Marie Lu’s The Young Elites is the first book in the Young Elites series. The Young Elites takes place in a fantastical world where people have been ravaged by a blood fever. All the adults the blood fever affects die. For children, there are three possible outcomes. They could die, live unscathed, or survive with a mark. The marks range from irregular eyes to strange patterns on the skin to irregular colored hair. These marked children are malfettos, cursed children hated by the majority of society. Children with powerful abilities are known as the Young Elites. The malfettos and Young Elites are hunted by a government agency known as the Inquisition Axis. A select few Young Elites, who have trained and mastered their abilities, become a part of the Dagger Society. The Dagger Society is powerful, influential and its goals range from restoring a young prince to power to destroying the Inquisition Axis. While the story is told by many characters, it mainly centers around a Young Elite known as Adelina Amounteru.
Adelina Amounteru is a troubled young lady. She grew up in an abusive house hold with a father who hated her. Her younger sister Violetta is the only one Adelina cares about. When Adelina attempts to escape her home, her father catches her and her uncontrollable powers kill him. Her powers are aligned to darkness. Dark emotions of fear and hate fuel her power and she doesn’t always make the right choices. She is an extremely and uniquely dark protagonist. It is rare that protagonists are as dark as Adelina. She starts out with some hope for a life in the light, but her many choices lead her into a life of darkness. For those expecting a character like Day and June from the Legend trilogy, you will be disappointed. Adelina has none of Day and June's charm. Adelina sets herself on a dark vengeful path, while Day and June try to right society's wrongs.
The Young Elites was an amazing. Marie Lu crafts a strong, yet fragile character that can be both sympathized with and hated at the same time. It is interesting to have a character whose powers exist in darkness and can only be summoned by using the internal darkness within her. Adelina can be disturbingly dark and power-hungry at times. Some readers who have hope for all characters will have their heart broken as Adelina leads herself down a dark path. Those looking for a happy, morally correct tale won't find one here. All the characters are in a morally gray area. Characters we see as good guys are remarkably cold and can be seen as evil when looked at from a different angle. The book keeps your interest from page one and never slows down. The complexity of the characters moral alignment makes the story endlessly enthralling and somewhat unsettling. With every solution, another problem arises making the story more complicated. I give This 355 page book is 4.5 stars.
Adelina Amounteru is a troubled young lady. She grew up in an abusive house hold with a father who hated her. Her younger sister Violetta is the only one Adelina cares about. When Adelina attempts to escape her home, her father catches her and her uncontrollable powers kill him. Her powers are aligned to darkness. Dark emotions of fear and hate fuel her power and she doesn’t always make the right choices. She is an extremely and uniquely dark protagonist. It is rare that protagonists are as dark as Adelina. She starts out with some hope for a life in the light, but her many choices lead her into a life of darkness. For those expecting a character like Day and June from the Legend trilogy, you will be disappointed. Adelina has none of Day and June's charm. Adelina sets herself on a dark vengeful path, while Day and June try to right society's wrongs.
The Young Elites was an amazing. Marie Lu crafts a strong, yet fragile character that can be both sympathized with and hated at the same time. It is interesting to have a character whose powers exist in darkness and can only be summoned by using the internal darkness within her. Adelina can be disturbingly dark and power-hungry at times. Some readers who have hope for all characters will have their heart broken as Adelina leads herself down a dark path. Those looking for a happy, morally correct tale won't find one here. All the characters are in a morally gray area. Characters we see as good guys are remarkably cold and can be seen as evil when looked at from a different angle. The book keeps your interest from page one and never slows down. The complexity of the characters moral alignment makes the story endlessly enthralling and somewhat unsettling. With every solution, another problem arises making the story more complicated. I give This 355 page book is 4.5 stars.