The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1)Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 368 pages
Publication Date: October 7, 2014
From Goodreads:
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.
Review:
I appreciated the complex characters and bold choice the author made with having an antiheroine as the main character, but that meant I didn't like her. In fact, I didn't like anyone in this book and I wasn't sure who to root for. I did feel sympathy for Adelina because of the way her father treated her, but wow, she was really unlikable and she made horrible choices. She was dark, damaged, and twisted, and any positive qualities were overwhelmed by that darkness. With political intrigue and complicated characters, The Young Elites definitely has a Game of Thrones feel to it, but I was a bit disappointed (of course, I did have high expectations because I loved the Legend series).
Very surprising ending, and new characters introduced in the epilogue that will make me read the next book. Will the antiheroine turn into the villain? We shall see.
Posted by: Pam
I was unsure if I wanted to read this one. I'm still not quite caught up on the Legend series, that's to say I haven't started it at all. I'm sort of intrigued but I won't rush for it. Another great review, Pam!
ReplyDeleteAw I'm sad you are disappointed. I just bought this book and plan on reading it soon. I wonder how I will take to Adelina. Sometimes I like the antihero.
ReplyDeleteHmm. The author said in a letter I saw on GR that this stars a villain, which worries me a lot, but also very much intrigues me. I don't mind unlikable characters, depending on how they're portrayed. I've seen a lot of positive about this one, so I'm glad to see something that tempers that from you. I'm still interested to read this book to see how feel about this character.
ReplyDeleteI have read mixed reviews so far for this one, but I'm still so excited. I actually find it super interesting that the main character is a bit of a villain because villains fascinate me. So hopefully I'll enjoy this a bit more than you, but I'm going to try to lower my expectations which are at Legend level (you know how much I LOVE that series).
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I really didn't like or connect to the characters either. I was so disappointed by this book. But that epilogue was so intriguing, it's made me consider the sequel.
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