By Marie Lu
What’s it about?
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.
Summary from The StoryGraph
Why I Started This Book
I started this book because I’m a die hard Marie Lu fan!! If you’ve followed my blog for a little while, you’ve probably noticed that I rave about all of her books!!
My First Thoughts
So I read this book a while ago, but I remember being pretty intrigued!! The book was unique, and I’d never read a fantasy quite like it!
My Rating
There was some things I loved about this book, and there was some stuff I didn’t like quite as much!! Here’s the breakdown!
What I loved
I loved the world! The world is so unique and cool!! Also, Marie Lu’s world building is amazing like always, which definitely adds so much to the story
The supporting characters were so mysterious! I’m always a huge fan of ambiguous characters with unclear motives, and this book gave me that!
I liked how dark this book was! Marie Lu’s books usually aren’t too dark, but I feel like her writing skills really shined through with this type of writing!!
I liked the idea and concept a lot! It sounded really cool, and I’ve never read anything like it before. This drew me in immediately!!
What I Disliked
I wasn’t a huge fan of Adelina, the main character. I liked her at the beginning, but later into the book I didn’t feel the same way, which hurt my enjoyment of the book! This ultimately the reason why I only gave this book a 3.5 star rating.
Book vs. Movie
There’s no movie for The Young Elites 😦
The Rest of the Series
While I thought the first book was quite good, I didn’t love the rest of the series as much. The second book, The Rose Society, is kind of what made me dislike the series. I got mad at the beginning of the book, and that kind of ruined my enjoyment. While I liked the third book, The Midnight Star, a lot more, it still didn’t quite reach my expectations for the series. That being said, the ending of The Midnight Star was really good, and ended the series well!
Should You Read It?
If you’re looking for a dark fantasy read, this is absolutely perfect for you!!! If you’re not into darker YA books, I would probably skip out on this read, but don’t be afraid to try something new! Marie Lu never fails!!
Conclusion
The Young Elites is a unique YA fantasy novel that follows Adelina, a malfetto marked by the blood fever. I liked most of the book, and the world-building was great! I also loved the supporting characters, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of Adelina, the main character! While I liked the first book in the series, the rest weren’t my absolute favorite! While I didn’t absolutely love this book, if you enjoy dark YA fantasy novels, I’d give this book a try! Happy reading!!!
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