The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

Kyra has grown up in a small polygamist community but has always had rebellious thoughts and never truly embraced their way of life. She loves reading and secretly visits the Mobile Library on Wheels which stops near the borders of the compound and even worse she secretly meets with Joshua, a boy her own age, who she loves and hopes to marry someday. Kyra’s world is shattered, however, when the Prophet arrives and decrees that Kyra is to become the seventh wife of her Uncle Hyrum. When she rebels, both Kyra and Joshua are badly beaten as the Prophet and her Uncle Hyrum attempt to beat Kyra into submission. Kyra must chose between running away and never seeing her family again or be forced into a horrible marriage.

Williams has crafted an intensely gripping, intense, and unforgettable novel that is heartbreaking and suspenseful. Everything about this novel is unsettling- even the questions readers are left with at the end. Kyra is difficult to forget- strong-willed and defiant she will speak to teen readers, even if they cannot relate to her plight. Williams does not attempt to be objective in this story ripped from news headlines. Physical abuse, fear, violence, and murder drive this story to its painful conclusion leaving this title only for mature teen readers. The Chosen Ones is a perfect book for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson’s realistic fiction though Williams lacks the polish and finesse of Anderson’s writing. Readers will be left breathless and anxious to see what Williams comes up with next.