Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truitt

Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truitt
Publication: 10th April 2012
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
ISBN: 1620610000
Young Adult


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


World war 4 has decimated the United States. Tess lives in a compound in the West with a group of naturals. The Easterners and Westerners are constantly at war due to disagreements in the way to re-establish the country. Women can no longer have children and men are being killed at war. The government begin a Council of Creators to build a new race who will live on when the human race has died out. They are physically stronger and faster than humans (naturals), and they are trained to fight against the Easterners. They are only creating men, no women.


When the oldest girl in each family reaches the age of 16, she must go to work at Templeton, the training centre of the Chosen Ones, as a slave for three years. When Tess' older sister Emma dies in childbirth, Tess must take her place.


Tess has had a hard, sad life. She watched her father be taken away by Chosen Ones and he never returned. Her mother was an alcoholic who killed herself. Her childhood friend Henry, stopped talking to her one day and she doesn't know why. Now she only has her younger sister Louisa, who she was never really close to, and Robert, Emma's husband, who she can barely stand to look at.


Tess has always stuck to the rules of the Council and plans to never fall in love. She buries her emotions deep and doesn't show her feelings on the outside. But everything changes when she goes to Templeton. She discovers that the Chosen Ones have everything. They are treated like Gods compared to the naturals, who have lost almost everything; books, music and education. The naturals food is rationed. Tess can't remember the last time she had butter and at Templeton she is serving foods she has never even heard of, along with champagne.


She has always been taught that the Chosen Ones are there to protect the naturals but she realises that this is not the case. The Chosen Ones are taught to hate the naturals and they see them as being beneath them. Life is dangerous for the girls at Templeton. Tess meets James and discovers he is different to the others. They share a love of music and books and spend a lot of time together. But they must be careful not to show their feelings in front of anyone else.


Tess feels that she can't just stand by and watch what the Council are doing. There must be someone or something who can help them. When Tess' life is in danger, she discovers the Resistance.


The ending of this book shattered my heart and I am really anxious for the next instalment.


I really, really liked this. It has to be my favourite dystopian. It is so well written and easy to read even though there is a lot of information involved. Tiffany did a great job at the world building, I could totally envision it. Tess is given letters that her dad had written to her when she was a little girl. Through these, her dad gives us an insight into what was going on with the Council and that he was against it.


This is a fantastic story of discord, courage and love in the face of adversity. I strongly recommend it.

"The female is dangerous because of her natural tendency to embrace humans emotional side and her ability to elicit and encourage sexual activity."..."Sex equates full and utter dependence on someone else both physically and emotionally. There is brutal war going on right outside our home; we can't afford to be distracted."

Pre-order: Amazon/The Book Depository 

Thanks to Entangled Publishing for providing a copy of this book for review