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Anna Strong's primitive vampire instincts are getting harder to control. And a new enemy wants to take advantage of that fact, for Anna has been chosen to shape the destiny of all vampires-and all humans.
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 29, 2010
17 people are currently reading
1123 people want to read
About the author
Jeanne C. Stein
49 books549 followersJeanne C. Stein is an American Urban Fantasy author living in Colorado. She now lives in Colorado, but was raised and educated in San Diego, which is the setting for her contemporary vampire fantasy.
Jeanne is active in the writing community, belonging to Sisters in Crime both nationally and in San Diego and Los Angeles. She also belongs to Horror Writers of America, RWA and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. She was named RMFW’s Writer of the Year for 2008 an honor given to a writer who has contributed to the organization as well as achieved success in publication.
She writes the blog "Biting Edge" with Mario Acevedo at :
http://www.biting-edge.blogspot.com/
Jeanne is active in the writing community, belonging to Sisters in Crime both nationally and in San Diego and Los Angeles. She also belongs to Horror Writers of America, RWA and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. She was named RMFW’s Writer of the Year for 2008 an honor given to a writer who has contributed to the organization as well as achieved success in publication.
She writes the blog "Biting Edge" with Mario Acevedo at :
http://www.biting-edge.blogspot.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
September 1, 2010
I read the first ANNA STRONG novel, The Becoming, some time ago and didn’t like it. Because of this, I haven’t kept up with the series. When I received a review copy of Chosen, however, I was curious. Now that I’ve read it, I will say that Chosen is superior to The Becoming, but that this series will probably never be one of my favorites.
Anna Strong is approaching the first anniversary of her transformation into a vampire. Rumor says she’s the Chosen One, and according to legend, the Chosen One’s powers will fully manifest on that anniversary. Needless to say, Anna is a little freaked out when she does start developing new traits, such as an ability to sniff out “evil” followed by the overwhelming urge to kill the person she has identified as evil. Then an attempt is made on her life, which doesn’t do much to assuage her worries.
She dispatches the assassin, though, and then has sex with her boyfriend Lance at the scene of the fight. Lance is a fellow vampire who is also a male model and the scion of an old, wealthy family. Anna is smitten with him, and in the early chapters of Chosen, they have sex... a lot. The sex may pose a problem to some readers, not because it’s there but because of the way it’s handled. The frequency of the sex scenes is consistent with an erotic novel, but the style of these scenes is not. There’s very little description of the buildup of tension, of foreplay, or even of the act itself; the scenes are brief and sort of come out of nowhere. So, readers who aren’t looking for an erotic novel may get sick of the sex interrupting the plot, while readers who are looking for an erotic novel will probably find these scenes lacking in sensuality. Indeed, there’s much more sexual tension between Anna and an ex-boyfriend who is only a platonic pal in this installment.
Things pick up when Lance is compelled to introduce Anna to his sinister sire, Julian Underwood. Underwood has teamed up with an old enemy of Anna’s, Warren Williams, to try and force her into accepting her role as the Chosen One. This leads into a suspenseful plot filled with action and backstabbing. There are a few glitches here, particularly one scene in which Anna really should have caught on to someone acting suspiciously and didn’t, but for the most part the plot works. I enjoyed the poignant scene where Anna has to kill someone she once cared about, and her flash of insight about why she in particular would make a good leader of vampires.
So, in the end Chosen held my attention and had some high points, but my experience was marred by the rocky early chapters in which there’s simply too much sex, too often. The series has improved but still doesn’t really stand out in the overcrowded vampire field.
Review originally published at Fantasy Literature.
Anna Strong is approaching the first anniversary of her transformation into a vampire. Rumor says she’s the Chosen One, and according to legend, the Chosen One’s powers will fully manifest on that anniversary. Needless to say, Anna is a little freaked out when she does start developing new traits, such as an ability to sniff out “evil” followed by the overwhelming urge to kill the person she has identified as evil. Then an attempt is made on her life, which doesn’t do much to assuage her worries.
She dispatches the assassin, though, and then has sex with her boyfriend Lance at the scene of the fight. Lance is a fellow vampire who is also a male model and the scion of an old, wealthy family. Anna is smitten with him, and in the early chapters of Chosen, they have sex... a lot. The sex may pose a problem to some readers, not because it’s there but because of the way it’s handled. The frequency of the sex scenes is consistent with an erotic novel, but the style of these scenes is not. There’s very little description of the buildup of tension, of foreplay, or even of the act itself; the scenes are brief and sort of come out of nowhere. So, readers who aren’t looking for an erotic novel may get sick of the sex interrupting the plot, while readers who are looking for an erotic novel will probably find these scenes lacking in sensuality. Indeed, there’s much more sexual tension between Anna and an ex-boyfriend who is only a platonic pal in this installment.
Things pick up when Lance is compelled to introduce Anna to his sinister sire, Julian Underwood. Underwood has teamed up with an old enemy of Anna’s, Warren Williams, to try and force her into accepting her role as the Chosen One. This leads into a suspenseful plot filled with action and backstabbing. There are a few glitches here, particularly one scene in which Anna really should have caught on to someone acting suspiciously and didn’t, but for the most part the plot works. I enjoyed the poignant scene where Anna has to kill someone she once cared about, and her flash of insight about why she in particular would make a good leader of vampires.
So, in the end Chosen held my attention and had some high points, but my experience was marred by the rocky early chapters in which there’s simply too much sex, too often. The series has improved but still doesn’t really stand out in the overcrowded vampire field.
Review originally published at Fantasy Literature.
November 13, 2010
Anna Strong is better than you at everything. She's fabulously wealthy, she can speak telepathically, she has a gorgeous supermodel billionaire boyfriend with whom she has sex four or five times a day (and the sex is better than your sex.) And if that's not enough, she's a super-powerful (yet young) vampire in a world where vampirism has almost no drawbacks. She drinks blood when she feels like it, she can go anywhere uninvited, and not only does she not get burned with the sun, but she's out there in the Mojave desert with the top down like a mad dog or an Englishman.
Normally, if I don't like a book in the first fifty pages, I just give up, but I was riding high of the fiction-lust from the last book I finished and I felt as if I were in love with the written word. Also, this series has several copies in it, and seems to be quite popular, so I wanted to see what it had that appealed to people.
Maybe if I had been with her for the first few books, I would have ridden along with her on her rise to super stardom, but as it was, I just found Anna Strong annoying. She likes fucking, fighting, and drinking, in that order, which made her feel like a walking truck flap, an oversexed man's stereotype of the perfect woman. Some times, in actions or turns of phrase, she seemed like a copy of Anita Blake (from Laurel Hamilton's series) except that while Anita has enough baggage to keep a full-time staff of therapists busy, Anna just seems simple.
The writing is curt and spare, sometimes taken to extremes. Here's an example.
"I start up the stairs, calling to Adele.
There's no answer.
Then I hear it.
A moan.
It stops me.
I grow still.
Listen.
It comes again. So soft, so low, it takes all my concentration to get a bearing on the sound..."
It didn't bother me as much as some authorial quirks, but it took me a while to stop noticing the one-word sentences and one-sentence paragraphs.
I disliked the world building. I don't like that her vampires are basically oversexed superheros with virtually no disadvantages. I thought it implausible that her were-panthers needed special glasses to drive with because they were...colorblind? Whatever. When it turns out that Anna is super special because she can walk through fire and not combust (though why the person she's saving doesn't also combust made me scratch my head), she can "sense evil" (which was just silly), and apparently she has other "powers" which people around her sense. So they think she's the Chosen One--yes, capitalized like that--a ridiculous trope mitigated slightly by the fact that Anna also found it ridiculous.
Anna has a few male friends who I couldn't keep straight, despite the fact that some of them were super-powered. Okay, all of them were superpowered, except for the token human man and the three women in the book. Most of them can speak telepathically and read minds, one can read texts that no one else can read (because he's a "Keeper"), vampires can read stuff that other people can't read, and of course they can all smell people and sense people and whatnot. It was page 186 before I had the first inkling that Anna might have something approaching a relationship issue, and it only lasted a couple of pages before she went back into cardboard territory.
It turns out that Anna's coming was prophesied, and she's the Chosen One who is destined to rule over all vampires all over the world, I scoffed and said out loud "oh COME ON!" but I did keep reading. Anna was forced to kill her boyfriend (an act surprisingly devoid of tension or conflict), and then she took over the world. All her friends think she's perfect for the role, because she's the Chosen One, and besides, she has "a good heart". I shudder at the thought of someone like her taking control of even a girl scout troop, much less the entire world, but all of the other vampires felt like bland unimportant extras, so maybe they deserve their leader.
I did keep reading to the end. That is what kept this book from being a one star book. Because while the cardboard characters have nothing going for them, the worldbuilding is silly and the plot is trite, the action keeps going. Anna careens from one adventure to the next with hardly a breath. If you're the kind of reader who doesn't look critically at novels, who just wants rich pretty people having sex and fighting, this might be your book. I think men who think they don't like urban fantasy might like this book, because there's nothing girly about it and it felt like an action movie.
Normally, if I don't like a book in the first fifty pages, I just give up, but I was riding high of the fiction-lust from the last book I finished and I felt as if I were in love with the written word. Also, this series has several copies in it, and seems to be quite popular, so I wanted to see what it had that appealed to people.
Maybe if I had been with her for the first few books, I would have ridden along with her on her rise to super stardom, but as it was, I just found Anna Strong annoying. She likes fucking, fighting, and drinking, in that order, which made her feel like a walking truck flap, an oversexed man's stereotype of the perfect woman. Some times, in actions or turns of phrase, she seemed like a copy of Anita Blake (from Laurel Hamilton's series) except that while Anita has enough baggage to keep a full-time staff of therapists busy, Anna just seems simple.
The writing is curt and spare, sometimes taken to extremes. Here's an example.
"I start up the stairs, calling to Adele.
There's no answer.
Then I hear it.
A moan.
It stops me.
I grow still.
Listen.
It comes again. So soft, so low, it takes all my concentration to get a bearing on the sound..."
It didn't bother me as much as some authorial quirks, but it took me a while to stop noticing the one-word sentences and one-sentence paragraphs.
I disliked the world building. I don't like that her vampires are basically oversexed superheros with virtually no disadvantages. I thought it implausible that her were-panthers needed special glasses to drive with because they were...colorblind? Whatever. When it turns out that Anna is super special because she can walk through fire and not combust (though why the person she's saving doesn't also combust made me scratch my head), she can "sense evil" (which was just silly), and apparently she has other "powers" which people around her sense. So they think she's the Chosen One--yes, capitalized like that--a ridiculous trope mitigated slightly by the fact that Anna also found it ridiculous.
Anna has a few male friends who I couldn't keep straight, despite the fact that some of them were super-powered. Okay, all of them were superpowered, except for the token human man and the three women in the book. Most of them can speak telepathically and read minds, one can read texts that no one else can read (because he's a "Keeper"), vampires can read stuff that other people can't read, and of course they can all smell people and sense people and whatnot. It was page 186 before I had the first inkling that Anna might have something approaching a relationship issue, and it only lasted a couple of pages before she went back into cardboard territory.
It turns out that Anna's coming was prophesied, and she's the Chosen One who is destined to rule over all vampires all over the world, I scoffed and said out loud "oh COME ON!" but I did keep reading. Anna was forced to kill her boyfriend (an act surprisingly devoid of tension or conflict), and then she took over the world. All her friends think she's perfect for the role, because she's the Chosen One, and besides, she has "a good heart". I shudder at the thought of someone like her taking control of even a girl scout troop, much less the entire world, but all of the other vampires felt like bland unimportant extras, so maybe they deserve their leader.
I did keep reading to the end. That is what kept this book from being a one star book. Because while the cardboard characters have nothing going for them, the worldbuilding is silly and the plot is trite, the action keeps going. Anna careens from one adventure to the next with hardly a breath. If you're the kind of reader who doesn't look critically at novels, who just wants rich pretty people having sex and fighting, this might be your book. I think men who think they don't like urban fantasy might like this book, because there's nothing girly about it and it felt like an action movie.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2011
You know I really like this series but it was really starting to annoy me the way that anna refuses to hear anything about becoming the chosen. its like talking to a wall. i want to freaking know what being the chosen means, goddamn it. It's being drawn out way too long. i feel as if any normal person would want to know what the hell kind of mess they're going to be in, instead of walking around oblivious. She says she feels out of control of her life. well find out what you need to find out and you can take control. i mean seriously, if you were told you had a serious form of cancer (random example) would you tell the doctor "stop, i dont want to hear anymore. i dont want to have cancer so im going to ignore it." ? no you wouldnt...
other than that, i really loved this book. things got crazy and there were a few moments where i was like "whoa there, what?" but it was a great read if your following along with the series.
other than that, i really loved this book. things got crazy and there were a few moments where i was like "whoa there, what?" but it was a great read if your following along with the series.
December 9, 2010
Chosen, the 6th book in the Anna Strong Chronicles, is my favorite of the series to date. The book was like a ride I didn't want to get off of and whined when it was over ... Again, Again!
I encourage you to read this series. It's full of action and hot men - vamps and shifters. Anna is just what you'd expect from a late-20s teacher-turned bounty hunter-turned vamp. Strong willed, determined, with kick ass skills and a snarky sense of humor who tends to act before she thinks. Throughout the series we've seen Anna grow into a force to be reckoned with, coming to grips with the fact that her life will never be same, while struggling to maintain her humanity.
Slight spoilers below if you haven't read the previous books in the series
A year ago, Anna was out on a job with her bounty hunter partner, David when their "easy catch" turned out to be a vampire. Anna was attacked, but survived and has been able to keep her non-human nature from David. She's also determined to hang onto her humanity.
Along the way, we've met some wonderfully complex and interesting characters in Anna's life. Culebra, the shape-shifter who owns and operates a bar in Beso de la Muerte, Mexico where vampires can safely dine. Williams, a vampire who successfully integrated with humans as the SD Police Chief. And, Daniel Frey, a jaguar shifter, school teacher and close friend. All of these men make a return appearance in CHOSEN and I was thrilled. I love Frey and we learn a bit more about him in this book.
Throughout the past year, Anna has several "relationships" with men, but none as powerful as the one she has with Lance, who's 75 years into his second life. The relationship between the two of them is tender, protective, nurturing and at times, makes her feel human again. Anna learns more and more about Lance and finds herself thoroughly enjoying what he brings to her life. "{She's} always been the aggressor in relationships. {She's} surprised how nice it feels to let someone else take the lead." Unfortunately, for Anna, things are exactly as they seem.
Since her first meeting with a vampire who could answer some of her questions, she's been told she's "the one". Throughout the series, we see Anna throw off those comments, determined to be the one ... who makes her own destiny. But, it seems, no matter how hard she tries to resist, things are about to change and in a big, big way. She's The Chosen or is it all just superstitious nonsense?
I started this series with book 1, The Becoming, in 2006 and over the years, it's remained one of my favorite UFs. This book is, IMO, the best of them all! I canNOT wait for the next book in the series!
I encourage you to read this series. It's full of action and hot men - vamps and shifters. Anna is just what you'd expect from a late-20s teacher-turned bounty hunter-turned vamp. Strong willed, determined, with kick ass skills and a snarky sense of humor who tends to act before she thinks. Throughout the series we've seen Anna grow into a force to be reckoned with, coming to grips with the fact that her life will never be same, while struggling to maintain her humanity.
Slight spoilers below if you haven't read the previous books in the series
A year ago, Anna was out on a job with her bounty hunter partner, David when their "easy catch" turned out to be a vampire. Anna was attacked, but survived and has been able to keep her non-human nature from David. She's also determined to hang onto her humanity.
Along the way, we've met some wonderfully complex and interesting characters in Anna's life. Culebra, the shape-shifter who owns and operates a bar in Beso de la Muerte, Mexico where vampires can safely dine. Williams, a vampire who successfully integrated with humans as the SD Police Chief. And, Daniel Frey, a jaguar shifter, school teacher and close friend. All of these men make a return appearance in CHOSEN and I was thrilled. I love Frey and we learn a bit more about him in this book.
Throughout the past year, Anna has several "relationships" with men, but none as powerful as the one she has with Lance, who's 75 years into his second life. The relationship between the two of them is tender, protective, nurturing and at times, makes her feel human again. Anna learns more and more about Lance and finds herself thoroughly enjoying what he brings to her life. "{She's} always been the aggressor in relationships. {She's} surprised how nice it feels to let someone else take the lead." Unfortunately, for Anna, things are exactly as they seem.
Since her first meeting with a vampire who could answer some of her questions, she's been told she's "the one". Throughout the series, we see Anna throw off those comments, determined to be the one ... who makes her own destiny. But, it seems, no matter how hard she tries to resist, things are about to change and in a big, big way. She's The Chosen or is it all just superstitious nonsense?
I started this series with book 1, The Becoming, in 2006 and over the years, it's remained one of my favorite UFs. This book is, IMO, the best of them all! I canNOT wait for the next book in the series!
September 14, 2010
This book caught me completely off guard. Anna's relationship with Lance was really stepped up a major notch. While she never admits it, she is head over heels in love with him, something she never has been with anyone before. I really never saw her truly loving someone because she has such major trust issues. However, for at least a little while she let herself trust him just a little, which put her at a major risk. I do like this vulnerability, as she normally comes off as a closed off unfeeling person. Sometimes strength can be taken too far, so this "softer" side was really nice to see.
Her past experiences are to blame for her trust issues, and unfortunately she is right to not trust most of the people in her life. It seems everyone wants to use her since she is the chosen one. Throughout the book she is still in denial about the prophecy and her need to step up and take control of her duties. I imagine it is was hard enough to handle being changed unwillingly into a vampire, but at some point she just has to give in and accept who and what she is.
I find it very frustrating that she hasn't told David what she is. I love their working relationship, and it is really suffering because she constantly has to hide things from him and is always disappearing. I really think he could handle the truth, and would go a long way towards fixing their friendship. Considering he always seems to be the one everyone targets to hurt her, she really needs to tell him the truth.
Although my review may seem more frustrated than anything, I really did enjoy the book. So much happened in this book that I loved, but I can't talk about without completely spoiling it. So many questions were answered that have been building throughout the series. The twists in this book and the fallout from those events should make the next book really interesting. It definitely lived up to its predecessors, and I can't wait for the next book.
Her past experiences are to blame for her trust issues, and unfortunately she is right to not trust most of the people in her life. It seems everyone wants to use her since she is the chosen one. Throughout the book she is still in denial about the prophecy and her need to step up and take control of her duties. I imagine it is was hard enough to handle being changed unwillingly into a vampire, but at some point she just has to give in and accept who and what she is.
I find it very frustrating that she hasn't told David what she is. I love their working relationship, and it is really suffering because she constantly has to hide things from him and is always disappearing. I really think he could handle the truth, and would go a long way towards fixing their friendship. Considering he always seems to be the one everyone targets to hurt her, she really needs to tell him the truth.
Although my review may seem more frustrated than anything, I really did enjoy the book. So much happened in this book that I loved, but I can't talk about without completely spoiling it. So many questions were answered that have been building throughout the series. The twists in this book and the fallout from those events should make the next book really interesting. It definitely lived up to its predecessors, and I can't wait for the next book.
August 10, 2015
Anna has been a vampire for nearly a year. She still doesn't want to be one but knows there is no going back. She clings to her humanity as hard as she can, despite having some good friends who are shapeshifters, Culebra and Daniel Frey.
Anna has a new power, detecting pure evil, and is having trouble when she comes across anything really evil. Whether human or other, makes no difference, so is grateful when Lance offers to take her to his mountain getaway for a break. Unfortunately, Underwood, Lance's sire is there and he is evil personified. He is also friends with Warren Williams, Anna's old friend, now frenemy, and this turns out to be a really bad thing.
Ever since she was turned she has been told she is special, the Chosen One. She ignores all such comments, hoping for it all to just go away. Anna has no clue what the Chosen One is, let alone what it does. Daniel, being a Keeper of the Supernatural Knowledge, researches & makes her listen, right before the anniversary of her becoming. Just in time for the ceremony.
I never liked Lance as he just seemed too weak for Anna. And I'm not sure I believe in the villainess Judith Williams as she's too new and goes from not knowing how to feed, to orchestrating vamp politics in a matter of days.
However, I do like this series and am intrigued as to where it is going.
Anna has a new power, detecting pure evil, and is having trouble when she comes across anything really evil. Whether human or other, makes no difference, so is grateful when Lance offers to take her to his mountain getaway for a break. Unfortunately, Underwood, Lance's sire is there and he is evil personified. He is also friends with Warren Williams, Anna's old friend, now frenemy, and this turns out to be a really bad thing.
Ever since she was turned she has been told she is special, the Chosen One. She ignores all such comments, hoping for it all to just go away. Anna has no clue what the Chosen One is, let alone what it does. Daniel, being a Keeper of the Supernatural Knowledge, researches & makes her listen, right before the anniversary of her becoming. Just in time for the ceremony.
I never liked Lance as he just seemed too weak for Anna. And I'm not sure I believe in the villainess Judith Williams as she's too new and goes from not knowing how to feed, to orchestrating vamp politics in a matter of days.
However, I do like this series and am intrigued as to where it is going.
August 31, 2010
I am so torn on this. There is a reason why all of my reviews look like I love everything. I just do not like giving negative reviews at all. Anything less than 5 feels negative to me. I will refrain from giving a synopsis of the book since that can be obtained from Amazon. I will say it is a fast read and I finished it in one day. I was eager to see what happened next in the Anna Strong story. There was a very strong start and the pace was pretty fast. But, midway through the book it felt like someone else picked up the story. It felt rushed. What should have been a very sad moment towards the end did not feel that way because everything felt rushed and as if I was missing part of the story. I am not sure what happened and I do not recall the previous books feeling like this. I am still interested in the story, just a little confused.
December 6, 2011
Once again I find it hard to like Anna because she never does what she is supposed to do, she always makes bad decisions, and always refuses to learn. I also thought the deaths in the book (can't say who or it'd spoil it) came too quickly. I kept expecting them to pop back up somehow and was disappointed it all blew over so quickly. There's almost no reason to get attached to any characters in this series because they don't last long, or end up disappointing you with their actions. I am also disappointed that all the men end up being so weak willed - Lance, David, etc - she always ends up rescuing them. I don't think you have to have weak men in order to have a strong female lead.
September 8, 2011
I was completely disappointed with this book and probably will NOT be reading any further into the series. The action sections of the stories are some of the biggest let downs that I have ever read. It is like the author gave up or just lost the creative mojo. There is a build up that falls flat. I also feel like the author is pretty much done because she keeps taking away beloved characters. I so would NOT recommend this book to another.
April 11, 2018
I might be done with Anna. Angry stupidity is not good reading.
January 22, 2019
There are some huge gaps in logic that are forced to make the plot of this book sort of work but it was still an ok read
October 20, 2021
I love urban fantasy and have read a lot of it over the years. It isn't as popular as it used to be but thankfully there is a great deal of it out there that I have not gotten around to yet. The Stein series about the vampire Anna Strong is one of them. I read a few a while back and remembered there were more. I relocated them and just finished book 5 and 6. They are a lot of fun. I like Anna and her bad daylight vamp self. No creeping around in the dark unless she feels like it. :) There are villains, victims, lovers, and allies. Her story unfolds book by book as she comes into her strength, and I have enjoyed all of them so far. Go Anna. :)
February 26, 2018
A good addition to the series, well written, excellent addition to the story arch.
March 19, 2018
This was a good book!
Thank You Very much Ms. Stein
Ken
Thank You Very much Ms. Stein
Ken
May 8, 2020
Audiobook
July 28, 2024
Read this series. You won't be sad.
October 13, 2024
In the sixth Anna Strong novel Stein ratchets up the action as Anna learns more about herself & her powers. Another great read.
January 7, 2012
Sixth in the Anna Strong urban fantasy series about a newly-made vampire battling to retain her humanity.
My Take
Poor Anna. She just can't catch a break with boyfriends. Betrayals and snarkiness just seem to go hand-in-hand.
This particular installment is full of introspection and discoveries for Anna as she works some issues out for herself while other problems are dissected by her true friends. The final aha moment is when Anna must choose how to answer petitions laid before the Chosen One. Her answers are so wise, you just know she's channeling somebody!
A very interesting chapter in Anna's life; I do wish I had read this one before I read Crossroads as it colored too much of my own expectations.
The Story
It's the raid on the biker bar that clues Anna in to a new power she may have acquired. A power that spikes again when she meets Lance's sire, Julian Underwood, after they've buried Anna's attacker.
Anna's feelings about Underwood aren't helped when she finds Lance horribly beaten and she vows to Lance that she will help protect him. A vow that doesn't seem to have sunk into Lance. Especially since Anna doesn't tell him of the bargain she makes with Underwood and Williams to accept their aid in her role as the Chosen. An alliance that goes awry when Williams turns up as a pile of ashes with Judith Williams on her doorstep demanding aid.
Seems Williams really got off on the whole power trip. Turning his wife but not teaching her what she needs to know to fend for herself. Even worse, Judith's arrogant personality has come along for the ride throwing everything off balance. Death and destruction at Culebra's bar, David's kidnapping, home invasions all mixed in with Anna's own kidnapping. She is to be an offering to a god and goddess who have been waiting 500 years.
Then there are the vampire tribes who all have a stake in the Chosen One's pronouncements, the direction vampires will follow for the next 200 years. Naturally, not everyone wants such a young, inexperienced vampire in charge of them all but it is during this challenge that Anna realizes the truth as to why she was Chosen.
The Characters
Anna Strong was turned almost a year ago and, man oh man, it has been a busy, full-of-learning kind of year. David is her partner in their bounty hunter business and he's pretty ticked at Anna. He's also a former pro football player. Tracy Banker is their new partner and no dummy. Culebra is a friend who runs Beso de la Muerte, a blood bar down in Mexico. Daniel Frey is another friend and former lover, a shapeshifting panther, who finds out the nitty-gritty about becoming the Chosen. His current girlfriend Layla does not love Anna.
Lance Turner, a.k.a., Broderick "Rick" Phillipe DeFontaine is Anna's current boyfriend. A vampire, a model, and a scion of the DeFontaine diamond family, Lance has it all. Seemingly. Too bad the boy ain't got a backbone. Adele is his housekeeper in one of his California houses; from a line of old family retainers.
Warren Williams is the former police chief of San Diego and a 200-year-old vampire who sees Anna as his chance for greater power. Judith Williams is the snotty other half whom Warren turned vamp but hasn't given her the instruction manual. Right along with Julian Underwood, Lance's sire and a sorcerer with his own set of plans. Detective Harris is with homicide and has his own set of suspicions about Anna.
The vampire tribes represent geographic areas: Joshua Turnbull of North America; Miguel in South America; Rani is in charge of Central America which includes Mexico and the West Indies; Brianna rules Australia and Oceania; Northern Africa; Central and South Africa; the Near East; Amardad of the Middle East; Central Asia; Indonesia and the Philippines; Cheng-Li of China; Japan and Korea; and Chael from Russia.
Alexi, Dhakwan, Dato, Naruaki, Melisizwe, and Bayani are other tribal heads; I can't figure out where they belong.
The Cover
The cover has a rather otherworldly feel with that huge full moon and the pink-blue-green mists floating in and around a jean-clad Anna in her workaday tank and leather batwing vest. That humongous stake in her hand must relate to the fight of her life.
That's Anna. And no matter how she tries to wriggle her way out of it, she is definitely the Chosen.
My Take
Poor Anna. She just can't catch a break with boyfriends. Betrayals and snarkiness just seem to go hand-in-hand.
This particular installment is full of introspection and discoveries for Anna as she works some issues out for herself while other problems are dissected by her true friends. The final aha moment is when Anna must choose how to answer petitions laid before the Chosen One. Her answers are so wise, you just know she's channeling somebody!
A very interesting chapter in Anna's life; I do wish I had read this one before I read Crossroads as it colored too much of my own expectations.
The Story
It's the raid on the biker bar that clues Anna in to a new power she may have acquired. A power that spikes again when she meets Lance's sire, Julian Underwood, after they've buried Anna's attacker.
Anna's feelings about Underwood aren't helped when she finds Lance horribly beaten and she vows to Lance that she will help protect him. A vow that doesn't seem to have sunk into Lance. Especially since Anna doesn't tell him of the bargain she makes with Underwood and Williams to accept their aid in her role as the Chosen. An alliance that goes awry when Williams turns up as a pile of ashes with Judith Williams on her doorstep demanding aid.
Seems Williams really got off on the whole power trip. Turning his wife but not teaching her what she needs to know to fend for herself. Even worse, Judith's arrogant personality has come along for the ride throwing everything off balance. Death and destruction at Culebra's bar, David's kidnapping, home invasions all mixed in with Anna's own kidnapping. She is to be an offering to a god and goddess who have been waiting 500 years.
Then there are the vampire tribes who all have a stake in the Chosen One's pronouncements, the direction vampires will follow for the next 200 years. Naturally, not everyone wants such a young, inexperienced vampire in charge of them all but it is during this challenge that Anna realizes the truth as to why she was Chosen.
The Characters
Anna Strong was turned almost a year ago and, man oh man, it has been a busy, full-of-learning kind of year. David is her partner in their bounty hunter business and he's pretty ticked at Anna. He's also a former pro football player. Tracy Banker is their new partner and no dummy. Culebra is a friend who runs Beso de la Muerte, a blood bar down in Mexico. Daniel Frey is another friend and former lover, a shapeshifting panther, who finds out the nitty-gritty about becoming the Chosen. His current girlfriend Layla does not love Anna.
Lance Turner, a.k.a., Broderick "Rick" Phillipe DeFontaine is Anna's current boyfriend. A vampire, a model, and a scion of the DeFontaine diamond family, Lance has it all. Seemingly. Too bad the boy ain't got a backbone. Adele is his housekeeper in one of his California houses; from a line of old family retainers.
Warren Williams is the former police chief of San Diego and a 200-year-old vampire who sees Anna as his chance for greater power. Judith Williams is the snotty other half whom Warren turned vamp but hasn't given her the instruction manual. Right along with Julian Underwood, Lance's sire and a sorcerer with his own set of plans. Detective Harris is with homicide and has his own set of suspicions about Anna.
The vampire tribes represent geographic areas: Joshua Turnbull of North America; Miguel in South America; Rani is in charge of Central America which includes Mexico and the West Indies; Brianna rules Australia and Oceania; Northern Africa; Central and South Africa; the Near East; Amardad of the Middle East; Central Asia; Indonesia and the Philippines; Cheng-Li of China; Japan and Korea; and Chael from Russia.
Alexi, Dhakwan, Dato, Naruaki, Melisizwe, and Bayani are other tribal heads; I can't figure out where they belong.
The Cover
The cover has a rather otherworldly feel with that huge full moon and the pink-blue-green mists floating in and around a jean-clad Anna in her workaday tank and leather batwing vest. That humongous stake in her hand must relate to the fight of her life.
That's Anna. And no matter how she tries to wriggle her way out of it, she is definitely the Chosen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2020
I didn't like this book, I found the vocabulary OTT & oddly formal, the characters & storyline ridiculous & illogical.
I've only read book two 'Blood Drive' of this series previously. I've read other similar series out of order, & felt that every novel is an adventure & it didn’t impact greatly which you experienced when. But I think you definitely have to read this series in sequence, because the storyline has changed Sooo much, & previous novel spoilers are mentioned thru out this one.
Spoilers WTF?:
An international male model? Really?!
Look who it is before you just open a door esp when people are known to be after you!
Why not burn a desiccated mummy, instead of dragging it miles & trying to bury it in the desert?
Too many ridiculous excuses to get naked.
Why would you betray someone you believe is going to be ‘The One’?
I've only read book two 'Blood Drive' of this series previously. I've read other similar series out of order, & felt that every novel is an adventure & it didn’t impact greatly which you experienced when. But I think you definitely have to read this series in sequence, because the storyline has changed Sooo much, & previous novel spoilers are mentioned thru out this one.
Spoilers WTF?:
An international male model? Really?!
Look who it is before you just open a door esp when people are known to be after you!
Why not burn a desiccated mummy, instead of dragging it miles & trying to bury it in the desert?
Too many ridiculous excuses to get naked.
Why would you betray someone you believe is going to be ‘The One’?
March 10, 2011
He wants you. He won't stop and he won't give up. He needs you. It#s so close now. The prophecy will be fulfilled and you're the one who will make it happen.[...] The fate of the world is literally in your Hands.
Anna Strong ist nun fast ein ganzes Jahr lang Vampir und so vieles in diesem letzten Jahr passiert. Da war Avery, den sie liebte und der sie nur benutzte und den sie schließlich töten musste und Chief Williams, der sie für seine Zwecke einspannen wollte und das alles nur weil alle glauben sie währe die Auserwählte. Immer mehr Vampire scheinen dieser Legende glauben zu schenken, und schon steht der nächste Schlange um Annas vermutete Kräfte, die sich an ihrem ersten Vampirgeburtstag manifestieren werden, für seine verrückten Pläne zu nutzen: Julien Underwood, Lance Schöpfer unter dessen Pantoffel Lance noch immer steht.
Der einzige Vampir, der den Gerüchten keinen Glauben schenken will ist Anna selber. Außerdem hat sie wirklich andere Probleme, als sich um ihren ersten Geburtstag zu sorgen: Ein Attentäter versucht sie in ihrer Garage zu töten, sie kann plötzlich spüren, wenn jemand Böses in ihrer Nähe ist (egal ob Mensch oder Vampir), Underwood macht gemeinsame Sache mit Chief Williams und dann ist Williams plötzlich tot. Unglücklicherweise hat er kurz vorher seine Frau zum Vampir gemacht und diese ist vollkommen hilflos und kann sich nicht selber ernähren, beschließt aber, die Pläne ihres Mannes für Anna zu erfüllen, auch gegen Annas Willen.
Auch wenn Anna sich immer noch an ihre Menschlichkeit klammert beginnt diese ihr langsam aber sicher zu entgleiten. Immer mehr nehmen sie vampirische Krisen in Anspruch so dass sie David immer öfter versetzen muss oder in Gefahr bringt und Glück mit der Auswahl ihrer Männer hat sich auch nicht wirklich. So ist sie eigentlich ganz froh als ihr Partner David einen neuen dritten Partner an Bord nimmt: Tracey Banker, Ex Cop und Fitnesstrainerin, die sich als intelligenter und misstrauischer herausstellt als Anna lieb sein kann.
Dieser neue Anna Strong Band ist endlich wieder einer ohne normalen Kriminalfall und es geht hauptsächlich um Probleme in der übernatürlichen Gemeinschaft. Man erfährt endlich, was es damit auf sich hat, dass alle Anna als die Auserwählte ansehen und was diese Auserwählte zur Aufgabe hat. Mit Tracey Banker hat David schon fast einen Ersatz für Anna eingestellt und ihre Eltern hat sie schon länger sicher in Frankreich untergebracht. Sie ist fast so weit ihre Verbindungen zur Welt der Sterblichen zu lösen.
In diesem Buch gibt es seine ganze Menge Vampirsex. Anna und Lance können kaum an was anderes denken. Zum Glück jedoch hält sich die Autorin mit expliziten Beschreibungen zurück und deutet das jeweils nur in wenigen, recht geschmackvollen Sätzen an. Ein wenig unglaubwürdig wirkt es schon, dass Anna bei der Wahl ihrer Liebhaber immer so ein Pech hat (ich möchte hier nicht näher darauf eingehen, da man sonst zu viel verraten würde).
Dieser Band spielt 3 Monate nach Retribution und etwa ein Jahr nach The Becoming .
Bei der Aufzählung der 13 Vampirstämme hat die Autorin Europa vergessen und nur die 12 anderen Stämme aufgezählt und auch diesmal kommt wieder was über Nazideutschland (der Madagaskarplan), irgendwie scheint sie die Autorin Europa und Deutschland nicht wirklich zu mögen.
Fazit: Ein neuer, spannender Anna Strong Vampirroman. Man erfährt endlich, was es mit der Legende der Auserwählten auf sich hat. Vorkenntnisse der Bände davor sind unbedingt notwendig, da sehr häufig Bezug auf ältere Bände genommen wird.
Die Reihe
The Becoming - Verführung der Nacht
Blood Drive - Lockruf des Blutes
The Watcher - Dunkle Küsse
Legacy - Der Kuss der Vampirin
Retribution - Blutrotes Verlangen
Chosen
Anna Strong ist nun fast ein ganzes Jahr lang Vampir und so vieles in diesem letzten Jahr passiert. Da war Avery, den sie liebte und der sie nur benutzte und den sie schließlich töten musste und Chief Williams, der sie für seine Zwecke einspannen wollte und das alles nur weil alle glauben sie währe die Auserwählte. Immer mehr Vampire scheinen dieser Legende glauben zu schenken, und schon steht der nächste Schlange um Annas vermutete Kräfte, die sich an ihrem ersten Vampirgeburtstag manifestieren werden, für seine verrückten Pläne zu nutzen: Julien Underwood, Lance Schöpfer unter dessen Pantoffel Lance noch immer steht.
Der einzige Vampir, der den Gerüchten keinen Glauben schenken will ist Anna selber. Außerdem hat sie wirklich andere Probleme, als sich um ihren ersten Geburtstag zu sorgen: Ein Attentäter versucht sie in ihrer Garage zu töten, sie kann plötzlich spüren, wenn jemand Böses in ihrer Nähe ist (egal ob Mensch oder Vampir), Underwood macht gemeinsame Sache mit Chief Williams und dann ist Williams plötzlich tot. Unglücklicherweise hat er kurz vorher seine Frau zum Vampir gemacht und diese ist vollkommen hilflos und kann sich nicht selber ernähren, beschließt aber, die Pläne ihres Mannes für Anna zu erfüllen, auch gegen Annas Willen.
Auch wenn Anna sich immer noch an ihre Menschlichkeit klammert beginnt diese ihr langsam aber sicher zu entgleiten. Immer mehr nehmen sie vampirische Krisen in Anspruch so dass sie David immer öfter versetzen muss oder in Gefahr bringt und Glück mit der Auswahl ihrer Männer hat sich auch nicht wirklich. So ist sie eigentlich ganz froh als ihr Partner David einen neuen dritten Partner an Bord nimmt: Tracey Banker, Ex Cop und Fitnesstrainerin, die sich als intelligenter und misstrauischer herausstellt als Anna lieb sein kann.
Dieser neue Anna Strong Band ist endlich wieder einer ohne normalen Kriminalfall und es geht hauptsächlich um Probleme in der übernatürlichen Gemeinschaft. Man erfährt endlich, was es damit auf sich hat, dass alle Anna als die Auserwählte ansehen und was diese Auserwählte zur Aufgabe hat. Mit Tracey Banker hat David schon fast einen Ersatz für Anna eingestellt und ihre Eltern hat sie schon länger sicher in Frankreich untergebracht. Sie ist fast so weit ihre Verbindungen zur Welt der Sterblichen zu lösen.
In diesem Buch gibt es seine ganze Menge Vampirsex. Anna und Lance können kaum an was anderes denken. Zum Glück jedoch hält sich die Autorin mit expliziten Beschreibungen zurück und deutet das jeweils nur in wenigen, recht geschmackvollen Sätzen an. Ein wenig unglaubwürdig wirkt es schon, dass Anna bei der Wahl ihrer Liebhaber immer so ein Pech hat (ich möchte hier nicht näher darauf eingehen, da man sonst zu viel verraten würde).
Dieser Band spielt 3 Monate nach Retribution und etwa ein Jahr nach The Becoming .
Bei der Aufzählung der 13 Vampirstämme hat die Autorin Europa vergessen und nur die 12 anderen Stämme aufgezählt und auch diesmal kommt wieder was über Nazideutschland (der Madagaskarplan), irgendwie scheint sie die Autorin Europa und Deutschland nicht wirklich zu mögen.
Fazit: Ein neuer, spannender Anna Strong Vampirroman. Man erfährt endlich, was es mit der Legende der Auserwählten auf sich hat. Vorkenntnisse der Bände davor sind unbedingt notwendig, da sehr häufig Bezug auf ältere Bände genommen wird.
Die Reihe
The Becoming - Verführung der Nacht
Blood Drive - Lockruf des Blutes
The Watcher - Dunkle Küsse
Legacy - Der Kuss der Vampirin
Retribution - Blutrotes Verlangen
Chosen
August 31, 2010
Whoa! Finished Jeanne Stein's Chosen a few hours ago and it was amazing!
As the BOC tells you Anna has been a vampire for a year now. Close to it anyway and there is a prophecy describing The Chosen One--yes, capitalized! And vampires, like Warren Williams and a few newbies you'll meet, believe this is Anna.
But Anna doesn't think so. Why her? She questions the whole destiny thing and doesn't really buy into it all that much. But then she's attacked in her driveway when coming home one night and escapes remotely unscathed. Luckily, Lance is there for her, both for the emotional and physical needs. Their relationship gets a little more intense in the beginning. Lance even offers to take Anna away for awhile to one of his houses. To get away from it all and shake off the effects of her attempted murder. And of course to bury the body of the attacker along the way. (Shouldn't be too much of a spoiler, since if Anna escapes a-would-be murder attempt, the murderer has to be eliminated somehow.)
Anna discovers a whole other side to Lance on this little vacation. She learns things, not all good either. Secrets unbound! Wow! I mean a lot of it shocked me. Some were minimal details about his past, but other things that pop up later on in the book are ultimately shocking!
There are other surprising developments that weren't the main attraction, but for some reason seem to hold promise for problems down the way for Anna. New characters, we'll say. I don't want to get into it too much in case they're a little too spoilery for you. But it doesn't really effect the plot.
Frey even returns to help Anna out with her predicament. Which it's hard to remember which predicament it was that led to his involvement. Poor Anna has quite a bit of action and trouble going on in the book.
There was a bit of romance here and there between Anna and Lance. Not a whole lot, but enough to keep you contained if you like the romance aspects of Urban Fantasy which doesn't tend to have a whole lot, one of the reasons why I like it so much. A little more action than romance, but still some romantic elements.
Overall it was GREAT read! The ending was spectacular! Wish I could say more than that, but I can't. Really looking forward to the next Anna Strong book, which likely won't be til next year, but still this was a GREAT read and the ending while tying up the main story arc still left room for more problems for Anna down the road. So you already know there should be a few more books down the way. I can't recall how many Jeanne said there would be, but I do believe she has an end to Anna's story somewhere down the line. Hopefully not too soon!
My rating is definitely 5/5 stars! While these may be quick reads for me, there is still so much action and details that make it hard to put down. One of the reasons why it is a quick read!
As the BOC tells you Anna has been a vampire for a year now. Close to it anyway and there is a prophecy describing The Chosen One--yes, capitalized! And vampires, like Warren Williams and a few newbies you'll meet, believe this is Anna.
But Anna doesn't think so. Why her? She questions the whole destiny thing and doesn't really buy into it all that much. But then she's attacked in her driveway when coming home one night and escapes remotely unscathed. Luckily, Lance is there for her, both for the emotional and physical needs. Their relationship gets a little more intense in the beginning. Lance even offers to take Anna away for awhile to one of his houses. To get away from it all and shake off the effects of her attempted murder. And of course to bury the body of the attacker along the way. (Shouldn't be too much of a spoiler, since if Anna escapes a-would-be murder attempt, the murderer has to be eliminated somehow.)
Anna discovers a whole other side to Lance on this little vacation. She learns things, not all good either. Secrets unbound! Wow! I mean a lot of it shocked me. Some were minimal details about his past, but other things that pop up later on in the book are ultimately shocking!
There are other surprising developments that weren't the main attraction, but for some reason seem to hold promise for problems down the way for Anna. New characters, we'll say. I don't want to get into it too much in case they're a little too spoilery for you. But it doesn't really effect the plot.
Frey even returns to help Anna out with her predicament. Which it's hard to remember which predicament it was that led to his involvement. Poor Anna has quite a bit of action and trouble going on in the book.
There was a bit of romance here and there between Anna and Lance. Not a whole lot, but enough to keep you contained if you like the romance aspects of Urban Fantasy which doesn't tend to have a whole lot, one of the reasons why I like it so much. A little more action than romance, but still some romantic elements.
Overall it was GREAT read! The ending was spectacular! Wish I could say more than that, but I can't. Really looking forward to the next Anna Strong book, which likely won't be til next year, but still this was a GREAT read and the ending while tying up the main story arc still left room for more problems for Anna down the road. So you already know there should be a few more books down the way. I can't recall how many Jeanne said there would be, but I do believe she has an end to Anna's story somewhere down the line. Hopefully not too soon!
My rating is definitely 5/5 stars! While these may be quick reads for me, there is still so much action and details that make it hard to put down. One of the reasons why it is a quick read!
January 25, 2013
Since The Becoming, we have been told that Anna is the chosen one. It's taken Stein five books and less than a year in the time of the novel to finally go somewhere with this. Things are going fine for Anna until she decides to spend a weekend with her model/vampire lover Lance. The trouble begins when she shows up at a gathering and discovers that Lance's sire believes that she has been brought there as a gift for him, because of course she is the chosen one. Things get worse when Anna discovers that Underwood has partnered with her nemesis the former chief Williams. With Lance at risk, Anna is finally forced to agree to learn what it is to be The Chosen.
This book had a lot of sex and mediocre action. I like that Anna says quite explicitly says that she loves having sex because to often, when it comes to women, there is a lot of shaming for enjoying sex. The problem is that for a good portion of the book, Anna is having sex and for a time, I wondered if I had accidentally stepped into a slightly less graphic Anita Blake book. The frequency of the sex felt like nothing more than filler, in large part because The Chosen is so short on plot.
After spending five books building to the point of Anna becoming the chosen one, you would think that the climax would be epic but instead, it all just sort of fizzled out. The Chosen reads as nothing more than an opportunity to introduce two new antagonists, since Stein decided to unceremoniously get rid of Williams. Anna did however develop the ability to sniff evil (yes you read that ridiculous super power correctly) and walk through fire. If anything, this served to make the vampires in this series even more indestructible and ridiculous. I get that vampires can survive in the daylight but was it really necessary to have them sunning themselves in the desert? The vampires in this series seem to be vampires in name only.
For the first time in the series, Stein gave us two women who Anna could tolerate. When Anna goes missing yet again, David brings Tracey Banker in as a new partner to the firm. Rather than alienate David, Anna is actually nice for change. There is also Lance's housekeeper Adele, who exists simply to serve. Just when I was starting to be relieved that finally Stein had bothered to include a female character Anna liked, the antagonist changed from Williams and Underwood to Judith Williams. I suppose we can't have too much female solidarity.
Once again Stein wrote another book without GLBT inclusion. This however did not stop her from using anti-gay slurs.
Read More
This book had a lot of sex and mediocre action. I like that Anna says quite explicitly says that she loves having sex because to often, when it comes to women, there is a lot of shaming for enjoying sex. The problem is that for a good portion of the book, Anna is having sex and for a time, I wondered if I had accidentally stepped into a slightly less graphic Anita Blake book. The frequency of the sex felt like nothing more than filler, in large part because The Chosen is so short on plot.
After spending five books building to the point of Anna becoming the chosen one, you would think that the climax would be epic but instead, it all just sort of fizzled out. The Chosen reads as nothing more than an opportunity to introduce two new antagonists, since Stein decided to unceremoniously get rid of Williams. Anna did however develop the ability to sniff evil (yes you read that ridiculous super power correctly) and walk through fire. If anything, this served to make the vampires in this series even more indestructible and ridiculous. I get that vampires can survive in the daylight but was it really necessary to have them sunning themselves in the desert? The vampires in this series seem to be vampires in name only.
For the first time in the series, Stein gave us two women who Anna could tolerate. When Anna goes missing yet again, David brings Tracey Banker in as a new partner to the firm. Rather than alienate David, Anna is actually nice for change. There is also Lance's housekeeper Adele, who exists simply to serve. Just when I was starting to be relieved that finally Stein had bothered to include a female character Anna liked, the antagonist changed from Williams and Underwood to Judith Williams. I suppose we can't have too much female solidarity.
Once again Stein wrote another book without GLBT inclusion. This however did not stop her from using anti-gay slurs.
Read More
August 19, 2010
*Contain spoilers if you haven’t read the previous books in this series.
This is one of my favorite series ever! It was one of the first series I read when my UF and PNR obsession started and I definitely anxiously wait for each new book, every year. Jeanne was awesome in giving me an ARC and I simply devoured it, from beginning to end.
Chosen starts off not long after the events of Retribution and we find Anna in a quite peaceful moment in her life. Working with David, dating Lance and living a mostly human life has been good to her, well, let’s not forget the blood drinking. Of course, this simple period in time is nothing more than the calm before the storm and what a storm it is!
A vampire attacks Anna in her own garage early on in the novel and from then on it’s non-stop action from beginning to the very end. The previous book, Retribution, left so many questions unanswered and even though I really enjoyed it, I was expecting more from it. This time though, we get a LOT of answers and the story moves forward quite nicely with some unexpected developments and a lot of twists that will definitely change everything from now on.
I LOVED this book! It was an amazing addition to a one of my favorite series and it left me wanting so much more! Anna finally reaches the 1st anniversary of her Becoming (Vampire) and with it we finally find out what it means to be the Chosen one. If Anna Strong thought her life has been hard since she became Vampire, in Chosen her life gets turned inside out, upside down more than a few times.
I really enjoyed seeing Anna grow in this novel. She goes through so much! Pain, disappointment, betrayals and even finding out things about herself that she never knew; and even though I wanted to smack some sense into her sometimes, I feel like she has become as an amazing person and how much she has evolved from book one is definitely jaw-dropping.
The Anna Strong series is a must read to any Urban Fantasy fan and Chosen is a wonderful addition to this awesome series! If you haven’t read this series yet, you really should get a move on and get ready for the release of Chosen, you won’t regret it!
Also posted on my book blog: Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life
This is one of my favorite series ever! It was one of the first series I read when my UF and PNR obsession started and I definitely anxiously wait for each new book, every year. Jeanne was awesome in giving me an ARC and I simply devoured it, from beginning to end.
Chosen starts off not long after the events of Retribution and we find Anna in a quite peaceful moment in her life. Working with David, dating Lance and living a mostly human life has been good to her, well, let’s not forget the blood drinking. Of course, this simple period in time is nothing more than the calm before the storm and what a storm it is!
A vampire attacks Anna in her own garage early on in the novel and from then on it’s non-stop action from beginning to the very end. The previous book, Retribution, left so many questions unanswered and even though I really enjoyed it, I was expecting more from it. This time though, we get a LOT of answers and the story moves forward quite nicely with some unexpected developments and a lot of twists that will definitely change everything from now on.
I LOVED this book! It was an amazing addition to a one of my favorite series and it left me wanting so much more! Anna finally reaches the 1st anniversary of her Becoming (Vampire) and with it we finally find out what it means to be the Chosen one. If Anna Strong thought her life has been hard since she became Vampire, in Chosen her life gets turned inside out, upside down more than a few times.
I really enjoyed seeing Anna grow in this novel. She goes through so much! Pain, disappointment, betrayals and even finding out things about herself that she never knew; and even though I wanted to smack some sense into her sometimes, I feel like she has become as an amazing person and how much she has evolved from book one is definitely jaw-dropping.
The Anna Strong series is a must read to any Urban Fantasy fan and Chosen is a wonderful addition to this awesome series! If you haven’t read this series yet, you really should get a move on and get ready for the release of Chosen, you won’t regret it!
Also posted on my book blog: Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life
August 30, 2010
3.5 stars
Favorite Quote: A part of me is devastated by what I am capable of. At what I’ve done. A part of me knows my true nature. I can’t fight it. I’m not sure I want to anymore.
It's been a year since bounty hunter Anna Strong became a vampire, but she is about to discover that her greatest powers have yet to be unleashed.
Though Anna has become use to the idea of being a vampire, she is finding her urges are becoming stronger and harder to handle. When she is attacked and narrowly escapes with her life, Anna can only think of one person who wants her dead-Warren Williams. But Anna is to valuable to be kill for soon she will hold the fate of the world in her hands and there is one who will do anything to possess her.
Chosen, number six in the Anna Strong series, continues Jeanne C. Stein's dynamic action packed life of Anna Strong-bounty hunter turned vampire. Anna has been a vampire for a year and coming to terms with it even though she retains much of her humanity. Life has settled down for Anna and she appreciates the downtime with her sweetie Lance. But something continues to stalk and push Anna towards her destiny as the Chosen. When Anna’s lover is hurt she makes a deal with her mortal enemy to save his life but soon plans change and a new player ups the stakes. A single act of betrayal causes Anna to finally merge her two sides and soon everyone finds out why she is the Chosen.
Anna is what every Urban Fantasy heroine should be. A tough, gutsy, complex character who delivers what’s promised. She has a strong presence but doesn’t overwhelm. Stein's conversational writing style is even flowing and fleshes out even the most minute details to provide a rich story telling experience. Once I started reading I was engrossed in Anna's story. The world Stein has created is a perfect blending of supernatural wonder and magic with modern times. I like that Anna is beginning to learn from her mistakes which allows for growth not only in her character but in this series.
Read the rest of my review at Smexy Books
Favorite Quote: A part of me is devastated by what I am capable of. At what I’ve done. A part of me knows my true nature. I can’t fight it. I’m not sure I want to anymore.
It's been a year since bounty hunter Anna Strong became a vampire, but she is about to discover that her greatest powers have yet to be unleashed.
Though Anna has become use to the idea of being a vampire, she is finding her urges are becoming stronger and harder to handle. When she is attacked and narrowly escapes with her life, Anna can only think of one person who wants her dead-Warren Williams. But Anna is to valuable to be kill for soon she will hold the fate of the world in her hands and there is one who will do anything to possess her.
Chosen, number six in the Anna Strong series, continues Jeanne C. Stein's dynamic action packed life of Anna Strong-bounty hunter turned vampire. Anna has been a vampire for a year and coming to terms with it even though she retains much of her humanity. Life has settled down for Anna and she appreciates the downtime with her sweetie Lance. But something continues to stalk and push Anna towards her destiny as the Chosen. When Anna’s lover is hurt she makes a deal with her mortal enemy to save his life but soon plans change and a new player ups the stakes. A single act of betrayal causes Anna to finally merge her two sides and soon everyone finds out why she is the Chosen.
Anna is what every Urban Fantasy heroine should be. A tough, gutsy, complex character who delivers what’s promised. She has a strong presence but doesn’t overwhelm. Stein's conversational writing style is even flowing and fleshes out even the most minute details to provide a rich story telling experience. Once I started reading I was engrossed in Anna's story. The world Stein has created is a perfect blending of supernatural wonder and magic with modern times. I like that Anna is beginning to learn from her mistakes which allows for growth not only in her character but in this series.
Read the rest of my review at Smexy Books
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2012
Unexpected turn...
Kirain Anna bakal terus sama Lance yang supermodel, ehhh ternyata...
Anna tiba-tiba diserang di rumahnya sendiri dan Lance yang sedang berada di sana mengajak Anna keluar kota ke rumahnya. Ternyata Lance ini keturunan pedagang berlian kaya dari Afrika, dan malamnya Lance ada pesta sama sire-nya. Sire Lance yang bernama Julian ternyata salah paham menganggap Lance membawa Anna sebagai persembahan karena Julian juga tahu kalau Anna ini the Chosen One. Ternyata Williams juga kerja sama dengan Julian untuk menyeret Anna supaya berpihak ke mereka. Anna membuat perjanjian ia akan menuruti Williams dan Julian asal mereka berdua tidak mengganggu teman dan keluarga Anna. Setelah pulang, ternyata Williams menghilang dan mobilnya ditemukan terbakar, Williams dianggap mati. Dan ternyata Lance ini berkhianat, Lance membius Anna dan membawanya ke Julian di Prancis yang akan mengadakan ritual, semacam perkosaan di depan publik. Tapi Anna berhasil melarikan diri dan membunuh Julian (Gitu doang ngebunuhnya, gampang banget).
Ternyata lagi2 Julian ini bukan tandingan Anna, pdhal Julian ini uda berumur ratusan tahun en dia seorang sorcerer pula. Anna pulang en didatengin istri Williams, Judith, yang ternyata sudah berubah jadi vampir. Judith ini minta dicariin host. Anna meminta Frey mengantar Judith ke Culebra tapi ternyata Judith malah ngebunuh hostnya dan membawa lari satu manusia lagi.
Padahal belum tiga bulan jadi vampir, tapi Judith ini sudah pede banget kalau sebenarnya dia lebih cocok jadi Chosen daripada Anna. Akhirnya malam coronation tiba, en pemimpin 13 tribe dari seluruh dunia dateng. Jadi malam itu memastikan apakah Anna benar2 Chosen One atau bukan.
Awalnya agak2 gak rela Lance mati secara Lance sama Anna udah cocok en awet, tapi karena Lance jadi coward en pengkhianat, ya ga papalah. Seperti biasa ada dua musuh dan dua cerita, pertama Julian en kedua Judith. Pertamanya kirain Julian yang bakal jadi lawan berat Anna tapi ternyata bukan.
Kirain Anna bakal terus sama Lance yang supermodel, ehhh ternyata...
Anna tiba-tiba diserang di rumahnya sendiri dan Lance yang sedang berada di sana mengajak Anna keluar kota ke rumahnya. Ternyata Lance ini keturunan pedagang berlian kaya dari Afrika, dan malamnya Lance ada pesta sama sire-nya. Sire Lance yang bernama Julian ternyata salah paham menganggap Lance membawa Anna sebagai persembahan karena Julian juga tahu kalau Anna ini the Chosen One. Ternyata Williams juga kerja sama dengan Julian untuk menyeret Anna supaya berpihak ke mereka. Anna membuat perjanjian ia akan menuruti Williams dan Julian asal mereka berdua tidak mengganggu teman dan keluarga Anna. Setelah pulang, ternyata Williams menghilang dan mobilnya ditemukan terbakar, Williams dianggap mati. Dan ternyata Lance ini berkhianat, Lance membius Anna dan membawanya ke Julian di Prancis yang akan mengadakan ritual, semacam perkosaan di depan publik. Tapi Anna berhasil melarikan diri dan membunuh Julian (Gitu doang ngebunuhnya, gampang banget).
Ternyata lagi2 Julian ini bukan tandingan Anna, pdhal Julian ini uda berumur ratusan tahun en dia seorang sorcerer pula. Anna pulang en didatengin istri Williams, Judith, yang ternyata sudah berubah jadi vampir. Judith ini minta dicariin host. Anna meminta Frey mengantar Judith ke Culebra tapi ternyata Judith malah ngebunuh hostnya dan membawa lari satu manusia lagi.
Padahal belum tiga bulan jadi vampir, tapi Judith ini sudah pede banget kalau sebenarnya dia lebih cocok jadi Chosen daripada Anna. Akhirnya malam coronation tiba, en pemimpin 13 tribe dari seluruh dunia dateng. Jadi malam itu memastikan apakah Anna benar2 Chosen One atau bukan.
Awalnya agak2 gak rela Lance mati secara Lance sama Anna udah cocok en awet, tapi karena Lance jadi coward en pengkhianat, ya ga papalah. Seperti biasa ada dua musuh dan dua cerita, pertama Julian en kedua Judith. Pertamanya kirain Julian yang bakal jadi lawan berat Anna tapi ternyata bukan.
March 4, 2011
Anna Strong is a thirty-year-old bounty hunter. A once-upon-time-teacher Anna now kicks ass and takes names with her friend and partner, ex-football hottie David Ryan. Good times, right? Well yes, until one night her life is irrevocably changed. She is attacked while on assignment with her partner, and when she wakes up in the hospital Anna is a vampire. And oddly enough, that is the least of her problems. From book one until six in the Anna Strong chronicles, there is nonstop action, betrayal, and all around WTFery.
Some of the highlights of Anna’s journeys include David’s kidnapping, a long lost niece, a Mexican drug lord, a werewolf widow, a deadly witch, and the concept of being the chosen one. But trouble Anna can handle, love is her true weakness. Everywhere Anna turns, people she loves slap her with betrayal. Max, Avery, Lance, and even David all kick her when she is down in some form or another. Though I believe Lance’s betrayal cut her the deepest. Whether she truly admitted it or not she was ass over teakettle for Lance. Anna is left clinging to humanity while all the time embracing her darker baser vampire. It’s a constant struggle.
I love this series seems lame but I love this series. Stein finds a way to get better with each book. This series packs a punch that will leave you emotionally devastated and needing more. Between the plot lines, characters, and overall awesomeness it is impossible not to love.
While each book can stand on its own, don’t miss out, read them first to last.
The Becoming
Blood Drive
The Watcher
Legacy
Retribution
Chosen
Crossroads – Anna Strong #7 = August 2011
September 13, 2010
Wow, this book was SO good, I ate it up in 2 days...that never happens! These Anna Strong books just keep getting better and better. There were a bunch of shocking turns and one death that I'm not really sure if this person is dead or not. Anna has finally accepted her role as the Chosen one, so I'm excited to find out what's in store for her in this next phase of her second life. :-)
**SPOILERS**
So I'm not entirely convinced Williams is dead.... With his role in everything from the first book, I can't see him being killed the way he was. Too easy. I was also very sad that Lance betrayed her...that really crushed my heart. She found someone who loved her and she seemed to be falling in love with him, then WHAMMO! He's not who he said he was and then betrays her again and again. :-( It was even more sad when she had to kill him, but at least she took pity on him and didn't make him suffer. So now she is on her own again and is now having to look over her shoulder for William's wife and that other guy on the council. I have a feeling though, she may have another ally in the new bounty hunter David hired. I'm also glad nothing happened to him. :-) Very much looking forward to the next book.
**SPOILERS**
So I'm not entirely convinced Williams is dead.... With his role in everything from the first book, I can't see him being killed the way he was. Too easy. I was also very sad that Lance betrayed her...that really crushed my heart. She found someone who loved her and she seemed to be falling in love with him, then WHAMMO! He's not who he said he was and then betrays her again and again. :-( It was even more sad when she had to kill him, but at least she took pity on him and didn't make him suffer. So now she is on her own again and is now having to look over her shoulder for William's wife and that other guy on the council. I have a feeling though, she may have another ally in the new bounty hunter David hired. I'm also glad nothing happened to him. :-) Very much looking forward to the next book.
September 24, 2010
I read this entire book in 5 hours. Here's the general idea:
Anna Strong is approaching the first anniversary of her transformation into a vampire. But that too is subject to when she actually drank blood the first time. Rumor says she's the Chosen One, and according to legend, the Chosen One's powers will fully manifest on that anniversary. Needless to say, Anna is a little freaked out when she does start developing new traits, such as an ability to sniff out "evil" followed by the overwhelming urge to kill the person she has identified as evil. Then an attempt is made on her life, which doesn't do much to assuage her worries. She learns that Lance, her boyfriend, has been a plant to get her to cooperate with those who want her to take her rightful place as the Chosen. She meets up with and eliminates Lances maker Julian Underwood who wants to make her his mate for life.
After surviving an assassin, a car blowing up and Warren Williams continued manipulations, Anna dispatches Lances and takes her place, reluctanly, as the One. This was a better read that some previous books, but Anna is a vampire, not a human. She would be better realizing this once and forall, and letting David and his new partner take over their Bounty Hunter business.
Anna Strong is approaching the first anniversary of her transformation into a vampire. But that too is subject to when she actually drank blood the first time. Rumor says she's the Chosen One, and according to legend, the Chosen One's powers will fully manifest on that anniversary. Needless to say, Anna is a little freaked out when she does start developing new traits, such as an ability to sniff out "evil" followed by the overwhelming urge to kill the person she has identified as evil. Then an attempt is made on her life, which doesn't do much to assuage her worries. She learns that Lance, her boyfriend, has been a plant to get her to cooperate with those who want her to take her rightful place as the Chosen. She meets up with and eliminates Lances maker Julian Underwood who wants to make her his mate for life.
After surviving an assassin, a car blowing up and Warren Williams continued manipulations, Anna dispatches Lances and takes her place, reluctanly, as the One. This was a better read that some previous books, but Anna is a vampire, not a human. She would be better realizing this once and forall, and letting David and his new partner take over their Bounty Hunter business.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2011
The Anna Strong series is a lot like the Mercy Thompson series, fun, light reading with characters that I just hadn’t found myself fully invested in until late in the series. It wasn’t until book six, Chosen, that I finally found myself carrying about Anna and the people around her (a lot like with the Mercy series where I didn’t feel like I cared much until book five, Silver Borne). It seems like the first 5 books were filled with world building and situations that finally got Anna to where the series really should have jumped off. The author could have easily squeezed the first five books into two or three, but then maybe she hoped that drawing it out would allow the reader to become invested in the characters and what happened to them. Unfortunately, that didn’t really work for me. I was able to breeze through each book in a day and it wasn’t necessarily because I was dying to see what happened next, the only exception to that was book six, where I really needed to know what happened to Anna.
The books are easy reads and definitely interesting and fun, so I would recommend anybody who likes Urban Fantasy read this series. And I hope that now that we’ve reached an interesting point in Anna’s life, that the rest of the books in the series follow suit.
The books are easy reads and definitely interesting and fun, so I would recommend anybody who likes Urban Fantasy read this series. And I hope that now that we’ve reached an interesting point in Anna’s life, that the rest of the books in the series follow suit.
May 19, 2011
Originally posted on www.drensb-spot.com
Chosen is book 6 in the Anna Strong series by Jeanne Stein. I've been a fan of this series since book 1 and when I first started blogging and writing reviews, I was thrilled beyond measure when Jeanne Stein commented on my review of Book 5, Retribution. Check it out here. But I digress.
Readers are introduced to a whole new dimension into Anna's life as a vampire. We meet new characters and learn interesting facts about old ones. All of the questions that have been hovering unanswered in the previous books are pretty much answered in Chosen. But don't worry - a whole NEW set of questions are presented -- too keep the story going.
Stein continues to create a kick-ass character in Anna Strong and this series. Anna evolves. She matures.She learns from her mistakes. I LOVE THAT! I'm looking forward to the next phase of Anna's life in Crossroads which releases this August.
Chosen is book 6 in the Anna Strong series by Jeanne Stein. I've been a fan of this series since book 1 and when I first started blogging and writing reviews, I was thrilled beyond measure when Jeanne Stein commented on my review of Book 5, Retribution. Check it out here. But I digress.
Readers are introduced to a whole new dimension into Anna's life as a vampire. We meet new characters and learn interesting facts about old ones. All of the questions that have been hovering unanswered in the previous books are pretty much answered in Chosen. But don't worry - a whole NEW set of questions are presented -- too keep the story going.
Stein continues to create a kick-ass character in Anna Strong and this series. Anna evolves. She matures.She learns from her mistakes. I LOVE THAT! I'm looking forward to the next phase of Anna's life in Crossroads which releases this August.
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