Sam the Chosen by Wally Jones is an interesting read full of mystery and suspense. To start off, there were a few great things that the author did. First of all, Jones set up the character of Sam well. I immediately got a gist of who she was and was excited to learn more about her as the story progressed.

From the very beginning, the novel pulls you into what feels almost like a thriller by setting up an intriguing mystery. Even if this genre is not your thing, I think anyone would be intrigued by what takes place in the first few chapters; the initial mystery gives a good incentive to keep reading.

The author also does a good job of pulling us into Sam's life and family. It is easy to become invested in the main character and the people she loves.

Something else that I really enjoyed was the dynamic between two characters, Sam and Nechek. I quickly became invested in their relationship and genuinely loved reading the interactions between the two. They worked as great foils for each other.

While the novel had a lot of things going for it, there were a few factors that distracted me from the story. The first thing that I noticed was that there was a lot of telling, and less showing. I would have liked to experience some events in the novel in a more immersive and engaging way instead of simply hearing about it.

The book is also very dialogue heavy, which made it drag in a lot of spots. I think that the book would benefit by incorporating a bit more action. Furthermore, almost the entire novel took place in one general setting. While some people may like this, I myself was not a fan; the setting itself was not wildly interesting, and there wasn't enough action/intense scenes to keep me fully invested.

Another thing that I noticed was that not a lot was accomplished throughout the novel. We learned a lot about Sam, her new abilities and her new community, but nothing major happened which took away from the story. Too much time was focused on fleshing out the backstory of the characters and explaining how they got there and what they do, but that's all that really happened.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, but only on a surface level. I think it would benefit by being a bit more fleshed out and letting the characters explore more internal conflicts and emotion instead of conveying everything through dialogue.

If you are looking for an easy and fast read, this is the perfect book to grab. Even with it's faults (as every book has), you can still enjoy the mystery and suspense of it, and have fun learning more about the vast array of unique characters.