Book the nine lives of chloe king

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 ·  8,585 ratings  ·  717 reviews

Start your review of The Nine Lives of Chloe King (The Nine Lives of Chloe King #1-3)

Aug 31, 2011 Rebecca rated it it was ok

Sometimes you read a book, start scratching your head and think "how the heck did this get published?"

I read a lot of YA, both good and bad, and The Nine Lives of Chloe King definitely goes in the bad pile. First problem, the main character is unlikeable. Chloe is self-centered, selfish, irresponsible and has a filthy mouth. (some swearing in YA is permissible. Every teenager repeated screaming the 'F' word at each other and their mother is not). She's also a bad friend to her pals Paul and Amy.

Jul 09, 2011 Czarinah rated it it was amazing

So before, I was just completely rooting for Alyec (aka Alex) because on the show he's so incredibly sexy, what with the accent and drop-dead gorgeous (but yet somewhat conventional) good looks.
However, while reading this book, I feel like Brian's feelings were better conveyed compared to the show, and in doing so, I found Brian to be more and more appealing, and somehow just right for Chloe to be with. The depth of his feelings for her can't possibly be compared to Alyec's. And his somewhat r So before, I was just completely rooting for Alyec (aka Alex) because on the show he's so incredibly sexy, what with the accent and drop-dead gorgeous (but yet somewhat conventional) good looks.
However, while reading this book, I feel like Brian's feelings were better conveyed compared to the show, and in doing so, I found Brian to be more and more appealing, and somehow just right for Chloe to be with. The depth of his feelings for her can't possibly be compared to Alyec's. And his somewhat rugged, more seemingly male looks never hurt anyone ;D
I find myself comparing the two male leads with that of the show, so I'm just gonna stop here.........
Alex is cool
Brian is better
And Chloe…
Chloe is a kick ass heroine who made me laugh, scream out of frustration, heart pump out of fright, soar with a feeling of Pride (yes it's a capital P), and do my happity happy dance.

Oh and a little advice for anyone who is contemplating on reading this series: read them all in one sitting, or at least consecutively, with no other books in between. It's entirely more satisfying and exciting that way ^o^

Jul 24, 2011 Demi rated it it was ok

The only reason why I even got the drive to read the three books was solely out of pure curiosity and the fact that I watch the show. I didn't start out with any high expectations, but even then it all fell short of what I was hoping for.

A good portion of the first book consisted of Chloe dying, discovering her new abilities, and being extremely hormonal and deciding to toy with two guys at once(in that order). Sadly that last part was the only one of the three that kept me even a little interes

Aug 05, 2011 Saniya marked it as to-read

I LOVED the TV show! D': <3
Want to read this book so bad!

Team Brian Bitches! xD
Hes mine! =D

I LOVED the TV show! D': <3
Want to read this book so bad!

Team Brian Bitches! xD
Hes mine! =D

Like so many others, I started reading The Nine Lives of Chloe King because I saw the show, which I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, this turned out to be one of those situations where the show is actually better than the book. When I first opened the book I was immensely excited. It started out okay, not really as good as I expected but introductions are hard so I continued reading because I hope for more. Around 50 or 100 pages I was struggling so hard to g

Read this review at Brilliant Bookshelf

Like so many others, I started reading The Nine Lives of Chloe King because I saw the show, which I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, this turned out to be one of those situations where the show is actually better than the book. When I first opened the book I was immensely excited. It started out okay, not really as good as I expected but introductions are hard so I continued reading because I hope for more. Around 50 or 100 pages I was struggling so hard to get through it that I put the book away for a while. Needless to say, the dissapointment was huge.

I picked it a few weeks ago again, determined to read through the rest of it. Istill didn’t enjoyed it a lot, but in the end it turned out to be okay. It’s still one of the worst books I have ever read, but in a superficial way it was kind of fun.

There were a lot of things that bothered me. First of all, it felt as though the book was written BY a young adult instead of FOR teenagers. I found the writing toneless and undescriptive, with dialogues that were often uncalled for and boring. Comments or scenes that were supposed to be witty or funny only made me frown. I feel as though the writing lacked the mood and tone that it was supposed to have.

Secondly, I didn’t really feel any attachment to the main character. She seemed naive and snotty and there was no character development at all. If it is one thing that can kill a good book, then it’s a main character who is NOT liked by the reader.

However, there were also things that I did like. I found myself interested in Alyec’s character, especially because of his contradicting personality traits. For one, he is a popular lady-magnet who likes to have fun, but he also cares deeply for Chloe and wants to protect her. In a way, his character made up a bit for the lack anything interesting in Chloe.

In conclusion, the book had an original and interesting concept, but the writing and characters didn’t do it justice. If you’re looking for a book with a smashing storyline, good writing and intense scenes, then I definitely don’t recommend this one. However, if you are looking for a light read, then these books might do the trick for you.

Aug 11, 2014 Darth J rated it liked it

Yes, apparently I do have a thing for reading books that were the basis for cancelled supernatural teen shows. Deal with it.

So this omnibus is 3 books in one, and honestly, it's not half bad. Here's the premise: A girl finds out she has feline abilities because she is descended from an ancient race called the Mai, and it really isn't nearly as cheesy as it sounds. She has heightened senses, acrobatic balance, and retractable claws on her hands and feet.

Oh, and 9 lives too, because that's the nam

Yes, apparently I do have a thing for reading books that were the basis for cancelled supernatural teen shows. Deal with it.

So this omnibus is 3 books in one, and honestly, it's not half bad. Here's the premise: A girl finds out she has feline abilities because she is descended from an ancient race called the Mai, and it really isn't nearly as cheesy as it sounds. She has heightened senses, acrobatic balance, and retractable claws on her hands and feet.

Oh, and 9 lives too, because that's the name of the series.

Anyway, there are also hunters of the Mai (because all supernatural races have to have hunters on these series for some reason) and OMGee she falls in love with the son of the leader of her enemy.

BUT, there's also a love triangle (because there has to be! I think it's even in the YA Rule Book...)

It's another fun popcorn series and it's a much better cat superpower story than Halle Berry's Catwoman.

Jun 11, 2012 Chloe rated it it was amazing

On this page you see a lot of good reviews and bad. But forget them all! I didn't so much choose to read the book as did I have it thrown at me like a baseball, but when it was in my hands; I looked closer. Through the first book, Chloe caught my attention in ways that I will never forget. When she discovered her new powers, I was amazed. Through the entire first book, she held my attention. Each night, I was left begging for more. Although Chloe was very... sexual... it didn't sway my feelings On this page you see a lot of good reviews and bad. But forget them all! I didn't so much choose to read the book as did I have it thrown at me like a baseball, but when it was in my hands; I looked closer. Through the first book, Chloe caught my attention in ways that I will never forget. When she discovered her new powers, I was amazed. Through the entire first book, she held my attention. Each night, I was left begging for more. Although Chloe was very... sexual... it didn't sway my feelings about her. I loved every single character in the book the second I met them. When the book was over, I was left wanting more.
The second book was amazing. Between other kitties and boy drama, I was stunned like a hit from a taser. It was in this section of the trilogy that I got a little greedy with the book. It was so amazing. Every second, my eyebrows raised a little higher. If you were sitting with me while I read, you would see... no... hear me gasp every second. At this point the book was my companion. I took it everywhere. Every spare second I had I would read.
The third book scared me a little. Most book series end quick, shutting all the characters out and ending the plot line like a drop off a cliff. I didn't want to just be reading the last book to end the series, I wanted to enjoy it. And I did. Every flip of a page led to a new adventure, more heartbreak, or something else amazing. I couldn't set the book down.
At the end of the series, I have to say, AMAZING!!! The book opened a world of smiles and it made me so happy to be a part of it. And when the books are over, do not despair!!! The t.v. show has an excellent, and completely different plot line, shocking at first, but it gives you more of the characters. And if after that, and your fetish is not cured, (like me) don't worry. From the looks of it, and the way the threads were left loose, something tells me that another book is brewing!

And after you read it, food for thought, Team Brian or Team Aleck?

I'm Brian, but if I was in Chloe's shoes, I would totally go for Aleck! (So sexy!)

Feb 08, 2012 Katherine rated it really liked it

The Nine Lives of Chloe King written by Liz Braswell writing as Celia Thomson
I have to admit that I started reading this book series for the same reason that many other people did in the last year or so…I saw the TV series. In my case it was on net flicks, well after its airing on ABC and with all ten episodes at my fingertips and the ability to look up and find out that the series had not been picked up for a second season I came to the book looking for, originally answers; after reading the re The Nine Lives of Chloe King written by Liz Braswell writing as Celia Thomson
I have to admit that I started reading this book series for the same reason that many other people did in the last year or so…I saw the TV series. In my case it was on net flicks, well after its airing on ABC and with all ten episodes at my fingertips and the ability to look up and find out that the series had not been picked up for a second season I came to the book looking for, originally answers; after reading the reviews and getting the general gist that the book and show were quite divergent I settled on replacing the cliffhanger in my mind from the show to a hopefully more decisive ending book series. As I am still on book one I can’t say yet about the ending, but am enjoying the material so far. I understand a bit more about some of the grumbling from the family-friendly TV series to the teen directed written word, and have decided I am among the lucky to be able to enjoy both, albeit in different ways.

The Fallen book one in The Nine Lives of Chloe King series:
This book was a good ride; following the teen transformation archetype, it was in turns highly hormonal and completely clueless, with the interpersonal spats of any high school cast and the added twist of an unexpected metamorphous. The Fallen is a journey through the teen experience that was well written enough that I enjoyed it even out of my teens.
I liked the characters in this book, and while I will admit that it was not as “family friendly” as the TV series, as it included dinking, swearing, smoking and a decidedly not “poster child” mother-daughter relationship, it did strike as closer to reality. It had more shades of gray. Where as in the televised version Brian is pretty much perfect; he is nice, sweet, shares his deepest self with our heroine, patient, funny, motivated, and has that mysterious past that he needs help with…in the book he is sent to make friends with Chloe as he is a fully cognizant member of the order that is trying to kill her. Which isn’t to say that he is not also nice, sweet, and funny in the book; he’s just not perfect. In the end we are left wondering whose side he is really on. Alyec in our regularly scheduled program is an egomaniac, but highly protective and well trained…whereas our book has him more of an adrenalin junkie with roving hands. I personally found this a more likely high-school student. The TV series I felt played him a little too wise for his years. I will say I kinda missed the portrayal of Chloe’s mom from the TV show. Throughout the book she is referred to only as Mrs. King, which flattened the book for me somewhat. While I don’t necessarily need the perfect relationship between mother and daughter, in fact by starting out with a more fractured connection the book allowed the rapport between these two to grow throughout the story, which was nice; however the almost formal tone set by Mrs. King being our only address was a disconnect for me. It felt almost “Peanuts” in tone with the adult some distant WaWaWa…WaWa.
In The Stolen, book two in the Nine Lives of Chloe King Series, we are turned upside-down from our version of “normal,” even the cat-claw people-out-to-get-me version we are left with at book one’s ending. Chloe wakes up from a nightmare involving the events in book one’s finale in a bed not her own. Here is where we start our trip down the rabbit hole and a slight disconnect between books.
Chloe finds herself at the headquarters of her new Pride; incidentally a real estate office and the “mansion” Alyec took her to in book one. She is told her mother was informed that she is in protective custody after witnessing a violent crime, her school was informed she had mono and btw people are still out to get her so she can’t leave. My biggest problem with this installment was that she swallowed all of that for most of the book without asking too many questions, but I digress. In this book Chloe learns about the Mai, her heritage and meets some fellow shifters. The stand out new character in this book is Kim, a Mai who has chosen a path of devotion that leaves her shifted at all times complete with functioning cat ears. While known as “the freak” to most of Chloe’s new family, she turns out to be an unparalleled ally and generally fun librarian-type character that serves as the information spilling side-kick through this installment.
This book really starts to get going once we discover that Chloe’s mom has been kidnapped and we move from the “learning about the Mai phase” to a real progression of plot. Brian returns as an unlikely hero, our two human friends, Paul and Amy, get into the mix and a conflict between the Mai Pride and the Brotherhood ensue. During this end-battle we learn that Chloe is a biological “Leader of the Pride” a characteristic that gives her nine lives. This disclosure has the effect of halting the battle, disquieting some of the Brotherhood, awing some of the Mai and as we learn in closing making her a perceived intolerable threat to the current Mai leader.
The result of all this being that Chloe goes home, explains everything to her mom and at least thinks she is going to be able to re-capture some form of normal. We shall see how well this hope plays out in the third and last volume of this series, tho going from the fact that even parts of her new family are now out to kill her I have my doubts that this is an achievable goal.
The Chosen, book three in The Nine Lives of Chloe King series, was all one could ask for in the wind-up of a trilogy. It pulled together loose ends, allowed our hero to find her voice and carve out a place for herself in the world, and my favorite part…had a happy ending.
This installment of the series followed up nicely on our past two books, and did manage to find that balance between “normal” life and the supernatural whirlwind that has swept Chloe’s life in the previous 500 pages or so. This isn’t to say that there were not plenty of bumps along the way: a psychopathic Pride Leader, a reappearing assassin and our love interest being beaten almost to death by his former Brotherhood compatriots. There was drama with boyfriends, (leading to what I felt was a very abrupt, tho not disliked, twist involving Amy) the growing pains of any parent seeing that their child had problems that they couldn’t fix, and the changing-of-the-guards progression of a whole race being brought into a new country and time…oh and the breaking of a 5000 year old curse.
I really liked this book series; I felt it was fun and imaginative and had a storyline arc that fulfilled the promise of telling a great story. And while it did do the job of replacing the cliffhanger in my head that the TV series left, I am still left with the question of where THAT storyline would have taken me. A different medium, tone, and style—these two versions of Chloe King may have little in common but their claws when it comes to where their stories where taken and how they and their worlds progressed—and while I am satisfied that the written word did her justice and found a place in both her world and my heart, I am also saddened that the living color alter-ego was cut short.

I am sorry, I was not a fan of the writing :(

Jul 14, 2011 Christa rated it it was ok

I love the TV show, so I've decided to read the books. Got three books in one for under $10 brand new. Not bad. Seems good so far. I just hope my godkids read it when I'm done

Well, I change my mind about giving it to my godkids. They're too young for the content. The first and second book (Fallen and Stolen) were decent, but the third book (Chosen) didn't do anything to complete the story. I definitely like the actual TV show better. Braswell failed to develop the other characters and she introd

May 15, 2020 Sivan N. rated it really liked it

First saw the series back when it was on TV, then read the book. Just reread the book again. The series and book are quite different but both are good. I really liked this book when I was younger, so I'm giving it 4 stars even though I think it's more 3-3.5. For most people I think it would be a 3. For me personally it's a 3.5.
I'm going to talk about each book in turn. I will hide spoilers for the book I am talking about. Meaning if I am talking about book 2, I will hide spoilers for book 2 but First saw the series back when it was on TV, then read the book. Just reread the book again. The series and book are quite different but both are good. I really liked this book when I was younger, so I'm giving it 4 stars even though I think it's more 3-3.5. For most people I think it would be a 3. For me personally it's a 3.5.
I'm going to talk about each book in turn. I will hide spoilers for the book I am talking about. Meaning if I am talking about book 2, I will hide spoilers for book 2 but not for book 1.

First as an overall review, I think this is a pretty good YA book. They talk about sex so it's not really for kids (though of course you don't see any sex or anything). Chloe is a very cool teenager. College-age guys are into her, as well as the most popular guy in high school. She drinks and sometimes smokes. She is cool (I really mean this). Not to mention she has some... special abilities. ;) Books 1 and 3 were pretty good and book 2 was a bit of a drag. I found the books kind of boring when there wasn't any action going on (except in book 1), but the action scenes were really good! So they were something to look forward to. There were some continuity errors that really annoyed me across the books (a voicemail changes from leaving Peter's cell number to Whit's (also, who the heck was Peter!?!); I found this mistake really weird because the cell number was exactly the same so they must have actually checked what the voicemail was originally? A walkie talkie suddenly becomes a cell phone, etc.). Also when Kim was teaching Chloe French the conjugations were wrong... and it was just the basic conjugations of parler!

The books really go together (i.e. I don't think you can read just one, you have to read all of them). The prologue of the first book didn't really make sense to me until the later books, and it won't come up again so you kind of have to piece it together yourself. Furthermore loose ends only get really resolved in later books (Xavier).
Anyway, to each book.

Book 1 - The Fallen, 4 stars
Very entertaining, I love a love triangle. Chloe, as I said, is cool. She also comes off a bit self-centered but just enough so as to be endearing, and even if you don't think so, well I say teenagers are allowed to be self-centered! The stuff with the powers was also okay, but the romance/dating/kissing stuff is what really got me. I was screaming or laughing at all the crazy stuff Chloe was doing. I'm going to put my favorite part from the whole series below and I'm not marking it as a spoiler because I think everyone should see it. In this part, Chloe and Alyec are discussing how boring their Am civ class was today. I'm pretty sure this is the first time you see them speak to each other. You know Chloe has a crush on Alyec, but they're not together or anything.
~~~
"Oh, man," Alyec said in an accent that was fading but still had foreign overtones. "Watching you-how do you say-moan? Yes? That was the most exciting part of the hour."
"I wasn't moaning, I was yawning," Chloe said with a shy smile. "But if you find a way to make me moan, I'll let you watch all day." Did I just say that? She could see a whole bunch of jaws drop in her peripheral vision.
"You're hilarious, King, you know that?" He said it with a genuine laugh.
~~~

Book 2 - The Stolen, 2.5-3.5 stars
This book kind of dragged in my opinion. It was mostly just Chloe learning more about her powers and their background. Also the author kept mentioning characters as if she had already introduced them though I'm pretty sure she hadn't. My favorite character was Kim. Not to sound like a furry, but I think it would be really cool to look like that. It very much annoyed me that the text/people kept referring to Kim as Kim even though she specifies that her name is actually Kem/Kemet. Though the book dragged, the action was really good and entertaining. (view spoiler)[I found it very funny when everyone just showed up at the trade scene. "Um, was this little secret meeting of mine secret to anyone?" Chloe asked. I loled. (hide spoiler)] Though I remembered the twist at the end, it's a really good one. I don't think you'd see it coming but there are definitely some hints that point to it.

Book 3 - The Chosen, 3-3.5 stars
Good enough resolution. I think it's a bit too simple, though. (view spoiler)[Also I don't really know about letting the police handle things. I imagine all these people are white though so the police might try? I also didn't understand why Chloe had to have Brian kill her. I thought the explanation of not trusting anyone else to kill her only once was weak. I also found it strange how everyone just accepted her as leader, kind of unrealistic. It's also weird to me how pride leadership can pass both through direct descent AND it's also indicated that Chloe is the chosen one because of her good qualities. I didn't get it. I feel like you could be born to a pride leader and be corrupt. Does that mean you wouldn't have nine lives? Lastly, I found the Rogue turning on Sergei a bit unrealistic. Why now? Why not before? (hide spoiler)] I like who Chloe ended up with romantically. Though I supported him (view spoiler)[Brian (hide spoiler)] in the TV series, I feel like you get more scenes with the other guy in the book so I kind of found him (view spoiler)[Alyec (hide spoiler)] more appealing. (view spoiler)[I also got that Alyec was more funny and Brian more caring. I guess Chloe wanted something more serious. Here's an interaction I liked with Alyec:
"...and if that isn't bad enough, I'm having a real hard time wrapping my head around this whole 'being the One' thing. You're supposed to bow to me, you know," she added, elbowing him in the stomach.
"I think the Chosen One's chosen one gets a break," he said, shrugging.
"But you'll still worship me, right?"
"Haven't I always?"
(hide spoiler)]
I still love Kim, especially when (view spoiler)[she not at all jokingly declares this a good party despite the fact that Chloe had a breakdown and cried in the middle of it. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, a good blast from the past, but it wouldn't be so good if I didn't have fond memories of it from my youth.

Jan 25, 2015 Pauline C rated it it was amazing

Grade/interest level: Middle school- high school
Reading level: young Adult
Genre: fantasy, drama, action
Main Characters: Chloe, The Mai, The Order of the Tenth Blade
Setting: modern day, secret groups in the world
POV: 1st person

Chloe King is just a teenage girl, has a job, fights with her mom, and has guy troubles. On her 16 birthday she finds that she has claws! Later Chloe has a blue-eyed murder trying to kill her and a secret that even she doesn't know about.

May 30, 2011 Arooj rated it liked it

I've been anticipating this book ever since I heard about the show ABC family is making based on this book. I've read many books about shape shifting, but none were about a person who suddenly develops cat-like abilities!

To be honest, the book was just satisfactory. The plot was pretty
good, there was a decent amount of information and action so it wasn't exactly boring. But what made this book just OK for me was the way the story was told. It was like, one chapter would be just information abo

Sep 14, 2012 Ana rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Easy read. Fast-paced. Funny. Heart-Breaking. Different from the Tv-Show. How different? Lets see:

- Chloe seems to be a lot more confused in the books. We actually see a teenage girl trying to understand what the hell happened in her life. We never manage to see how strong she is mentally in the series.

- Brian is not so innocent. In the series, Brian has no idea who his father is and what he does. He doesn't even know what Chloe is for that matter. He only knows he likes her.
In the books, Brian

Oct 07, 2011 Jennifer rated it it was ok

My personal Pandora's box, is cliffhangers. I will know that a book is not very good, that I could be spending my time reading infinity better things, and yet, once cracked, I MUST KNOW. I may not even like the written characters, I may not like the plot, or find any redeeming qualities in the book, but some compulsive part of me, MUST READ ON.

This personal Pandora's box, had some help from TV. I Netflixed through the series, and found it shockingly shallow. But it ended, with a cliffhanger, wit

I picked up The Nine Lives of Chloe King because of all the new television series. I figured since I liked the TV series I may like the books. I was afraid that it would be the same as Vampire Dairies on CWTV in which nothing is the same, but decided to hope. I took the new omnibus featuring all three novels, hoping I could get a head start on the series before it further progressed. However surprise, surprise it was completely deferent.

At the beginning of the book they introduced Chloe as a no

Jun 14, 2011 Zoe Kennard rated it really liked it

I read this in part because of the TV show coming out, and found that, indeed, it is very good. I think it could have used a little bit less foul language, which I found a bit shocking, but oh well. They're 16, it's kind of expected. This book gave me a chance to laugh at the astonishment of my friends, who seemed to think that it was insane that I finished a 771 page book in under 2 days.
I love the idea of cat people. That's incredibly awesome, and now I want to turn into a cat person. The Mai I read this in part because of the TV show coming out, and found that, indeed, it is very good. I think it could have used a little bit less foul language, which I found a bit shocking, but oh well. They're 16, it's kind of expected. This book gave me a chance to laugh at the astonishment of my friends, who seemed to think that it was insane that I finished a 771 page book in under 2 days.
I love the idea of cat people. That's incredibly awesome, and now I want to turn into a cat person. The Mai are my new heroes. The only bad thing about being a catperson like Chloe is the slight problem of the people trying to kill her...
I love Brian, and the other characters are cool too. I like Kim, mainly because she reminds me of Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter (and the ears are cool).
Overall, pretty good book, although I have to say I liked the second half better than the first half. ...more

For how long this book is, it really kept my interest. Lots happened and I did enjoy it. A perfect quarantine read! LOL!

Oct 24, 2011 Julie H. rated it really liked it

In the midst of a 1,000-mile multi-phased move last summer, we stopped for the night at a hotel to sleep and give our freaked-out cat some "away time" from highway driving. (You're absolutely right. She's only four and probably shouldn't have been driving anyway.) While channel flipping at the hotel, I came upon an episode of a show I'd previously neither seen nor heard of titled "The Nine Lives of Chloe King." I watched, was moderately interested, and saw the note in the credits stating that it In the midst of a 1,000-mile multi-phased move last summer, we stopped for the night at a hotel to sleep and give our freaked-out cat some "away time" from highway driving. (You're absolutely right. She's only four and probably shouldn't have been driving anyway.) While channel flipping at the hotel, I came upon an episode of a show I'd previously neither seen nor heard of titled "The Nine Lives of Chloe King." I watched, was moderately interested, and saw the note in the credits stating that it was based on a series of books by the same name by Liz Braswell.

While browsing through my local bookstore recently, I happened upon this particular edition. It's the all-in-one volume which contains the three novels comprising the series: The Fallen, The Stolen, and The Chosen. Despite the fact that it weighs in at nearly 800 pages, this YA series is a fast read for several reasons: (1) the somewhat largeish type in which it's printed, (2) the wide header and footer space that puts slightly fewer lines of text on each page, and (3) the fact that the chapters are cleverly broken into 10-11 page lengths which encourages a late-night reader to read "just one more" before turning in for the night. I would consider adding a fourth reason to that list--namely, that Chloe King is believeable as a high school freshman. While her particular circumstances (i.e., adopted baby from eastern Europe, birth parents unknown, recent discovery of series of profoundly catlike traits including balance, hyperaware sense of smell and night vision, retractable claws on hands and feet, as well as the accompanying multiple lives as suggested in the series' title) require the requisite suspension of disbelief that accompanies paranormal fiction reading as a whole, the fact that she is not some cloistered, holier-than-thou perfect child is refreshing. No doubt, a good many details had to be handled differently (or skipped altogether) to render the plot appropriate for ABC Family channel, but the book achieves a measure of verisimilitude that I readily welcomed.

So here's the gist. Chloe and her best friends Amy and Paul are highschool freshmen living in San Francisco. As Chloe approaches her 16th birthday she goes through a number of physical transformations that she does not understand at all. Her biological changes and the untruths she needs to tell to cover them are paralleled by the budding romance between the two other nodes in her childhood friend possee. Thus, as Chloe is unsure what is real and therefore what to share with former BFFs Amy and Paul, the easy comeradery the three formerly enjoyed is made increasingly awkward by Amy and Paul's evolving relationship and its own accompanying sets of pressures--most notably the fact that Paul's Korean parents have recently divorced and his dad is now dating his secretary who is considerably closer to Paul's age than his Dad's. (It should also be noted that there's a subplot of traditional cultural values vs. western influences.) The entire first book deals with characterization, establishes Chloe as a likeable, imperfect, yet profoundly decent person, and only the very last few pages even give a name--but no explanation--to the dawning realization that she is something other than human. The second book provides full explanation of Mai culture and its origins as well as a better understanding of the Ten Blades whose task it is to rid the unaware world of the ever-dwindling numbers of surviving Mai. In both the second and third books, Chloe increasingly learns to trust her instincts, who her true friends (and family) are, and that while she can't put the genie back in the bottle she must do better by all of the people in her life.

This series is classic YA fiction. We've got the Romeo & Juliet motif going (e.g., Chloe as "the One" on the Mai side of the equation and Brian as the son of the leader of the Ten Blades), the meaning of family, birth mothers vs. mothers who raise us, the vaguaries of high school popularity, issues of leadership vs. power, when to break with tradition so as to be able to survive in the modern world, among other things.

I found Chloe to be an highly enjoyable protagonist. Her friends and, indeed, a good many other characters in the stories are quirky and distinct enough to sustain interest. While I might like to have had more backstory on The Rogue, I'm also not unduly pressed that he remains shrouded in mystery. All told, I'd recommend this book and series to any reader from middle school on in age. And now that I've read them all, I'd be more interested in watching the full run of the TV series for the sake of comparison.

Title: The Nine Lives of Chloe King
Author: Celia Thomson
Series or Standalone: Omnibus Series: Nine Lives Of Chloe King 1-3
Rating: 3 Stars ***

Review:

The first thing I want to state from the very beginning is that at the time of watching the show, I had no idea that there was a book written first, so I went into this book because the show and it’s abrupt cancellation made me a big enough fan that I wanted to see exactly where it all started.

Doing it that way may have nailed this book right fr

Title: The Nine Lives of Chloe King
Author: Celia Thomson
Series or Standalone: Omnibus Series: Nine Lives Of Chloe King 1-3
Rating: 3 Stars ***

Review:

The first thing I want to state from the very beginning is that at the time of watching the show, I had no idea that there was a book written first, so I went into this book because the show and it’s abrupt cancellation made me a big enough fan that I wanted to see exactly where it all started.

Doing it that way may have nailed this book right from the jump, but considering all of the other television adaption books I’ve read over the years, I’m inclined to believe it’s not. I look at them separately even before I crack the book open for the first time. Though I am also known for going into the book first on most occasions.

Needless to say, I didn’t enjoy this as much as I wanted to and believe me, I wanted to enjoy it. The original premise alone, whether from the book or show aspect was fantastic and pulled me in wanting to know more. Sadly with the book, while I remained loving that idea throughout, it didn’t pop the way I expected it too and a lot of that has to do with a couple of core things that I look for when I read.

Pacing. It was all over the place. There were moments throughout all three books where it moved at a pretty steady pace and then suddenly it would drag on and on with things that I didn’t feel moved the story along and then suddenly it was super quick and I couldn’t even connect to the characters because nothing was actually shown.

Characters with no real depth or character growth was another nail in the coffin here for me. I did manage to finally see growth in the main character of Chloe eventually, but after 700 pages, I was burnt out on the waiting for it to happen and don’t get me started on Alyec. Loved the idea of the character and even his purpose here, but there was no depth there at all, nor was their growth and that bothered the hell out of me.

So what did I like? Well that’s easy. The idea as I’ve said before, it was an original concept that for once didn’t delve into the YA vampire world and gave me something new in the paranormal sense to read, and the history of the Mai…I’m nerdy so information is cool and this came across really well even if at points that aspect dragged. It was still good because it shed a light on this species and you can’t go wrong there.

Brian. He worked for me. Inherently good guy that is unwillingly forced to be on the side of the “evil” in this. It worked for me and the relationship that he has with Chloe throughout, even at the points where the character depth was aggravating, was like the one bright spot. It wasn’t instant I love you, but there was an attraction and feelings and it seemed like the most substantial relationship of the entire 3 book series.

The ending. The peace she brokers, was great. That was a nice touch. If I had given up on the book the way I wanted to numerous times throughout reading, I never would have seen that happen and that was a good thing for me so I’m glad I didn’t give up. It was penned well and considering that I came into it after watching the show, was an alternate ending to that and one I liked much better.

Overall this was a good book, but it wasn’t great and for me, I really wanted it to be great.

Apr 06, 2013 Abbie rated it liked it

Okay so I really had a hard time rating this book because it is an omnibus and I had different feelings for each of the individual stories. Also, I hadn't seen the series so my review is based solely on the book. What I basically did was rate each story individually, then solved for the mean score.

The Chosen I rated this 4 stars because I liked it a lot. I liked the concept of Chloe dying and becoming reborn with a whole new personality and kick-ass abilities. She was still pretty whiny but she

Like many people I purchased the book because I saw the wonderful tv show. The show was the only reason I picked up the book and why I attempted to soldier through it. I have read A LOT of YA books in my life but this had to be one of the worst.

In the first book we are introduced to the main character, Chloe King, and she is very unlikable from the start. She is self centered, irresponsible, and has none of the qualities of a good main character. Most of the first book was just an introduction i

Mar 02, 2014 Majanka rated it did not like it

Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/reviews/...

There was a show based on these books? I have no idea why anyone would want to turn these books into a show (or maybe it was the other way around) but it’s certainly very surprising.

Anyway. On to the books. We meet Chloe King, a regular girl. Until she falls down a cliff of some sorts, dies and…comes back to live. Chloe meets two guys shortly after another, and immediately falls for both of them (yep, you can already

Aug 05, 2011 Sara rated it liked it

The Nine Lives of Chloe King by Liz Brazwell contains the three Chloe King books previously written under the pen name Celia Thomson. This is a MASSIVE book. The three books together make for a book so large that it takes two hands to hold (and isn't going to work in the bathtub). If you've got an e-reader I'd suggest buying the digital copy even if it is more expensive.

The Nine Lives of Chloe King starts out with Chloe falling off of the Coit Tower on her sixteenth birthday. Aside from a little

Feb 10, 2012 Christi rated it really liked it

The Fallen
Is the first of the trilogy. Braswell does a great job of building the characters and creating the atmosphere. At the end of this book there were so many more questions then answers. And by so many I mean it was a book of questions. Questions about what Chloe was and about the relationships between everyone. It was a great start to the series.

The Stolen
The second book was CRAZY. There was so much action, so much excitement, yet it was still building the story. Through the entire series

May 14, 2014 Aryn rated it liked it

Dear modern guilty pleasure YA books, why does the third book always suck? Seriously. What the fuck is up with that?

Okay, so first of all a brief summary. Chloe is a "typical" (we'll come back to this) teenager who finds out her biological mother and she herself is a cat person known as the Mai. Tada! Told you it would be brief.

So, while book 1 and 2 were full of entertainment value. I had to regularly pretend that Chloe was 18 or 20. There was just waaaaay too much sex for me to be comfortabl

Jan 05, 2012 Shannon rated it liked it

Story was good but really upset how things turned out:( I actually liked the show better than the book.

Mar 16, 2021 arwyn_d rated it it was ok

sorry but its gonna be a no for me, this book contains too many Cassandra Clare vibes (if that makes sense), i tried reading this without comparing it to city of bones, but the parallels were to obvious not to annoy me if i wanted to torture myself by reading a Cassandra Clare book, id just read the infernal devices. the characters are very bland and annoying and even though this book is CHONKY, you read it and feel like you didn't read anything, it's exhausting and boring at the same time. prob sorry but its gonna be a no for me, this book contains too many Cassandra Clare vibes (if that makes sense), i tried reading this without comparing it to city of bones, but the parallels were to obvious not to annoy me if i wanted to torture myself by reading a Cassandra Clare book, id just read the infernal devices. the characters are very bland and annoying and even though this book is CHONKY, you read it and feel like you didn't read anything, it's exhausting and boring at the same time. prob shouldve dnfed but here we are ...more

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