Chosen

The Enchanted Trials, Book 1

By: Shelby Hild

Narrated by: Jae Huff

Vivilyn has a deadly secret.

In the Kingdom of Etilidus, two things are certain:

1. Magic is dangerous, and any hint of magical ability equals death.
2. Every citizen excitedly awaits the Enchanted Trials, a competition that's held when a royal comes of age, and must choose a match.

Vivilyn Minette is a talented artist, from the small town of Treelyn, who dreams of raising her family's fortune by becoming a famous painter. So, when she is chosen to compete for the heart of Prince Aiden, an opportunity of a lifetime, she should be ecstatic. But, while everyone else in Treelyn is celebrating her newfound fame, she is terrified that her secret will be discovered.

Magic runs through her veins.

©2020 Shelby Hild (P)2022 Shelby Hild

Perfect narrator for an exciting fantasy series

I experienced this story through audiobook, and I have to say that the perfect narrator was chosen. She gave every character a unique voice, and fully brought the world to life. I honestly think it would be difficult to just read the rest on paper, as this narrator was just that good. By far my favorite audiobook experience !

This book feels like a love letter to the fantasy genre. You can see the familiar themes and tropes, but they feel more updated to our modern world. I think the author did a fantastic job of crafting a world that we end up caring about as a reader. The characters have individuality, and although the cast keeps growing, it's easy to keep track of who is who.

One thing I really appreciate in this book is how even though it's YA it can fully be enjoyed by any age. There are some dark concepts in this book, such as anyone magical being put to death. There is also a layered mystery going on that younger readers might not fully pick up on, but older readers will find intriguing.

Even though it is a shorter book there is quite a lot packed in here. I am actually glad it isn't longer, as I think that would have caused the story to drag. It does start out a bit slow as we have to build up the world and characters, but once it gets going it really takes off !

My one little nitpick is that there were several instances of repeated words in a sentence. It just felt a little jarring, especially since I was hearing it read out loud. As an example. something like, "They celebrated to celebrate". (This quote isn't taken from the book, it's just an example to show what I'm talking about since I don't have a physical copy of the book to refer to)

Overall this first book has definitely caught my interest, and I look forward to picking up the next book in the series !