The Nine Lives of Chloe King (The Fallen, The Stolen and The Chosen Omnibus) - Liz Braswell writing as Celia Thomson

Summary:  Dying can really change a girl's life.

Chloe King is a normal girl.  She goes to class (most off the time) fights with her mom, and crushes on a boy...or two.  But around her sixteenth birthday, Chloe finds that perhaps she isn't so normal after all.  There's the heightened night vision, the superfast reflexes -- oh, and the claws.

As she discovers who she is -- and where she comes from -- it is clear she is not alone.  And someone is out to get her.  Chloe has nine lives.  But will nine be enough?  (Summary from book - Image from

Note:  I don't often review three books in a series at once, but as the book I picked up was an omnibus of all three stories, I figured it would be best to use this format.  As far as rating goes, I will rate each book individually, and then give the series an overall average rating.

My Review:  The Nine Lives of Chloe King omnibus (which contains The Fallen, The Stolen, and The Chosen) was released in 2011, right around the same time that ABC Family debuted a series by the same name and based off the book.  I found the show on Hulu the other day and watched it, not knowing it was based on a book, but thinking that it might be something my girls would like.  I realized it was based on a book about a quarter of the way through, but decided to just finish the season anyway and read the book later if things went well.  I was pleased to find that it was a fairly clean show with a strong female heroine who had good friends and a great relationship with her mother.  Upon discovering her ability to kick butt, Chloe had a decent sense of right and wrong and would often make the choice to help others at her own peril.  Unfortunately, the television show was cancelled after only one season and it ended with terrible yell-NOOOOO-at-the-screen cliffhanger.  I knew that my daughters would kill me for getting them hooked on a show that ended that way, so I decided to pick up the book and see if it was something I could let them run with.  Here are my thoughts on The Nine Lives of Chloe King book series.

The Fallen -   The first book in this series was ridiculously easy to read, likely because I didn't have to spend a lot of time picturing the characters or setting.  Having seen the show, most places I would have to picture were just there already so I took them and ran with it.  The basic characters and setting were much the same, but this book really only covers Chloe's gradual discovery of her powers, the complications she has when her two best friends start dating, and the development of a love triangle -- so, basically the pilot episode of the series.  I'm assuming more will come in the next book.

I liked the basic bones of this story, but beyond that I have to say I was incredibly disappointed.  The show ending the way it did will likely drive others, including kids, to do exactly what I did, and pick up this book.  Unfortunately, what they will get is decidedly more adult than it is family.  It was peppered with all kinds of swearing, underage drinking, lying, sneaking into bars, raging teenage hormones, near-sex with strangers, etc.  Quite frankly, Chloe was kind of a brat to begin with and the manifestation of her powers only seemed to amplify matter.  However, I do allow for character evolution in my assessment of things, so my only hope is that once Chloe fully understands who she is and what is happening her behavior might even out.  Time will tell. 
(My Rating: 2.5 Stars)

The Stolen -  The second book in the series picks up a day after Chloe's confrontation with The Order of the 10th Blade.  She wakes in a strange mansion, surrounded by people like her who tell her the truth about her heritage and and the secret society trying to kill her.  Since Chloe is mansion-ensconced for a good chunk of the book, the author chose to write from several other perspectives to flesh out the story, which offered some background and a wee bit of depth to other characters.. Although Chloe is supposed to stay in the mansion for her own safety, she manages to sneak out and meet with her friends and learn that her mother is missing.  All rather predictably, hijinks ensue, love-triangle abound, tension increases between the Mai and the Order, and it wraps up with another massive cliffhanger.

The Stolen was just as easy to read as it's predecessor.  It's clearly a fluff series.  As in, there's not a lot to chew on, but the story is entertaining if you're just looking for a distraction.  There is a bit of making out and some innuendo, but nothing beyond.  Personally, I enjoyed the less physical Romeo & Julietish nature of Chloe and Brian's relationship, far more than Alyec's persistently aggressive flirting.  I guess I'm on Team Broe.  Team Chlian?  Whatever.  Alyec annoys me. On the plus side, there is marginally less swearing (I say marginally because there is still several handfuls of it) and Chloe isn't nearly as much of a brat in this novel as she was in the first.  Thank heavens, because I'm not sure I could have put up with it.  Honestly, I'm not sure that I want to read the next novel but as I have to take my daughters to a dance in town tonight and then kill several hours, I might as well. (My Rating:  3 Stars.  It is what it is meant to be.)

The Chosen -  Nope.  Sorry.  I tried but couldn't make it more than a few chapters in.  Such is my review and since I didn't make it very far, I won't be giving it a rating. 

AVERAGE RATING:  2.75 Stars.  (Probably less if I'd fully read and reviewed the final book)

For the sensitive reader:  Plenty of swearing, teenage drinking, innuendo, and sexual situations.