The Chosen (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #15) - J. R. Ward

Xcor, leader of the Band of Bastards, convicted of treason against the Blind King, is facing a brutal interrogation and torturous death at the hands of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Yet after a life marked by cruelty and evil deeds, he accepts his soldier’s fate, his sole regret the loss of a sacred female who was never his: the Chosen Layla. 

Layla alone knows the truth that will save Xcor’s life. But revealing his sacrifice and his hidden heritage will expose them both and destroy everything Layla holds dear—even her role of mother to her precious young. Torn between love and loyalty, she must summon the courage to stand up against the only family she has for the only man she will ever love. Yet even if Xcor is somehow granted a reprieve, he and Layla would have to confront a graver challenge: bridging the chasm that divides their worlds without paving the way for a future of even greater war, desolation, and death.

As a dangerous old enemy returns to Caldwell, and the identity of a new deity is revealed, nothing is certain or safe in the world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, not even true love . . . or destinies that have long seemed set in stone.

As usual, J. R. Ward rocked this story SO hard. Up until the sixth chapter everything was a little too calm for my taste but those chapters were definitely needed in order to put everything in proper context. The glimpses of Xcor´s past were keypoints into really knowing the character and really getting the way Layla shifted some cogs in him. Xcor was portraited as such an intrinsically cruel character that it was kind of sweet and kind of unbelievable to see the change in him. I would have loved to see a bit more of roughness on Xcor´s part, it seemed (in some parts) that he had all the scars but none of the toughness to support them. Too much resignation on his part. The change was drastic, which I don´t know if I would have depicted in such  way but, for some reason, Ward made it work. At the beginning, I was a little lost as to why Thor was behaving in such an asshol-y manner towards Xcor, I thought that was because I purposefully skipped a book (The Beast), which I will solve promptly.  I will also state my reasons when I review said book. Back to Xcor now... I finally understood that Thor has not finished mourning Wellsie, and what a sad fact that is even though it´s not surprising. I really loved all the back stories in this book: Trey´s, Vishous´, ect. The fact that there´s a whole bunch of bastards kind of makes me hopeful we´ll be having the BDB for quite a while still and I can´t wait to discover the whole new set of bastards. 

That Quinn and Layla scene, though. Explosive. You´ll know what I mean when you read it. A typical protective animal instinct amplified by 1000% more. Exactly what one would expect from powerful male vampires and their female counterparts. LOVED IT. Blay is astounding in his scenes: I think the only logical vampire in this whole story, lol. The way he stands up to Quinn and sets him in place is absolutely heartbreaking and depicts an inner strength worthy of admiration. I didn´t like the fact that he seemed ready to give up on Quinn so easily, though. I need further explanations on those black-out rages Quinn carries, I´m hoping there´s something more than assholer-y going on, maybe some genetic disease or something because it´s a tough pill to swallow if that´s part of his personality without added bonuses. I like his straight-fowardness in fixing things up with Blay. Although, Blay should have left him groveling a bit more. 

I liked the way Layla seemed to build herself up anew and from scratch, the way she seemed to get in charge of herself and become. She was empowering at the end and had her goals set, even knowing the sacrifices she would have to make. Go Layla.

As for Vishous, I kind of understand him, and kind of don´t. That there´s even a slight doubt of the love between them is kind of scary in the sense that it sort of blows the concept of "vampire bonding" being more primal and strong than human love, completely out of the water. And it hurts. The way Vishous is thinking on this book is hurtful. Jane needs to get her head out of her ass and smell the roses. I need a Band-Aid on the next book.

 I need a Lassiter story. Soon. It´s imperative. The way Layla tried to come up with new ways to address the fallen angel was kind of hilarious. Wrath... God that king is KING. As for Throe, I bet he´s gonna spice things up in the future, can´t wait to see what the future holds for him. J. R, Ward continues to marvel me with her flawless writing, I cried, I laughed, I raged and had every feel one´s suppose to have with a good book. Overall, I give this book 4.5 inconspicuous stars.