Wilder, A Review

When waiting for a long anticipated book, knowing that it will bring the story to an end a reader often has mixed feelings. One, will it live up to the hype and two does it really have to end? Oh and will I like the ending.. guess that is three questions.. In Christina Dodd's Wilder the final book of her Chosen Ones Series the answer is yes.. yes ... yes.. What a fantastic ending to a wonderful series. The Chosen ones is a series that tells the story of good vs evil in a very obvious manner. It talks about black, white and grey. It shares when characters we think are good are less than perfect and it shares when characters that we thinks should be irredeemable and yet are. I have enjoyed this series from the very beginning and yes am so very sad to see it end. But Ms Dodd, ends it exactly when she should and let me say she does it with a bang!!

Aleksandr Wilder, miracle baby.. A Child of prophecy who walked through fire at a very young age. He was chosen as a chosen not because he had powers but because of who he was. His family had already beat a millennium old contract with the devil, whose to say this generation couldn't do it again? He was still a child when he was chosen, brilliant, generous, kind but still a child. Four years into his service he went to get married and disappeared no one knew if he was alive or dead...  Three years later the only thing he knows is that he doesn't know anything. He is the Guardian, a beast whose sole job is to protect those below. The homeless, the mentally ill, society's cast offs. The ones who weren't protected BEFORE Armageddon and certainly not after.

Charisma Fangorn (and no she does not live with the Ents) has heard the hearth speak to her for most of her life. Raised by a parent who took advantage of her talents she escaped to become her own woman. A free spirited woman who in my opinion was the heart of the Chosen. Smart mouthed and funky she yanked everyone's chains and yet she was always the one who held on to hope. Real hope that good would overcome evil. Charisma was traveling below searching for her missing bracelet when she was attacked by demons and left for dead. Brought to the Guardian's cave where she was able to resist the demon poison she finds more than healing.

Charisma and the Guardian tell a wonderful beauty and the beast story. In many ways it reminded me of Catherine and Vincent (oh come on you remember Ron Pearlman and Linda Hamilton's version of the story). Living in the tunnels below New York City. Seriously, I want to check out those tunnels so much happens down there.. from mysterious beasts to ancient treasures.. *grins* The Guardian knows if he goes to close to the surface he will be found so he is destined to remain below and Charisma is destined to return to her duties as a chosen one.

This story was poignant, it brought tears to my eyes several times. It was fierce, the chosen truly believed that they had a chance to ensure that good would prevail. It was romantic in oh so many ways, the most obvious in being that true love conquers all. It was a story about so much more than one man and one woman and yet in so many ways it was the story of man and woman. I LOVED this book.

I enjoyed seeing the Wilders again, who among us doesn't love Konstantine Wilder? I enjoyed some of the humor.. Rosie the bus driver especially, seriously this woman had a schedule to keep. I appreciated that Ms Dodd made sure that love conquered all for more than Charisma and Aleksandr. The story of choices and sacrifices of doing what was right above all was a truly powerful one. I could go on and on and on about this book but I keep stumbling into spoilerville and I hate doing that so I will just say.. read this book!!

This is not a stand alone book, sure you could read it as one but there is so much history, so much that came before. I suggest you not only read the Chosen Ones but you also read the Darkness Chosen Series first.. But even if you don't want to read all that came before.. read this book!!

Shauni

Suggested Reading Order
Darkness Chosen
Scent of Darkness
Touch of Darkness
Into the Shadow
Into the Flame

The Chosen Ones
Storm of Visions
Storm of Shadows
Chains of Ice
Chains of Fire
Stone Angel (novella)
Wilder