This was quite the book. Right off the bat I can tell you that if you’re a harry potter fan you’ll love this book. I must say, this wasn’t my favorite book ever but it certainly wasn’t bad. It had lots of Harry Potter, Star Wars, and even a Percy Jackson reference and a sarcastic antagonist. The first half of the book was kind of demotivating for me to read because to me it was SO MUCH like the Harry Potter books (which, unpopular opinion, I was never really a fan of) but then from the second half of it, it began to show its originality and had all the twist and turns that made the book enjoyable. I also must say as soon as I saw teen pregnancy was involved it kinda made me want to throw my phone out of the window. Don’t worry though, there’s a reason and the trope is actually not that badly written. I think maybe I could’ve done just fine without it but I understand why the author added it to the plot. The ending was very much not satisfying in the sense that I’m guessing it isn’t a standalone and honestly I NEED to know what happens next. Thank you so much for sending me an ARC of this amazing book.

Magic schools are not a new concept in literature. You know the drill. Someone reaches an age in their life, they have someone show up and tell them they’re special, magical, and need to come to a secret school to harness their power. And occasionally, this person will be the ‘chosen one’ to defeat a villain along the way. We all know those stories, right? Well, what happens when someone is picked to go to a magical school…and they’re not the perfect candidate the school first anticipated? And they’re far from being the chosen one at all? That is this book right here.

This book will probably not change the course of history. But from the first page of reading, I was hooked. This book reminded me what reading is all about; reading is about discovering stories, reading about magic and adventure and wonder. As I read this book, I loved joining Lucy as she went to a magical school, as she made friends with characters I couldn’t help but love, as she sat in on magic lessons – and we got to learn about magic with her!

The book does not delay with the plot. It moves quickly and is a fast-paced and really easy read, which made it easy for me to fly through it all in only two days! It’s worth me saying, that just because a book is a quick and easy read, that doesn’t in any way take away my enjoyment for the book. Sometimes a quick, easy and fun story to fly through is exactly what we need! As it is, I think this book did wonders for my reading, as when I finished it I instantly wanted to read more books, with this one having reminded me how magical reading is and why I love it so! I also instantly wanted to know if this book is going to have a sequel, but given that this book isn’t even out yet, I think that is a little premature thinking on my part…

The fast-paced plot I found engrossing and intriguing. There was magic, adventure, strange occurrences and a mystery to be solved. There was also a second subplot which I spent the first half of the book wondering about its relevance, only to have the penny drop in the second half of the book. I think it was actually all really cleverly woven together, and even when I figured some parts of the plot out, there were still so many questions running around in my head and I loved seeing how everything got answered and neatly tied up by the end! I enjoyed the world-building and learning about Drake’s magic school, how they keep it a secret from the outside world and everyone who doesn’t know about magic. I even liked the lessons on the magic we got to have a glimpse into in some of the chapters! I could tell this is a world that’s had a lot of thought put into it by the author. All of this combined with the plot twists and turns throughout the book meant I sped my way through it, desperate to know what came next and how everything would turn out in the end.

The book does cover some more complex themes and complex characters, but in a way that is accessible for younger audiences, which I not only liked that they were included, but think doing it in this way does take quite a bit of skill to do, and do it right – as can be seen in this book, which is indeed a great example of it being done right. Although I will say, sometimes I felt a little confused if this book is Ya OR NA (New Adult), as whilst it mostly reads like YA and the content feels YA, occasionally explicit language would be used that I would expect in an adult book. Or maybe these words just don’t have as strong an effect in Australia as they do here in the UK! It wasn’t something that bothered me, but something to be aware of if you’re wanting to read and/or recommend this book to someone.

I found whilst the characters didn’t have huge amounts of depth to them and weren’t the most well-written characters ever, I did still love them nonetheless. They have natural charm and cheekiness that brought them to life and made them enjoyable to read about and made their personalities jump right out of the pages. I loved their ‘normal-ness’ – their sarcasm and banter peppered throughout the pages, which actually did get me to laugh out loud a couple of times. In fact, after finishing the books, I found I was missing these characters and was wanting to read about them some more! The characters, the world-building, and the plot are the three key ingredients for making a good book – for me, anyway – and luckily, ‘The Not SO Chosen One‘ delivered on all three of these elements!

Will this book change history? No. Is it groundbreaking? Probably not. But it’s put a spin on the traditional ‘chosen one’ trope which felt fresh to me, and it had enough twists thrown into the book to keep me hanging and wanting more. Plus, a huge part of reading is to escape, to have adventures through books, to have fun. And if that is what you’re looking for, then ‘The Not So Chosen One‘ can provide just that. I had a wonderful time powering my way through this magical book quicker than I’ve read a lot of books lately – and now, I just want more! After an ending that has clearly been left open to interpretation, I can only hope this means this is not the last we have seen of Lucy and her adventures, nor Drake’s magic school.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Text Publishing and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I didn’t put it down, read it all at once. A wonderful piece of work, look forward to more from Kate Emery.

This review is based on an ARC. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book

Lucy is normal, ordinary, and pregnant. Then she has a day where everyone seems to be trying to get her to the greengrocer, and she discovers that there is a magical world, and that she has been accepted to Drake Academy.

The only problem is…she can’t do magic.

This is a fitting addition to the magical school genre. It is pretty definitely a set up for a series, and I am hopeful that this will be the case.

I live for books about witchcraft and this did not disappoint! I did not want to put it down and devoured it in a day, if you love reading about magic give this a go..

*I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*
This was a cool little book. The title grabbed my attention, the description piqued my interest and I was excited when I was granted a copy to read. I was trying to decide if this would be my next book to conquer and was previewing the first few pages to select. Needless to say, once I picked it up, I didn't put it back down until the end. From page one, I was pulled into this entertaining story and its humorous telling. I found our protagonist to be so relatable and witty. I must admit, I thoroughly enjoyed her flippant, clever sense of humor. I loved her facetious narration throughout the entire book. Sometimes, you come across a similar character and the sarcasm gets old and tired. Not with Lucy. I found her attitude fresh and spunky. I kind of loved her. I enjoyed most of the characters in this story and found them all to be entertaining in their own, unique ways. I even had a soft spot for our protagonist until his identity was revealed. (Which btw, I did NOT see coming!) Each character had just enough development to form a picture of how they fit into this story while not taking too much spotlight away from our main character.
I can certainly appreciate the premise of this book. Being accepted into a school of magic? Sound familiar? While there were some similarities in this book to a book-who-shall-not-be-named, the basis is about where the likeness begins and ends. I had to laugh when HP was actually mentioned by our Lucy, clearly making a distinction between worlds. I was impressed by how seamlessly the worlds were joined. I did not find it to be far-fetched or unrealistic even. This was based in modern-day Australia with a secret twist of a hidden, unknown world of magic. Even the magical world in this book seemed so realistic, it was almost a nonpoint. That being said, I feel like there could have been some more elaboration on the magical side of things. Being a primary paranormal reader, I crave the unreal. The fantasy. The escape from reality. This might have missed the mark a little on that aspect. There could definitely have been more magical contributions to the story. As much as I desired the magical content, I can understand the lack thereof. While it was a nice little footnote, it definitely did not take away from our main story. I just wish there had been a smidge more of it.
The story read with a nice flow. It kept pace with enough intrigue to keep you reading. The characters were well defined, funny, and relatable. The world was built efficiently. The story and plot kept a steady pace yet still hit you with some surprises so as to not be predictable.
There are only 2 reasons behind me not awarding this book 5 stars.
The tip-toeing around the pregnancy issue. It is mentioned frequently. It is a primary topic and focal point of the main character. However, for being talked about as much as it is, it is never really discussed with much seriousness. It doesn't hold much weight for being such a ruminative situation. This is a pretty considerable position to be in yet I don't feel like it was given the depth it deserved. Maybe that was intentional. Maybe our author did not want to delve too deeply into teen pregnancy and the hot-button, controversial solutions. Maybe it was meant to be kept a little lighter. I just found it to be a disservice to our main character and what kind of feelings she was really having over this discovery because that was never really covered. It soon became part of her identity as opposed to something she was dealing with.
The other mark against this otherwise entertaining tale is THAT ENDING! I have noticed several reviews are screaming the same thing I am but WTH?! I think the book could have ended a chapter, even 2, earlier and I would have been okay. A good book doesn't always need to have all its loose ends wrapped up in a pretty little bow at the end. I get that. I am okay with that. I am NOT okay with being left hanging like that! I had 3 major questions that NEEDED to be answered and they were definitely not! I was left with more questions! Everything else was pretty great and left me feeling good about this book but I am disappointed with the ending. I am not okay. Hence a 5-star rating dropped down to 3.5, which I will graciously award 4.

I had originally marked this as DNF but I decided to give it another chance.

I enjoy the book being set in Australia! I haven't read too many books that take place there, so that was refreshing. The premise of the main character attending a magic school is interesting––not something I typically gravitate towards, so that is what initially drew me in. And I appreciate how well-written the story is, and I appreciate Lucy's character.

However, I couldn't *fully* get into this story and the characters, which is what had stopped me from reading the first time around. I was also kind of iffy on the unplanned pregnancy trope/device. But overall, it's not a bad book! I just don't think I'm the best audience for it.

This book was very unique in the writing style and word choices. There were many instances where I had to look up the meaning of the words used. The characters were so unique and like nothing I have ever seen before. I liked the subtle Harry Potter references, especially because I was and still am a huge Harry Potter fan. If you liked Harry Potter when you were younger and are looking for a more grown and a current century book about magic this is the book for you. Be that as it may I still did not enjoy reading this book because I couldn't relate to the characters or the setting of the book. I was constantly confused as to what was going on and did not like that this book was not upfront especially because it isn't a mystery book. However, this in no way reflects on the author but rather my personal preference for the books I prefer to read, everyone should give this book a try even if I didn't love it.

TW: Unplanned teen pregnancy, parental death, induced coma, murder, violence, abortion, kidnapping

A story set with a school of magic that has been well thought and planned out. I loved the admissions aspect and how we were thrown in to the story of Lucy with some weirdness starting out. I much preferred it to a basic oh this is how the first day is going to go.

I enjoyed the concept of magic and you could tell this had been well thought through by Emery whether it was where or when to cast spells rather than just a spoken word. Many hints were filtered through as to the direct of the plot for this book and the direction it was headed.

As mentioned in the blurb, and the above TW, there is an unplanned pregnancy. I am unsure how I felt with this being written it would have been good to see some more impacts on Lucy and her dealing with the pregnancy but it seemed to only be added in as a plot device. There is then the way it was addressed in the story which didn't full sit right with me.

CW: unplanned teen pregnancy, parental death (mentioned), induced coma, murder, violence, abortion, kidnapping

I would like to thank NetGalley and Text Publishing for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Lucy is just like any other regular teenage girl, except for two things. She recently found out that she’s pregnant and that she has been accepted into Drake’s College, an Australian school for magical talent. Alongside new friend and teaching assistant at Drake’s, Jack, she navigates this new world she never knew existed while also coinciding with mysterious incidents happening at the school.

The Not So Chosen One has some really interesting plot dynamics about the magical world of Drake’s and spellcasting. I really like some of the intricacies that Emery put into creating Drake’s magical world and it really made me want to learn more about what goes on in their world. As I am a fan of the Harry Potter books, it was neat to compare and contrast the two magical worlds.

You can also tell the amount of work Emery has done near the middle and end of the book to keep readers sucked in. I’m not giving away any spoilers here, but I was definitely shocked and did not see what was coming. I think in some ways Emery intentionally had that way, and it definitely makes me want to read a sequel from her (or at the very least an author Q&A where I can ask her a bunch of questions about the book.

My only issue with the book was how Lucy’s pregnancy was addressed in The Not So Chosen One. Again, I’m not giving away any spoilers about the book. I just didn’t like how it was presented in the book.

Nevertheless, this is a good read for any Harry Potter or fantasy fans out there that want more of a modern magical academy story.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book netgalley.

Overall I enjoyed the book however as others as said it really left me wanting closure. Lucy is a difficult character to warm to which I tried really hard to do- loved the Australian setting and found the writing flowed well it was an easy read.

Definitely needs a TW for accidental pregnancy trope, overall I would recommend this book.

With thanks to Netgalley and Text Publishing for my ARC.

My interest was initially peaked by the title, and then by the blurb. The book itself, held my interest, even if the ending is ambiguous - but that’s not a terrible thing as it lets the reader decide the outcome.
Set in Perth, Australia, this is an urban fantasy with mystery elements.
Enjoy!

I would like to thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a copy to review in exchange for a honest review.

The Not So Chosen One sounded like it would be hilarious, but the title was the only thing I found funny in this book. I could not stomach the main character, Lucy because she came across as too woe-is-me.

Maybe you would like this book because humor is subjective and it might be your cup of tea. Although if you are not a fan of the accidentally pregnant trope I would avoid this book because it is in here.

⭐️2
💧4

This book to me was good. I like the main story of the main character Lucy she got to go to Duke University to go to a magical school. That part was interesting. A couple of the storylines didn't make any sense because it didn't involve a magical school like someone going to have a baby. Other than that this was a good book. I think this would of made a good movie.

Love the Australian setting!! I was hooked from the beginning. It’s an urban fantasy book which is probably my favourite type of fantasy.
There is mention of HP in this book but it’s anti-HP commentary. I don’t think the mention of HP and JKR was absolutely necessary but, if it had to be brought up, I’m more okay with the fact it’s to mention how horrible JKR is.
This book also had some good plot twists to it even though, they were still somewhat predictable.