I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Chosen Ones
by Lisa Luciano
on May 21, 2020
Genres: Sports Thriller
Pages: 344
Format: Kindle
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Brody Yates has fallen on hard times. Fired from his job as a sports reporter for a major newspaper, he decides to masquerade as a trainer in order to infiltrate the backstage world of figure skating. He has one chance to save someone’s life and to turn his around by breaking the story of a lifetime. The Chosen Ones, though fictionalized, reveals the secrets behind the sequins against the backdrop of the high pressure sport of world class figure skating. In this non-stop thriller, only one person can win. Not everyone will survive.
The Chosen Ones by Lisa Luciano is a tale of massive corruption, bribes, payoffs, and the treatment that skaters endure to entertain the people and compete in the sport they love.
Will Brody get the story? Will Robby find the gold and happily ever after?
The Chosen Ones tells the story of many figure skaters, coaches, and all the other people involved in the money made from the sport. It is a bit overwhelming at first, but once I got used to the author’s style of writing, it flew by fast.
The characters are intriguing, and the paths that they believe themselves to be on are honorable. These men and women put in a lot of time, effort, and pieces of themselves to carry this sport each year. I find that the things done to these talented individuals are despicable, yet I ultimately believe that it could have happened in real life, as the author states in her preface.
Things that I liked:
- Robby is a powerful skater and enjoyed his growth throughout the story.
- Glenn is also great. He surprises me with his genuine kindness and strength to stand up and tell the truth.
- Paige is so strong. She knows what she wants and won’t take less than her worth. At least where love is concerned.
- Brody seems lost at first and his growth through the story is wonderfully done. He finds what is missing at his center by bringing to light the darkness around the skating community.
- There are some losses, of course, sad as it is, things happen, I am sure that his parents won’t forget him.
- Brody has good investigation skills and sees things the way they are. However, proving that isn’t always easy.
Four Stars
I liked the author’s truthfulness at the beginning and the facts that she backs everything up with at the end. The story has a lot of heart and suspense. It lets us get inside the mind of a professional athlete and see why they get up each morning and do what they do. My rating for The Chosen Ones is four stars. If you are looking for a good sports story with an inside scoop on the figure skating world, this is a book for you.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Chosen Ones by Lisa Luciano.
Until the next time,
About Lisa Luciano
Former New York Times sports reporter, Lisa Luciano has a unique perspective into the icy world of competitive figure skating, which she writes about in her debut novel, The Chosen Ones. The book won multiple awards in advance of its release in May 2020 including Best Sports Fiction in the NYC Big Books Competition. Luciano was also a television producer and director who received national recognition for excellence in educational programming. A teacher with 40 years of experience, Luciano taught English, TV Production, Technology, and Digital Literacy and most recently worked as a Library Media Specialist. She currently resides in Connecticut.
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