The Young Elites by Marie Lu

The Young Elites (Young Elites, #1)

by Marie Lu

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood plague: marked by a jagged scar, snow-white hair and lashes. Cast out by her family, Adelina has finally found a place to belong within the secret society of Young Elites. To some, the Elites are heroes, here to save innocents in desperate situations. But to the Inquisition Axis, the white-robed soldiers of Kenettra, they are monsters with demonic powers who must be brought to justice. As Adelina learns more about this perilous world where politics and magic clash, she soon realizes that her own powers may be in danger of bringing on an era of panic such as the world has never seen.

Reviewed by inlibrisveritas on

4 of 5 stars

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The Young Elites is another brilliant book by author Marie Lu, but it brings something dark to the mix. We meet Adelina, a girl who has been abused most of her life and has abilities that not only surprise her but others like her, and we finally get to see a story about a person who tries to be a hero but struggles and loses their way.

I have to say I’m very impressed with the amazing consistency in Marie Lu’s writing. Like the Legend series this pulls you in right away, presenting you with an idea turned on it’s head. In Legend the typical gender roles were swapped, in this the typical shiny “girl saves the disenfranchised’ trope is nodded at and immediately thrown in the dirt. I love Adelina, because I understand her. She’s been used and abused by someone who should have protected her, and because of those experiences she finds it difficult to let go of the years of hurt and anger inside of her. Her story is one of pain and personal torment, and one she strives to move past but instead finds her strength within it. The Young Elites and Teren, the head of the Inquisitors played a big part in pulling Adelina back and forth between what she feels she needs to do and what she feels she has to do. It’s a game of tug-o-war that shapes her future decisions and pulls her a part. I will say that we don’t get to know a ton about the individual members of the Dagger Society, as most of them make a point to keep themselves at a distance from Adelina, but I did enjoy learning what we were given. The best part is, everyone is flawed in this. No one is the perfect leader, or follower…they all have their own motives and personalities, and sometimes those things clash making friendships shallow and bonds brittle.

Add that to a world that is rich and full of promise, and you have a winner. The setting of Daila was really amazing, and I loved all the Italian influence that popped up here and there. The best part are the powers though. Lu spends a fantastic amount of time letting the reader get to know what the Malfetto are capable of and let me tell you their abilities are beyond cool. I’ve actually been dying for a story like this for a long time, I even had a manuscript blocked out for something a little similar to this, so it goes without saying that I love nearly everything about this book.

If you want a fast paced book with plenty of picturesque world building and a protagonist with antagonist tendencies then don’t hesitate to grab this one! I can’t wait to see where Lu leads us in the next book.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 14 May, 2015: Finished reading
  • 14 May, 2015: Reviewed