Chosen. Again. by J. Emery

She saved the kingdom once. She didn't expect there to be a repeat performance.

At sixteen, Ari fell into a portal and found herself in Callaria, a magical alternate world in need of a hero. So she did the coming-of-age quest. She saved the kingdom and kissed the farmboy turned King. And when she was done... she went home.

She never forgot about her time in Callaria.

It never forgot her either, and now thirteen years later, she's back.

Drafted into the role of Champion once more, Ari discovers that magic doesn't mean freedom from consequences. Her actions a decade ago caused ripples that didn't go away when she did. The gawky apprentice wizard she once called a friend is now a cynical Royal Wizard with a penchant for floor length velvet robes and dangerous secrets. Her magic sword is giving her the silent treatment. The evil ruler she thought she defeated is living in the dungeon, making cryptic predictions that sound a little too much like fact. The farmboy turned King has fallen under a deadly curse that only Ari can break.

And Ari? She's starting to think her biggest mistake was ending the fantasy in the first place.

PUBLISHER: Still Life Press
YEAR: 2021
LENGTH: 417 pages
AGE: Adult
GENRE: Fantasy
RECOMMENDED: Yes

Queer Rep Summary: Gay/Achillean Main Character(s), Bi/Pan Main Character(s), Trans Secondary Character(s), Ace/Aro Main Character(s).

“CHOSEN. AGAIN.” relies on a basic familiarity with the structure and tropes of portal fantasy series where a young person is transported to another world and called upon to save it in some way. Ari has already been there and done that. She landed in another world, was its champion, got a magic sword, and then she went home to an ordinary life. But, the reader doesn’t see any of that. Instead, Ari is transported back that magical world where she has to make hard choices and grapple with where things stand fifteen years after her original adventures. 

This book made me realize two things: first, that while I like portal fantasy and have previously enjoyed stories that involve someone returning to a land they’ve already tried to save, I think I prefer it when there's some broader story beyond what happens to this one person (such as in Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series). 

I like the topic, I like the premise, I just wanted this one to do a bit more than it does. It also seems like that might have been the point, it’s just hard to know. It’s much harder to be a hero again, a decade and a half later, dealing with the same old stuff and feeling like everyone you knew is a stranger with the face of someone who used to be a friend. There does, however, hit a point where a book about the mysteries and wonder not landing like they did before might also, not quite land, and that's where I find myself with this book. 

I was interested enough to finish it, I'm glad I did read it, and I like the ending. 

If you like this you may like:

• Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
• The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth

Graphic/Explicit CW for 

Moderate CW for confinement, fire/fire injury, body horror, blood, violence, injury detail, murder, death.

Minor CW for vomit, war.

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