Choosing (The Covenant Challenges Book 1)

At the beginning of this book I had a little trouble getting where the story was headed, but then I hit a point shortly into the book that dragged me into their world. It is definitely a new and refreshing idea on dystopian realities. At this point I was unable to put it down, I read late into the night while my family slept. When I hit the end I almost cried because I wanted to continue the story!!

The world building was fantastic and even though I didn’t get what was going on at first I picked it up real quick after that and wow what I book. I enjoyed the characters and the blended families and how life just continued as best it could. Which is why I love dystopian realities!
Can’t wait for book #2.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

What started out as a good story turned into a suspenseful and captivating story filled with twists that were shocking as the story progressed. I was pleasantly surprised by the chances the author took with the story and exceedingly entertained as well. Great story.

This is book one of The Covenant Challenges series and takes place in a world where a virus has destroyed most women’s ability to have male offspring and boys are very rare. The society is run by women and the only males are usually to be found in the Elite areas and have the pick of women or girls to choose from. There are five main families of Elites, as well as the Queen and her family, including a son who was born in difficult circumstances. Most families consist of two women, together either by love or need, and their children are often picked up from Acceptance Centres, often given up by women having girls and unable to look after them.

An old tradition has been revived, the Covenant Challenge, as there are five males from the Elite families that are ready to be married and produce heirs, as well as the Prince. Now fifty girls of a certain age range, will be brought to the capital and will have to complete challenges, to vie for the hand of one of these males. Those that don’t succeed will either die or end up in hard labour camps, so it is everything or nothing. Those that succeed will end up living in the Elite areas and have a much better lifestyle, but also have the pressure of needing to produce male heirs!

The main character is a young woman called Elyse, who lives with her younger sister and her two mothers. While not living like the rich Elite, she has a comfortable life as her second mother, known as Mom E, has a well-paid job writing articles. Elyse spends a lot of her time helping out her other mother with her boat trips around the Singapore area and helping those less fortunate than herself, often operating on the edges of the law. If people are caught breaking the law, no matter for what reason, they are sent off to labour camps and a hard and shortened life. One of her close friends growing up, ended up in one when she took some medicine to save her mother’s life. Another close friend has ended up pregnant with twins in an unsanctioned pregnancy and could be sent off to one as well if she is found out.

The fifty girls for this Choosing for the revived challenge can be voted in by others who know them, or put their own names in, and if they are in the near to Elite circles, they may have grown up with the boys and think they have a good chance of marrying one of them! Elyse ends up deciding to volunteer herself as one of the number, in the hope of changing what happens to those less fortunate and to stop challenges like this happening ever again. The last one was when her mother was just a year too young to qualify.

But she will soon find that most of the girls taking part have their own agendas and she was warned not to make any friends, but can’t help herself from making friends with her roommate and another girl, especially when she saves her roommate from a bully who thinks she is much better than Elyse and her new friends. Elyse lets others know she won’t stand for bullying and speaks her mind in quite a few of the interview and question session they have to undergo, all for the amusement of the rich Elite prospects. They have to dress the part of whatever the media organisers demand and every moment is being watched. She manages to find herself alone in the media lady’s office and sees an email she shouldn’t have, about forcible taking of young girls who may have the genes to be able to produce male heirs, all for the Elite families!

A mix of the Hunger Games and The Maze, where young people are being played with, for the desires of the rich and Elite and also the media as entertainment for the masses, but also where male children are highly sought, but unable to be produced by many. Lots of reasons being used to move those less fortunate women to labour camps, to ensure their industries can keep producing, whether that is perceived breaking of the strict laws in place, or just some made up excuse. They always need workers! A dangerous game in which only five out of fifty will be successful and there is also the presence of the young Prince to add to the mix, who is supposed to be out of the running, only being able to marry one of the Elites. Intriguing read and the beginning of the challenge has been set, so now I just need to find out what happens next. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

I really liked this story. The basic idea of a dystopian world were men are so few was a great idea mixed with a life or death competition. I lived the action and bit of suspense mixed in with Elyse trying to survive the physical and mental insanity that is going on as she tries to make a difference. I loved all the main and secondary characters and found the story and the environment so easy to picture in my head. It was addicting and fun to read. Cannot wait to see where the story goes from here.

Rae really out did it this time. I am completely hooked and can’t wait to see what happens to Elyse. Who is the right guy for her? Will she even survive? Can she make the difference that she wants to make? And what is really happening to her sister?

I was pulled into this story very quickly. Always wanting to know if Elyse is really that good of a person. You get very invested in her life and wonder if she will go through the Choosing, like other are telling her she should. Then you want to know what will happen next, until you get to the end of the book and are ready for the next one. It’s an amazing story of family, friendship, and values.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A challenge. Males are rare, so most women are with other women. Now after many years there is a challenge to find the best wife for the few Elites, the few young men, who are ready to marry. Elyse didn’t want to compete until her younger sister pointed out that she could win and possibly have influence and change the injustices carried out against women. But while competing she learns about a terrible horrible scheme, and now she doesn’t know if she can trust any of the men vying for a wife, and what does she do about what she learned? I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review

Elyse is entered and enters herself in a competition to marry an Elite. She hopes to change things for the better of everyone in the plague stricken world. Secrets are uncovered and alliances formed. Strong developed female characters. Great world building, suspense, intrigue and romance. Looking forward to reading the next in the series!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.