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book reviews: the young elites the young elites the young elites
author: marie lu genre: teen fantasy
Book 1: The Young Elites (344 pages)
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Book 2: The Rose Society (395 pages)
Book 3: The Midnight Star (316 pages
Summary:
The Young Elites series follows the path of the villain protagonist, Adelina in the politically unstable kingdom of Kennetra. Abused, manipulated and betrayed since childhood, Adelina plots to repay those who hurt her with the same fear and pain they brought onto her. As she delves into the world of Elites — all of whom have been scarred and blessed with extraordinary powers by the Blood Fever — Adelina begins to lose herself to her power: she creates illusions so real that darkness threatens to consume her as she struggles to connect to reality, facing both the ghosts of her past and the limits of her sanity.
Things I enjoyed:
It was refreshing to read from the perspective of a villain, and I think the author did a wonderful job portraying Adelina’s constant internal conflict. It was unsettling to see how Adelina’s thought process was so dark in a frighteningly relatable way. I could relate to some of the things she felt, but it was unnerving to feel that connection, which I believe was an unlying goal of the author. I think she paints an agonizing picture of how hatred hollows out someone until it strangles the life out of relationships, hopes and love, and she does so in a way that shakes the
adelina amouteru
reader up on an intimate and personal level. I appreciated how Marie Lu portrayed love in a dynamic and turbulent light. This series depicts how love shows up when we least expect it, and will wait for us later down the road. The 3rd novel was by far my favourite in the series. I felt that it was a glorious conclusion to the protagonist’s story, and I felt that it gave the reader closure and just enough of a sense of wonder.
Things I wish the author explored more:
One of the side characters had a strong obsession with another, and I wish the author had explored this more. I felt that this part of the story was hard to connect to, and seemed slightly ambiguous as if there were a couple of loose ends.
