The Astray Chosen is the second novel in the fantasy series The Thedre Trilogy, written by Laura Huie, sequel to The Unchosen. A second instalment that puts the emphasis on characters' growth, especially regarding Fia and Winston, while giving us a great insight on one of the antagonists, Martin, weaving together a nice character-driven sequel.

As said, we will be following three characters as the main POVs: Winston, Fia, and Martin. Fia seems to have found a refuge in the Malarite land, but her magic is still broken; the fate inside Winston is not happy with this stance. Fia wants to save Winston, but she doesn't have many options to do it.
Winston is struggling with the fate inside him, who insists on trying to control his body, giving no agency to Winston; despite trying to bargain with the fate, Winston won't find much peace. As a consequence, we can see how Winston ends attacking Fia under the control of the fate, being sent through a hidden way to Thedre.
And with Martin, Huie gives us more insight over his ascension to Verdant Lord, slowly showing his true face; he might be an antagonist, but even in that situation, you can understand why he's behaving like.

In this sequel, Huie puts more emphasis on the struggle of the characters, focusing on the narrative over the world; each one has to deal with their own circumstances, affecting how they interact with the rest. Also, as a consequence, we have a really intense book, as we have much time to empathize and get along with the characters, so each difficult moment becomes more meaningful.

The pacing is relatively slow, focusing more on the progression of the characters, slowly setting the stakes for a third book. Fia still wants to return to Earth, but in the meantime, we will see her developing more bonds with other characters in this world; her power is growing, but not the control over it.

The Astray Chosen is a sequel that proves Huie's growth as a writer, a character-driven story which continues fleshing the characters we already meet in the Unchosen. A great second instalment, that leaves us asking about how the trilogy will be closed in the next book.