I received this for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Young Elites by Marie Lu Published by Penguin on 2014-10-07
Pages: 368
Goodreads
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Legend series.
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.
My Thoughts:
I absolutely adored Marie Lu’s Legend books but The Young Elites has cemented her as an “auto-buy” author for me.
The intensity of The Young Elites sucked me in and didn’t let go. From the first page Lu does an incredible job of building the urgency of the story. No matter which character the story was following, the pace never slackened. This really made The Young Elites a book I couldn’t put down.
One of the most fascinating parts of the story was the history of the “Young Elites” and how their existence affected society. I really liked the use of an epidemic that changed the people who survived it in a physical way. How would a society react if people not only survived a deadly fever but came out of it with unexplainable physical changes and, in some cases, special powers? What an interesting idea to explore. It really highlights the good and bad in people.
And of course the characters themselves… Adelina, Enzo, Teren, and everyone else. There wasn’t a character point of view that I wasn’t interested in. In fact, if it wouldn’t have confused the story, I would have loved to know more and more and more about all the characters! I do admit that Adelina was especially interesting. Her life experiences and the choices she made really had me thinking about her character in many different ways. I love it when an author is able to do that.
All in all I highly recommend The Young Elites. The story and the characters grab the reader and don’t let go.
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