Lesbian Futuristic Book Review of ‘Chosen’ by Brey Willows

This was a good lesbian futuristic book that I enjoyed reading. This is the first book that Willows has released that is not part of her ‘Afterlife Inc.’ series. While I really liked that series, I was excited to see what new direction Willows would go in. While ‘Afterlife’ was urban fantasy, I would put this book in the post-apocalyptic category. Willows writes books in categories I love to read so it makes me a happy camper.

In a little over 80 years, the world has been ravaged by another world war and the climate is heating up faster than anyone could predict. While some cities are underwater, others have turned into deserts. The population has been decimated by natural disasters and disease. There are fewer and fewer good places left to live. Devin, a geologist, and Karissa, a scientist, find themselves being picked up by a military convoy at their homes. They are forced into the truck with other scientists not knowing where they are being taken. All they know is they are chosen by the government for something. Before they can even get answers, their convoy is attacked by raiders. As Devin and Karissa try to survive, they can’t help but grow closer. And when they find out why they are called the ‘Chosen’, they realize their lives will never be the same.

I have always been a post-apocalyptic fan. While I really enjoy these kinds of books, I must admit I like that this book was a little different. While there are some bad people and people you would put in the grey, the book was about more than that. Instead of constantly worrying if the main characters would be shot, raped, or hit with a bat, I liked that the main theme really was about survival. This book still had some excitement, don’t get me wrong, but I liked that the focus was different.

Besides liking the overall feel of the book, I loved the characters. While Devin and Karissa are the main characters, there is another likable character that you spend some lead time with. The cast of secondary characters was all good too.

Considering this is a “world is ending” book, Willows was able to spend a nice amount of time on the romance. I really liked the two mains as a couple. I thought the fit together perfectly. There was some chemistry there and I liked that while one character was more of a badass, both characters took care of each other. There are some explicit sex scenes, though they are not overly long if that makes sense.

I don’t necessarily think this book was quite as exciting as some other post-apocalyptic books. However, it gives you the reader, more time to connect to the characters this way. There was also a little more time for the mains to get closer to where it was a believable romantic connection. Plus, I just thought the story was interesting even in the parts that weren’t as exciting. It was a good mix for me. I would recommend the book to post-apocalyptic romance fans. I think this is going to be a standalone book, but if it is turned into a series, I would absolutely read the next.

An ARC was given to me by BSB for an honest review.