Title: The Young Elites
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Published: October 7, 2014
Pages: 355
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Source: Ebook
I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.
Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.
Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.
Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.
Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.
It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.
Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.
Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.
Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.
Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.
It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.
MY REVIEW
This review MAY contain SPOILERS. Read at your own risk.I think that I am actually in shock right now. My chest feels funny. Okay, hear me out. My review is going to sound like I didn't enjoy this book, but let's put this out there right now...I did! One of the hardest things about being a serial series reader is that when I start a completed series the hype has been going on about the series for some time. It leaches into my bones and I sometimes can't escape from it or separate myself from it. And that is the bottom line with me, my feelings, and this book. I just had higher expectations going into it than I would have liked. Especially since Marie Lu is one of my favorite authors.
I thought that the world building in this was presented very well. I loved all of the little details about the world that sprang up as the story progressed. I didn't feel overwhelmed with backstory or world-specific details. They were all introduced at perfect times. The world-specific details were very realistic and vibrant. I could feel myself in the characters' shoes and feel the world around me as I was reading. I did think that some of the world-specific details could have been elaborated on though. There were some things that weren't perfectly clear while reading. I thought that the powers could have been explained more. I actually had to go back and read the section of the book that detailed how they work because it was so short and underdeveloped that I missed it the first time. And even then, it was still not super clear.
The story's plot was not lacking at all. I rather enjoyed the storyline. There were unexpected plot twists and plenty of suspense. I loved the darkness of the story. The story itself is not overly original - a sickness that sweeps the land and leaves those left behind with powers - but combined with the world building it became something special.
What I liked best about the characters was the diversity and the fact that they were not flawless like most characters tend to be. A lot of the characters had physical marks, which is not so common a thing since no one wants their pretty character babies to be anything but perfect. More than that though, the characters had internal flaws which I think makes them stand out as more realistic characters. Apart from those things, I was a little disappointed in the characters. Or perhaps it was my reception of the characters. I can't really put my finger on what exactly made me feel so distant from them, but I didn't connect with the characters at all in this book. None of them. Which is sad because they had so much potential to me. Potential to be something great and overpowering. Instead, I did not like their voices at all.
The romance did not do it for me in this. It was not very convincing. I liked that it did not dominate the story, but other than that I did not care for it. I felt the characters were very one-dimensional so I was bound to dislike the romance between them.
Overall, this book didn't have the pop that I am used to from Marie Lu. I wasn't really feeling it. I admit that this story has plenty of potential, but as is feels mediocre. I enjoyed the world, but I could not feel the characters at all. I enjoyed parts of this book, and others I felt were lacking. I will probably continue the series at some point, but I'm in no rush. The rest of the books will probably be sitting on my shelf until I am in a TBR clearing mood.
THIS BOOK CONTRIBUTED TO THESE 2018 READING CHALLENGES
- Try Something New Challenge
- Beat the Backlist Challenge
- Beat the Backlist Challenge
Check out my 2018 Challenge Page to see my progress!
Which books have you read that have suffered from too much hype?
My name is Vanessa a.k.a. Queen Alchemy. I am a 30-something-year-old mother of four nerdy, fantastic children. We live in the Midwest. I have a reading addiction, and I hope that I never recover! I'm the hugest nerd you can find with interests not limited to the following: comics (Batman and Captain America for the win!), science, computers, zombies, unicorns, Harry Potter, cartoons from the 80's & 90's, Frankenstein, history, crafting, cooking & baking, Star Wars, digital scrapbooking, D&D, Minecraft, Hello Kitty, horror, metalcore, royalty, tattoos & piercings, bright colors, and so much more!
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