ansel and a story that keeps you guessing.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Found family in the end is what i love about this. The ending redeemed this one for me if it was not for the last 100 pages i would have seriously been disappointed about this one
I am expecting I would love the second one more

[EmmaLee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had the character of whimsy that I usually love, and the initial buildup was AWESOME. It was such a fun premise with all of the cliches and classic tropes turned on their head. However, instead of continuing to hint at this with a tasteful cynacism, it beat it over the head continually throughout the story. At some point, I felt that a lot of the execution was redundant, confusing, and generally not as satisfying as I was hoping it would continue to be. Overall, it was a beautiful and fun world with incredible characters leading us through it, but it just fizzled out instead of ramping up.

[Eugenio · Rating 2 out of 5]

As of late I find myself quite disappointed with my reading choices. The premise of this book was good but the plot got weaker and weaker as things went on. It was also extremely slow paced. Also every character in this book is actually a member of a murdering, immoral religious sect. Draw your own conclusions. Half way through the story really gets trippy. It felt like i was on something because nothing made sense any longer. It’s like we are in some kind of confusing dream and not even to author really knows where all of this is going.

[Willis Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start to a fresh and fun fantasy adventure! Very lighthearted, laugh out loud funny at times. Characters are quirky, diverse, and full of spunk - they're all a little broken, but in loveable ways. Everyone's a mess and it's great. Highly recommend!!!

The MC is a grey-ace man, something that's not commonly represented in media, which I loved to see. The relationship development was very slow and sweet, and while not the main focus, definitely worth it!!

[Caetlyn Dawdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. It could have used more polishing, but it does have great prose, a relatable protagonist, and entertaining humor. I enjoyed reading about the characters’ interactions and dynamics, and the story, characters, and dialogue are realistic. The worldbuilding is also interesting, and the story as a whole has quite a few extra interesting parts. Overall, this was a well-written book.

[T.A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

The characters are different, especially the main character Kell, I actually liked that Kell didn’t want to be a hero, he just wanted to do his own thing.

Though I could have done without the “footnotes” link thingy, I hit it a few times and almost lost my reading spot.

[Emily]

I ended up giving up on this book at page 120. I just wasn't vibing with the main character. Sometimes I find overly quippy characters fun, other times I find them extremely annoying. Unfortunately for this book, my feelings were the latter. Might try again later.

[Julia Pika · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at page 200–The writing style and the slow pacing was getting to me and I couldn’t stand it anymore.

I’m also curious if this was based off of a fanfic or not because the two leads reminded me of Dean/Castiel.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters were so interesting and likeable, but the pacing was hard for me. 3.25/5 stars

[Sof · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.85

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rep: mlm, biromantic graysexual biracial (Vietnamese/white) m mc (explicit on page), Achillean mc, genderless/non-binary scs (the elves are a genderless society), sapphic sc

CW: mentions of cheating (not mcs), mentions of racism, discrimination, fire, minor violence